Before you let the title excite you too much, heed our disclaimer: age alone is not a determining factor for free dental treatment in Australia. It’s applicable only if your child is eligible for the Child Dental Benefit Scheme (CDBS), which gives families access to free dental services for children.
What is the Child Dental Benefit Scheme?
The CDBS is a Medicare entitlement designed to help out families at an economic disadvantage. To qualify for the CDBS, your child obviously must be Medicare-eligible, and your family must be receiving either Family Tax Benefit Part A or any of the following Centrelink payments:
- Youth Allowance
- ABSTUDY Allowance
- Disability Support Pension
- Parenting Payment
- Special Benefit
- Carer Payment
- Double Orphan Pension.
What is the age range eligibility for the Child Dental Benefit Scheme?
Assuming that you and your child fit the above criteria, your child will be eligible for the CDBS if they’re between the ages of two and seventeen. They must fall within this age range for at least one day of the year in question.
How much will the Child Dental Benefit Scheme cover?
With the CDBS, your child can receive routine teeth cleaning, checkups, and X-rays, as well as any remedy for tooth decay from the following list:
- Dental fissure sealing
- Dental fillings
- Root canal treatment
- Tooth extractions.
The CDBS will cover up to $1,026 for any of the above over a two-year period. Unused entitlements do not carry over into the next two years.
How can you best conserve your entitlements?
Brushing and flossing every day is the best method for tooth decay prevention. Ensure your child is brushing their teeth twice per day for two minutes at a time, and flossing at least once for a further two to three minutes. (Please note the rules may vary for infants, whose routine you may need to adjust to accommodate for varying levels of tooth and motor skill development.)
Our point is that practising healthy habits at home will largely negate the need for any sort of remedy for tooth decay. Invest in the preventative approach and, of our dental services for children, you should ideally require little more than the routine teeth cleaning and checkup. The fewer services you use, the less likely it is you’ll exceed the $1,026 cap.
Don’t think of $1,026 as money to burn. Consider it a buffer! Dental work can add up quickly. If your child takes good enough care of your teeth, you could well receive all dental work and fluoride treatments free.
Looking for a children’s dentist in Mount Waverley?
If you’re looking for a children’s dentist in Mount Waverley, look no further than Dentist at 330. We have dentists for children on-site that can assist with all dental services for children. To take advantage of the CDBS or book an appointment, please call us on (03) 9886 5318 or head to our online portal. We believe every child deserves a healthy set of teeth, regardless of their circumstances.
