Hi everyone. I haven't been to a dentist for a very long time (I know, very bad) and I have booked an appointment for next week so wondering if the quoted prices are reasonable. The receptionist on the phone told me since I am a new patient I'll need to have a complete/comprehensive oral examination, as well as scale and clean (he mentioned about 3 or so dental item codes but silly me failed to note them down) and it will all cost around $337. This is in Adelaide, so is that a reasonable price or nah? Also, I don't have health cover in case anyone is wondering. Tia
Complete Oral Examination + Scale & Clean for $337?
AussieDaddy on 19/03/2021 - 14:00
Comments
- 1
- 2
some people require xrays more regularly than others, depends on the their own risk of dental decay, or gum disease etc.
Its also a good idea as a screening tool to check for cysts in the jaw or other nasties, even if there are no symptomsBecause they are cheap and tell you if you have potential problems. If you are concerned about the radiation exposure they are negligible. OPG is slightly higher but doing them every 6 months is not going to kill you faster than smoking/drinking alcohol.
Honestly I just pay whatever my dentists charges as she's the only one that puts me at ease and works around my extreemeee anxiety with dentists :(
How often do people 'dentist shop'? Or do you stick to your regular one despite maybe being more expensive or not part of any insurance group?
Get a written quote for ADI code 011, 022, 114 and 121. If they recommend further work, get another quote afterwards.
Good idea to check multiple dentists. My local dentist charges me the routine check for about $200. I have Extra PHI so my gap is around $50.
I look forward to your future dental experiences :) Noone else to blame
There won't be one because I won't need to go….
Sure lol
Thanks, everyone. Appreciate all your input. Got all the answers I needed to help me make a decision.
Be wary of the 'dental groups'. They are probably fine for check-ups etc., but not for extractions and more complex work. The dentists they use work, mostly, as 'independents', meaning the group has virtually no responsibility for anything and the dentists have 'mixed skill levels'. I had root therapy with them after a cheap check up (which was good, and good value) which got infected. I returned to them about 4 times to get it fixed, paying each time, as it was very painful. One of them said 'it'll be right - Sensodyne is your best friend'. It didn't and it wasn't. I got a referral to a periodontist who found and fixed the infection. It took a year, and after some serious legal-threat letters, they (via the dentists themselves) refunded most of the costs, but not the periodontist. I now stick with the dentists who have their own practice.
Thanks for the heads up. Will take that into consideration.
I agree. I used to be a dental nurse and after having a baby decided to temp instead for a major dental group here in Perth. Maybe I just got put with the worst dentists but they barely interacted with the patients. It was almost like a production line, patients were in and out in 15mins for cleans. The business owner dentists I had previously worked for would take at least half an hour for the appointment. Even if the clean itself didn't take that long, they spent time discussing the patient's oral health and just generally building rapport. But like anthony said, they are good and affordable if you just need cleans but I wouldn't feel comfortable going to them for anything more than a simple filling
Scale and Clean is like taking your car to the auto wash…. you can do it yourself.
The dentist will then tell you that certain teeth only have a matter of days left… and request you spend more more more
i said this and got negged….
Toothbrush and toothpaste are scams too, you can do it yourself for free. Just find some rocks to chew on. /s
oh i guess i missed his sarcasm…… but mine was real - are you going to pay $400 to get your teeth cleaned when you can do it yourself for free? Are not on ozb to save money or are you here to spend more?
@Zachary: Did you study dentistry and have the equipment to check if your teeth and gums are healthy? Do you do your own filling and xray too?
@Ughhh: Reminds me of the clip of Bob Mortimer who did his own filling on Would I lie to you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgI3Y7gxMO4
@Ughhh: No but I've been told if I brush my teeth everyday, then that is good enough to keep them healthy. Plus the last time I went to dentist was a few years ago and they told me I shouldn't even need to come because my teeth all look fine….unlike the other folks who come! So I stopped going and that saved me like $100 or so a visit….
So what's your argument against this, mmh?
@Zachary: You're probably still teething. Don't go back to the dentist ever, no matter what, save those dollars!
Calculus cannot be cleaned off by a toothbrush
It most definitely can not. Your calculus can at most be inspected.
The best profession to get into for $$$$$ is Dentistry. They are not regulated by govt agency so if they charge as in this case $337 for some work thats it. My wife had a painful tooth. He said you need this/that & then this done = $1250 I said we will go elsewhere, the next dentist said I can see what the problem is, drilled a minor point of the tooth flatter= NO MORE PAIN
So user beware they can charge what they want & cannot be scrutinised except the vote by people word of mouth go elsewhereI agree dentists do overcharge just because they can but please do not go to the cheapest dentist for anything slightly complex because it will cost more of your own wallet and sanity in the long run. I am speaking from personal experience.
Hi OP
Full disclaimer - I am not affiliated with any provider, just a happy customer
I strongly recommend you to
- go Groupon get some kind of high review simply check-up and clean now just for the sake of understanding what is your dental situation, it probably cost under $80.
- Go get NIB Extra which covers unlimited general dental (no gap), it cost approx $35 per month and they might have a sign-up bonus.
In most cases, you gonna wait 2 months but since you hadn't been to the dentist, 2 months doesn't really matter now unless you had felt something bad going on in your month.
My personal situation was, I wasn't aware of oral health until a $2k dental treatment bill arrived 3 years back.
Compared with round $450/yr for extra comes with unlimited general dental, I call it a true bargain.
In terms of dollar value, I do general check and clean 3 times a year which have covered my premium, on top of it, 100% back on glass and lense + 60% physio.
Prevention is much more important than the actual treatment because normally it is too late when we have to accept some dental treatment.
Thanks for this, I am actually in a similar situation to OP and this is helpful. With the NIB extras, how do you get no gap on the preventative dental? Had a quick look on their website and it looks like 60% back. Is there a select list of NIB approved clinics where you can get 100% back?
The policy has 3 categories, 100% preventative, 60% general, 60% major.
Ref - https://my.nib.com.au/product-collateral/55
I normally just go to NIB dental.
Thanks. Will look into it.
Hey Aussie Daddy,
Dental student in Adelaide here. The cost of a private dentist should be
Full Exam —> 50-60$
Removal of calculus first visit - 90-100$
application of fluoride —> 30-40$
x-ray per exposure —> 30$so i would say a first visit should cost around 230$ max. I believe the dentist is a bit overpriced.
If you’re around central to western Sydney, I done my research and can’t really go past Parramatta Dental Surgery. Most of our friends and family now go there too. Good honest practice. I’ve never felt overcharged or over diagnosed.
https://www.parramattadental.com.au/That seems about right
I’d caution that the flouride application is an overpriced rort and is not necessary via a dentist
Fluoride’s effect if primarily topical and thus this treatment is short lived.
You are far better off using something like neutrofluour 5000 (which can be bought over the counter at a pharmacy) at home regularly than handing over $ for the dentists inflated treatment
For high risk children topical fluoride via the dentist via a varnish might be of value. Similarly in high risk people a fluoride tray might be useful but the rinse and spit thing at the dentist for $20-$40 is a rip
2asian4this, thanks for the 411. Yeah, will see what it's they'll be doing (they mentioned the item numbers on the phone but was too lazy to write them down) next week. If they do a good job and cover all the bases then I'll be fine with that. Otherwise that will be the first and last time I'll go there. Cheers
As a dentist, i'll have to correct you on those numbers.
The numbers you provided are generally on the low side, and you should normally be taking at least 2 xrays at a new exam if you haven't been in for a while. So that makes it at least 260$.
I think anything around the 300$ is about right give or take
I got mine for $149 last week. Comprehensive check, 3 xrays, clean and flouride. Plus welcome pack with toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and mouth wash. Melbourne, VIC.
Interested for details if you dont mind sharing!
Dental 99 people , Free xrays included. most stuff is $99 including fillings.
Hmm, what's the catch? Doesn't seem sustainable.
What's the saying…you can have fast and cheap (but not good), fast and good (but not cheap), or cheap and good (but not fast), but not all three. And, considering dental99 have a maximum time of 20 mins per appointment…I'll let you do the maths.
I also had a look at their model, because it's really interesting, but it seems like there's no guarantee you'll be seeing a dentist. It'll be someone still qualified though, like a hygienist/therapist.
I pay $120 for a clean and check up. Xray free from the medical centre. It's It's full jaw xray
This sounds cheap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoBYttpiqg8
Not sure the price of the air fare to India though.
If you're in Sydney or Brisbane without health insurance, check out www.dental99.com.au. $99 is pretty cheap for a check up and clean but I haven't used their service yet.
I'm with Medibank and get 2 free check ups and cleans a year at their "Members’ Choice Advantage" network of dentists.go to a chinese dentist and they will do it half the price
holly shit mate thats alot, normal is 220 and if you go groupon deal you can get it for $99
health cover has nothing to do with it as medicare and most insurance do not cover teeth (unless stated)
I have kept my receipts over the years, they have gone up by $50 every 2 years lol, clean, plaque removal and checkup… almost $300 used to be $197 4 years ago
Be careful that there are lots of dentist that offer initial consultation + cleanup for a price, but it is a scam. They clean half your mouth and tell you to book another appointment for the other half, so you end up paying much more for a cleanup.
Not necessarily a scam. If it has been years since your last clean, often more than 1 session is needed. In fact, management of serious periodontal disease is usually done in 4-5 appointments, a quarter of the mouth under anesthesia at a time.
If you are getting two sessions at every 6 month recall, that probably is a scam though.
I had a checkup, scale and clean with polish and fluoride for $99, I’m in Melbourne. Family dental practice and they were fantastic, going to stick with them.
Hi @cu2nite what was the name of the dentist was it a Groupon deal?
many do this price, just check ur location.
Went to the dentist today and paid only $99 since it was my first visit there. Otherwise, the cost would have been $299. The dentist said that I should get the comprehensive oral exam and x-rays done every 2 years ($169) and clean and scale every 6 months ($260). Since an extras cover costs around $450-$600 per year, I feel like it won't be worth it unless you make an extra effort to get as much benefits as you can. However, by trying to do so you'd end up paying more than you'd normally would.
Rip off
My dentist in port Adelaide has a new patient offer for $150, includes two X-rays. Normally it’s about $230. I had filling done and that was $140. I would say the price is on the lower side of things.
I tried to go to a dentist for a quick clean whilst on a short interstate visit. Whilst I couldn't even get an appointment for a month, every one of them said that as a new customer I'm required to have a complete (and therefore expensive) examination including x-rays. I don't get an x-ray each time a see new GP. When did this become the norm? But the prices for the OP were about what I was told.
I've returned from the dentist a while ago and here is a list of the dental items (have Googled them and Choice shows them as the average cost for each item):
- 011 x 1 (Comprehensive Oral Examination) = $73
- 022 x 2 (Intraoral Periapical Or Bitewing Radiograph - First Exposure) = $100 ($50 each)
- 121 x 1 (Topical Application of Flouride, One Application) = $38
- 114 x 1 (Removal of Calculus - 1st Appointment) = $126
The most expensive item was 114, the removal of calculus, and I would have paid twice that amount if asked, given how bad my teeth were stained and the level of tartar buildup. I initially felt uncomfortable to mention it in the post but I haven't been to a dentist as an adult, so my teeth looked really bad, thanks to decades of tea, coffee, and food without setting a foot in a dentist's office. It took the hygienist about an hour to clean my teeth, and she was gentle and friendly. That's actually the main item I needed the most. And thank goodness, despite not visiting a dentist for decades, and brushing only once a day, I had no decays or cavities. So I think $337 for a first visit, with nasty looking teeth, was definitely worth it. They wanted me to visit them every six months but I said yearly will do.
Here's a breakdown of my cost with HCF
XM012 - PERIODIC ORAL EXAMINATION - $58.00
XM114 - REMOVAL OF CALCULUS 1ST VISIT - $109.00
XM121 - TOPICAL APPLICATION OF FLUORIDE - $50.00
Total: $217Does NOT include xrays but dentists can include if they think you need it
XM037 - PANORAMIC RADIOGRAPH PER EXPOSURE - $122.00
or
XM022 - INTRAORAL BITEWING RADIOGRAPH PER EXPOSURE - $48.00Usually I have 1 x XM037 - PANORAMIC RADIOGRAPH PER EXPOSURE per year and usually if I have a problem with a tooth they will use 1 x XM022 - INTRAORAL BITEWING RADIOGRAPH PER EXPOSURE
I don't pay anything for 2 x checkup and clean, 1 x whole mouth xray and I think 3 x small xrays included with my HCF extras. I roughly pay $65 per month
I don't have a private health cover, so it's all from my own pocket. And with all the money I saved on the cover, I don't think this is expensive. They even told me the next visit will cost me about $200, so not bad.
Well if you have signed up for Medibank extras cover as some have suggested these would cost you a whopping $0.
Sounds a bit expensive , have a look here https://www.affordabledentist.sydney/
https://affordabledentistcbd.melbourne/
We go to Nogaps and it’s free via health fund https://www.nogapsdental.com/
I would recommend you get extra cover only so you get free dental twice a year and other bits and bobs. We have the teacher one and get a lot for our $130 a month (8 check ups, free ambulance, glasses , $400 back for the gym, massage
And it’s 4 of us on the policy)
I reckon we get back twice the amount we pay and it pushes us to look after ourselves, as the dental cover is included. I also get massages and get back $32 each visitDr Paulo is a legend! 100% recommend these guys.
- 1
- 2
some people require xrays more regularly than others, depends on the their own risk of dental decay, or gum disease etc.
Its also a good idea as a screening tool to check for cysts in the jaw or other nasties, even if there are no symptoms