How much does it cost you to go to the dentist in Canberra?

I also recently had a checkup (and since my last one have dropped my private health insurance) so I was pretty shocked to be charged $200. The bill was itemised and included:

Periodic examination: $60
Removal of calculus: $100
Topical Flouride: $38

Last time, I swallowed the flouride (dentist didn’t tell me i had to keep it in my mouth for a minute and then spit out). That was a waste of $38.

LOL Sneaky LOL rip off merchants!

Bluey said :

God help you if you need fillings or worse a crown or root canal and dont have any coverage (I dont)

Still, the years of not paying for extras has been cheaper than dental work and occasional other stuff extras would cover than actually paying for extras cover.

So-called “coverage” for dental isn’t coverage at all. You pay all that extra for Ancilliaries (ie anything that isn’t hospital) and then for your $2000 Crown, get $400 back. And that’s limited to once a year. It’s just not worth it. Read the itemised info on your health policies, people!

I need 4 crowns and you can calculate what it’s going to cost, but health “cover” wouldn’t have gone close to scratching the surface.

My dentist doesn’t give me the lecture about cleaning teeth and doesn’t charge me either, as my teeth are clearly well-looked-after. He’s still pretty pricey though.

Had a bit to do with the Mawson Dental Clinic. Originally for a tooth out, but that took 2 visits @ about $200 each. They advised that cleaning was required, so 3 more sessions @ about $180.

This became expensive, so disregarded their offers of a checkup. Inevitably, another obvious extraction came up. Oh no, I couldnt book in for the extraction, because they had not seen me in the last 6 months. So again, 2 very profitable visits later would be required.

I walked away, and will not darken their door again.

Job was done by a Kambah dentist for $200.

An aside. I am a shocking ‘gagger’ when they play around at the back of the mouth. This dentist placed some rock salt on my tongue, and the gagging reflex disappeared. A win.

$180 for a checkup and scale and clean is pretty much normal…you can pay a bit less at some places and you can definately pay more at some, but that seems quite reasonable to me.

$30 each for xrays is cheap!! Many dentists will charge $45-50 or more each.

Yep, its a lot for 20mins or so of their time but they all charge roughly the same so sadly there isnt much you can do.

Unfortunately, that sounds about normal. Definitely check prices beforehand though, I went for a check-up once and they said, ‘Here, have a mouthful of flouride treatment’, which cost $40 on the bill when the entire bottle is only worth $20.

dvaey said :

I think it depends on the luck of the draw though, a friend recently had dental work done in the city, and paid about $300 for new dentures including about an hours work before/after fitting them. I will endeavour to find their name.

$300 for new dentures? I definitely would like to know the name of that dentist.

On my last visit, I paid $150 for a checkup and a clean. I didn’t think that was expensive – and judging by what some here have quoted, it wasn’t.

yep cost me $180 for a check up plus $60 for Bite xrays ($30 each).
I’m with you thats a lot for someone to say “don’t drink too much soft drink, calcium good, use floride toothpaste, and come back soon”

I went to a dentist in Kambah a few months ago, after waiting nearly 2 weeks to get in for a bad toothache, he told me Id need to come back for a cleaning, and charged me $200. The cleaning was about $150 and was advised Id need a second cleaning at about the same price. This took about 4 weeks to get in for a cleaning, and after which the toothache was still there, and I was $500 out-of-pocket.

I then went to my GP who gave me a simple script for antibiotics and a week later, no more toothache.

I think it depends on the luck of the draw though, a friend recently had dental work done in the city, and paid about $300 for new dentures including about an hours work before/after fitting them. I will endeavour to find their name.

Hi Feathergirl, claim the amount on your next tax return under medical rebates adding all of your pharmaceuticals in if you acquire in excess of $1200. This includes eyewear for medical purposes and any other medical items not already re-imbursed.

I am well overdue for a dental visit too (5 years) and had no idea a consultation and clean had risen to $250

Wow – I pay less than that for a filling. I’ve been on the lookout for a new dentist, but maybe I should stick with the old one… Old is the word tho – he is bound to retire any day now and takes months to get an appointment.

Dentists are little more the extortionists.

As far as I’m concerned, you go to a dentist when you have a toothache. Why pay some guy $250 to have a poke around in your mouth and tell you to floss more often?

I’m with Castro on this one. Dentists should be government employees earning a 70 or 80k yearly salary.

Why a relatively low skilled (in terms of amount of medical training needed ) basic health service should cost you the price of a small fridge is beyond me.

I don’t think dentists study dentistry because they actually like doing it or want to provide a needed service to the community .

$250? Wow.

My most recent checkup and clean back in February was somewhere in the vicinity of $70. Can’t recall the name but they’re up above La Porchetta in Tuggeranong.

(Though I’ve also been to the one in Lakeview House ‘Swaggie’ mentioned – they’re quite good, not sure what it would set you back though)

I have my dental work done in Sydney nowadays (fit it around family & friends visits). Have found an excellent dentist who is a good third cheaper than ACT equivalents. $250 for 20 mins to poke around in your mouth, maybe take a few pix (which cost bugger all once the equipment is there) and tell you to clean your teeth and stay off the fizzy drinks! What a racket!

When in Goulburn we used to go to Dominic Vu and he was reasonably priced and excellent service.

Given the extraordinarily high prices for dentistry in Canberra, if I was getting anything more than a filling done, I would seriously consider a drive up the highway…

$140 (with Xray) at the dental practice 2nd floor in Lakeview House Tuggeranong. No health cover here for dental work – just put a bit aside each month to cover anything that arises. I needed root canal late last year and I was still in pocket after working out what insurance would have cost me.

Sounds about right to me. Pretty mine was about that with x rays done.

God help you if you need fillings or worse a crown or root canal and dont have any coverage (I dont)

Still, the years of not paying for extras has been cheaper than dental work and occasional other stuff extras would cover than actually paying for extras cover.

$250 for 20 minutes? Dayam, maybe I should switch degrees.

do you feel ripped off paying your plumber, mechanic or electrician too?

Maybe its the price you pay these days. Overheads, insurance, equipment and operations… i’m sure the $50 appointment days are loooong gone.

Problem is, you can ask, but the number’s going to about the same wherever you go. Are you going to *not* get it done?

I was just wondering the same thing – I had a checkup and clean a couple of weeks ago and walked out $220 poorer.

That’s about normal for me, although mine includes two bite wing x-rays. It is expensive. Check the itemisation on the bill, as my partner was charged to sit there and listen to the dentist tell her how to brush her teeth, well after the actual check and clean was finsihed.