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Orthodontics & braces


Pell

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My daughter had braces fitted last year December and our orthodontist estimated no more than 10-12 months at that stage. Now it looks like she will have to keep them on for longer, so she will arrive in Australia with braces; she's even had to have surgery on her mouth in order to speed up the treatment, but clearly some things can't be rushed. Can't say I'm very pleased about this....

My question is: are there any orthodontists out there (in Sydney specifically) who will take on an almost finished treatment? Flying my daughter back to SA for checkups and removal of braces is of course out of the question... Has anyone been in a similar situation and can recommend a good orthodontist?

Many thanks in advance!

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Pell I'm sure you'll find someone in Sydney, but in case anyone wants a SAfrican ortho in Brisbane, we have Dr Victor Lalieu here & they are great with kids :)

http://www.exactorthodontics.com.au/page/dr-victor-lalieu/default.asp

Edited by Bronwyn&Co
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Hey Pell,

Expect it to cost thousands of dollars. They may also want to do x-rays and a complete investigation of what was done in RSA. That will cost a lot. So bring any information you can from your orthodontist in RSA (e.g. x-rays, treatment notes, etc..).

Also, when you land go an register for private health care straight away! Else you will have to wait a year before they pay anything towards "major dental".

If they agree that you moved straight from your RSA cover to your Aussie cover without a gap in between, you avoid most of the waiting periods.

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Hey Pell,

Expect it to cost thousands of dollars. They may also want to do x-rays and a complete investigation of what was done in RSA. That will cost a lot. So bring any information you can from your orthodontist in RSA (e.g. x-rays, treatment notes, etc..).

Also, when you land go an register for private health care straight away! Else you will have to wait a year before they pay anything towards "major dental".

If they agree that you moved straight from your RSA cover to your Aussie cover without a gap in between, you avoid most of the waiting periods.

Hi Monsta,

Thanks for the tip.

So basically I should keep my SA medical cover until the last possible moment? Even let it overlap with the Aussie private cover?

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I don't know if this is do-able. There is a specific 'certificate of cover' the Aus medical aids send each other to prove exactly what cover you had, if you switch. I wouldn't count on this Pell.

You could always email a couple of Aus private medical companies (Bupa, Medibank etc) and get a definitive answer as to whether your prior cover will count. You will have to give specific details of levels of cover.

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We had the same situation. Everything was done, but in RSA they said she still needed about 6 months on the braces to make sure it's all fine and then of course a retainer (which they could only do after taking the braces off).

In Brisbane the first orthodontist I called up said they do it all the time for migrants. Get EVERYTHING from your doctor. From X-rays to the mould they made, plus the doctor's treatment notes, everything. We had everything so they didn't do anything extra like X-rays, they just used the dr's report and stuff we brought with. They charged us only to complete the treatment. In RSA in 2011 when we started we paid about R30 000 for the initial treatment and in Brisbane in 2012 we paid $3000 to complete the treatment (after a 10% cash discount).

With airfare so expensive, I think it will be cheaper to complete it here. Private health does not pay a lot when it comes to braces and you have a waiting period. It may not be worth it, but we didn't do a lot of research, so maybe you'll find something worthwhile. It is also worthwhile to find out if your private health insurance has 'preferred providers' with some orthodontists and dentists. If you go to their preferred providers you pay less.

Hope it helps, though I'm sure Sydney will be more expensive.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi All

 

Just reviving an old thread.

 

Has anyone been in a similar situation and can advise?

My wife will be a year through her treatment when we leave in May.

 

Can anyone advise on the options we would have in Australia to complete her treatment? We will carry all dental records with us.

 

Thanks

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