Dental insurance in Australia.

OSHCglobal - Almost three in five Australians delay dental treatments due to their expense. Maintenance from a professional is crucial to protect those pearly whites, but it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.

So, what private health insurance options are available to you, and is dental insurance worth it?

What is dental insurance, and can I get dental insurance only?

Extras health insurance policies typically includes a range of dental services from general and routine dental such as cleans, scales, fillings and extractions to major dental such as crowns, bridges and dentures or partial plates. This dental cover will help pay toward the treatment performed in the dental surgery. Furthermore, private hospital policies can help pay towards in-hospital dental treatment and operations such as day surgeries for wisdom tooth extraction. However, you’re unlikely to find a standalone dental insurance policy in Australia which only covers dental.

Which dental services does extras insurance cover?

If you require dental treatment, private health insurance can provide varying levels of coverage to match your needs and contribute towards the cost of dental treatments.

Extras policies typically include a range of services which can be categorised into two main groups: General Dental and Major Dental including both Endodontic and Orthodontics.

General dental helps pay for preventative treatment services like oral exams, scale and cleans, simple fillings, mouthguards, x-rays, tooth extractions and even teeth whitening in some cases. You can gain cover towards general dental treatments by taking out an extras policy and serving any applicable waiting periods prior to undergoing any treatments.

Major Dental including both Endodontic and Orthodontics generally covers more complex treatment, such as:

• root canal therapy: endodontic procedure to dig into a cracked tooth and extract inflamed tissue.
• endodontic practice (e.g. root canal): treatment for the soft tissue of teeth.
• periodontics: treatment of gum tissue diseases like gingivitis, infection, and inflammation.
• tooth extraction: tooth removal due to decay or damage (can be basic dental or major dental depending on specific item numbers the dentists use and the policy you are on).
• wisdom teeth removal: removing wisdom teeth if they damage surrounding teeth or gums (can be basic dental or major dental depending on specific item numbers the dentists use and the policy you are on – at times this can also be performed in a hospital and may require private hospital insurance).
• complex fillings: treatment of tooth decay and damage.
• crowns and bridges: dental implants for a single damaged tooth or multiple teeth.
• veneers: thin implants that cover the front of the tooth, generally cosmetic.
• dentures: removable prosthetic teeth.
• orthodontic work: correcting teeth/jaws that aren’t in the right position, usually with braces.

Depending on your level of coverage, you may not have access to all these treatments and services; more complex dental treatment (e.g. orthodontic or endodontic) may only be covered through higher-level extras policies. Conversely, as extras policies differ from fund to fund, treatments that are generally covered under Major Dental could be covered under General Dental instead and vice versa. This can affect your waiting periods as some of these treatments will have longer waiting periods than others. It’s important to review your policy brochure to know for sure.

Does health insurance cover dental surgery in a hospital?

Yes, health insurance can cover dental surgery in a private hospital (e.g. surgery to remove wisdom teeth or dental implant surgery). These procedures are covered under hospital insurance, not extras insurance. Also, dental surgery is typically covered under another category health insurance policies.

You would like to purchase an extra OSHC cover. Contact us at info@oshcglobal to assist you with any of your OSHC enquiries

OSHCglobal (According to comparethemarket)