donna

And which dentist do you go to please.
donna

rabsody

I am with Medibank Private and I am on one of the lower levels of insurance. However, I do get two check ups and hygienist free per year and so do the children. Big ticket items such as braces, root canals, crowns etc all cost an arm and a leg.

The other thing: my partner is on top tier MBF Health Cover and has to have his entire mouth filled with crowns (following jaw surgery, long story) and his entitlement is one free crown per year. So high level insurance does not guarantee free work!

knockoff nige

Do employers ever offer dental cover?

rabsody

It's not the norm, but you never know, you might get lucky!

isgraham

Yes I had Insurance to get those prices but I get it cheap through work and it avoids paying the extra tax. The locations of the centres are on this page http://www.nib.com.au/Retail/DentalCare.aspx

You get 2 inspections and cleanings per year as a member but I believe anyone can go they just don't get the discounted rate. You get major dental after 1 year I think.

Bailey1

Ok so I decided to go to dentist in Ireland to get my root canal redone. Just back from an 8am appointment.
The dentist tried to perform root canal but she couldn't do it cause my previous dentist used cement to fill the tooth and she couldn't break through it. So now she doesn't feel comfortable doing the crown without completing the root canal.
So we decided instead to whiten the tooth from the inside out. I really hope this works cause if it does it has saved me €2000 which is amazing.

knockoff nige

I got a price for a root canal from my dentist and he said it would cost 400 yoyos. It would be 500 if I didnt have prsi. He's a good dentist too.

Bailey1

Yeah thats what I was quoted. €400 for the root canal(€320 with PRSI) and €900 for each of the crowns.
There is nothing actually wrong with my teeth apart from the aesthetics(and its not even that noticeable unless I point it out). One of the front teeth is a little brown. It shows up most in photos and I don't feel comfortable smiling so this is why I wanted to do something about it.

Spikey

I'm getting root canal work done and a crown (eventually) on a tooth that was a problem back in the UK, I chose then to have it heavily filled rather than crowned - and the filling broke the day we emigrated.

Under insurance here I had to wait a year before getting the work done, I seem to have found a good dentist and with the insurance it's not costing me any more than I was quoted under the NHS a couple of years ago. He's doing the root again even though it was done 10 years ago as it wasn't sealed properly (and they left a broken bit of file in there! )

If you can't wait then I would get it done in the UK. If you can i.e it's not causing any pain (mine wasn't) I would wait and get insurance.

Bailey1

I definately will wait until I get to Aus before I look into getting the crown. The dentist wanted to refer me on to the dental hospital to get me put under for an operation to drill into the bone above the tooth so the root canal can be redone from the top of the tooth down. Sounds awful and don't want to do this. So I will wait and see what they say in Australia.

owenj

I am a dentist and have experience working in UK and in Australia.

Firstly I would strongly advise against a dental holiday to thailand etc...
Who will follow you up if things go wrong and in my experience quality has been poor.

You will on average pay more in Australia for treatment involving crowns, although there can be great variation between individual practices.
If you have dental cover MBF, Medibank etc.. a prefered provider will do treatment to their recommended fees and many dentists charge more and this results in a lower rebate also! The insurer will provide you with details of prefered providers in the area.

My advice, providing treatment isn't urgent, would be to find a dentist in a location where you will be based long term and get all options explained to you fully before commencing treatment. Once you are happy, then proceed with treatment.

NB If you wait for one year before having more complex treatment in order to get it covered on insurance, be aware that usually there is an annual limit on cover. For example if you have two crowns you will still have to pay in full for the second, or if you reach a certain threshold your cover will be greatly reduced.

Cheetah7

I find it hard to trust dentists, in the UK I went to one dentist who stuggested a root canal that 'she was unable to do but her colleague could do it privately for a considerable amount of money'

Ive had dental implants suggested, fissure sealing, bleaching and the best one yet - a brace. It took years to find a dentist that didn't want to do all of this.

And the 'root canal' that I needed, was only a small filling on a back tooth. I cant believe dentists in the UK are that short of cash they have to recommend treatment that is not needed.

I have come to Oz armed with my xrays and medical report, but I am still nervous of going to a dentist. If anyone can recommend someone reasonable in either Perth CBD or Freo, that would be great.

It's a wonder that people can afford to own teeth anymore.

chris and farideh

I dont trust dentist either, back in UK my dentist went private, so I thought I'll go for the NHS one, well I went to him he messed up my teeth so badly, I end up paying 3 times more than what I would have paid if I stayed with my original dentist.
I went back to her & paid her charges, but she was fantastic, the best honest dentist, not that I think most of them are.

Now I'm in need of good dentist in the Gold coast area, I wonder if anyone been to the one in Harbour Town.

asprilla

Actually, there are dentists who bulk bill (meaning that they charge 100% costs to the private fund). Obviously, they can only do this with basic things like check-ups and small fillings... they cannot bulk bill a root canal and crowns !!

I visit a dentist in Brisbane twice a year, for checkups and a clean. I've had a couple of small fillings there too....the health fund picks up all the costs, I just bring my insurance card and leave my credit card at home.

cheers

Cheetah7

If you don't mind me asking, what insurance are you with?

We have full extras cover with Medibank but I am wondering if there is better out there.