The dentists have rejected the convention for 2024-2025. What does that mean for the patient? Frank Herrebaut, chairman of the VBT dental federation, explains.
How do I know if my doctor follows the convention rates and what the prices are?
“You can always ask in advance,” says Frank Herrebaut. “The dentist has recently also been obliged to advertise what the treatment will cost for five basic treatments. That gives an idea, but will not provide much insight for many dentists. Because the price for a certain type of filling is not the same as that for another. A pediatric dentist, for example, is not covered by these basic treatments. And many dentists will specialize in a certain type of treatment, so you will rarely see those posted rates there, if only because that treatment is rarely carried out there.”
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Is dental care now becoming much more expensive?
“In essence, everything continues to run as it has since January,” says Herrebaut. “There has been an indexation of 6 percent of the rates and that will now be maintained. A large majority of dentists with an active customer base are also deconventional. We have been complaining for some time that a retired dentist with an RIZIV number automatically counts as conventional, while those people sometimes simply sit in a retirement home. Today the vast majority do not follow the convention, much more than the 43% who voted no.”
“That does not mean that dentistry is or will become much more expensive. For 60 to 70 percent of the treatments, the deconventional rates are very close to the convention. However, such a deconvention offers more options: a dentist can charge more for extracting a tooth if, for example, it takes an hour and a half. It makes some sense that you can also charge for that extra time at that moment.”
“For more expensive and more drastic matters, you can always ask your dentist to make a prediction of the costs. If that dentist is very expensive, you will soon find out by comparing it with other dentists and that reputation will spread.”
What if I have to go to the emergency room?
“Dentists who work in the emergency department will still continue to follow the convention,” says Herrebaut. “But beware: many things are not carried out there. The focus is on relieving the pain. You can’t just walk into the emergency room for normal dental work.”
