Should My Friend's Dental Implants Be Deemed Medically Necessary under Medicare

SpainKing on 10/12/2024 - 17:23
Last edited 10/12/2024 - 19:59 by 1 other user

Hi guys, my friend messaged me today saying he has to get all of the top row of his teeth extracted along with some of the bottom row. He's in his mid-20s and finally brushing his teeth regularly while no longer drinking a bottle of coke a day.

As is common knowledge, Medicare doesn't really cover dental once you're over 18. Don't want to get in a debate over it but I think that's quite silly.

On some sites, it says "Medicare may cover part of the cost if the procedure is deemed medically necessary." I was struggling to find if his situation would be one of medical necessity, or if people are expected to walk around with no teeth and unable to effectively eat. The fact he's so young makes me feel like it should be, as a result of how the jaw can degrade/change over time when left without teeth.

A larger problem is finding out how much Medicare will co-pay if he does meet their threshold. I called up a couple of dentist offices but no receptionist was able to help me.

From what I've heard, none of his teeth are rotting/infected, just severely corroded and dental implants would cost $15,000. This seemed very cheap compared to the estimates I saw of $2,000 to $6,000 per tooth.

I'd love any help clearing this up as I'm quite sure he doesn't have $15,000 lying around

TL:DR - Brush your teeth and flossing can't hurt either

Health & Beauty Dental

Comments

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 10/12/2024 - 17:28
    +5

    Private health insurance?

    • SpainKing on 10/12/2024 - 17:39
      -1

      I believe he still has private health insurance. He went to a specialist for the evaluation and I know he's used private health clinics when he's had to be sanctioned for mental health issues in the past. Was just wondering about the Medicare component and what is deemed a "medical necessity" as the information is hard to find

      • try2bhelpful on 10/12/2024 - 18:03
        +3

        https://www.health.vic.gov.au/dental-health/access-to-victor…

        Not sure if you are in Victoria or this applies to your friend but there is an option of priority for

        “people registered with mental health or disability services, who have a letter of recommendation from their case manager or a special developmental school.”

        Best of luck for your friend.

      • Randxyz123 on 10/12/2024 - 21:16
        +3

        If he is under 26, he could still be under his parent’s insurance.

        In regards to Medicare, IMO this is not medically necessary. Most people learn to brush their teeth twice a day at about 5 years old. That being said TAC pays if you drive like a donkey*, put your car in a ditch and break your leg so I am inclined to kinda agree that it is a bit silly that dental is not covered.

        Could an option be Thailand? I know there are actually decent places there.

        *donkey used here instead of a select other word

        • try2bhelpful on 11/12/2024 - 07:32
          +2

          The guy has been sanctioned for mental health issues in the past. I suspect not cleaning his teeth might be just a part of a whole raft of issues.

        • TilacVIP on 11/12/2024 - 13:56
          +3

          Thailand, not as cheap as it once was, unless you take a punt on the low-cost dentist that the poor people go to, but you know, you'll get what you pay.

          • movieman on 13/12/2024 - 13:43

            @TilacVIP: Or Vietnam.

            I know people who have been, and are still heading there to get dental work done.

        • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 16:57

          Do u have any links to decent places in thailand?

        • lint on 12/12/2024 - 11:46
          +10

          Medicare should just be expanded to cover dental, period. It's mind boggling that dental isn't considered part of universal health because of… weird historical reasons? It's such an integral part of general health and wellbeing.

    • BigBirdy on 11/12/2024 - 11:15

      Assuming you mean PHI Extras, he would be limited by the Major Dental max annual benefit paid by his fund. At $15,000, he might get back say 60%, up to a max of say $600, ie $600 refund, but it depends on the policy. Alternatively, he could do one tooth per year, getting back (say) $600/year for each tooth. Neither is much of a solution.

  • caramellokoala on 10/12/2024 - 17:34
    -5

    I was struggling to find if his situation would be one of medical necessity, or if people are expected to walk around with no teeth and unable to effectively eat.

    He can eat. If he wanted to eat steaks he should of acted like an adult.

    Its not on the tax payer to foot the bill for his stupidity.

    • SpainKing on 10/12/2024 - 17:45
      +11

      He was still legally not an adult when he was neglecting his teeth so badly. He brushes them every day now and has completely stopped drinking Coke. I did try to get him to brush them for a long time when I heard how badly he was maintaining them but it took a dentist's opinion to get him to consistently make the change

      Plenty of stupidity is footed by the taxpayer in Australia so please stop insulting my friend, it's very unhelpful in relation to the topic I asked

      • caramellokoala on 11/12/2024 - 09:06
        +2

        He's been an adult for 7 years stop being an apologist.

        Anyway there's no way you're going to get any money for your "friend" because that's not what Medicare is designed to do when it comes to cosmetic procedures for teeth. If you don't want to listen, continue to waste your time looking some obscure loophole that doesn't exist.

        • liongalahad on 12/12/2024 - 02:09
          +7

          So are you saying a smoker should not get his/her chemotherapy covered by Medicare because he/she should have known better? Gimme a break

          • Juice-Wa on 12/12/2024 - 08:52
            +8

            @liongalahad: You seen the warnings on those packets? If a direct link can be drawn, hell no it shouldn't be covered!

            If they can afford the cancer sticks, they can afford chemo

            • mooney on 13/12/2024 - 13:04
              +4

              @Juice-Wa: Ok, trying to keep up with this. So far we are excluding people who don't care for themselves due to mental health issues and addicts.

              Should we add overweight people to the list of those we are throwing the kerb.. what about people who practice unsafe sex and get a disease? Or someone who enjoys risky activities like downhill mountain biking?

              Blows my mind the number of people who are seemingly happy to start to take the first steps towards a US based healthcare system. We have a public healthcare system, it should be there for all of us, let's not start adding exclusions because a reason someone needs it doesn't align to your personal values.

              • Juice-Wa on 16/12/2024 - 11:10
                -2

                @mooney: Better off funneling those savings into helping addicts recover and address mental health issues. Could implement an exception for those who seek help from these self harming behaviors to fund healthcare for the related conditions. You seem to overlook the fact that these behaviors have their own expenditures. So if you can afford self harming behaviors like smoking, drugs addiction, binge eating etc. you have costs that can be diverted into treating the consequences of these actions. Lifestyle choices like inactivity, excessive eating, smoking and alcohol consumption conditions drive approximately 90% of healthcare spending in the US.

                Should we add overweight people to the list of those we are throwing the kerb

                YES! There isn't enough direct consequences to the overweight for people to care about their own health. "body positivity" has become a self indulgent cause to pretend like it isn't an issue. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/10/obesity-healthcare-e… obesity alone costing global healthcare systems up to 2.8% of GDP. There's also the fact that the rise in obesity has had indirect impacts on the global food supply and the cost of living. So yeah, screw em.

                Good to see gen z leaning into healthier behaviors. Unfortunately it hasn't stopped boomers from being the fattest, sickest and most immobile old people the world has ever seen. We're publicly funding the band aiding of their comfortable lifestyle choices so they can get old enough to have Alzheimer's.

                someone who enjoys risky activities like downhill mountain biking?

                This is physical activity and a person who is capable of these types of activities are likely to have less of an impact on healthcare costs that those who directly self harm with their lifestyle choices. Physically active people may participate in more activities that expose them to risks possibly requiring orthopedic surgery but their body is also more capable of handling a simple slip, trip, fall that old mate who is 150kg of fat who blew out his knee because his joints, cartilage, tendons and ligaments are barely capable of carrying around his own weight. Treating diabetes and cardiovascular issues is substantially more expensive than orthopedic surgery (which has a higher, up front out of pocket cost to the patient in the private sector). They can just cut their food bill to pay for the related healthcare and get two birds with one stone.

                Blows my mind the number of people who think the government should subside the direct consequences of their own choices.

                • mooney on 16/12/2024 - 12:31

                  @Juice-Wa: Sigh… punishing people for being obese is also indirectly just punishing the poor again. You oversimplify things, being fat isn't self indulgent. Junk food is cheaper than healthy food, low socio economic people often are less educated so aren't as informed on good health habits.

                  These stats are repeated across almost all developed nations:
                  https://www.obesityevidencehub.org.au/collections/trends/soc…

                  And if you have a silver bullet to curing mental health issues with some increased spending, please share.

                  So in effect you are saying those who are at highest risk of 'overusing' healthcare (poor/ overweight/ mentally ill) we should cut off free care. It is a shameful point of view.

                  And for the record, the government ARE NOT subsiding peoples healthcare, I pay a sh*t tonne of taxes, I am saying they should use those taxes to cover the entire population. Its not a handout.

                  • Juice-Wa on 16/12/2024 - 14:10

                    @mooney: Being poor and obese is a bi-directional relationship, poverty increases the risk of obesity, and obesity, in turn, exacerbates economic challenges. There's no direct causation and it's cyclic in nature. For those in poverty there are other safety nets and support that exist to cover this gap. Universal treatment for obesity related conditions does nothing to promote the consequence and shifts personal responsibility and prioritisation of personal health.

                    These stats are repeated across almost all developed nations:
                    https://www.obesityevidencehub.org.au/collections/trends/soc…

                    Stats show 1 in 3 in low socioeconomic population compared to 1 in 4 at the highest. That's still atrociously high across the board! Let poverty be its own issue to bridge that gap, but quit conflating it with the fact there our obesity rates are still putting a substantial strain on healthcare in the best case socioeconomic scenario. It's not for me to come up with details and exact policies for every what if scenario you pull out your arse. If you indulge in self destructive lifestyle behaviors (obviously just being accepted behaviors), you should pay for the guaranteed consequences.

                    So in effect you are saying those who are at highest risk of 'overusing' healthcare (poor/ overweight/ mentally ill) we should cut off free care. It is a shameful point of view.

                    More conflation of issues to distract from personal responsibility, pushing of personal specific empathetic positions etc.

                    I pay a sh*t tonne of taxes, I am saying they should use those taxes to cover the entire population. Its not a handout.

                    It's called risk compensation, this along with the overwhelming external attribution ("I'm a victim of my obesity, I have xyz which makes me overweight and there's nothing I can do about it") is completely absolving personal responsibility. What's the consequence? An already crappy lifestyle becomes a little more crappy in sickness? With 65.8% of Aus population overweight, 31.7% being obese, that's significantly more that those who could possibly be fat as a victim to their circumstance. I'm taking a guess here but I'd say you possibly have some self-justification in your position or people close to you who are impacting an objective perspective. It's not hard to justify self absolution masquerading as reasoning.

                    Also: "81% in those aged 65–74" are living with overweight or obesity. Just to reiterate:

                    Unfortunately it hasn't stopped boomers from being the fattest, sickest and most immobile old people the world has ever seen. We're publicly funding the band aiding of their comfortable lifestyle choices so they can get old enough to have Alzheimer's.

                    It doesn't require specific policy to state that poor lifestyle choices don't have enough consequences and are aided by cost socialisation.

            • liongalahad on 16/12/2024 - 09:14

              @Juice-Wa: First, unless you can prove that the specific cancer was caused by smoking and not by something else, you just can't to that. Second, are you saying medicare should act as the health finds who will search your social media, find a photo of you with a cigarette in your hand and deny cover because of it? It would be simply the end of Medicare.

          • OzBarAnon on 12/12/2024 - 13:24
            +4

            @liongalahad: Regardless of personal opinion on whether or not someone should pay for it because they did it to themselves, as it stands, treatment is covered under medical necessity. Chemo would fall under that because otherwise, they'd die. The question at hand is whether or not the tooth issue being discussed would also fall under medical necessity. Not being able to eat steak is different from dying

            • liongalahad on 14/12/2024 - 19:53
              -1

              @OzBarAnon: Having functioning teeth is definitely a medical necessity, same as having two arms or two legs. Or would you say risking losing an army is not a medical necessity because you have another one and you won't die without an arm?
              You have no logic.

              • OzBarAnon on 15/12/2024 - 14:09

                @liongalahad: He's not 'risking' losing his teeth, his teeth are coming out. And losing a limb will have a far greater impact on your ability to do things like work a job compared to not having teeth. My dad is missing many teeth. He lives with dentures (as do many people) not dental implants.

                • liongalahad on 16/12/2024 - 09:03

                  @OzBarAnon: Someone has mental issues, loses their teeth because of it, after getting better asks society help to be fixed, Karen says "not with my moneyyy!" Fair enough, within your right to say so. In my view one of the main points of society is looking after the disadvantaged. And remember that anyone, no matter what their current status, could find themselves on the other side of the fence.

      • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 17:17

        So how much cok3 a day he wqs drinking? Was it the small 300ml bottle's?

    • Jake D on 10/12/2024 - 18:16
      +11

      Imagine being a cool and tough guy on the internet and still writing "should of".

      • Downvoter on 10/12/2024 - 18:51
        +4

        The cool and tough guy isn’t wrong /shrugs

      • caramellokoala on 11/12/2024 - 11:48
        -1

        FTFY

        Imagine being a cool and tough guy on the internet yet still writing "should of".

        • johnno07 on 12/12/2024 - 22:20
          +2

          There was nothing to be fixed, you just changed a word. So I guess what you mean is "CTFY"?

      • Juice-Wa on 12/12/2024 - 08:50
        +2

        Braindead is thinking not brushing your teeth and having a daily habit of downing a bottle of coke didn't directly cause this.

        Please refrain from giving any medical advice with that ignorance of yours.

    • Minimum chips on 12/12/2024 - 15:17
      +1

      I mean, you can apply that reasoning to any health problem that is theoretically preventable. If everyone ate small portions of fresh food, only the absolute minimum amount of red meat, didn't drink alcohol, drank enough water, went for walks instead of watching TV, and slept 8 hrs a night the chronic disease burden medicare ends up covering would be a lot lower.

  • BoltThrower on 10/12/2024 - 17:40
    +5

    Do they cover dentures? It could be a temporary fix until he goes to Thailand or wherever to get an all-on-4

    • SpainKing on 10/12/2024 - 17:46
      +1

      I'll have to look in to it, I think they could be an option

    • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 16:16

      How much is all on 4 in Australia btw? 30k?

      Also i hear there were unqualified dentist doing all on 4 in procedure in Australia ? Is that true?

  • TheRealCher on 10/12/2024 - 17:47
    +17

    Teeth implants not the only/cheapest option so unlikely to be covered. When I was facing something similar, public dental wanted to yank them all and replace with dentures - at the age of 30, I found that confronting, and thankfully found a good dentist who helped save/fill what he could. Now I'm close to 50 and have suffered through rotting root canals, gum boils and infected saliva glands that gave me black eyes, I might well accept the offer to have the teeth taken out and use dentures.
    Full dentures on private health are under 3500, I think, but it's still not cheap.
    Here - https://www.moorookadentalcare.com.au/dental-implants-for-se… - and here - https://davincismiles.com.au/is-dental-implants-covered-by-m… - are fairly conclusive

    • SpainKing on 10/12/2024 - 17:52
      +3

      Thanks mate, appreciate you sharing your personal experience. I can tell he finds it confronting too which is why I asked, even though I expected some negativity as is common for the forums. So you wish you had had them removed and replaced with dentures initially, or you're happy you saved what you could at the time?

      • TheRealCher on 10/12/2024 - 18:02
        +11

        Sorry was editing this when you replied - the last link looks genai written as it refers to "medicare advantage" which doesn't exist in australia.

        Um… good question. I've just been made redundant, I have a plate for half of my upper teeth, but often can't wear it because of the infections from the root canals/nerves that are still there. Having full dentures might have been able to avoid that - but 20 years ago, I couldn't imagine life without teeth. Now, if things get bad again and I don't find employment, I might go on the public list and ask them to remove the remaining ones. I definitely can't afford implants and the dentist has done an amazing job saving what he can but even he looks exasperated - and every time a crown comes out, that's a new tooth on the plate that needs doing which he can't subsidise.

        Intriguingly coke and mental health medication were responsible for my teeth as well - the dentist initially thought it was from when I was an alcoholic, which created the cavities, but it's the acidity of coke and not brushing that really did the damage - only took a few years.

        • SpainKing on 10/12/2024 - 18:18
          +6

          Appreciate your due diligence on the links

          I'm sad to hear things aren't going well at the moment, your situation sounds horrific to deal with day to day but I'm glad you found a good dentist to help you through the mouth troubles over the years. Hope you can get a new job that's got better pay and nicer people soon Also great work getting back on the wagon, alcoholism is a rough one to get out of

          That is intriguing, I didn't know the mental health meds might've contributed as well. I'm going to have to be more weary of Coke in the future if it's that bad, I always thought the "dissolving a tooth in coke" experiment was a bit of fear mongering but I guess it's actually quite valid

          • TheRealCher on 11/12/2024 - 07:38
            +8

            @SpainKing: My life is actually good. It's nice to have opportunities open up. Thank you for your well wishes.
            Yeah come is the toilet cleaner of choice for stain removal but it does a number on the porcelain as well.
            In terms of meds, lithium really brought in a lot of issues because of the dry mouth that goes with it. And the sweet tooth. And I'd say most of the folk here not showing a lot of understanding may never have been offered lithium or ECT as treatment options….so managing things like teeth become much less possible.
            I hope your friend is able to access some help in terms of treatment and that he's not in too much pain.

            • try2bhelpful on 11/12/2024 - 08:15
              +8

              @TheRealCher: Thank-you for giving us your lived experience. The number of minor inconveniences people blow up into major dramas here is disheartening. Then you get the judgemental idiots who have no compassion or breadth of knowledge of a subject but feel they need to comment anyway.

              Personally I think mental health issues to be the hardest ones people have to deal with. If your mind isn’t right it effects everything in your life. We also don’t seem to have the treatment regime sorted out properly either. It is certainly an area that needs to be better understood and resourced.

              I wish you all the best with your life. The fact you are still positive despite all your issues is a lesson to all of us. We are happy to listen or chat whenever you feel it will be useful to you.

            • TheRealCher on 12/12/2024 - 22:07

              @TheRealCher: And that would be coke… Sorry for the typos

        • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 17:06

          Oh didnt know coke could damage teeth that much

          Also did u have bad breath not brushing ur teeth at all?

          • TheRealCher on 12/12/2024 - 22:06

            @ATTS: At the time, no. Give it ten years when the teeth started rotting from the inside, yes.

    • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 17:03

      Was the dental implant the one how they replace a single tooth with a screw and then place a fake to ontop of the screw to replicate real teeth?

      • SpainKing on 12/12/2024 - 12:57

        Pretty much hit the nail on the head there

        • ATTS on 12/12/2024 - 13:10

          Thanks for confirming

  • JuanLove on 10/12/2024 - 17:47
    +24

    Hey mate,
    There are MBS codes for patients with cleft lip/palate and for patients who have lost teeth due to trauma or a tumour/cancer.
    These codes are only for the implant themselves (the titanium bit that goes into the jaws). The MBS codes don't cover the prosthesis (the teeth that screw/clip onto the implants).
    As they are MBS codes, you need to be a specialist doctor to access them, ie a maxillofacial surgeon.
    Cleft patients can access dental care (ie the prosthesis) via the cleft scheme until they are age 25.

    In some states, there are university funded public clinics where the public can access cheaper implant dentistry by dental students or post grad speciality trainees.

    Some public clinics may offer implants in very select cases and only for health care card or priority groups (indigenous/refugees). A denture would have to be impossible for whatever reason - not a case of "I'd rather implants."

    That is the limit. There is most definitely no other way to access government funded dental implants. I'm not trying to be negative, just trying to help you understand that if you're not in one of the above boxes, then you are straight up wasting your time even thinking about government funded implants.

    Hope that helps.

    • SpainKing on 10/12/2024 - 17:57
      +1

      This is super helpful, thanks so much. I know he has lost a tooth or two getting bashed on the street but sounds like it wouldn't be eligible for either MBS code

      I'll look in to the university funded clinics route, along with the specialist trainees. It sounds quite scary having someone inexperienced do it but it might be the best option

      He does have a Health Care Card but I think it may have already been accounted for in the quote he was given of $15,000 (after insurance). Don't think dentures would be impossible

      You weren't being negative at all, this was more helpful than I could've hoped for. Thanks again mate :)

      • WhyAmICommenting on 12/12/2024 - 07:03

        Obviously the uni student(s) would be well supervised and the dentist would step in if needed.

  • Seraphin7 on 10/12/2024 - 18:00
    +11

    He's in his mid-20s and finally brushing his teeth regularly while no longer drinking a bottle of coke a day.

    The taxpayer should not be funding the consequences of this lifestyle. FFS.

    • Protractor on 10/12/2024 - 18:18
      +8

      I agree BUT> Can we apply that to the 95% of farmers who suck the tax payer teat for all sorts of perks and who stick their hands out every-time the weather 'weathers'? They have voted for the parties(LNP) who have denied ,delayed and obfuscated climate action , but are happy to reap the rewards when the extremes impact their lifestyle. Most of them are exporters, and not putting food on OUR plates, anyway.Tax their trust funds, make them pay full price for diesel etc.Make them keep books for their vehicles,rather than use it for 'Mums' shopping trips, 'juniors' B & S ball lifestyle etc.
      And add a big fat tax on yank tank utes.
      While we're at it make religions pay their way 100% and ban them from lobbying govts. ALL! religions.

      • ThithLord on 11/12/2024 - 11:52
        +7

        Spot on comment. Welfare for me, not for thee

      • Sammy2000 on 11/12/2024 - 23:00
        +1

        Are you also going to add IVF and child care to your list?

        • Protractor on 11/12/2024 - 23:31
          +2

          If you insist.

    • TiredKitty78 on 11/12/2024 - 21:31
      +4

      I think that sounds good in theory. But imagine you or someone you care about, have terrible teeth, terrible pain - hurts to eat or drink, and you've no money to fix this agony you live with every day. You'd likely be thinking about logging off, maybe holding up a servo and going to the clink for the free medical (???) - it happens. Would you rather the tax payer fund dental and/or heavily discount it and push repayment until you have a job or take a small amount from your centrelink payments ($10 a week)?

      Sure, it's a slippery slope that needs to be watched, but this is like saying the larikin that broke his leg messin around on the jetski shouldn't get medical care. Or that what her name does not have a disorder that needs medication, she's just lazy and just needs to do what we all do. Few people want to be in pain, or have 'issues'. And who are we to judge who is 'morally upright' and needs help?
      And most people - i would hope - aren't actually fine with allowing these patterns - injuries, issues - that have them leaning on these safety nets/services available for the public good to repeat, because they aren't really pleasant.

      A lot of our public services - i'll remind you - are available not just for the good of the individual, but also society. The poor rob the rich, hurt people hurt people, raising kids right, etc, etc. And iirc, the first sign of 'us' existing as a society (insert George Castanza quote) was when we actually first caring and assisting our sick and injured. Man this became a Ted talk.

    • idonotknowwhy on 13/12/2024 - 10:22
      +3

      The taxpayer should not be funding the consequences of this lifestyle. FFS.

      So we only fund treatment for the more popular poor lifestyle choices like eating yourself to diabetes and "a couple of beers after work" every day then?

    • Randolph Duke on 11/12/2024 - 16:39
      +12

      No Dental should never be covered, especially people who do not take care of their own teeth.

      Why should dental be treated any differently to any other health/medical issue, whether the person was responsible or not? There's no rational argument that I can see why Medicare doesn't cover dentistry.

      • lynj110 on 12/12/2024 - 13:34
        +4

        hi! dentist here!

        it's a common misunderstanding that medicare doesn't cover adult dental care.

        medicare pays for all medically necessary dental care if you hold a health care card. to get a health care card your income has to be below a certain threshold. according to the mygov website, you need to earn below $40,000 to get a health care card.

        once you have a health care card, you can go to a community dental clinic and be put on a waitlist for general dental care or a denture voucher. if the community dental clinic is too busy, they often hand out vouchers for people to get dental treatment done at private dental clinics, however, not all private clinics accept government vouchers. more info on vouchers here:
        https://www.dhsv.org.au/our-services/information/vouchers

        the copayment for dental care is $31 per visit and the copayment for a full set of dentures is $150

        treatments that are medically necessary are fillings, cleans, deep gum cleaning, root canal treatments, managing trauma, taking teeth out and making dentures. draining abscesses, oral cancer care, cleft lip care are also medically necessary.

        hope that helps

        • Randolph Duke on 12/12/2024 - 15:58
          +1

          hope that helps

          I'll make sure to drop my income below $40k to get this wonderful coverage

  • Protractor on 10/12/2024 - 18:08
    +3

    Medicare should ,but it doesn't. Blame both big parties and the Greens for wanting dental covered, but being totally un-electable, because of their social engineering pursuits. (and their betrayal of their core environmental values)

    • smalltime0 on 11/12/2024 - 12:27

      TBH the Greens policy is basically bulk billing but dental.
      When was the last time you went to a GP that bulk bills every patient?

      • Protractor on 11/12/2024 - 12:38
        +1

        I was cave wall painting

      • WhyAmICommenting on 12/12/2024 - 07:06

        There’s one near me but it’s booked out a week in advance these days.

    • franz87 on 11/12/2024 - 17:49
      +3

      The definition of voting against one’s own interests because of [insert Murdoch orchestrated culture war].

    • gromit on 12/12/2024 - 16:22
      +3

      how about blaming the dentistry organisations that were up in arms and demanded it not be included at the time Medicare was created.

      • Protractor on 12/12/2024 - 16:49

        2 words. 'self regulation'.
        As the 'real' Rocky Raccoon would say,
        " that trick never works "

  • sumyungguy on 10/12/2024 - 18:16

    First choose a competent dental implant practice; then get a quote and ask about funding, everyone does because it's somewhat expensive. Please maintain zero expectation of any cover from Medicare.

  • Protractor on 10/12/2024 - 18:20
    -2

    Wallet Wizard LOL
    ( a few teeth at a time?)

    • Erwark on 12/12/2024 - 12:54
      +1

      While you're probably joking, worth mentioning how terrible these quick loan companies are:
      "The annual variable interest rate for new [Wallet Wizard] loans effective from 08/12/2016 is 47.8%."

      • Protractor on 12/12/2024 - 12:56
        +1

        Yep, I was joking, but 2 of my regulars didn't get the joke.
        I can however think of worse things than teeth, to get into debt for.

        BTW Those interest rates are disgraceful.Loans to those who can least afford to repay or manage $$ in many cases.

  • SpainKing on 10/12/2024 - 18:25
    +3

    I'm gonna get ready for work guys but cheers for your input, good and bad. Comments look liable to go off the rails soon so I may not continue responding once I get back to avoid any arguments or contributing anything negative

    • try2bhelpful on 10/12/2024 - 18:31
      +13

      Just ignore the less helpful. Best of luck for your friend.

  • Bruceflix on 10/12/2024 - 18:33
    +2

    Grab a cheap flight to Thailand or Vietnam and get the dental work done there. Problem solved.

  • Ocker on 10/12/2024 - 18:43
    +1

    Wife is in the process of having a single implant and the cost is $6,200. PHI refund is a whole $700

    • Gdsamp on 10/12/2024 - 18:45
      +20

      Will you be having a word with the CEO

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 10/12/2024 - 18:51
        +10

        Ive got my peak design bag in ash ready for the look alike gathering

      • Protractor on 10/12/2024 - 19:07

        LOL

    • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 17:21
      +1

      6200 for a single tooth?

      • reactor-au on 15/12/2024 - 09:22

        Yes that's about the price for 1

        • ATTS on 17/12/2024 - 14:07

          Wow so expensive compared to all on 4s

          Does price indicate that multiples of single tooth implants they Are better than all on 4s implants ?

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 10/12/2024 - 18:49
    +3

    Brush your teeth and flossing can't hurt either

    Brush properly for at least 2 minutes , ideally use mouthwash, floss, and visit dentist twice a year*

    Growing up my parents didn’t really put much effort into drumming that into me, and I had heaps of issues from childhood into my thirties and after much dollars and pain that I never want to go through again, I’m finally on track after interventions from dentists and periodontists over the years. Even a couple of days of not brushing right can be the start of a problem with plaque.

    • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 17:24

      Just curious what teeth problems u had over the years? And was the dentist periodontist able to resolve all those issues?

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/12/2024 - 17:47

        Just issues with very bad gum disease, ended up needing a full Dental debridement , and two extra follow ups over a year, but the last visit I had they said I’m fine other than a problem area in my bottom left where the wisdom teeth was. Total was iirc about 4k

        In my mid 20s I had two majorly badly infected wisdom teeth that were extracted under GA - worst 6 months of my life leading up to it, got to the point where I’d pop 2-3 Panadol before bed every night to get ready for a sleepless night of teeth pain, like my head was going to explode. Got all 4 out, the other two had cavities but not to the point it was affecting my day to day life (at the time).

        Can’t imagine how bad op’s mate has it if it’s art point they need to remove it all.

        Anyway - yeah… good dental practices, just do it hey.

        • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 21:00

          Thanks for the insight man! Much appreciated! Did you have receding gums btw as part of very bad gum disease

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/12/2024 - 21:06
            +1

            @ATTS: Yeah

            Coincidentally was also doing Invisalign at the same time, so was a recipe for disaster with my teeth moving around, the retainer system there for like 18 hours a day, slack dental hygiene, receding gum line, crazy calculus build up etc

            I’ve since finished my treatments and finally for once in my life , I’m actually confident with my smile, and don’t stress about bad breath (was crazy bad before) - and have a good smile - though I still struggle with smiling on cue after many years of self consciousness

            • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 21:12

              @Jimothy Wongingtons: Thanks!

              I c

              So were they able to fix receding gums aswell with a gum graft or other solution?

              I just remember reading gum recession was permanent? Was that true

              • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/12/2024 - 21:14

                @ATTS: Must have been caught early enough then - as my periodontist said he’s happy with the recovery - was worried about needing extra work done if gums didn’t recover sufficiently

                My teeth are sensitive all the time now as well.. unsure if it was a side effect from the periodontic treatment

        • ATTS on 11/12/2024 - 21:29

          Oh strange how only your wisdom teeth were affected to the point of needing removal

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/12/2024 - 21:31

            @ATTS: I should have clarified, the wisdom teeth thing was a very long time ago. I’m mid 30s now.

            But my teeth have always been in a poor state… not to the point of everything needing removal though like ops friend

    • TiredKitty78 on 11/12/2024 - 21:34
      +4

      Honestly, not a dentist, but i have to assume that some people for possibly no real reason beyond 'life happens' just have problematic teeth. Teeth that got/get treated well, but just have issues/problems.

      • WhyAmICommenting on 12/12/2024 - 07:15
        +2

        I didn’t know I was grinding my teeth at night for many years - that means I’ll need quite a few crowns in my 40s now.

  • Benoffie on 10/12/2024 - 19:11

    Can I ask, what state?

  • Tech5 on 10/12/2024 - 19:26
    +8

    Dentist here - Medicare will not cover any form of dental implants.

    The closest you will get are full removable dentures from a government clinic, but there is a long waitlist and your friend needs to have a relevant healthcare concession card.

    $15,000 would be hard pressed to cover a fully fixed upper implant denture on its own.

    Possibly, he may have 2-3 implants and magnetic/clip attachments that will help retain an upper denture. The implant itself is $3000 or so. Normally, the individual tooth crown will account for the other $3000, but it is not needed in the case of an upper denture.

    • Bruceflix on 10/12/2024 - 23:55
      -1

      I knew it was expensive but, wow! Didn't know it was that expensive.

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