macy

Just for those that have children that will need braces on their teeth. We are about to embark on the process and are paying $1500 upfront and then $63 per week for 18 months so around $6k.

This doesn't include the $2k of work he needed doing before the braces were to be fitted, ie. filings and extractions poor thing... after living here so long we were not that shocked by the price...

Jon77

No private family health insurance cover?

We have been in BUPA for a few years now and our family policy is pretty comprehensive. You pay a good sum in often of course but it removes the unexpected big hits in the long run.

I had a fair amount of work done last year that would have been around the $1,600 mark but I ended up paying I think $180.

renth

I've told my kids they can wait until they are adults and pay for their own braces.

chris955

Holy crap, that is a ridulous amount of money, how can it be justified?

old.sparkles

It's considerably more than the UK - you can only get nhs braces in severe cases, but private was quoted as £1800 for young spark. Not sure on follow up appt's as we decided against it at the time as he only has a slight underbite.

Jon77

Dental work has always been expensive if you are not a student, OAP or unemployed and you don't have any kind of dental plan cover.

I remember when I started working for the first time in the 90's after Uni and I needed some dental work doing the cost never even crossed my mind as I had been only a student until that point and at that time those in full time education didn't have to pay out.

These days everyone has to shell out on either medical insurance or pay upfront.

They get away with it because the other option is a bit of string around a door handle and then around your tooth and then slam the door.

h2oskineil

You can claim 20% tax back on anything over $2060.00.
http://www.etax.com.au/blog/tax-tips...-tax-deduction

For tax purposes, the Australian Tax Office lumps dental expenses together with other medical expenses. Unfortunately, this means you can’t claim back your dental expenses ‘dollar for dollar’ – but there are some savings to be had.

If you have more than $2060 net medical expenses (your total medical expenses minus Medicare and private health rebates) within one tax year, you can claim 20% of the amount above $2060 as a deductible expense.

Example 1:

John spends a total of $2500 on dental and medical bills in the tax year
John received a total of $450 back from Medicare and $900 back from private health insurance
John’s net medical expenses = $2500 minus $450 (Medicare rebate) minus $900 (private health) = $1150
Because John’s net medical expenses are less than $2060, John can’t claim any medical expense deduction on his tax return

Example 2:

Mary spends a total of $7000 on dental and medical bills during one tax year
Mary received $875 back from Medicare and $2500 back from private health insurance
Mary’s net medical expenses = $7500 minus $875 (Medicare rebate) minus $2500 (private health) = $4125
Mary’s net medical expenses are more than $2060, so she can claim 20% of the amount above this threshold as a deduction
$4125 (net medical expenses) minus $2060 (ATO threshold) times 20% = $413
Mary can claim $413 as a tax deduction on her tax return

What you can claim:

Payments to dentists, orthodontists or registered dental mechanics
Payments to optometrists, including prescription glasses and contact lenses
Payments for medical aids prescribed by a doctor
Payments for laser eye surgery
Payments for artificial limbs or eyes and hearing aids
What you can’t claim:

Payments to a private health provider for insurance
Travel or accommodation expenses associated with you dental treatment
Dental services that are purely cosmetic
Non-prescription, chemist-type items sold 'over the counter' such as tablets for pain relief.

renth

I think this is the last year we will be able to do this as it's being phased out.

chris955

I have been reading up on braces through the NHS and they seem to be widely available and definitely not just for severe cases. It was thought one of my boys might need them and we were told it wasnt a problem getting them but fortunately his teeth are correcting themselves.

old.sparkles

Well I only know what I was told when young spark went to see the orthodontist - they had photos of severe cases, and we were told that he would have to be in that category to get nhs funded braces.

carolinephillips

DD needs braces for goofy teeth and a mild underbite, and that was going to be around $6k, but she doesn't want them, and at nearly 18 she is old enough to make up her own mind. Not that we have the cash to pay for them anyway.

As I've has 2 cataract surgeries and 6 crowns because my teeth were falling to bits, I can claim. However, I don't earn any money, so unless it is lumped into OH's payments, there will be no comeback.

irishbloo

My youngest had his second consultation today.We have been told to expect to pay $7,000/$7,500.Thankfully we can pay in installments.If he needs teeth removing the school dentist will do it for free.I knew it wasn't going to be cheap so no surprises.We said we are doing it for his future girlfriends.

macy

Thanks for that will give it a go next year in the hope that we can claim something back, hadn't even thought if it.... think I am still in shock!! The funny thing is we had to have his x-rays done and sitting in the back ground of his mouth were his wisdom teeth just waiting....they will no doubt be coming through later in life and undo any straight teeth he will have....

chris955

Dont know, maybe some regional variation although there shouldnt be. They are only available if needed for a medical reason (overcrowding etc) which is fair enough and not for purely cosmetic reasons.

old.sparkles

As I said, he has a slight underbite I think it's called (lower teeth are slightly in front of upper teeth) and I would have had to pay.