Dental Health Fund Benefits

WE ARE MEMBERS CHOICE PROVIDERS FOR

All other health fund members are welcomed and can be quoted for exact rebate.
Health rebates for dentistry treatments

To assist our patients in claiming health rebates for treatment, we provide a printed copy of their dental treatment plans at the initial dental consultation. This can then be passed on to their health insurance company so the gap in payment can be worked out, along with the balance that needs to be settled.

Although our dentistry fees are subject to change on a reasonable basis, once we’ve agreed on a cost, this will remain the same within a specified period. As long as the fee still applies to your current oral condition, we will always honour it.

If funding your dental treatment becomes difficult, you may like to consider a payment plan. You can find information about payment plans here at Spring Orchid Dental.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE PRIVATE HEALTH EXTRAS INSURANCE

If you have private health insurance (extras cover) we can help you determine any insurance benefits which you may be entitled to claim. We encourage you to speak to one of our experienced reception staff directly with any financial related inquiries. For larger treatment plans, such as orthodontics, implant treatment, crowns, root canal treatment,you may be eligible for either payments during the duration of treatment or for a payment plan.

IF YOU CONSIDER PRIVATE HEALTH EXTRAS INSURANCE

Please consult your accountant or financial advisor before deciding if private health extras insurance is appropriate for you

We encourage patients to re-evaluate their insurance plans on a yearly basis to determine if private extras insurance suits their needs. This is due to financial considerations related to increasing premiums and stagnant or poor rebates.

Many plans also promote the use of certain products or services which may compromise the quality of our dental care. Our primary goal is to provide the best possible dentistry available, no matter what your insurance coverage may be.

PRIVATE HEATH INSURANCE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

If you have decided to join a private health fund for the extras cover, it’s important to read the fine print of the terms and conditions as these are some of the common issues:

• There are limits on what you can claim for dental treatment and for some classes of dental treatment.
• Some types of dental treatment are not covered by your policy.
• In some health funds you cannot claim for treatments such as orthodontics until you’ve been a member for several years.
• There are waiting periods for most if not all types of claims. Some of these waiting periods can be as long as 12 months, which means you may need to be a member for over a year before you can make some claims.
• Some dental treatments may only be covered if you have the most expensive choice of policy
• Some health funds will direct you to clinics which they own and you may not be made aware of this. The dentists in these clinics are forced to charge cheaper fees and so they have to cut their costs which can mean cheaper and inferior materials, crowns, bridges and implants made overseas in third world countries, inexperienced or untrained staff, limited facilities and limited choices of treatment modalities. You may also not have your choice of dentist.
• For the majority of health funds the benefits expire at the end of the calendar year so if you have not used the dental benefits which you are entitled to, you will lose them by the 31st of December.
• When you sign up with a health fund you give them the right to access all of your medical and dental records.
• You cannot claim for any known or unknown pre-existing conditions. So for example, if you’ve had gingivitis or gum disease in the past and then join a health fund, you may not be able to claim for this type of treatment.