If you have what is popularly known as “extras” cover – your fund officially calls it either general or ancillary treatment cover – which includes things like dentistry, optometry and physiotherapy, you could be forgiven for thinking there is no rhyme or reason behind the rebate amount you receive when you make a claim.
After all, your fund isn’t exactly rushing to tell you how they calculate the amount and they are more apt than not to lay the blame at the foot of your dentist (or other healthcare providers) than their own policies.
There are a number of factors that shape your rebate amount, and contrary to what your fund may tell you, your dentist is not the issue.
For example, from March 2012 to March 2017, average dental fees per service only rose by 3%, with dental fees overall just keeping pace with the Consumer Price Index; by way of contrast, while the average rebate fees paid out rose 4%, it was dwarfed by a staggering increase in premiums of 38%.
You are, in other words, considerably worse off and it’s not the doing of your dentist, who has effectively capped their fee increases well below those of premium increases by your fund.
Quite a number of insurers are trying to direct policy holders like you to their own contracted dentists (they may use the warm-and-fuzzy term “preferred providers”, which is misleading since they are no more or less qualified than your own highly-skilled dentist) or their own clinics with the promise of higher rebates.
Sounds like an easy decision, right? They’re offering you more money if you use their dentist. The sting in the tail though is that it means leaving your dentist behind, someone who knows your treatment history and the best way to treat you. If you choose to stay with your own dentist, then you are effectively being discriminated against by your own fund.
So the next time you’re staring into the yawning chasm between the fee you’ve paid to your dentist, and the rebate your fund has handed back to you, remember that your dentist is in your corner. If your insurer ever tells you that you are getting back such-and-such an amount solely because of the fees charged by your dentist, remember that the amount you receive back as a rebate is entirely at the discretion of your fund.
Would you like to take some concrete action? You can file a complaint with the Private Health Industry Ombudsman and also add your voice to our Time2Switch campaign, where we are working to restore balance to the relationship between patients like yourself, the dental profession and private health insurers.
Still wondering Why is my Health rebate low?
Feel free to call or email us if you have any questions in regards to your health insurance. You can also contact us here. We may not know all the answers but we will try our best to see if you can help you!
Clear aligners are an invisible and simple alternative to braces. A few brand examples include Invisalign, Spark and Angel Aligner.
It’s a series of clear, custom-made, removable aligners that gradually straighten your teeth as you wear them, each aligner moving your teeth just a little bit at a time.
They’re practically invisible, so most people won’t even know you’re in treatment, they fit around your teeth perfectly, so are usually more comfortable than regular braces, and they’re removable, so you can eat whatever you like and clean your teeth normally.
No, it’s not magic – invisible braces are a term we dentist use to describe Clear Aligners – which is a form of Orthodontic Treatment – and are not braces AT ALL! Sadly, they are not invisible per se – but they are close to invisible as one could be!
The best way to determine whether you can get Invisible Braces is to book online for a consult now. We will do a thorough assessment of your teeth and gums to ensure that you are a suitable candidate for them.
Here at Dental at Keys – we offer clear aligners to those who wish to straighten their teeth – but without the look of those pesky tiny rectangular braces that you normally see in kids! In fact, they are so invisible we bet you didn’t notice it on one of our nurses – Tamsin (who is mainly at our other practice in Cranbourne)!
In fact, these clear aligners is the most popular way for our adult patients to straighten their teeth.
Why not head to ClearCorrect.com to see some sample cases. If you are interested – all you have to do is call or email us so we can have an assessment of your teeth to see if you are suitable!
We also offer Invisalign™ as another brand of clear aligner treatment for patients.
“Dental conditions (eg. tooth decay) are the leading cause of preventable hospitalisations for children and teenagers, ahead of asthma and ear, nose and throat infections.
While you might expect to find most emergency rooms busy with broken bones and disease, experts say a surprisingly large number of people are turning up with painful swollen mouths, a telltale sign of decay.”
If you think you have a problem with a tooth – please remember to see your dentist! Ending up in hospital for something that can be easily fixed early on is the key!
https://www.theage.com.au/victoria/horrifying-this-still-occurs-extreme-tooth-decay-lands-thousands-of-victorians-in-hospital-20170914-gyhssk.html
Deciduous teeth are also known as baby teeth, milk teeth, first teeth, or primary teeth.
We get this question so often from kids and their parents. They are so desperate to see the tooth fairy (teeth to fall out)!
So what’s the timeline you should be looking for before getting worried?
Hopefully the table below helps:
This is another reason we mention to start bringing kids earlier. There are some situations where kids may be missing certain adult teeth OR the adult teeth could be impacted. Situations like this are best found sooner rather than later so we can plan proper treatment for the future.
Generally if we are having any doubts, we take a full mouth X-ray. “X-ray on a kid?”, I hear you ask, “Is it necessary?”.
Definitely! The dose of dental x-rays are so low nowadays and the benefits are so great. The OPG (full mouth x-ray) shows up all the adult and baby teeth so we can ensure all the teeth are present and that there are no other abnormalities. We can also check the tooth positions at that time and see if any intervention is required. It’s generally a good idea to take an OPG as a screening when they’re in their mixed dentition phase (which means when they have a mix of both adult and baby teeth), which is about 7-9 years old.
At the end of the day, if you’re not sure, come in and have a chat to us. It’s always better to be sure 🙂
Call or email us to check your child’s eligibility for the $1095 Kids Dental under the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Scheme! Contact us here.
We often get told by our patients that a toothache can cause one of the worst pain that they can experience. Some have even told us that it is worse than giving birth! You must be thinking – surely a toothache can’t be that bad?
So the question is – how can such a small toothache cause so much pain?
The most common reason for a toothache is that bacteria had spread to the nerve of the tooth. This then spreads to be an infection around the roots of the tooth which can cause a lot of pain. If this infection is left untreated, in most cases it destroys the bone around the tooth, affect your general health and sometimes you can end up with a life threatening infection. In some cases, the infection is so slow growing that you won’t notice it until it is huge!
How does the bacteria spread to the nerve of the tooth? The bulk of the time it happens because there has been decay (a cavity) in the tooth for too long. At the start the decay eats through the enamel, then it gets to the next layer, called dentine. Unfortunately, after that all roads lead to the nerve.
Most of the time people have had symptoms on a particular tooth, on and off for a long time. Because it never consistently troubled them, most people don’t do anything about it. Those little symptoms were all hints from the tooth that something is wrong. Then miraculously, the tooth stops hurting completely and they leave it. This is their biggest mistake. When you don’t feel any pain on a tooth like that, it is because the nerve has died and the tooth is just slowly being infected. Best way to describe it would be a ticking time bomb!
Even if you don’t know the causes of your toothache – don’t worry! We have kept aside specific appointments for same-day emergency appointments. Will will try our best to get you in! So give us a call as soon as you can!
We often get asked – ‘What health funds should I choose?’. Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this but hopefully the information below will help!
There are a plethora of things to consider, but we suggest doing your own research as everyone’s position is different.
First, check your tax implications. You might find that if you are earning above a certain wage – a Medicare levy will apply unless you get private health insurance. Please check with your accountant/ATO about this for more information.
Firstly, there are two kinds of private health cover – Hospital cover and Extras. Dental cover falls under Extras. Now you need to decide if it is worth for you to get extras with your private hospital cover (if you are getting it). Many patients will spend $500+ a year on extras alone. So if you are not claiming that amount back from the health insurance – it may be best to consider doing without extras and paying for your treatment.
There are numerous health funds available now compared to before. It really pays to do your research and check some of the smaller, not-for-profit (run to benefit members) type funds. These generally tend to pay back more to you as opposed to a for-profit health fund. There are also some restricted health funds e.g. Defense Health, Teachers Health, Doctor’s Health Fund that are only for those in that profession and family members.
Health funds have an annual limit on most items. Dental items fall into Minor and Major Dental. Minor dental may include items such as general cleaning whereas major dental includes crowns and any complex treatment. For example, if you have an annual limit of $500 on Minor Dental, it doesn’t necessary mean that you will get $500 for $500 worth of treatment. This is a common misconception. You will receive a portion of the amount back from private health and your annual limit on money received will be a total of $500.
You would have heard the term ‘Preferred Providers’ by now. These practitioners aren’t chosen by any particular system. The health fund will approve some practices and not others, mainly depending on location and if the health funds itself owns a clinic nearby! It has nothing to do with any actual treatment information or skills or facilities of the practice. So it is a very complicated practice and not always best for the patient.
Lastly, beware of waiting periods and also restrictions on some “pre-existing conditions”! Always best to check these things with the health fund before switching/signing up.
There are comparison websites (google search) to help you with your search, but again, be careful as these websites never display the full range of health funds or products that are on offer!
Most funds increase prices on April 1st every year. If you can manage to pay for the entire upcoming year in advance, you can pay at the old price! If you ever switch/cancel later, they will refund the money to you (again best to double check this!)
Happy Searching!
PS. Even if you are looking at a Health Fund to help with payments for your dental work – it may be worthwhile to consider our payment plans which may be of greater benefit (zero deposit and zero interest).
Contact us here: Call or email us now!
Is it time to look for a new dentist in Keysborough? Do you hate driving to that crowded Parkmore shopping Centre? Are you having trouble finding a parking spot?
Not to worry! There’s a new shopping centre opening in a much needed area to service the south side of Keysborough.
Along with this shopping centre there will also be a purpose built medical centre with a GP, pharmacy, dentist and allied health professionals.
Together we hope to provide the new areas of Keysborough the much needed healthcare they deserve.
The dental clinic – Dental at Keys – is a new purpose built dental clinic with an emphasis on quality care using state of the art equipment. Come and see the clinic for yourself – you will be amazed at what we have to offer – great dentists, great staff and most importantly – a great attitude and care for your oral health.
Give us a go! We are sure we won’t disappoint.
Contact us here to find out more!
