Surveys of Australia’s dental health has shown a wide gap between some who visit their dentists regularly and have better oral health, and a majority who make limited dental visits and have poorer oral health. Since those who visit the dentist irregularly receive fewer preventive services, the rate of tooth extractions is much higher among this group. This ultimately affects their general health and the quality of their lives.
Affordability of dental treatments influences the oral health maintenance of people. Studies have shown that the availability of insurance increases the probably of the general population seeking help from a dentist.One of the reasons why the Australian public choose private insurance is the dental cover provided by these companies. Private insurance also gives better control over their health care. It allows you to choose the specialist you prefer and negotiate a day of appointment that is convenient for you.
The major health insurance providers accessible to patients in Melbourne are Medibank, Bupa Members First Healthcare Provider and The Hospitals Contribution Fund or HCF. You can find a list of the participating dentists in Melbourne by visiting the websites of these insurance providers. There are a number of Melbourne dentists such as Holistic Dental who are the preferred dentists of all three insurance providers.
HCF:
If you are a member of HCF and seek treatment from an HCF-preferred dentist, you can claim back many of the services using the ‘More for teeth program’. HCF provides eligible members and their families a range of fully covered diagnostic and preventative dental services. There are different levels of cover, so it is very important that you are aware of which plan you are on and what you are covered for. Depending on your HCF insurance package, your cover can include examinations, X-rays, surgical extractions, root canals, and maintenance and repair.
Medibank Member’s Choice:
Medibank’sExtras provide different levels of cover. If you choose Top Extras 70 or Top Extras 85, there is no annual limit for general dental care.With the Preventive Dental Care Package you will get 100% cover for many treatments such as cleaning and scaling. All levels of Medibank extras cover surgical dental procedures. Hospital cover includes in-hospital removal of wisdom teeth. Top extras also cover orthodontics, RCT, crowns, dentures and gum disease treatment. For these, there will be an annual limit.Depending on your package, you will get 55–100% cover from Medibank.
A research conducted by BMC Health Services in 2013 found that people from low income households are more likely to receive emergency care rather than preventive care. Many adults from low income households reported that the expense of getting dental care had stopped them from getting recommended treatments. Low income individuals are also likely to avoid or postpone visits to a dentist until the symptoms become worse. The research found a higher percentage of dental visits among insured individuals in middle and low income groups. The dental insurance helps remove to a large extend the financial barrier to receiving dental care. With a large proportion of Melbourne dentists being recognised by dental insurance providers such as HCF, there is little reason for the Melbourne population to defer dental care.