Cant afford wisdom teeth removal australia

A petition begging the government to subsidise essential dental treatments for those who can’t afford it has reached more than 8000 signatures.

Dental treatment isn’t covered by Medicare, meaning many Australians have to smile through the pain, literally.

Experts estimate Australians who can’t afford dental treatment number in the hundreds of thousands.

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Gruesome photos shared to 7NEWS.com.au show what happens when emergency dental needs go ignored.

“Something needs to happen, it’s just ridiculous,” director of Adelaide University’s Community Outreach Dental Program Margie Steffens said.

The petition, addressed to the Parliament of Australia, closes on Wednesday.

Changes to the policy are “way long overdue” according to Steffens, who is also the chair of the Dental Hygienist Association of Australia.

“(It’s) just ordinary people, affected by this,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.

She said a “life of neglect” in treatment of teeth “creates too many unnecessary hospitalisations, (where) people leave it too late to do anything.

“Young people … can’t chew properly, they become unemployable because their mouth looks so terrible.”

Steffens works in an Adelaide clinic providing essential dental care to those in need.

She has treated homeless people, drug addicts and very low income earners for more than 30 years.

“I’m not blaming anybody in particular, we just need to get together and do something about it,” she added.

When Medicare began, dental care wasn’t included, and both sides of the parliament haven’t changed their policy since.

Under current rules, only three types of people are eligible for public dental treatment: children aged between two and 17 eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) and then Centrelink pensioners and Health Care Card holders.

To have a Health Care Card, you need to be on certain types of Centrelink such as youth allowance or Jobseeker.

However, there are often long waiting lists for public dentists, with treatments sometimes delayed for years.

“Each state and territory offers different services and you may have to wait up to a year or more to see a dentist,” the federal government’s Health Direct website notes.

Private health care covers part of the dental bill, but not all.

Thousands of Australians don’t qualify for public treatment, and also don’t have private health insurance.

One of those is 61-year-old Leslie Rump, from Port Stephens north of Sydney.

She’s been living with a loose tooth for years.

“I have a loose inlay and I just hope it doesn’t fall out soon,” Rump told 7NEWS.com.au.

“It was painful. At the moment it’s okay. I try to use mouthwash and not chew on that side. I really have to go there (the dentist) soon.”

Karen Samson, 53, knows all too well the difficulty of giving her kids crucial dental treatment under the public system.

The single mother-of-three, from the Gold Coast, was on a disability support pension but saved up to pay for her kids’ dental care to spare them from the public system.

“I never bothered going on general wait list as it was too long,” Samson told 7NEWS.com.au.

“I did find the work and bedside manner to be rather awful in the public system. I don’t use it unless I’m really desperate.”

One of her sons had “terrible teeth” growing up.

When he was around eight years old, he needed a root canal in his top front teeth. But the public dentist wanted to simply pull the tooth, as that would be cheaper and quicker.

“So I had to find the money to pay privately to try to save the tooth which he still has at 22 years (old),” she said.

A root canal costs more than $1000 whereas removing a tooth is only a few hundred dollars.

“Access to dental for lower socioeconomic group is severely inadequate and has been for the 40 plus years I tried to access it,” Samson said.

There are hundreds of thousands of Australians in this missing middle, according to Australian Dental Association President Dr Mark Hutton.

“A third of people eligible for public dental avoid certain foods (and) have difficulty chewing,” he told 7NEWS.com.au.

“A quarter of those eligible for public dental don’t have the teeth needed for their mouth to function properly.”

These people “delay their treatment, or have stop gap measures like having a temporary restoration, pulling a teeth rather than saving it.”

According to a statement from the Association, without more government funding, 720 patients a day, or 180,000 a year, “will miss out on dental services they so badly need”.

Australians on a low income are “A group in the community who really, really need assistance,” Hutton said.

“The (dental) rebates are fairly poor.”

In 2019, Hutton and his dental association launched the Australian Dental Health Plan.

The plan is a targeted scheme aiming to increase access to dental healthcare to improve people’s basic standard of living.

“One of the issues with government schemes, is in order to be able to afford to do them, they’ll give a range of treatments. They’ll do fillings and extractions, but they won’t do the crowns or the root canals,” Hutton said.

“If we have a targeted scheme, the more expensive treatments will be given to the ones who need them.”

Hutton proposes that the government phase out the private health rebate, which costs around $6.3 billion a year, and direct some of that money towards dentistry.

The dentists also suggest a sugar tax, which has been linked with greater dental wellbeing.

However, the government has not yet adopted the plan, despite the ADA proposing it for the last three budgets.

In a statement to 7NEWS.com.au, a Health department spokesperson said the government was aware of the accessibility issues.

“The Australian Government understands the importance of good oral health and its role in supporting general health and wellbeing,” they said.

“The Government is aware of the barriers to accessing affordable dental services and supports a range of targeted programs for adults and children to access care.”

Whether due to recurring infection or crowding of the teeth, many Australians will need their wisdom teeth out at some point, with most people having the procedure done in their late teens or twenties.

For some, this can be a minor procedure, with a straight-forward extraction of just one or two teeth. However, for those whose wisdom teeth are impacted or require three or four teeth removed, it can be a more invasive and unpleasant experience.

Like most dental procedures, wisdom tooth removal is not covered by Medicare, however there may still be options available to you under the public system. Here, we explain the key considerations and how the public and private systems differ when it comes to wisdom tooth extraction.

Eligibility for public dental support

Firstly, it’s important to know that not everyone is eligible for public dental services, and before making a decision to rely on the public system, it’s worth checking whether you qualify. Each state is different, in New South Wales for example, 47% of the population is eligible, however this state’s eligibility criteria is more generous than most.

Waiting lists

If seen privately, wisdom tooth removal can take place in a matter of days or weeks, however the wait can be far more substantial if relying on the public system. For example, government data shows that -- while not wisdom teeth specific -- at the end of June 2017, 13,555 children and 98,322 adults were on public dental waiting lists in New South Wales alone.

If you’re unable to wait due to extreme pain or infection, those without health insurance can still book in with a private specialist and be treated quickly, however you will have to pay the full cost, most likely upfront -- more on this below.

Costs

Straightforward wisdom tooth extractions can take place ‘in the chair’ at the dentist’s rooms, and can cost up to $400 per tooth approximately, with consultation and x-ray fees on top of this. The good news is that for those with extras health insurance, depending on your policy some or all of this expense will be covered.

For more complex or invasive procedures, your dentist may recommend that you see a specialist to have the extraction done in hospital under sedation or general anaesthetic. This may involve hospital, medical and dental costs.

The typical cost of a tooth extraction in a Members Choice Hospital was $1,580 last financial year, including medical and hospital costs. Depending on your policy, your health insurance may cover some or all of these expenses.

If you are getting your wisdom teeth out using your private health insurance, check with your dentist, doctors, hospital and health insurer to see what out-of-pocket expenses you may have to pay, including your excess.

Choice

With private health insurance, you’ll be able to choose your dentist or oral surgeon, and depending on your case, you may have an opportunity to have a say in how the extraction takes place -- whether ‘in the chair’ under local anaesthetic, or in hospital under sedation or general anaesthetic. This can be particularly worthwhile if you’re feeling nervous about the procedure. In contrast, those who get their wisdom teeth removed in the public system will not have a say in who they see or how the procedure is carried out.

Chief Medical Officer Linda Swan summarises: “For those who are eligible for public dental support and are weighing up their options, the major considerations are really around waiting times and choice. Unlike public, in the private system you’ll be able to be seen quickly, choose your own specialist, and you may even be able to have a say on where the procedure is carried out.”

“For those who are not eligible for public dental support and are weighing up their options, the major consideration will be around cost, with those who are not covered by health insurance at risk of being hundreds or even thousands of dollars out-of-pocket.”

Get 100% back on dental

Aside from covering you for wisdom teeth removal, Medibank also offers 100% back on your annual dental check-up and clean at any Members’ Choice dentist (excluding x-rays), once your two-month waiting period has passed. That’s on top of your annual limit, so you can get your clean no matter how much dental work you’ve already claimed.

And remember, every health insurance policy is different. If having health insurance that helps pay towards getting your wisdom teeth out is important to you, check it’s included in your policy. Waiting periods apply.

Call us before booking in a procedure. We can check your cover and provide advice to help reduce your out-of-pocket costs.