Many postpone going to the dentist for fear of high dental care costs - especially those without dental coverage in their health insurance.
There is a great deal of variation in the cost of dental treatment and services in various dental practices. Prices for different types of basic work can range from $156 to $300, including examination, scale, clean and fluoride treatment. According to Australian Dental Association data, the average price for these three items is around $215. Below are some average costs associated with common dental treatments and procedures.
Treatment | Average cost |
|---|---|
Oral exam | $49 to 90 |
Periodic oral exam | $40 to $76 |
X-ray (per exposure) | $30 to $56 |
Scale and clean (removal of plaque and calculus) | $90 to $165 |
Fluoride dental treatments | $22 to $55 |
Fissure sealing (price per tooth) | $40 to $88 |
Simple teeth extraction (non-surgical) | $144 to $280 |
Prices depend on a number of factors such as general costs, location, physician experience, differences in method or materials, time involved in performing the procedure on a particular patient and health factors influencing the degree of difficulty.
Private health insurance can provide different levels of coverage according to your needs and help reduce the cost of dental treatment.
The additional policies include the range of services divided into two groups - General and Major.
General dental work generally covers preventative treatment services such as:
Oral exam.
Scale and cleaning.
Simple fillings.
Mouthguards.
X-rays.
Teeth extractions.
Teeth whitening (in some cases).
Major dental work is generally considered any of the below procedures.
Root canal treatment.
Endodontic work (treatment of the soft tissue of the teeth).
Periodontics (treatment of diseases of the gum tissues, such as infection, inflammation or gingivitis).
Tooth extraction due to tooth decay or damage.
Wisdom teeth removal.
Complex fillings.
Crowns and bridges.
Veneers.
Dentures.
Orthodontic work.
Dental insurance on private health insurance is usually part of an extras policy. Some basic plans which will help you manage the cost of your dental examination start from $13 per month. Most health funds pay only about half the cost and the rest of the dental fees are your to pays. Policies vary widely between different health funds, so there are big differences in what they will cover and how much they will pay.