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Free-market dentistry puts 10 per cent on cost of pulling teeth

The cost of going to the dentist has gone up by as much as 30 per cent over the past year, in defiance of the government’s insistence that deregulating the market would bring prices down.

A survey of 200 dental practices by the Netherlands’ second largest health insurer, Uvit, found that the average dentist’s bill had risen by 10 per cent.

A less comprehensive study of 127 dentists by the state broadcaster NOS also found wide-ranging differences in the prices charged for comparable work.

There was no clear reason for why some dentists charged nearly four times as much as others for similar procedures. Patients also found themselves having to pay surcharges, even when they had already paid for dental insurance.

NOS found the cost of a routine check-up varied between €19 and €30, while a clean and polish cost between €12 and €50 and the bill for a double filling ranged could be anything from €38 to €130.

Dentists have been allowed to set their own tariffs since January 1 under a three-year pilot scheme aimed at liberating the market. However, they are not currently obliged to publicise their rates.

Most health insurers set their own market rates to cover the cost of dental care. However, in many cases these are not high enough to meet the actual cost, leaving the patient to pay the difference.

Source: NOS: Enorme prijsverschillen tandartsen

Photo by bw14