Dentures For Pensioners
Denture Clinic Near Me - All Smiles Denture Clinic | Darius Northey | Dental Prosthetist
No one likes having a denture that doesn’t fit well or that you know needs replacing. And it’s probably been a while since you’ve had new dentures made and you’re wondering how will a pensioner in Australia afford to get a new set of dentures.
We hope that this will give you some idea of costs of dentures for pensioners, and point you in the right direction to get some answers! There is help for people who are on a pension.
Pensioners Who Need False Teeth - What Does It Cost In Australia?
According to this blog post and a survey completed in 2019, the average cost of a full set of new dentures was around $2,448.00.
Average Prices from 2019 Survey
Full Upper or Full Lower Set of Dentures average cost $2448.00
Upper Dentures average cost $1,350.00
Lower Dentures average cost $1,350.00
Full Upper Dentures AND Full Lower Dentures average cost $3,500
Blog post by Gary Hunter on Finder (read full post here).
It’s now 2022 and so much has changed!
The cost of living continues to increase in 2022, it would be fair to expect that the average price has increased and would be much closer to $3,000.00 - $4,000.00.
The cost of dentures will vary all over Australia, and there may be many reasons for this.
Are Dentures Free For Pensioners In Australia?
This is a common question that we get all the time, so you’re not alone wondering if there is a way to get free dentures.
The Australian Government works with state and territory governments to fund dental services and improve dental health. Treatment provided by public dental clinics include emergency dental care and selected general dental treatments.
Public dental care is only available to a limited segment of the Australian population.
Adults must generally have a healthcare card or Centrelink pensioner concession card to be eligible.
Depending on the state or territory in which you live, dental treatments may be free of charge or a partial payment for the treatment may be required.*
35% of people are eligible for public dental care, however the waiting list to receive treatment can be very long, sometimes years.
Excerpt from our Australian Government website Teeth.org.au (full article here)
Medicare Dentures For Pensioners
Does Medicare pay for Pensioner dentures in Australia? The answer is yes…Medicare does pay for SOME essential dental services for SOME children and adults who are eligible.
But For The Most Part, Medicare Doesn’t Cover Most Dental Care, Dental Devices Or Procedures.
Find out what your state offers via these websites:
Australian Capital Territory: ACT Health
New South Wales: NSW Health
Northern Territory: Department of Health
Queensland: Queensland Health
South Australia: SA Health
Tasmania: Oral Health Services Tasmania
Victoria: Department of Health
Western Australia: Dental Health Service
Is There A Free Denture Clinic In Australia?
Our state governments will offer Medicare covered dental care to eligible people.
Free dental care is also available for:
Public hospital inpatients
Public hospital outpatients
Forde foundation clients
Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme patients
Refugees
Asylum seekers.
Qld residents can find out more about your nearest public dental clinic here - Qld Dental Clinics
Source of information - Qld.gov.au updated in March 2022.
Is There Free Dental Treatment For Pensioners?
Centrelink & Dentures
It’s really difficult navigating the government bodies that are in place to help us. I hope to be able to point you in the right direction to get the right information, which will in turn, help you get your dental needs taken care of you.
Of course, we would love to look after you and make you the best dentures you’ve ever had, but we are not in everyone’s price range.
According to this article from Qld government, this is a quick run down of how it works:
Public Dental Services & Eligibility
Public dental services are delivered via a range of facilities including mobile dental clinics, school dental clinics and community dental clinics.
For adults and their dependants to be eligible for free public dental care they must be a Queensland resident and, where applicable, receive benefits from any of the following concession cards:
Pensioner Concession Card issued by the Department of Veterans' Affairs
Pensioner Concession Card issued by Centrelink
Health Care Card
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
This article here helps you understand how centrelink and the public dental system works, this was updated in March 2022. Source - https://www.qld.gov.au/health/services/oral-eye-ear/dental-services
How Much Do New Dentures Cost At All Smiles Denture Clinic?
Our Dentures Prices For 2022
We are very transparent about our prices. We quote prices and pride ourselves on no hidden costs or agendas.
It’s important that you know we can only give you a rough idea of how much is the starting cost of our dentures due to it being quoted on a case-to-case basis. Denture prices are estimate based on three main factors:
The number of teeth missing;
The different materials used to make the partial denture; and
The design and techniques used to make the partial denture.
We Genuinely Want You To Have The Best Dentures You Can Afford So That You Can Live A Full And Happy Life.
The cost of dentures varies around Australia, but here at All Smile Denture Clinic our prices are
Denture Repairs start from $120
Denture Relines start from $450
Partial dentures start from $900
Chrome Partial Dentures Start from $1500.00
Metal-Free - Peek/Pekk Dentures Start From $2000.00
Metal-Free - Nylon/Valplast Dentures Start from $1500.00
Full upper denture prices start from $1,900
Full lower denture prices start from $1,900
Full upper & full lower denture prices start from $2,900
Why We Don’t Make Cheap Dentures At All Smiles Denture Clinic
At our Sunshine Coast Denture Clinic, we are honest and upfront about our denture costs. We are not the cheapest, we never have been and never will be the place where you get cheap or ill fitting dentures.
We use the latest technology so that we can make the best fitting dentures possible. We will always spend more money on the best and generally most expensive materials and false teeth.
Did you know we offer digital impressions. We can now take an impression of your mouth with a digital wand. No messy alginate or impression material required!!
You know the old saying, you get what you pay for… it’s very true when it comes to dentures. We use products and materials sourced from all over the world that are of the highest quality. We often pay more money for the better products, the reason why we do is so that our dentures fit, look and feel better as a direct result of the brands we use.
How Can I Pay For My Dentures?
Not everyone has a pot of gold in the back yard, or a shoe box full of cash or a buried jar of cash in the backyard!! We understand how tough it can be to find the money to get new dentures.
It’s so important to us that we give you as many options as possible to allow you to get the new denture and smile that you deserve.
We work with Denticare, a finance company that offer interest free direct debit payment plans. Find out more here on our payment plan page - Denticare
We hope that this has answered some of your questions and pointed you in the right direction!
If you live on the Sunshine Coast or Bribie Island, we would love to chat to you about your new dentures!
Author - Darius Northey, Dental Prosthetist
