Dentist

[ecmiller72]

unfortunately had to visit a dentist
and even worse i need a root canal !
the first emergency treatment cost $250
and the subsequent treatment is quoted at $1500 !
i think this is at least twice as much if not more than UK prices

so is dentistry v v expensive here? or have i just picked a v expensive dentist ?
not been able to get a quote elsewhere yet

[Anne B]

I think dentists are very expensive in Australia - when we were there at Easter my Father in Law had something done that cost $600, and I don't think it was anything fancy. Maybe a good idea to take out some kind of health insurance to cover dentistry. I had to have some root canal work done here in England a few years ago and because it was within 12 months of having a baby it was all free on the NHS !! :)

[Roo1]

We are with Medibank Private. I think in the long run it does work out cheaper to take out cover. There are some waiting gaps though before you can claim, depending on what you want doing.
J x

[Bodie]

Know how you feel. I had root canal in Ireland just before we left; all up it cost me around 600 pounds. All went wrong. Had to have root canal done as soon as I arrived here in January and I believe it cost me around $800; 1500 seems too much to me so I'd get a second opinion. I also looked into private health but it doesn't kick in for at least 6 months, usually 12, and you can't really wait that long. Although Australian dentists are considerably more, I think they are far better than those I had in the UK. Good luck,
Tracey

[Kazzarazza]

Hi, that sounds an awful lot to me. I've had a couple of root treaments and they were around the $800-900 mark. I have cover with Medibank Private and got quite a lot of that back. I'd ask your current dental surgery what "item number" they are using for the root treatment then ring around for another quote. It is acceptable to do that here, after all, it's your mouth. On health insurance, you can get just "extras cover" with most insurers if you don't feel you need full hospital cover. This is very reasonably priced and covers dental, opticians, physio, etc. Good luck.