Dental costs in Australia?
 

Regarding dental costs in Australia:
Do any of you know of any good dental insurance/cover?

Root canals here are $700 at least.

I can't get over the dentist costs here, couple hundred for a filling etc.

I went browsing on the net for insurers... but they all seem rubbish, can only claim in-between 300 hundred to a thousand dollars back with them. not happy jan!! :mad:

Out of interest I went to the Welsh NHS website... root canal is in-between 24 and 54 pounds (about 150 AU) ... here in Australia it is $700 at least. Wisdom teeth out (my mate had his done... cost him a couple of grand) And you Brit's think you have it bad in the UK... lol!

For people who do not know... In Australia Dentists are not funded by the Australian Government like they are in the UK.
Anyway anyone know of any good insurers here? Or advice on the system here. Otherwise I think it may be cheaper flying back to Britain for any future treatment... like wisdom teeth out (it's ridiculous... a couple of grand!)

cheers:D

Re: Dental costs in Australia?
 

You think $700 is bad? A friend of mine recently had hers done at an Aussie dentist and it set her back $2,750!!!

Re: Dental costs in Australia?
 

My wife needs a new filling but we are waiting until we are back in the UK in May as the cost here is so bloody high! We paid about $250 each for a check up and quick polish - I nearly choked when they asked us for that much and my hands were shaking as I put the $50 I had pulled out in readiness back into the wallet and swapped it for a credit card!

Re: Dental costs in Australia?
 

You are bit cheaper over there in QLD , wife had a double root canel $2300 in WA , lost count of cash these over paid barbers had off me last year did Sweeny Todd do a bit as well as cutting hair and making meat pies.
We have Medi-bank Private max we get back a year is $700 each that will go on check ups and cleaning .
Wait until your kids need braces say good bye to $3500 , I had a tooth capped $800 thinking of having them all out its cheaper in long run just saving up for a second mortgage to pay for false ones plus cost of taking them out.Best Wishes PB
:D :cool: :beer:

yes ridiculous isn't it?
700 dollars a year from insurance a year doesn't really cover it does it.... it's frightening!!!
I had a single root canal done a couple years a go, the cost was 700 and something... my partner needs a few things done now... and I can't get over the price. I honestly think it would be cheaper to fly back to Britain for major things like wisdom teeth out.

I just couldn't believe the prices in Britain... I came across a price guide on the NHS (it was the welsh NHS site).. all kids are free, pregnant women, dole people, students etc etc.

Paying working people... a filling is only around five pounds! and root canal 22 to 54 pounds at the most.

Link for the NHS Dentist site price guide
http://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/we...rect.asp?id=83

... sorry that one is in Welsh.... just pulling your plonker:D

Here's the English language version below

http://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/nhsdirect.asp?id=83

The problem with getting dentistry work in England is the lack of dentists that do NHS work, most have closed their lists to new patients just like the doctors, they also will only fill with amalgam and won't put in white fillings unless you are in the right postcode area. The standard of NHS dentistry is also poor compared to private as the dentist only gets paid a specific amount by the NHS for each type of visit such as a filling. You will also find it hard to get cosmetic dentistry done on the NHS unless you have had an accident.

A friend of mine went to a NHS dentist in Milton Keynes to have a tooth filled and ended up back their a week later because of the continual pain and was told that the tooth had to come out, he refused to have it removed and went to a private dentist who filled the tooth correctly and charged him £65 for a white filling, saved his tooth.

i'm unluckly with my teeth and I have had over £4000 pounds worth of dental treatment to put them right. I had to go private the NHS dentist said the only thing that could be done under the NHS was to remove most of them and put in dentures.

NHS dentistry stops you feeling pain most of the time but you wouldn't want to smile afterwards!

Years ago in UK I had some very iffy work done by one of the hundreds of Aussies dentists who came to work in UK so I know what you mean ,only go to Pom ones over here.:D :cool: :beer:

I do think it is where you are in Britain... my father had to have a heart by pass, he's in Wales... they have one of the best hospitals for heart operations in the UK (new unit just opened)(Morriston)... very good care , couldn't fault them with the care... my uncle who lives in England is on a huge waiting list.
Wales since the devolution ... is in control of it's own health care now.. hence the NHS welsh web site.
Depends where you are in Britain I think regarding Hospitals and dentists..some areas in UK are really cr*P, others are good.

cheers:)

Hi,
just one more thing, that 65 pounds... even if this sounds expensive to you (UK Private dentists)... a white filling in Australia is double that... I think I paid 3 or 400 and something Australian dollars for my white filling here (can't remember the exact price , but it was a good few hundred... expensive)
Even going private in the UK is a lot cheaper than Australia.

Australia is really expensive... If you want to make money in Australia... become a dentist, really :)

Also.. at least in the UK if you can't afford it, on the dole etc... you get it free. All kids get free etc... In Australia your kid could be in agony of tooth ache , and if you can't afford it... the kid goes without. Dentists are not free. There's a big difference in Australian and the UK.
I think it's funny UK people moaning about the NHS... it's hell of a lot better than what you get here (or should I say don't get here)

My partner had some work to his teeth here a couple of months ago... cost him one thousand... a root canal, and a temp filling... the dentist did the wrong tooth , believe it or not... it was a chinese dentist (not that the race matters.... just saying it was a chinese guy)... There are bad dentists here too... only difference, you'll be out of pocket too.
He won't go back to the dentists here, want's to fly back to the Uk to do them.This is why I originally began this thread... just to see about insurance and other peoples experiences.

cheers :)

Ceri,

I don't know who you went to but either you had a bigger problem with your teeeth than you thought or you were ripped off! If you take a look at the following link you will find that the average cost of a filling 'under Restorative dentistry' is $130 which equals about £46 pounds at $2.80 to the £, and they only use white fillings in Aus due to the poisions in mercury.

http://www.hermes.net.au/fromadental/dentalservices.htm

The average cost of a white filling in the uk is £72 or $201, see:

http://www.this-is-hygeia.co.uk/whitefillings.htm

'In Australia your kid could be in agony of tooth ache'. Not so, if you are on the dole or disabled, etc then you can apply for a card which will give you cheap dental work and you kids free dental work, here is a link to the scheme in Victoria, other states have similar,

http://www.survivorsvic.org.au/pdfdo...ishVersion.pdf

Both the free services in Aus and UK provide the same services, the will make sure that your mouth is desease and pain free, but if you want to look better then pay for private work or you just keep your mouth shut like Smiley
:) :)

You are way off had a filling done last week no change out of $350 with check up Xrays and clean ,there is not free dental work in WA for anyone.
By the way Xrays are done before any work at a cost of $32 each at lest 2 will be charged ,look at that on your bull chart.
The card you mention does give a discount but not a lot, I know people who wait for holidays back to UK to get dental work done .
There was a case in local paper a old guy had waited 2 years for hospital dental treatment because he had no money , in that time he had no teeth at all.
Medi care covers no dental work at all unlike NHS , its a case of pay to you bleed , then borrow the rest.
You sir I would say have no idea but after first visit to one of these Ned Kellys will learn.Best Wishes PB:D :cool: :beer:

Having health Insurance makes little difference to dental costs. Even with the TOP level of cover, we pay most of the dental bills. Its all worded with Gaps, (you pay the diff) and limits, like $500 maximum, even if you have been in the fund for a decade! Its stuffed here, dont get sick, let alone want a tooth done.

Visited a pregnant friend yesterday, she is 10 days overdue, was supposed to have a Ceasar at 38 weeks. They cannot find a Obstetricain to do the Birth, (Massive wrangles here over Liability Cover). Dont kid yourself about good health system here. Its crashing round our ears, totally and utterly stuffed.

PB, you are not looking at the cost of a single white filling but at the cost of a complete treatment. My wife has just had a filling done on one of her teeth.

Check Up £12.50
X-Rays x 2 £42.00
Filling £55.00
Clean £33.00

Total £142.50 = $399 at $2.80 to the £

If people want to wait to get to the UK before they have treatment then that is there choice but it is not any cheaper. the end cost to them would be about the same.

You are correct that Medicare does not cover non-surgical dental work, this is covered by Public Community Dental Services including School Dental Services that are available in all states including Western Austrailia see the following link for the WA services

http://www.health.wa.gov.au/services...cfm?Topic_ID=9

Both the UK and Aus have the same problems as far as dental work is concerned, not enough money to provide enough services. So you either pay more in taxes so that all can have free dental or you pay privately, either way it hurts either your pocket or your mouth :)

PB.. XRay $50 here. (yours were cheaper than mine).. well that's what my partner paid. :)

Ianduggan....
Myself I've had one root canal about two or three years ago, and one filling (in Australia)
My partner needs work done... which is going to set us back quite a bit. He paid a thousand a month ago for a rootcanal and a temp filling.

Regarding bad dentists in the UK... my partner is one who has had trouble with both a dentist in Wales, and here in Australia... He sure can pick them :D.
Myself, I've always received good treatment in the UK...and have good teeth... we used different dentists back home.

You get good and bad dentists in both countries... but with Australia you pay big bucks for your bad dentist

cheers:)

My wife had one of her caps come lose was charged $280 to re fit , my son has his done same job in UK free, we would all love to earn exchance rate of pay dream on, for most jobs here it would not even work out at 2-1 you Sir will find that out soon .To get the treatment you quote it would be a case of living on the streets and only then if you are lucky.:D :cool: :beer: