Donnyvcpt Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Hi everyone I've been doing some research on the cost of dentistry here in Australia and almost fell flat on my back when I saw some of the prices. Before leaving SA I made sure my wife, daughter and I had all our teeth taken care of, but now I'm having issues with my teeth and I think it could be my wisdom tooth causing the issues. We haven't registered for our medicare yet (not that they cover dentistry) and do not have any private medical insurance yet. I was told that I can Only apply for private medical insurance once I've registered for medicare, but that doesn't make sense to me. Is this true? And does anyone know of any affordable dentists in Sydney? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RYLC Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Yes must register for Medicare first. Reason for this is that private health only covers items NOT covered by Medicare. So to give you the right cover they need to know whether you can claim Medicare or not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudlySouthAfricanInPerth Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Is that right? What about people who don't qualify for Medicare? Surely it doesnt matter then? Also I am not aware of Medicare covering anything unless you have the white healthcard which is normally for people on benefits or pensioners? We have Medicare and extras cover and the health fund covers everything when it comes to check ups and treatments, nothing to do with Medicare at all, we don't ever show our Medicare cards, just our private health cards and it all comes off that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RYLC Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 The private health fund need to know what your medicare status is to know what policy to give you. It's just the process of getting the private policy. The private health funds have policies for travellers, temporary visa holders and residents. If you qualify for Medicare then they want the number for their internal processing. Some procedures have co-funding between Medicare and the private health which happens behind the scenes. They want the number up front to facilitate this. You know - like a first world country If you don't qualify for Medicare then you tell them and they get out their list of policies for non residents. Nothing to do with dental or whatever else you decide to use your private health for after you have it. All just part of the process of signing you up in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OubaasDik Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 1 hour ago, ProudlySouthAfricanInPerth said: Is that right? What about people who don't qualify for Medicare? Surely it doesnt matter then? Also I am not aware of Medicare covering anything unless you have the white healthcard which is normally for people on benefits or pensioners? We have Medicare and extras cover and the health fund covers everything when it comes to check ups and treatments, nothing to do with Medicare at all, we don't ever show our Medicare cards, just our private health cards and it all comes off that. Then you have to get what was called "Overseas Visitors Cover" - suitable for 457s and other "lower orders" of which I was one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellfish Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 Yep, the cost of going to the dentist is mind boggling. Quite a few people opt to go abroad (Thailand) for 'bigger jobs' i.e. implants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OubaasDik Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 Round about 2003, 2004 there was a lot on TV about Aussies going over to Thailand or India, getting implants and caps and taking a week's holiday all for the price of one implant / cap in Aus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPanda Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 So if possible, definitely get the last check-up and tune-up done in RSA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellfish Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 3 hours ago, RedPanda said: So if possible, definitely get the last check-up and tune-up done in RSA? Definitely as well as taking your pets to the vet, if you're bringing any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFreshStart Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 4 hours ago, RedPanda said: So if possible, definitely get the last check-up and tune-up done in RSA? Yip. I just had my first check-up, $275 with X-rays and needed two fillings (one new, one replaced) for another $400+, so $675? Pretty sure it was cheaper in SA, though it had been a while, some of that was refunded by HCF and my dentist also gave me a discount. But just letting you know. Cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel-B Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 I went to a dentist in Pretoria 2 months ago. The initial checkup with x rays was R1 500. He removed 2 wisdom's (in the chair), replaced one filling, and did a porcelain filling on a molar, for R4 400 (done over 2 sessions). Total cost for the 3 visits were R5 900. I was told that I overpaid as he is known to be expensive... BUT my previous dentist was "cheap" and caused damage to my teeth that this "expensive" dentist rectified for me a few years ago. Hence my respect for him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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