Treatment costs
It’s the first thing people want to know – how much does orthodontic treatment cost?
At the Carousel Orthodontic Centre and Margaret River Orthodontics, we want to ensure we give you the exact cost of your treatment. Why? Because treatment needs are different for each person and there may be multiple treatment options that you can choose from.
At your orthodontic consultation, we’ll be able to give you an accurate cost of your treatment based on an assessment of your orthodontic needs. Without this visit, we won’t be able to quote or even estimate your treatment cost.
What affects your treatment fee?
- The severity of the presenting orthodontic problem
- What type of braces or aligners (Invisalign) are used
- What other appliances are needed before or during the braces process (if any)
- How long treatment is expected to take to complete
- How many appointments are required
- The complexity of the treatment
- The need for other specialists to provide collaborative treatment (eg Jaw Surgery)
Easy payment plans
At the Carousel Orthodontic Centre we offer flexible, interest-free payment plans. These enable you to pay off the treatment as you go rather than in one lump sum payment. Treatment fees can be paid off via secure monthly direct debit payments for a period of up to two and a half years from the time treatment commences.
Health insurance
If you have private health insurance including ancillary dental cover, you may be entitled to a rebate on a portion of the treatment fee. However, each health insurance policy is different so it is important to find out the expected rebate from your insurer prior to starting treatment.
FAQs
Does private health insurance cover orthodontic treatment?
Yes, but your insurance rebate entitlement and the associated “gap” you are required to pay varies greatly depending on your insurer, the level of your cover and the number of years you have held the insurance. Some private health insurance funds may rebate up to 75% of the total cost of treatment if you have top level ancillary/extras coverage and have held the cover for many years. The most basic health insurance policies do not usually cover orthodontics. It is strongly recommended that individuals check their rebate entitlements BEFORE commencing treatment.
What is a "preferred" or "participating" provider?
A "preferred" provider is a dentist or dental specialist who has signed a commercial contract with a health insurance company in an attempt to increase patient numbers at their practice. Preferred or participating provider schemes require the dental provider to bill patients according to a predetermined, inflexible and cheaper fee schedule that is largely determined by the health insurance company, not the actual provider of the service.
Many dentists have contracted themselves to these schemes with numerous different health insurance companies in an attempt to increase their busyness, but that decision often results in over-servicing, rorting, cost-cutting ploys and clinical shortcuts. This is a recipe for reduced quality of care. This practice is committed to providing only the highest possible standards of care for all our patients. We believe in quality, individualised treatment over production-line style, high patient turnover orthodontics. Therefore, like most specialist orthodontic practices in WA, we have chosen not to enter into direct contractual arrangements with any third-party health insurers.
