Not sure if this is the right forum but couldn't really see an option for insurance.
Basically interested in what health insurance you guys have and if it has good dental. I need some preventative stuff done fairly soon (not in any pain at the moment) and I'm about to turn 30 so I'm looking at my options.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
None, we have Medicare here. If you are dying or at risk of a coffin you get bumped up to the top of the list for free. Otherwise wait or go overseas and get it done cheaper. Those extras are a joke. $1K or $1500 a year for dental? What are you paying for?
My face is numb at the moment from 4 fillings, so this is relevant.
Bupa silver extras.
I was on bronze extras until I realised if I bumped about to silver I could save nearly $1200 off a $2500 quote for fillings.
Bupa Silver extras has unlimited general dental.
i guess the question is, how much does it cost for silver extras?
Costs me $19.30fn.
30m, QLD.
I recently looked into extras cover for dental and found it to be a bit of a gamble, mainly because it's difficult to know what you'll need. If you look back five years from now, did you end up just getting regular checkups? Did you end up needing a couple of root canals and crowns? Did you use any of the other non-dental extras? You need to know this because the policy that is good value for one scenario may turn out to be poor value for another. Trouble is, in most circumstances, you can't know.
If you consider thisispete's example, it's kind of an optimal scenario - happens to need a ton of fillings, for which there's only a 2 month wait. Could get the work done, cancel the policy soon after, and come out $1000+ ahead. But suppose you didn't need anything except regular checkups, and didn't need any of the other non-dental extras. On the same policy, over a five year period, you might get back $1000 in benefits, but pay $2500 in premiums.
There are policies where you can reasonably sure of coming out a little bit ahead or at least break even on dental alone, provided you get two or more checkups a year - those that have 'no gap' general dental. The list of participating dentists can be pretty limited, though.
Ultimately, extras cover is not like other insurance (e.g. home and contents) where the gap between the premium and payout can be huge. In the scheme of things, there's not a whole lot in it.
So I went to the dentist yesterday for a full xray and look at my teeth, $150 later I've been told I need 3 provisional crowns on my upper left, referred to an endodontist for two root canal replacements (apparently they weren't done properly), hospitalisation for wisdom teeth which may impact on my bottom teeth, and several crowns and fillings on the right side of my mouth.
I've told them I'll get back to them once I have adequate dental cover. They did show me clear cracks and decay in my teeth but I'm in no pain at this stage and don't think it's getting worse at an alarming rate. I'm the first to admit that I had bad oral hygiene as a teenager but this kind of treatment seems like quite a lot!
I'm looking at HBF. $450/y for unlimited general dental and some major dental. They pay for 60% of your bills. Based on the figures he was giving me, this will save me a fair bit.
They did show me clear cracks and decay in my teeth but I'm in no pain at this stage and don't think it's getting worse at an alarming rate.
If thats your wisdom teeth cracking another tooth as it comes through, it doesn't get worse at any rate whatsoever - its more like a switch that once turned on cant be turned off no except for having the dentist do the work needed.
Switch stays off = no pain.
Switch gets turned on = The "I want to run over my own foot with a lawnmower to distract from the pain coming from the tooth" kind of pain.
That's pretty much where I stand. I understand preventative dental for cavities etc to stop them becoming root canals, but there are some situations where you may as well wait for the pain because the cost is the same.
maybe you should get a 2nd opinion
I've been pondering that. I know the dentist that did my previous dental work is very "only if absolutely necessary", but I'm not sure if that's the best approach to teeth either. I think a balance is needed, and fortunately they can't really force you to take action.
I could recommend good dentists if you want a 2nd opinion
I'm thinking of getting health insurance for the first time as well.
Medibank seems like a good option. Only $12.84 a fortnight.
https://www.medibank.com.au/healthcover/basic-extras/
Medibank is pretty good at the moment for their dental package