suandianbrown Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hi We are still in the Uk.......I took my son to the orthadontist today to be told that the waiting list for his brace to be fitted on the NHS is a year, we don't have a year!! we are moving to Melbourne in July. If I go private he can have the brace fitted next month at a cost of £4000...... I don't know how long he will need a brace for but I am sure that 6 months won't be long enough, so I don't really want to go private and not be able to complete his treatment. Has anyone used an orthadontist in Australia? What was the cost? I'm thinking we should just wait until we arrive and have his brace fitted and receive all the treatment he needs in Oz, But if I have to take out a mortgage to pay for it, I should go private in the Uk and just bring him back every few months. :no: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Julz Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 You need a mortgage to get a filling in Australia never mind braces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neenie Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hi We are still in the Uk.......I took my son to the orthadontist today to be told that the waiting list for his brace to be fitted on the NHS is a year, we don't have a year!! we are moving to Melbourne in July. If I go private he can have the brace fitted next month at a cost of £4000...... I don't know how long he will need a brace for but I am sure that 6 months won't be long enough, so I don't really want to go private and not be able to complete his treatment. Has anyone used an orthadontist in Australia? What was the cost? I'm thinking we should just wait until we arrive and have his brace fitted and receive all the treatment he needs in Oz, But if I have to take out a mortgage to pay for it, I should go private in the Uk and just bring him back every few months. :no: Friends of ours went out beginning of December, their daughter had braces fitted in August/September time. The orthodontist they saw wasnt happy dealing with a brace they hadnt fitted and wanted $6000 to remove and fit a new one this was in WA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCS Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hi, I am not an orthodontist but a dentist so hope I can help. Most courses take about 12-18 months to complete although more complex cases can take longer. During this time you would need to see the orthodontist fairly frequently, usually around every 4-6 weeks. Emergency appointments can also be needed for loose brackets / wires, I would expect these to be included in the cost of a course of treatment but you would have to pay if you visited another orthodontist and this could be expensive. Treatment plans and end results can vary depending on orthodontist and ideally I would prefer the same person to complete the course of treatment. I know treatment can be expensive in Australia but I would say £4000 is certainly not particularly cheap and I would suspect that with all the flights etc it may work out cheaper to wait. hope this helps and good luck with the move! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Many orthodontists will remove any braces already put on because they dont want to be held accountable for someone else's work and you can sort of understand that. You are going to be up for $5-6k at least in Australia but if you pay upfront you will go over the medicare threshold and get a rebate at tax time which is a bit of a discount otherwise you can usually pay in instalments. If you are moving over it would seem silly to start a course which might have to be totally replaced when you arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suandianbrown Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Thanks to everyone for your comments and thoughts, I really appreciate it...you have all helped me make my decision, I will wait until we arrive in Australia. it seems the most sensible thing to do. Does anyone know how the process works? In the UK your dentist refers you to an orthadontist, is this the case in Oz? If so how long would you usually have to wait to be seen? Sorry about so many questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger2shirts Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Approx costs in Queensland are in the region of $4 to 5K - its actually very similar in cost to the UK. But do get any general dental work done in the UK before you come as it is very expensive here otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flathead Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Friends of ours went out beginning of December, their daughter had braces fitted in August/September time. The orthodontist they saw wasnt happy dealing with a brace they hadnt fitted and wanted $6000 to remove and fit a new one this was in WA Typical Australian dentist...Shop around and get several opinions. We have had vastly different quotes and advice from different dentists within a few miles of each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thanks to everyone for your comments and thoughts, I really appreciate it...you have all helped me make my decision, I will wait until we arrive in Australia. it seems the most sensible thing to do. Does anyone know how the process works? In the UK your dentist refers you to an orthadontist, is this the case in Oz? If so how long would you usually have to wait to be seen? Sorry about so many questions Just rock up to the orthodontist and tell them it has been suggested that your child needs orthodontic work. If I were you though I would hold fire just a little while and check out the "back fence gossip" on who is the best in the area - other mums will usually know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob1 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Cost about $5000 which includes everything. Do not get them done in the UK as has been pointed out, an Oz dentist will want to remove them and put their own on - this happened to us, we moved to an asian country for a year when son was having treatment, saw an orthodontist who had trained in America who shook his head at the standard of Aussie braces and insisted on putting his style. Returned to Oz and original ortho. shook his head of standard of American ortho and put his own stuff back on again. Luckily the company paid! Our normal dentist recommended the orthodontist so that might be the way to go. If you're coming to Perth and can let you know who it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Our son needs braces and his dentist has given a list of orthodontists in the area to use. The Dentist sends the X-rays to the Orthodontists to decide which teeth to extract etc as my son has milk teeth still. Also you don't pay for braces upfront you pay in instalments as and when work us done. Hope this helps x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 It cost us $3000 for our son to have them. That was around 12 years ago and the $3000 covered other work as well including, but not limited to, extractions and a bridge. My niece got braces a few months ago through the free dental service (for low income earners) and it isn't costing her parents anything - however I have no idea how long they had to wait for treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlisle Chick Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 My son had braces fitted here in Brisbane about 8months ago at the cost of $4500, you can pay by interest free installments. Its worth paying it in the one finacial year as you can claim back 20% after the first $2000. You can save any other medical reciepts aswell to get the extra from those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 You need a mortgage to get a filling in Australia never mind braces! Many states provide free dental care - but not braces - for schoolchildren. So, for the OP, it will depend which state you settle in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.