Bailey1

Hello everyone,
I have applied for a visa for Australia and I am flying into Sydney in July. I have to get work done on my front teeth - 2 crowns & a root canal. I am debating whether to wait until I get to Aus or to get it done here in Ireland.
Quality of work and cost are obviously my two main considerations and I would be grateful if any one could tell me about their experiences with dentists in Australia - or ?
As I will be spending 6/8 weeks travelling around Australia before I settle in Sydney, I would be able to attend a dentist in other cities like Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns or Adelaide.
Thanks,
Lorraine.
PS: do they use porcelain crowns there?

SillyOldBag

I'm not going to be much help, but the only experience of dentistry that I've had since getting here, is my Australian fiance recently had a back tooth pulled and it cost $180 (90 pounds-ish) - but no crown or anything. He was really really impressed with the standard of care he received - and the dentist was....... IRISH!

I have no idea whether you would be better off getting it done here or there - hope someone else will be able to help but thought I would put my two pennyworth in anyway

Good luck!

datamile

You can walk into any dentist here as long as your credit card will take the bill.

I'm guessing the root canal is around $500, and crowns can be $1000 each upwards, plus the exam, xray , treatment fees

rabsody

I had 2 root canals and 2 crowns, which from memory cost me about $5k. That was about five years ago mind, so it's probably gone up since then. Dentistry is very expensive here in Australia.

Bailey1

OMG. Seriously - that is so expensive. Really don't know what to do.

rabsody

I'd get it done there. you can claim some on private health cover, but you usually have to wait for 12 months before you can do so (depending on healthcare provider) and of course you have to pay for private health! there are no rebates on dentistry through medicare (equiv. of NHS).

Denistry is sooo expensive. My 11 year old daughter's braces are costing me almost $6k.

edit: I should say I've usually been happy with the work (although I;m pretty sure one of those root canals did not need doing, he did it "just in case") but on the whole I have found it very good.

Machiavelli

I'd seriously consider getting all dental work done there before coming to Australia.

We had dental insurance in UK and had all work done before we came out. Three years later, our dentist in Queensland, (for the past two years with no need for anything other than a clean etc), is telling us that our crowns have a lifespan of 10-15 years and that we both need them all replaced!

There is a company here who specialises in "dental holidays" to Thailand and Singapore.

We are seriously considering going to Singapore to a dentist that another BE member recommended because we will get the work done there for approximately half the price of Australia, (including airfare), and will get a holiday into the bargain.

LOL, although I'm not too sure of how good the holiday will be if we are going to the dentist every day!!

M

Machiavelli

I'm sure that our dentist, good though he is, is just looking for ways to make money out of us because he hasn't for the past two years. But..... don't want to take the chance, I want teeth that are attached to my jaw, not in a glass at the side of my bed!

On the 'braces' theme, I'm sure that there was a fairly recent post about dentists here removing braces that had been fitted in UK, saying that they would not adjust braces fitted by another dentist.

I am going to try to encourage my boys to be dentists, it looks like the profession to be in here.

M

sherie_in_oz

I suggest you look on google for Dental treatment in Thailand or the Philippines. I need 2 implants and 2 crowns and know someone who went to Bangkok Hospital in Thailand (on their way to OZ) and had 17 teeth replaced for less than I was quoted here!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dentistry in OZ is very expensive and although generally the standards are a lot higher than the UK theres not the control of dentists work, and some very bad ones get through the net. I went to one who charged the earth, later found he had been struck off and reinstated and did a terrible job eventually had to have the teeth extracted as he had left them too long and told the guy was in no way capable of doing the work!! So be very careful and only go by good recommendation if you get it done in OZ.

Nu-Shooz

Get it done where you are before you come. Very expensive here.

moneypenny20

I'd say it depends on the quality of dentistry in Ireland. Yes they're expensive here but (in my experience) the quality of the work and the professionalism of the dentists is vastly superior to that we experienced in the UK.

lesleys

Fully agree, and yes you get porcelain crowns here - they are the norm. Mine have cost $1000 each and I got $400-500 back from insurance for each one.

knockoff nige

I've decided to get my teeth done before leaving. I needed an extraction a couple of weeks ago (60 euro) and have another appointment tonight. I can claim tax back on most of it. In Ireland we are entitled to 2 free checkups every year plus a teeth cleaning once a year. Dont know if anything like that is available in Australia.

moneypenny20

Not without insurance and then probably not as much. You'd end up paying for some of it unfortunately. Even children's dentistry has to be paid for here.

tawkins1

Not Good!