Why it doesn’t pay to delay routine dental care
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has affected so many Australians from all different walks of life. We know that many have lost their jobs and livelihoods. We know that times are tough, and a lot of people may have no choice but to put their teeth on the back-burner.
If this is you, we have some advice we would like to share.
- Discuss finances with your dentist openly. You might be pleasantly surprised. Your dentist might suggest doing things in order of priority (most urgent to least urgent), or spacing treatment out so that it is easier for you to manage. They could also organise a payment plan where you pay off the cost over a certain period of time.
- If you’re worried about out of pocket costs after claiming from your health insurance, ask your dentist to do a quote to check your actual gap fee. Often the amount (especially if you are claiming on general dental, and not major dental treatments), is often much better than you might expect.
- At the very least, consider having a checkup and x-rays (if you haven’t had any in the past 2 years).
Consider this hypothetical situation. Sue is concerned about the cost of having an examination and x-rays. In total, the cost for this would be approximately $140 before she claimed from her health fund (if she had one). Let’s say for arguments’ sake, that she received 30%-60% back from her health fund on this amount, so her out of pocket expenses for this would be $98 to $56 respectively.
Sue decided not to go ahead with the examination and x-rays, but what she DIDN’T realise is that she had a hole developing in her top left molar. Unfortunately tooth decay is often asymptomatic, meaning that you don’t have any symptoms that indicate it is there, until you start getting pain or a toothache.
Things then progressed one of four ways (also usually directly proportionate to the length of time dental visits are delayed or onset of symptoms):
- Sue noticed some discomfort from her tooth, it was sore when she drank cold drinks and bit down on hard foods. She went to a dentist who checked the tooth, took and x-ray and told her she needed a filling. Total approximate cost: $275 before any rebates.
- Sue woke up one morning with a raging toothache, her head was throbbing. She attended a dentist, and was told her tooth was infected. She was given the option of an extraction (approximate cost $150-$300 depending on difficulty) or a root canal and crown (approximate cost $3k).
- Sue woke up one morning with a huge, swollen, puffy face, fever and feeling extremely unwell. Sue had to attend a hospital emergency department, where her facial cellulitus was drained and the offending tooth removed.
- Sue noticed a hole in her tooth, she left it, and gradually more parts broke off over time. It didn’t really hurt so much, just got a bit annoying when edges were sharp. Eventually it broke into separated roots and she went to a dentist to have them removed (approximate cost $150-$300 depending on difficulty).
Sue’s story is just an example, but after over 10 years experience as a dentist, I can tell you that I have had patients who have all gone through each of the end scenarios I have listed.
Which would you prefer? Obviously some of the possibilities are extreme, but I can tell you now, it DOES happen.
Our take home message is PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN CURE, and talk to your dentist to find a solution that is going to work for both the well-being of your finances AND your teeth!
Call us on 6143 5655, our friendly team is more than happy to help find a solution that suits you.
