Save money on dental work
Keeping your mouth happy and healthy is vital to your overall health and day to day confidence. However, we know that it comes at a cost.
Depending on the treatment, dental work in New Zealand can start to cost a lot of money. However, there are things you can do to help reduce these costs as well as various payment options to understand how you might be able to pay them off more easily.
Importance of preventative care
A great many oral health problems are highly preventable. That means that with the right habits and care, most Kiwis will be able to go long periods of time without major dental surgeries – and their cost.
This is what makes preventative care so important. In dental work, like most areas of health, the cost of treatment tends to rise with the severity or complexity of the illness. So when a person neglects their teeth and allows problems to grow, this can push up their costs.
Good preventative dental care has a number of factors:
Brushing twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste
Flossing regularly, once a day if possible
Remembering to clean your gums and tongue as well as teeth
Being cautious of foods that can harm your teeth, such as sugar, alcohol and acid
Avoiding smoking
Knowing your risks: sports injuries, teeth grinding, pregnancy, diabetes, certain other diseases (i.e. osteoporosis), they can all impact your oral health and may require you to take more frequent trips to the dentist
Visiting the dentist for a regular check-up.
Importance of regular check ups
On top of at-home care, visiting the dentist for a regular check-up is critical to maintaining your oral health and avoiding the need for more severe surgeries. It may seem counterintuitive at first to imagine going to the dentist more frequently in order to save money, but the reality is that the cost of a clean and check is far below that of something more complex, and visiting even just once a year can positively impact your chances of avoiding a more serious problem.
At a regular check-up, your dentist can:
Talk to you about any symptoms you’ve been experiencing
Examine your mouth for problems
Potentially take an x-ray to look deeper into your mouth to spot hidden issues
Clean and polish your teeth to remove plaque and tartar build-up (which contributes to gum disease)
Answer any questions you have about your ongoing oral health.
It’s generally recommended that most people visit the dentist at least once a year, if not twice. For those who are at risk – i.e. smokers, pregnant women, people with a disease such as osteoporosis or diabetes – it is recommended to visit at least twice a year, if not three times. That is because problems may develop more quickly in at-risk individuals and they must be caught early to prevent them from getting worse.
Your dentist will be able to recommend to you how frequently you as an individual should come in for a check-up.
Find an affordable dentist
If money is a concern for you and your family, it’s imperative that you find a dentist you know you can afford, and who will work with you to ensure that you can gain access to the best treatment at the best possible price.
When looking to save money at the dentist, search for a practice that clearly advertises its prices and which offers flexible payment options.
If you can clearly see the price of surgery (remembering that these prices may be subject to change depending on your individual oral health and its complexity), you can compare practice to practice. Meanwhile, payment options may include interest-free deals when using certain credit cards, or payment plans to help you pay in increments instead of all at once.
Kowhai payment options
At Kowhai Dental here in Whangārei, we know that the cost of certain surgeries is a major barrier for some people – it’s easy to talk about prevention, but if a problem has not been prevented then it has to be dealt with, cost or no cost.
That’s why we offer flexible payment options to ensure that you and your family can access our high-quality services without the same level of financial stress.
We offer interest-free finance for existing credit card holders as well as Gem Visa for new applicants. This can give you a year to pay off your costs without worrying about interest.
Can’t use a credit card? We know life is subject to change and our payment options must be as well. Pop in to see us on Maunu Road to speak with our reception staff and they can talk you through what other payment plans we can offer.
Learn more by checking out our payment options.
Typical prices for procedures
As mentioned, the cost of surgery very much depends on the severity of the oral health problem.
A gum health evaluation starts at $52
Cleaning, scaling and polishing starts at $124
Fillings (composite or amalgam) start at $183
Tooth extractions start at $206
Root canal surgery starts at $811
Children under the age of 17 years may be free. Talk to us today to find out if this applies to your family.
From here, more complex surgeries may cost considerably more. For a full list of our prices, check out our pricing page.
Got questions
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While dental care is generally not free in New Zealand, there are some instances where people can access quality care at a subsidised price.
Children and teenagers up to the age of 17 years may be eligible for free basic oral health services. ‘Basic care’ here refers to more common treatments such as check ups, x-rays, fissure sealants, cleaning and some fillings.
Adults with certain disabilities or medical conditions (such as mouth cancer) may be able to have their GP or dentist refer them to a hospital for publicly funded treatment. Emergency dental care via hospitals is also sometimes available for individuals with low incomes or who have a Community Services Card.
Some insurance providers also cover dental care, among other common health costs like GP visits and prescription glasses. Insurance may be able to cover some or all of the cost of your medical needs, although of course you would need to pay for the insurance itself.
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Free dental work in New Zealand is most commonly available for children and teenagers up to the age of 17 years. However, this only includes basic dental work and typically not more complex treatments.
People with low incomes or who have Community Services Cards may also qualify for publicly funded emergency dental work at their local hospital. Learn more about public funding for dental care at health.govt.nz
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It can, yes. There are a number of insurance providers in New Zealand who offer health insurance coverage for basic dental care, more severe surgeries and sometimes even orthodontics.
This is, however, subject to the provider, and they may not cover the entire cost – rather, just a portion of it. If you think health insurance is right for you, consider comparing a number of providers and their services (and small print) before making a decision.
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We know it can feel like a real struggle to afford the dentist sometimes, especially if you are in a low income situation. However, there are options.
First, flexible payment plans such as those we offer here at Kowhai may provide some relief by spreading payments out over a period of time, either on a credit card or in an alternative plan.
Work and Income NZ also offers some financial relief for emergency dental work for those who are eligible. Students on StudyLink payments may also be eligible for the same relief.
Some Kiwis can apply for Recoverable Assistance Payments through Work and Income. This is a loan that would need to be repaid, and is not available to everyone.
Finally, private financiers do offer dental loans. Typically these would be called dental loans and would need to be negotiated with either your bank or another lender. We would recommend you seek professional financial advice before making any major financial decision.
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Dentists in New Zealand do not commonly offer discounts for cash, although that doesn’t mean you can’t save money by paying in this manner.
Paying by cash could allow you to avoid any interest or fees associated with private finance options (i.e. a dental loan from a bank). That said, at Kowhai Dental you can apply for flexible finance payment plans that don’t have such fees, helping you spread the payment out over a period of time – no paying out of pocket in cash up front.
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It is possible for Kiwis to negotiate dental prices to an extent, but this would typically be done beforehand and not after surgery.
Some financial advisers recommend people shop around their local dentists to get quotes on the required treatment. You can also ask why you need the treatment and find out if there are alternatives that you haven’t yet discussed. Comparing dentists would allow you to hunt for either cheaper prices, better discounts or more suitable payment options.
In all cases this will give you a better understanding of your dental costs and the alternatives, to either use to negotiate with your current provider or to help you find a new practice.