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What you need to know
Dental cover is covered by private health insurance extras policies from just $3.02 a week.
Medicare doesn’t cover dental, but some states offer limited services for children and other groups.
There are different levels of dental cover available, including General, Major and Orthodontics.
Compare policies with General Dental
Here are some extras policies from Finder partners with some level of dental cover, either general, major or orthodonics. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $90,000 income and living in Sydney.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Compare prices from 30+ Aussie funds in under 30 seconds.
How does dental insurance work?
Dental insurance is available with extras health insurance, as opposed to hospital insurance. Extras is the cheaper version and covers out-of-hospital servicies not available through Medicare such as dental, optical and physio.
Some policies will pay a percentage of your bill, up to a certain amount, when you visit the dentist. Others will pay a set amount for specific services. It can cover you for:
General dental
Covers common procedures such as check-ups, teeth cleaning, fluoride treatments, X-rays and small fillings.
Covers more complex procedures such as crowns, bridgework, veneers and implants.
Orthodontics
Covers specialist dentistry for aligning teeth and jaws. Treatments include braces, plates and retainers.
What about dental surgery?
Whenever dental surgery is performed in a hospital – for example, dental implant surgery – it's not typically covered by extras. You'll need hospital insurance for this.
How much does dental work cost?
The price of specific dental treatments varies depending on your dentist, location and specific circumstances. However, a 2019 HealthEngine Survey sought to find the average cost of some common treatments in Sydney.
More complicated dental work will be even costlier, especially braces. According to Orthodontics Australia, braces can cost anywhere between $6,000 and $9,000.
*Costs are based on a 15- to 18-month treatment period that also helps to correctly align the jaw.
Even with health insurance, dental work can still come at a significant cost. Thankfully, many dental practices now offer Afterpay or specialist payment plans to patients.
Child Dental Benefits Schedule
The Services Australia Child Dental Benefits Schedule does offer dental benefits to some children. To be eligible, your child must
Be eligible for Medicare
Be between 0 and 17 years old
Receive a payment from the Australian governmnet at least once a year
The following groups can receive free publicly funded emergency dental treatment in Queensland:
All children between age 4 and year 10 of secondary school.
Children outside of that range who have a concession card or are dependents of a concession card holder.
Children in the custody of the Director-General, Department of Communities or Child Safety and Disability Services.
Adults with a Pensioner Concession Card from the Department of Veterans' Affairs or Centrelink, a Health Care Card, a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card or a Queensland Seniors Card.
You must be a Queensland resident and you must receive your treatment in a public dental facility.
New South Wales
In New South Wales, emergency dental care is free for the following people:
All children under 18.
Any adult with a valid Centrelink concession card (plus anyone else listed on the card).
You must also have a valid Medicare Card and get your treatment at a New South Wales public dental clinic.
Australian Capital Territory
You are able to access dental services in the ACT if you hold a:
A Centrelink-issued Pension Concession or Health Care Card.
A Veteran’s affairs card.
An ACT Services Access card.
Victoria
In Victoria, the following groups are eligible for free emergency dental care in a community health centre or public dental hospital:
All children up to the age of 12.
Children up to 18 who are eligible for the Child Dental Benefit Schedule, are in out-of-home care provided by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing or in custodial care.
Children up to 17 who have a valid concession card or are the dependent of someone with a concession card.
Refugees, asylum seekers, Indigenous Australians, Torres Strait Islanders and mental health patients.
Adults who have a valid Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card will receive emergency dental care in a community health centre or public dental hospital for $29.50. Everyone else can use the public facilities, but you'll be charged rates that are similar to what you'd find in a private facility.
Tasmania
The following groups are eligible for publicly funded dental treatment in Tasmania:
All children up to 18 years of age will receive free treatment.
Adults with a Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card will receive treatment for a small fee.
You must visit a public dental facility to be eligible.
South Australia
If you belong to one of the following groups, you are eligible for publicly funded dental treatment in South Australia:
Dental treatment is free for all babies and children not yet in school as well as school-aged children under 18 who have a Health Care Card, are members of the School Card Scheme or are dependents of someone with a Pensioner Concession Card.
All other children under 18 are eligible for dental treatment if they pay a small fee.
Adults with a Pensioner Concession Card or a Health Care Card are eligible for dental treatment if they pay a small fee.
Adult Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders with a Pensioner Concession Card or a Health Care Card are eligible for free emergency dental treatment.
You must have your treatment in a public facility.
Western Australia
The following groups are eligible for publicly funded emergency treatment in Western Australia:
All children 4 and under.
Children 5-16 who are in school.
People 17+ who hold a Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card.
You must receive your treatment in a public dental facility. If you live in a rural community and don't have access to a public clinic, you can use a private clinic but you will have to pay full price for treatment.
Northern Territory
You can access free public dental services in the Northern Territory if you meet one of the following:
You're under 18 years old, as long you haven't finished school and don't work full time.
You have a Centrelink Pensioner or Health Care Card.
You're a remote resident in need of emergency dental care and don't have access to private care.
You're part of the Australian Government's cleft lip and cleft palate scheme.
You're more than 100km from your nearest health service.
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Frequently asked questions
As part of our Finder Awards, we researched hundreds of policies to determine the best value dental insurance policy. All prices are based on a single earning less than $90,000 a year in Sydney.
Best for General Dental: ahm choosable 50 – teeth
Best for Major Dental: HIF Essential Extras
Best for Orthodontics: Frank Lots Extras 50%
Cheap dental insurance starts at less than $4 a week. This will typically cover you for a couple of routine check-ups a year including common procedures such as teeth cleaning and X-rays. Major dental policies start at around $7 a week while endodontics and orthodontics cost around $9 a week. However, you may still have some out of pocket expenses.
Unfortunately, Medicare doesn't cover most dental work. There are some exceptions to this – for example, some children are eligible through the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) and adults who hold a Health Care Card or Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and cannot afford medically necessary treatment can be entitled to free dental.
You aren't legally required to have dental cover in Australia but without it, treatment can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Routine check-ups at the dentist alone can add up to over and above what you might pay for dental insurance. To make sure you get the most out of your cover, make sure you compare your provider options and get cover with benefits you’ll actually use.
Like all extras, the annual benefit for dental treatments reset each year. Depending on your fund, your limits with either reset on January 1, July 1 or your policy anniversary date. See the list of all extras benefit reset dates here.
Unfortunately, there's no real difference if you're a student. In some cases, your dentist may give a concession discount for dental work but you'll still be out of pocket.
If your dental work is considered life-threatening or extremely complex, you may be treated in a hospital and covered by Medicare. However, this doesn't apply to most dental work and may also incur a fee.
Gary Ross Hunter is an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, news.com.au, The Telegraph, Explore Travel and Escape. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Kaplan Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146).
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