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Truly Dental has been proud to treat medical card patients across our clinics for a number of years. We have always valued the opportunity to provide that care, and this update is not one we share lightly.
From 24th June 2026, Truly Dental will no longer be providing dental treatment under the HSE medical card scheme. I want to explain what has happened, and to help you understand what your options are.
The medical card dental scheme in Ireland - known as the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) - has been in place since the Health Act 1970. Under this scheme, the HSE provides dental care to medical card holders through agreements with dentists around the country.
The way the scheme is structured, the HSE can only enter into these agreements with individual dentists. There is no provision for a dental company or group to hold a contract directly.
This made sense when the scheme was introduced, as dental care in Ireland was delivered almost entirely through small, independent practices. Over the decades, dentistry has changed. Multi-site dental groups have become an important part of how care is delivered. However, the DTSS framework has not been updated to reflect this.
Truly Dental is a modern dental group operating across a number of clinics in Ireland. The inability of the DTSS to contract with a corporate entity creates a fundamental misalignment between how modern dental care is organised and how the scheme is structured. Despite our best efforts, we have reached a point where we can no longer continue to provide care under the scheme in a way that works safely and sustainably.
If you have been attending Truly Dental with your medical card, we know this is unwelcome news. We want you to know that this is not a reflection of how we feel about you as a patient. We have always provided the same standard of care to every person who comes through our doors, and that will not change.
24th June 2026 - the last day we will treat medical card patients
If you are currently mid-treatment
If you have a treatment plan that is already underway, we will do our best to complete it before 24th June 2026. Please contact your clinic as soon as possible so we can arrange your remaining appointments in good time.
If you would like to stay with Truly Dental
You are very welcome to continue attending any of our clinics as a private patient after 24th June. Our team will be happy to explain our fees and the flexible payment plans we offer. We want dental care to be as accessible as possible, and we will do what we can to help.
If you need to find another dentist who accepts the medical card
We completely understand. There are a number of ways to find a new provider:
* Contact your local HSE dental clinic - they can provide a list of dentists in your area who accept the medical card.
* Visit https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/collections/treatment-benefit-scheme-list-of-dentists/ for a list of dentists.
* Visit citizensinformation.ie for information on dental services available to medical card holders.
* Call the HSE helpline on 1800 700 700 for assistance.
We are notifying the HSE of all outstanding approvals held at our clinics so that these can be transferred to another provider. This means that if you have an approval in place, it should be possible for another dentist to continue your care without you having to start the process again.
Our call centre and clinic teams are available to answer any questions you may have and to help you with the transition.
If you believe that dental companies like Truly should be able to work directly with the HSE to provide medical card services, you can make your voice heard. The current rules only allow individual dentists to hold.
You can write to:
* Your local TD - find them at oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds
A short email explaining that you are a medical card patient and that you would like the HSE to be able to contract directly with dental companies - not just individual dentists - can make a real difference. The more people who raise this, the more likely it is that the system will be updated.
We genuinely hope that the way dental services are organised under the medical card scheme will evolve to reflect how care is delivered today. The Department of Social Protection has already been able to work directly with dental companies under the PRSI scheme, and we are hopeful that a similar approach can be
developed for the medical card in time. If and when that happens, we would welcome the opportunity to serve medical card patients once again.
To every patient who has trusted us with their care - whether under the medical card or otherwise - thank you. It has been a privilege to look after you, and we do not take that for granted.
If you have any questions at all, please contact your local Truly Dental clinic. We are here to help.
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