• OUR FEES

• DO YOU QUALIFY FOR THE MEDICAL EXPENSES REBATE?

You will notice a fee range is given for each procedure listed below. This is because each dentist has his own fee schedule.

New Patient Exam for an Adult

Comprehensive Examination $69.00

This includes: Full charting of teeth and existing fillings, a full gum disease charting, soft tissue cancer screening, Jaw joint and bite evaluation, a Smile Assessment, an intra-oral camera tour of your mouth as well as production of a comprehensive Treatment Plan.

For more extensive Treatment Plans we offer a follow up NO CHARGE Consultation appointment to allow adequate time to discuss with you your treatment options.

Often it's necessary to take x-rays of your teeth at this appointment to ensure we get a full picture of your current dental situation.

The maximum cost for the Comprehensive Examination and necessary x-rays will be $156.00.

If you have dental insurance this will often be covered at 80% to 100%

New Patient Examination for a Child

Comprehensive Examination $45.50

This includes: Full charting of teeth, a bite and orthodontic assessment, soft tissue assessment, intra-oral camera tour of your mouth, Oral Hygiene Instruction as well as production of a comprehensive Treatment Plan.

Depending on the circumstances it may be necessary to take x-rays at this appointment to ensure we get a full picture of your current dental situation. This may be particularly important if there are signs of active decay.

The maximum cost for a child's Comprehensive Examination and necessary x-rays will be $121.00.

If you have dental insurance this will often be covered at 80% to 100%

Teeth Cleaning

Adult

Scaling and Polishing $96.70

This is what we do for 90% of our new patients. However, if it has been a long time since your last checkup you may have a lot of buildup (tartar) on your teeth. If this is the case, it may be necessary to do the cleaning over 2 appointments. Where there is active gum disease, scaling and cleaning alone may not be sufficient. In this case active periodontal therapy to treat the gum disease may be required.

It all depends on the unique condition of your mouth, but as always we would let you know how much this treatment is before we start anything.

Child

Plaque removal and topical fluoride application $68.40

Tooth Extraction

Our fee for a standard dental extraction is $124.40

A dental extraction can vary from being straightforward to very difficult. Thus the fee charged may vary from the standard fee and will reflect the difficulty of the extraction.

With virtually all extractions it will be necessary to take a pre-extraction x-ray of the tooth. The x-ray is required to assess the root pattern of the tooth as well as possible pathology associated with the tooth.

The fee for a single x-ray is $41.90

For the 2001/2002 tax year, an income tax rebate is available to a taxpayer whose net medical expenses, including dental expenses, exceed $1,250. Net medical expenses are the medical expenses you have paid less any refunds you have received, or could receive, from Medicare or a private health fund.

The amount of the rebate is 20% of the excess over $1,250. Note that a rebate of say $100 means your tax bill is actually reduced by $100. There is no upper limit on the amount of expenses you can claim but the sum of the rebates cannot exceed the amount of tax otherwise payable by you.

What are medical expenses?

Medical expenses include payments made to, or for:

· Legally qualified doctors
· Dental expenses
· Nurses
· Chemists
· Public or private hospitals
· Opticians or optometrists
· Certain medical or surgical wigs
· The upkeep of a trained guide dog
· Artificial appliances
· Therapeutic treatment at the direction of a doctor
· Medical aids prescribed by a doctor
· Some nursing homes and hostels
· Carers who look after a person who is blind or permanently confined to bed or a wheelchair

Payments to dentists, orthodontists or registered dental mechanics, including the supply, alteration or repair of artificial teeth qualify for the medical expenses rebate.

How to calculate your claim

You can calculate your rebate entitlement by following these steps:

1/ Add up your total medical expenses for the year - these are your Gross Medical Expenses.

2/ Subtract from your Gross Medical Expenses the amount you received, or can receive, back from Medicare and your private health insurance fund. These are your Net Medical Expenses.

3/ If your Net Medical Expenses are less than $1,250 you cannot claim a rebate for your medical expenses. If your Net Medical Expenses are more than $1,250 go to step 4.

4/ Subtract $1,250 from your Net Medical Expenses. This will be your Remaining Net Medical Expenses.

5/ Multiply the Remaining Net Medical Expenses by 20%. This will be your Claimable Amount.

Plan your payments carefully

Any payments that you make for medical treatment for yourself or for a dependent relative may qualify for the rebate. It is generally best to ensure that only one of two spouses pays for qualifying medical expenses. For example, if John pays $1,200 and Betty pays $1,200 neither will benefit from a medical expenses rebate because the base figure of $1,250 applies to each of them. If, instead, either John or Betty paid the whole amount of $2,400 in one name, a rebate entitlement of $230 would arise.

Payments not eligible for the Medical Expenses Rebate

The following are examples of expenses that cannot be claimed under the Medical Expenses Rebate:

· Ambulance memberships
· Contributions made to private health funds
· Cosmetic wigs
· Funeral expenses
· Non-prescribed vitamins and health foods in general
· Payments for life insurance medical examinations
· Travel or accommodation expenses associated with receiving medical treatment
· Squash balls for hand exercises
· Ordinary lifts
· Wheelchair ramps
· Swimming pools
· Spa pools
· Hydrotherapy pools
· Air conditioner
· Musical keyboards, language programs and kits
· Heavy underclothing

What records must be kept?

Sufficient receipts or other satisfactory documentation in the English language must be retained to explain all of the expenses that a taxpayer has paid and claims as eligible for the medical expenses rebate. An example of other satisfactory documentation includes a detailed statement of account from the service provider or supplier, a supplier authorised record card such as a chemist card purchase record or similar documents.

Disclaimer.

You must not rely on this information when making decisions regarding health care or taxation matters.

It is essential that you check with your tax advisor to see how the medical expenses rebate may relate to your tax situation.