Dental and Eye Care

Outside the SNS — mostly

Routine dental and optical care for adults are not covered by the SNS. Children get a 'cheque-dentista' voucher worth ~€40 twice a year, pregnant women and SNS-registered seniors get limited dental cheques, and emergencies (extractions, abscesses) can be treated at hospital A&E. Beyond that, almost everyone uses private clinics, paying out of pocket or via insurance dental modules.

Typical prices (2026)

Below-EU-average across the board, hence the booming dental-tourism scene.

• Cleaning + check-up: €40–€80
• Single filling: €50–€95
• Root canal (one canal): €120–€200
• Crown (porcelain): €350–€600
• Implant + crown: €1,200–€1,800
• Full smile rehabilitation: €4,000–€12,000
• Eye exam: €25–€55
• Glasses (frames + lenses): €120–€350
• Contact lens fitting: €60–€100
• LASIK both eyes: €1,400–€2,400

Choosing a good dentist

Quality varies more than price. Three signals to look for:

• Member of Ordem dos Médicos Dentistas (look up on the Ordem's website by name)
• Uses a digital intra-oral scanner (skip clinics still doing only impressions)
• Itemised quote in writing before any major work — mandatory by law in Portugal

How insurance dental modules work

Most Portuguese health plans offer optional dental add-ons:

• Basic add-on (~€8–€15/month): cleanings, X-rays, simple fillings
• Mid-tier (~€20–€35/month): adds crowns, root canals, sometimes orthodontics
• Premium (~€40–€70/month): implants and prosthetics with annual ceilings

Eye care

Optical chains (Multiopticas, Wells, MO Optical, ÓtimoOlhar) handle exams and glasses; ophthalmologists in private hospitals handle medical eye care. For LASIK and serious conditions, the major centres are Hospital de Santa Maria (SNS), Hospital da Luz and IRL Lisboa.

Dental tourism, but reversed

Portugal is itself a destination for dental tourists from the UK, Ireland and Germany. Implant clinics in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve offer turnkey packages bundling treatment, hotel and airport pickup. Useful if you need major work and prefer to combine it with a longer stay — also a good signal of clinical capacity if local clinics are competing for that market.