Health Insurance

A dental surgery is essentially a mini operating theatre. The cost of overheads typically accounts for around 80% of dental fees. These overheads may include dental training and education, technology, safe materials and equipment, sterilisation costs, staff costs, and specific treatment costs.

No. Some health insurance companies try to influence their member’s choice of dentist in a bid to reduce their costs (while increasing premiums). Health insurance companies may seek to subtly influence your choice of provider with schemes such as “members select” or “preferred provider” or by setting up their own clinics and recommending them to you. However, can you be sure you’re getting the best quality care when your dentist may be more worried about what the medical insurance companies say, than what you do?

Being affiliated in schemes such as preferred provider or ‘Member’s Select’ requires the dentist to sign an agreement with the health insurance company which then refers patients to that dentist. In exchange the dentist agrees to a set of fees for performing certain procedures. This creates incentives for the dentist to carry out certain treatments and not others. By not signing a contract with them, we keep the primary relationship with our patients and have no other influence in clinical decision-making other than what is best for you. Therefore, we always offer all the options to you and suggest what is in your interest (rather than what is in our best interest or the interest of the health insurance company).

Even though we can process your claim on the spot, the decision of how much an item of treatment is rebated lies with your health insurance company, as determined by your level of cover and its business rules. This is not determined by Dental + Skin Clinic. Our primary duty is to our clients and our objective is to provide our clients with the best possible care that suits their needs. Hence, we are proudly not affiliated with any health insurance company.

Although it can feel expensive at the time, regular preventative dental care can save you thousands of dollars in the long run. Oral health is an investment and delaying dental treatment can lead to devastating effects. If your budget is tight, we recommend looking into our payment plans instead of delaying your visit to the dentist. You’ll thank yourself later.

Each dental practice sets their fees according to their unique overheads. They may take into consideration: the skill and experience level of the practitioners, treatment time, quality of materials and products used, rent and utilities expenses, staff support systems and warranties provided.

Dental + Skin Clinic is not affiliated with any insurance companies. When asked this question by our patients we always suggest a health fund that is not-for-profit. This means that they reinvest their profits each year to pay benefits to their members and to cover operating costs, such as marketing, paying staff, rent and other overheads. Patients are wanting more and expecting better from their health insurance, which is why the health funds that are run to benefit their members are changing the health insurance landscape for the better. Health insurance should be about protecting the health of members, not making profits for others. More information on these health funds can be found here.

The short answer is, probably not (not for ‘extras’ anyway).

In order to get anything back from your private health insurance, your policy would need to include ‘major dental’. Most insurances allow anywhere from $500-$1,100 per year on dental veneers if you have major dental cover on your policy.