If you’re missing a tooth (or even multiple teeth), dental implants might just be what you’re looking for. But, if you’re searching up “which insurance covers the cost of dental implants” then chances are that you already know that. You probably also know that dental implants can be a tad expensive (for various reasons).

Dental implants componentry and lab fees are generally not covered by insurance in Australia. However, if you have private insurance cover, you may be able to get some coverage to assist with the cost. This assistance comes with a few caveats:

  • Most insurance companies have dental cover capped to a certain amount per year.
  • Some require that specific conditions be met before they supply insurance coverage.

Speak with your health insurance provider so you can find out where you stand, as well as how many implants you are allowed to have in a year.

Examples of insurance that covers dental implants?

There are various examples of ways in which private health insurance companies cover dental implants. Some of the more notable examples include;

Medibank 

This health fund offers different medical coverages including general dental, major dental, and orthodontics. There are initiatives such as:

  • Healthy Start Extras for beginners
  • Essential Extras for general health 
  • Growing Family Extras Only which is a collection of services for families including pregnancy
  • Top Extras that include various high-end services.

Members Own Health Funds 

This company provides Hospital, Extras, General and Major Dental coverages.

HBF 

This organisation provides a year of preventative, restorative, orthodontics, and major and dental implants coverage under its health insurance area.

How do I know what my insurance covers?

Typically, if you’re with any of the major health insurance companies, such as HBF, HCF, BUPA and Medibank, you’ll find that dental implants are covered under the category of ‘major dental’, meaning that you’ll be able to get financial assistance relatively easily.

Major dental is typically covered under the policies of higher extras cover which generally covers surgery and emergency treatment. This kind of cover usually includes complex and expensive procedures such as: 

  • braces
  • crowns
  • wisdom teeth removal
  • bridges
  • root canals, etc. 

You can also receive coverage for orthodontic and endodontic works. Families and elderly people generally opt for major dental cover, prioritising their dental health over other kinds of extras.

How much do dental implants cost (and why)?

Dental implants are expensive, with prices ranging from the thousands to the tens of thousands, depending on the procedure needed. There are multiple reasons why the cost of this procedure is high, such as;

How complicated is the process of dental implants?

The difficulty of installing implants adds to their cost. Even though our dentists at Greenvale Dental Group are highly skilled and knowledgeable about all aspects of the implant process, each implant procedure comes with its own challenges.

The implant procedure typically involves four appointments, one of which involves a delicate surgical procedure. That means that there is a lot of time and effort involved, as well as componentry and laboratory fees, which affects the cost and how expensive your implant is.

How many parts go into a dental implant?

Implants are posts made of titanium, surgically positioned into the bone to support a crown or a bridge. An implant looks close to natural teeth and integrates to your natural jawbone over time. An artificial tooth or crown is attached to the implant to fill the gap left by the missing tooth.

So, to break it down, a dental implant consists of:

  • A porcelain crown that resembles natural tooth
  • An implant abutment, which is the connector between a crown and an implant
  • The implant itself, which screws into place and serves as the foundation for the crown

Just like the effort needed for an implant procedure, the resources needed cost money as well, which can make the process more expensive.

Read more about how long do dental implants last.

Why are dental implants not covered by medicare?

The services of medicare include:

  • Full or partial payment for many healthcare services for Australian citizens and permanent residents
  • Payment of fees based on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
  • Additional fee support to those who incur higher-than-usual medical costs via the Medicare Safety Net

Medicare is the backbone for Australia’s healthcare system, being a publicly funded universal health care insurance scheme that provides Australian citizens access to most of the health care services in Australia, alleviating the cost.

However, most dentistry procedures are not covered under Medicare, and an implant is one of those procedures, as they are not considered a necessary procedure. This results in their expensive pricing.

How can Greenvale Dental Group make dental implants more affordable for me?

At Greenvale Dental Group, we want to make dentistry procedures accessible to anybody that needs it. Not only can you get financial assistance from your health insurance provider, we have alternative payment plans available to help as well. 

Greenvale Dental Group accepts all major credit and debit cards. We also accept all insurance cards, and are preferred providers for BUPA, Medibank and HCF, which usually gives you more rebates and lower prices. We can also help you apply for a MacCredit or TLC loan, which are special, low interest lines of credit specifically designed for medical and dentistry treatments, if you would like to consider payment plans. Application is online and approval is usually within 24 hours.

An itemised quote plus treatment plans will be provided at your consultation, so you will know what to expect regarding the tooth filling cost Melbourne. Our team will also assist in easing the financial burden of your treatment plan if possible, by spreading your appointments. Talk to our friendly staff about your preferred options.

Where can I get an affordable dental implant in the northern suburbs of Melbourne?

Greenvale Dental Group in Melbourne’s northern suburbs (Australia) can provide a dentistry implant that isn’t too expensive. Whether you’re looking for a dentistry implant to replace a single tooth or a row of teeth, we can discuss a suitable dentistry implant procedure for you.

Our Dental Practice in Australia specialises in more than just dental implants Melbourne. We also cover various dental disciplines such as:

We are so known for our high quality dental implant work that isn’t too expensive, that we have patients visit our clinic from Greenvale and surrounding suburbs like Craigieburn, Tullamarine, Pascoe Vale, Airport West, Melbourne Airport, Mickleham, Oaklands Junction, Attwood, Roxburgh Park, Meadow Heights, Westmeadows, Campbellfield and Donnybrook.