KeithG Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 HiIve been doing a bit of research in terms of orthodontal care for my son, who's got slightly crooked teeth....it costs about $3000 .the public waiting list has about 650000 people!does anyone know if this can be subsidised in any way?Back in SA, I remember a friend who got braces in Centurion, for around R5000....any help would be much appreciated. P.S. I am in Newcastle, NSW. been here 6 years; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnsons Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 I too would like to know anyone else's experience. And can one have it done privately in Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enrica Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 Hi You can have it done privately depending on your Medical Insurance. None of them cover the full amount of between $3000 -$5000.00 for braces.My medical insurance will only cover $1500.00 which they will pay out over 3 years ie $500.00 per annum..So we have to fork this out for ourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Kat Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 the full amount of between $3000 -$5000.00 for braces.Should have waited with my son's ortho work until we got there! We had to make peace with $7000, paid off by depositing $1500 and him paying off the rest with his part time job over 18 months. Even with the NZ:Aus xc rate it it still more than there. I well, at leats it is an investment in my son's wellbeing, and looks ha ha. Think the latter will get me a better skoondogter one day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 Although my son is 38 now, I can still remember when he was in junior school, the hell he went through for a whole year, having to wear headgear attached to his braces. He was only allowed to take it off to sleep at night. You can imagine how much he was teased for wearing that thing. However, at the time he did it, as he wanted his teeth to be straight. Know what, by the time he was 28, they were back where they had been and if anything more crooked than before, at the age of 30 he got it all sorted out. He said, if he had known this he would just have left it as a child and waited to fix it permanently as an adult.What I also remember is how much it cost us, at a time that we could also ill afford it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithG Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 (edited) HCF quoted a discount of only $300, the rest I have to pay!It would probably be cheaper to be done in SAthe sad thing is that dental is not covered by medicare; in raw terms the AU gov states that a condition literally has to be life threatening.... Edited February 9, 2008 by KeithG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikej Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hello KeithMy wife is a dentist here in WA, we only left SA in October last year where she said full orthodontics cost about R25000 and not the R5000 you suggested. She also says that full orthodontics in WA costs between $3000 and $5000. The cost is quite similar in both countries.She also told me that in both Australia and SA some dentists (as opposed to specialist orthodontists) direct their practices toward orthodontics and charge much less than a specialist. Perhaps you can look for such a dentist to help minimise the cost.Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithG Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi mikej;thats for that info....orthodontal treatment is really for a rich man do you, or does anyone know a provider that subsidies this?thanks and regards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Kat Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Ah yes, that boosts the cost considerably when going to a specialist ortho. But no dentist in wider Auckland was willing to do this, all referred us to the specialist. It drove me crazy.I had the same prob as a kid, not enough space for all my bottom teeth. As an adult when it caused serious problems, my dentist simply removed two bottom teeth, end of problem. Do you think I could get my dentist here to do the same for my son? No way! She flatly refused. So did the other two I went to.Moral of the story, if you have any fillings, crowns or other dental work to be done (also glasses and contacts) get it before you come over. That is if you have a good dentist, and he has electricity at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 My son had his braces in South Africa - in fact, his treatment ceased in the weeks before we left. The cost was mostly covered by our Health Fund (Momentum Discovery), but we still had to fork out a bit. The total cost (without his jaw surgery) was ZAR 9000. His jaw surgery was ZAR 17000.My daughter got her braces here in Australia in January this year. She did not have to wait at all for orthodontic treatment. She got an appointment within 2 weeks. The total cost of the treatment is $7600 plus $80 for the initial consultation + $200 for the mould. Our Private Health Insurance (NIB) pays $1500 per year towards it. Based on the expected 18 - 24 months the treatment should last, that will total $3000.Medicare does not cover dental examinations & treatment at all (except specified items introduced for allied health services). It does cover some dental surgical procedures. Dental Care in Aus is very expensive - now way of getting around that...Keith, which dental procedure is it your son is waiting for? If it is braces, Medicare will not cover that. If it is a qualifying surgical procedure, and it is a critical procedure, he would not have to wait for 650 000 people to have their surgery first. Although there are scheduled rates for medical examinations & procedures, a doctor can choose to charge more and that is where your private health insurance comes in. If you do not want to pay more, you can be attended to as a public patient at "bulk billing" doctors and public hospitals. If you choose to visit a doctor who does not bulk bill and your health insurance does not cover the balance, you will have to pay it (aka GAP Payment...) I suggest anyone to go for a whole checkup (teeth, eyes, and all the rest of it) before leaving South Africa - if they have a good Health fund. We did, and it saved us quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithG Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 RiekieI am in Australia, been here 6 years...just wanted to know how much private providers pay toward braces to correct crocked teeth...anyway, thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Riekie I am in Australia, been here 6 years... just wanted to know how much private providers pay toward braces to correct crocked teeth... anyway, thank youAaah... I see.... Well, you've now got NIB's "rules" - maybe others can share from their experience with their health funds - it might be nice to be able to compare (also for reference to future arrivals). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidkoos Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 allThere is a big thing you are missing here. Tax rebate.Threshold for a year is $1500. all expenses after this you can claim 20c in the dollar i.e 20%eg 2007/2008 years - medical bill - $10000 therefore - $10000 - 1500 = $8500 *20% = $1700.that means you claim $1700 as a tax deduction. not much but all adds up. thankscheck link belowgavin http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content....ntent/19181.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arabella164 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 A good friend of mine, Dr. Larry Uria, is a South African orthodontist who practises in Sydney. I think he has a practice at Bondi Junction and also one in Paramatta. I can highly recommend him, although I don't know what his fee structure is.Mohammed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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