The Cost of Dental Work.
When you take your car in for its regular service you have an idea of how much it will cost you, but you also know it’s only a guide. Once the mechanic has the bonnet open, he may find something that needs urgent attention. Something that’s not included in an ordinary service or covered by the ordinary service fee. As a result, once he has your approval to attend to that ‘something’, the final price will be more than you may have budgeted for.
The same can be said of dentists and dentistry. Unless everyone wore one-type-fits-all dentures, and they don’t, one thing will always hold true – everyone’s mouth is different. Even if two people both need a filling, one filling may need a lot more work than the other.
When you phone to book an appointment with a dentist at Team Dental, the receptionist can give you a basic fee guide. Once the dentist has examined your mouth, he or she will discuss treatment options and their costings with you. You can then decide if you want to proceed and what option suits you best.
As with a car, there are some dental issues that should be checked and dealt with on a regular basis: Check-ups, fillings, a visit to the hygienist. Other more costly and time-consuming treatments are, thankfully, not as common; root canals, extractions – wisdom teeth, teeth whitening, crowns, veneers, and implants. At Team Dental we are very transparent with our dental treatment costings and display them on our website. Generally:
- Check-ups including x-rays; $90
- Fillings; from $160
- Extractions; from $180
- Hygienist; $115 (45min appointment.)
- Crowns; from $1,100
- Root canal treatments; start at about $750 and can go up to as much as $1,200 for multi-rooted teeth.
As you can see, some treatments can be pricey. You may find it worthwhile to take out dental insurance, especially if you have a large family. An alternative may be to start putting away money on a regular basis to pay for future dental work. All major credit cards are welcome to meet our pay-on-the-day policy, as is payment by cash, eftpos, Q card and cheque.
Remember you may not necessarily need to have all the dental treatment done at once. Our dentists can prioritise the treatment for you, so you can spread it out over time to lessen the financial pressure. The most important thing is to get regular check-ups so that treatment prices don’t escalate. If you catch things early, it will cost you less to fix the problem.
Another way to keep costs down is to take exceptionally good care of your teeth yourself. No sugary drinks, a healthy diet, twice daily correct brushing and flossing – even better would be after each meal, as well as using a good mouthwash, all contribute to healthy teeth and therefore fewer treatments needed at the dentist. You also need regular check-ups!
Remember, the longer you leave between check-ups, the more expensive your beautiful smile may become.
Keep your dental costs in check. Book a dental check-up at a Team Dental centre near you and start a treatment plan that takes care of your teeth and your wallet.