First visit to the Dentist
 

Thought I would share this info

I visited the dentist yesterday for the first time in 9 months and since arriving in Oz.

I had a check up and 2 xrays which came to $148 my health fund covered $68 and I paid the rest.

He took photos of the teeth he wanted to discuss with me which was new to me (dentist in UK never did this) I listened to him relaying messages to the nurse and nearly died when Iheard extraction.

My teeth where regularly checked in the UK and I had no problems a couple of fillings.

Anyway the dentist kept talking about slight staining which yeah OK they are but it is really not a major issue and they are not badly stained. He wants me to see a hygeinist which is $100 I will get some of this paid by the health fund.

He wants to put a protective coating over one tooth that has a creece at the back never been an issue in the UK and the creese would have been there the whole time.

He wants to do a filling (I seem to remember that I had a tooth being watched by my dentist in the UK) this above 2 will cost me $170 but I will get some back.

He then said my newly grown wisdom teeth at the top have cavities and he would not put me through having them filled he wants to extract them under local anesthetic in the surgery. I am not sure on this one. I did not get a price and I am in no hurry to volunteer myself for this treatment.

I think it will be expensive and I am toying with the idea of having them looked at by my dentist in the UK when we return next May for a holiday.

We have heard so many things about dentists here doing work that is unnessecary and I am very wary.

I am not sure what the cost would be to have an extraction in the UK but would like to compare the cost when they tell me. It is an expense dread when my hubby visits he hasn't been yet.

Jo

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

Useful info cheers Jo. I havent been myself yet; made sure I went for fourteen quid in the UK just before I left, but its something I was wondering about.

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

Thank you for that...I need to go but am putting it off at the mo!!! Hate the dentist! I always went for regular checkups in the UK but am worried about the cost here. We can't afford a private health fund at the moment...will have to save for it.
It will be interesting to see what your UK dentist thinks.

:)

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

To have the two wisdom teeth out costs $85 per tooth. The receptionist said he must think they are easy to remove as that is the bottom price for teeth extraction.

Should that make me feel any better? I'm not sure. It would cost me more than that in the UK as I won't be an NHS patient but I think I will still see what the dentist in the UK says before I take the plunge. Not in a hurry to go through the pain.

Jo

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

The dentist has cost us a fortune here. We started last year - my husband needed two crowns at $3000 and my first visit was $480 for check up, clean, x-rays, diagnostic models. And since then various costs for the hygienist only partially reimbursed by the medical insurance. I have difficult teeth, though. He suggested I look into having braces on my teeth. I'm too ancient for braces - and I'm sure that'll cost an arm and a leg.

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

Private dentists in Oz tend to be a rip-off. Aside from being expensive, they always manage to find some work that needs to be done. Hmmmm.

You're much better off joining a health fund that has dental treatment centres. We used HCF - they were very good, reasonably-priced

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

I am sure I put my first dentist's kids through (private) school.

Here's a strange comment - that's just personal experience.

I got so sick of the constant bills and tooth work, I started to look around and over a couple of years tried quite a few different dentists.

All the male dentists were the same. Always found something wrong that needed expensive treatment.

Female dentists were completely different and often sent me away with just a clean and a new smile.

Female dentists seem to be naturally gentle and understand it can be a scary experience. Male dentists just don't seem to care. In fact, if you look in the Sydney Yellow Pages, you'll see a stack of ads for dentists that are happy to work with "cowards". I'll bet they are all male.

I'm a guy, and thought it would be difficult to tell a female that I found it really difficult going to the dentist. No longer.

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

Sounds the same as the States: they will come up with all sorts of "essential" work.

I went along to a local dentist in Florida for a chipped tooth repair and was most impressed by the high-tech equipment: digital TV of your mouth realtime above the chair, glossy printouts, careful examination etc.

The "essential work" was then costed at $11,500++.

I decided it was not THAT essential.

Remember that so much of what they want to do is cosmetic. Your teeth can be crooked, discoloured, chipped, filled etc and be pefectly healthy.

They have been brainwashed in the US to think that the only way for teeth to be is a huge, perfectly curved, glistening white piano keyboard across the bottom bit of your face.

Nice, but not IMO essential!

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

In 3½ years here, Dagboy hasnt had to have any work done when hes been to the dentist. Just a clean.

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

I just had a wisdom tooth taken out in the UK. I remember her saying that they don't fill them or do root treatment to it they just take them out. I also have to say it totally depends what kind of dentist you had in the UK. It sounds like you had a good one. I haven't been so lucky. Mine just took a filling out to replace it which I had no problems with. The next day her new filling fell out and then I was told oh dear I think you need to have something more expensive in your tooth. I also had a private dentist once upon a time who charged me £200 for a root treatment, the very next day he had to remove the tooth. Well worth the money that was. Anyhow all I am trying to say there is good and bad everywhere.

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

There has just been a massive investigation in the Uk by the Consumers Association amongst others into private dentistry and they concluded that many here also do unnecessary work.

Think its the same the world over. Best advice is if you are unsure get a second opinion. :)

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

We are with the HCF but all their centres are in NSW hard when you live in Victoria!

Jo

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

I'm with them, too - they're in Parramatta, where I live, but even then I had a 2 month wait to get in for a clean! :rolleyes:

Then he wanted to know if I wanted x-rays and a full inspection done. I said that my last dentist had done x-rays less than a year ago, (I changed health insurance after my previous dentist visit), and why didn't he ask for those, as my previous dentist was just up the road.
"Oh, no! Can't do that!"
"Why not?" says I...
"We just don't do that sort of thing." says he.
Well why the hell not? An x-ray is an x-ray, and why not look at saving the poor old customer a bit of change?

Needless to say, I declined his kind offer!

And as they DON'T have a hygenist (!), I went out and got myself one of these Braun 'Oxyjet' electric toothbrush and gum cleaners. Bloody brilliant! About the best $200 I've spent on 'medical' since I got here. :D

Makes me wonder why I'm coughing up for every month for 'medical insurance'. They're ALL a bunch of bloody thieves, these insurance companies. They take your payments, and do they pay out with a smile when you need to make a claim? Do they buggery! It's all 'deny the claim three times before you even look at it!' :mad:

[/rant]

Re: First visit to the Dentist
 

My experience here and in NZ is their are too many dentists chaseing to few patients. In the UK I had an excellent dentist and cheap but I had to book about 2 months in advance for a checkup and clean (emergencies were different and virtually next day if you were lucky.

Here and NZ you can get an appointment at the drop of a hat. Last week I booked on Monday for a checkup and clean and went in on the Tuesday and that here is normal.

Cost $234 but had a chipped front tooth that he fixed on the spot but no x-rays.