What are your options if you need dental treatment but don’t have insurance and can’t afford to pay from your own pocket? There may be a way to save money and preserve your smile.
Dentistry is one area of the public health system that is deeply in crisis. Public dental treatment only covers minors who are attending school, and adult Pension and Health Care Card holders. In even emergency situations, public dental treatment is only for eligible individuals.
According to the Australian Society of Orthodontists, 650,000 people are currently waitlisted for public dental treatment in Australia. Only 11 percent of the waiting list receives treatment each year. Many have severe tooth decay and oral disease.
MoneyTalks reader, Leonie from Brisbane, wrote to me recently with this suggestion:
I have recently been to the School of Dentistry at the University of Queensland to have some work done on my teeth. I have been putting it off as I cannot afford to go to a regular dentist. I also do not have a health care card so I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
A friend told me about the dental school. I was in the chair just one week after booking, looked after by a wonderful fourth year student (with a supervisor attending.) The initial two-hour appointment and x-rays cost $62, which is less than half of a fully qualified dentist.
No complaints. Money saved.
In the interests of saving money–and keeping a smile on your face–it may be worth finding out if there’s a dental school near you which opens its teaching clinics to members of the public. The Australian Dental Association provides a list of dental schools in each state.