A Detailed Guide on Dental Checkups and Cost
Fear of dental visits is a pretty common thing. Even as adults, some people are still scared of going to the dentist. For some of these adults, the fear may not be about the procedure itself, but about how much they may have to chuck out to pay the dentist.
While different factors determine how much you’ll spend, the practice you patronize has a major influence on this cost. To put your mind at ease, we’ll discuss in detail the cost of a dental checkup and the factors that influence it.
Cost of Dental Checkup
Based on a survey conducted by the Australian Dental Association (ADA), it was discovered that the average you can expect to pay for a dental checkup is about $219. This checkup includes the examination, fluoride treatment, and cleaning and scale. You can check out Dentist Moorooka to learn how dentists carry out a routine checkup procedure. However, the cost varies depending on the practice, and the cheapest cost you’ll find is $162, and $309 is the most you’ll pay for the three procedures we mentioned.
The table below will reveal the average cost of the different procedures.
|
Procedure and Item Number |
Average Cost |
|
Checkup |
|
|
Fluoride treatment (121) |
$36 |
|
X-ray (per exposure) (022) |
$45 |
|
Periodic oral examination (012) |
$60 |
|
Fissure sealing (for each tooth) |
$61 |
|
Comprehensive oral exam (011) |
$67 |
|
Clean and scale (calculus and plaque removal (114) |
$123 |
|
Simple tooth extraction (non-surgical) (311) |
$205 |
|
Endodontic Treatment |
|
|
Chemical-mechanical root canal preparation – same tooth/add canal (416) |
$149 |
|
Chemical-mechanical root canal preparation – one canal (415) |
$308 |
|
Restorative Treatment |
|
|
Single-surface filling on the front tooth (521) |
$167 |
|
Single-surface filling on the back tooth (531) |
$178 |
|
Double-surface filling on the front tooth (522) |
$202 |
|
Double-surface filling on the back tooth (532) |
$220 |
|
Prosthodontics |
|
|
Denture (complete maxillary) (711) |
$1,522 |
|
Indirect veneered full crown (615) |
$1,678 |
The location where you reside also determines the cost of checkups and procedures. The table below will reveal the average highest and lowest cost of treatment in different locations.
|
Treatment |
Highest Price |
Lowest Price |
|
Filing |
$183 (Tasmania) |
$148 (Queensland) |
|
Tooth extraction |
$231 (Australian Capital Territory) |
$185 (South Australia) |
|
Mouthguard |
$253 (Australian Capital Territory) |
$185 (Western Australia) |
|
Veneered full crown |
$1,870 (Western Australia) |
$1,615 (Western Australia) |
The cost of procedures such as teeth whitening, removal of wisdom teeth, dental implants, and going to specialists are revealed below:
- Teeth Whitening:
You could spend a minimum of $400 and a maximum of $1,500 when the dentist uses a concentrated agent for whitening teeth. If you are recommended a home-use dental kit, it will cost about a minimum of $50 for an arch, and $100 for your entire mouth, and a maximum of $298 for an arch, and $596 for your entire mouth. You can visit https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/ to learn more about teeth whitening. This price depends on your location, the color and condition of your teeth, and your preferred system.
- Removal of Wisdom Teeth:
Removal of wisdom teeth costs depends on your location, your chosen treatment options, and clinical circumstances. In the end, the average cost of a simple removal at a regular dentist and the application of local anaesthetic is about $150 to $300 for a tooth. If it is a complex case that involves a specialist, the average cost is $315 to $600 for a tooth, but anaesthetic and surgery fees are not included.
- Dental Implant:
The price of inserting an implant is an average of $1,334 to $3,000. If you are inserting a dental implant abutment, which is the structure connecting the crown and the implant, is an average of $400 to $1,404. Once again, the amount you pay depends on your location, the material the implant is manufactured from, several clinical factors, and the tooth you want to replace.
- Visit to a Specialist:
If you are referred to a specialist, the price you’ll pay is usually higher than seeing a general dentist. For a comprehensive consultation with a specialist, you’ll spend about $120 whereas a general dentist costs $67. If you’re having a veneered full crown treatment at a specialist, you’ll pay about $2,133, while a general dentist will charge you about $1,678 for the same treatment.
Why are there Different Dental Costs?
As we’ve said in the article so far, dental costs depend on the practice because dentists are allowed to determine their fees. This is unlike medical practice with Medicare cover whereby the rebates are prescribed, and members of the AMA operate within the recommended fees.
You can click here to learn more about the Australian Medical Association (AMA). Apart from the dentist’s freedom to choose how much they charge, location, the difficulty of the condition, experience and overheads, and the time a procedure is performed.
Conclusion
Many Australians cannot afford dental treatment because of how expensive it can be. Therefore, it’s only fitting that people want to know how much a visit to the dentist costs before they make the trip. In the article above, we’ve revealed the cost of dental care in Australia and the factors that influence the price.
