One Tartu mother wrote on social media that her child's orthodontic dental treatment costs 11,000 euros. The family must make a down payment of 2,200 euros and pay 250 euros per month. The family doesn't know if they can afford it.
This is the family's second child who needs orthodontic help. The first child's treatment cost 4,500 euros and lasted two years. Other parents also talk about higher prices, but their amounts are smaller.
In Estonia, children's dental care is free until the age of 19, but orthodontic treatment is free only for severe diagnoses. Prices at different clinics start from 5,000-5,500 euros. At the Tallinn Dental Clinic, prices start from 3,000 euros.
Orthodontics professor Triin Jagomägi said that 11,000 euros is an exception. Usually, treatment doesn't cost that much. But prices vary between clinics because they are private businesses. The government doesn't have money to fund more patients.
Jagomägi said that prices haven't risen much in recent years. However, the cost of living and rising product prices affect costs. In large clinics, pricing is done by economic specialists, not doctors.
The president of the Dentists' Union, Katrin Metstak, said that 11,000 euros is too much. She believes that dentists should be able to perform simpler orthodontic work, which would help reduce prices. But orthodontists don't want to allow this.
Metstak said that some dentists perform orthodontic treatment, but the Health Board penalizes them. She hopes the government will intervene and help resolve the situation.
Jagomägi believes that dentists should not perform orthodontic treatment because they haven't studied it enough. She said that Estonia has enough orthodontists and there are no waiting lists.
The Health Insurance Fund pays for orthodontic treatment only in severe cases. Usually, the family pays themselves. The cost of treatment has risen by 4-5 percent in recent years. The Health Insurance Fund sees no way to reduce prices.
Social Minister Karmen Joller said that the government has no plan to change the orthodontics sector. She believes that professional associations should reach an agreement.