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Dr Chris Darby

7 Ways to Lower that Dental Bill – Health fund and Medicare Rebate Assisted Dental Care

Proper dental treatment is an absolute necessity to ensure overall health. As a holistic dentistry, we see your mouth as a gateway to enjoying a long and healthy life, as well as healthy teeth. People avoid dental treatment for many reasons. They might be fearful, they may underestimate how vital regular check-ups are, or may feel that the treatment they need isn’t affordable.

The last point, unfortunately, does hold a lot of merit. Dental treatments are expensive, and as professionals, we are committed to finding a way to lower dental costs and make dental treatment available to everyone.

As part of our mission, we’ve created this list of ways to lower your bill at Lifetime Holistic Dental:

7 Ways to Lower Your Dental Bill

  1. If you know how to look after your teeth and gums, you’ll significantly reduce your chances of requiring expensive dental interventions. That means brushing and flossing every day with good technique, so you can remove plaque from your teeth before it causes any damage. You can call our receptionist to book a FREE oral hygiene visit with one of our hygienists or assistants, who will check your technique and give you all the information you need.
  2. You need to visit us at least every six months for a professional clean. Even the best at-home routine can’t remove all the plaque from your teeth. A clean with us will remove all the bacteria from your mouth, and polish all stains from your teeth. The final fluoride treatment also protects your mouth from future bacteria. These visits are the cherry on top of your at-home routine.
  3. You need to maximise your private health insurance and ensure Medicare is paying wherever possible. With ten major health funds offering 26,000 insurance plans, you can find one that will cover most, if not all of your basic dental needs. It’s all about doing the research and finding the right plan for you. Don’t be afraid to change plans regularly to take advantage of sign-up bonuses. With all that competition, you’ll be surprised what companies will offer to get your dollar. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) will also cover the cost of a lot of dental services for your children. Our staff are always happy to help if you have any questions about the best coverage for you.
  4. You need to pay attention to your teeth. Don’t just ignore pain and hope it goes away. Remember, pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. A toothache or tender gums could be a sign that bacteria is wreaking havoc, and if you don’t get that attended to soon, the results could be severe and expensive.
  5. So, this was mentioned in the first point, but it deserves another mention. Flossing is essential, it’s not just an optional extra for your at-home oral health routine. A dentist can always tell if a patient flosses because professional cleans will be comfortable. If you have healthy gums, flossing and brushing won’t hurt. Flossing removes plaque and bacteria from between your teeth and at your gum line, and in many ways, these areas harbour the most severe forms of gum-destroying bacteria and plaque.
  6. Sticking with the same dentist will save you money in the long-run. A long-term relationship allows us to track your teeth and gums and pick up on the little things before they require intervention. For example, we can pick up on signs of decay and use a fluoride treatment to reverse the decay, which saves you from needing a filling.
  7. Most importantly, trust everything that we recommend. As a holistic dental practice, we have your best interests at heart. That means using preventative dental techniques to safeguard your oral health and ensure you don’t have to go through expensive treatments.

Good dental treatment doesn’t have to cost a lot, because good dental treatment seeks to identify and eliminate problems before they worsen. That’s what all of these tips are aimed towards, putting the work in now to save pain and money down the track.

Our holistic dental practice works with you when creating dental treatment plans, so they suit your lifestyle and your budget. That’s the Lifetime Holistic Dental difference, and that difference won’t just save your teeth, it will also save you a lot of money.

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