Are you new to Valencia and in need of dental care? Understanding the ins and outs of the Spanish dental system can be a key step in maintaining your oral health. Here’s a guide on how to visit a dentist in Spain, with my personal experience in Valencia in 2024. In general, it is a choice between swift and pricey (at least for Czechs) treatments in private clinics and long waiting times in public ones.
Public Health Coverage
In Spain, health insurance typically covers only extractions and emergencies for adults, but the coverage for children (below 15 years) is more comprehensive, extending to nearly all dental treatments. If you’re seeking dental care for your child, you’ll find that the health insurance has got them covered.
Another free option is to go with Odontólogos Solidarios (solidarity dentists). They are volunteers that offer free treatments for people in need, so in order to be able to access their services, you need to be sent there by a social worker (https://maps.app.goo.gl/cBesFCkoyq4c5G948).
Booking an Appointment with a Public Health Dentist
To schedule an appointment with a public health dentist, the first step is to visit your Primary Care Physician (P.E.). Your P.E. will assess your dental needs and then provide you with an appointment with a public health dentist if necessary. The waiting times may be quite long (you can find more about it below in the “My experience” section.
Private Dental Clinics
If you are looking for a fast solution, private dental clinics are the go-to option. While this involves out-of-pocket expenses, it ensures a wide range of dental services is readily available. You can usually get an appointment within a few days.
Spain’s private clinics often follow a similar pattern. You walk in and they greet you with a friendly smile, a free x-ray and a thorough examination during the free initial visit. Then comes the intriguing part: the budget and treatment plan. Yes, they hand you a neatly itemised list of all the treatments you need, complete with prices and softly push you into scheduling a next appointment and paying for everything in advance, so that they are sure that you won’t end up taking the treatments with their competitors. You can always decide to pay after every single procedure that you get.
Spanish dental clinics rarely reveal their prices online. Instead, you find a phone number—your gateway to appointments. Once I walked in one clinic and asked for a price of one specific treatment. The response was that I should get an appointment to get checked up and they would tell me the prices according to my specific case. What transparency! Imagine trying to compare prices across clinics. It’s like navigating a maze blindfolded. And let’s not forget the frequent x-rays—each visit, another dose of radiation. If price comparison were an Olympic sport, we’d all be gold medalists in radioactivity.
Cost of Treatments in Valencia (2024)
In Valencia, as of 2024, the cost of dental treatments can vary. For instance, if you have more than one cavity on a tooth and require a restoration, the average cost is around 70€.
Consider Dental Insurance
Insurance providers often collaborate with specific private clinics, creating a network that allows policyholders to access a range of services at discounted rates. For individuals in need of multiple treatments or routine dental care, investing in dental insurance can be a wise choice. Dental insurance plans, such as the one offered by DKV, provide discounts on various treatments. For instance, under DKV, the cost of a restoration can be reduced to 50€. Additionally, these plans often include perks like one free mouth cleaning per year. The cost of the mentioned insurance (the cheapest one I found) is 6€/month and the shortest contract duration is one year.
My experience
My journey began when I decided to visit a private dental clinic for a comprehensive assessment of my oral health. One of the recommended treatments for me was the extraction of a misaligned wisdom tooth. At the private DKV clinic covered by my insurance, the cost was 15€ for the tooth extraction and an additional 25€ for the surgical aspect, totaling 40€ for the removal of one wisdom tooth. I decided to play detective and explore my options.
I visited my Primary Care Physician (P.E.) to secure an appointment with a public dentist. The process was relatively swift, with a few days’ wait for the P.E. appointment and two weeks for the dentist. The dentist glanced at my mouth for a grand total of 2 seconds. Result? Two new appointments—one for an x-ray and the other for x-ray analysis. However, the journey to wisdom tooth removal proved to be an exercise in patience.
- X-Ray Waiting Game: Three weeks later, I posed for the x-ray machine. Click! Radiation level up.
- X-Ray Analysis: Four days after the x-ray appointment, I returned. The dentist squinted at the image. His verdict? “Complicated. Hospital time.” Another appointment in three weeks…
On that fateful day—the culmination of weeks of waiting—I stepped into the hospital with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Finally, The waiting room was serene, devoid of fellow tooth warriors, as if the universe had conspired to grant me immediate access. I approached the check-in machine, slid my social security card, and watched the screen light up with my details. The doctors would know I was here, ready for the long-awaited surgery.
Off to his room I went. Another dentist, another glance. This time, the x-ray photo got a whopping 3-second inspection. Diagnosis: “Easy surgery.” Appointment? The earliest available date – in two months. Again?! I really thought that this time my wisdom tooth would finally meet its fate. Apparently, the hospital’s calendar was on a different time warp.
When the long-awaited surgery finally occurred, the entire process, from getting 5 injections of anaesthesia to completion, took approximately 20 minutes. As I left the hospital, groggy but toothless, I pondered. All the waiting time and appointments were probably not worth the 40€. So, next time you bite into a churro or sip sangria, raise a glass to your dental adventures and remember, a healthy smile is a happy smile!
If you have any questions or experiences to share about dental care in Spain, feel free to leave a comment below.