UP TO 18 MONTHS INTEREST FREE OFFER AT ENHANCE DENTAL

HOW CAN MY DENTAL TREATMENT BE TAX DEDUCTIBLE?

Do I need to apply for a HICAPS card?
No! You do not need to sign up to use HICAPS, just simply use your private health fund membership card to claim next time you visit Enhance Dental. Remember HICAPS is a FREE service for health fund members.

How do I claim?
Immediately after your appointment at Enhance Dental, your health fund card is simply swiped through the HICAPS terminal at Enhance Dental. Your claim details are entered and in seconds the whole transaction is processed. There is no need to visit a branch of your health fund.

Do I need to pay for the full fee before I can claim?
There's no need to pay the full dental fee up-front then wait for the reimbursement of your benefit.
Once your claim is authorised by your health fund, you simply pay the gap amount - the difference between the full fee for the dental treatment and the amount claimed from your health fund.

Which health funds participate with Hicaps?
Almost all the health funds. In fact 45 Health funds participate!
If you need to know which health funds participate and/or need more detailed information on each of the 45 health funds please click here to go to the HICAPS web site.

What payment methods are available for your dental treatment at Enhance Dental?

1) UP FRONT PAYMENT with COURTESY
Payment in full for the entire cost of treatment at least seven days prior to the start of treatment. This option will save you 5% off the entire cost of treatment. (Book keeping courtesy).We will can even accept payment by phone with either Master Card or Visa Card. Bank Cheques will also be accepted by post.

2) PAY PER APPOINTMENT
After your initial consultation visit you will receive a treatment plan detailing the fee for each appointment, the number of appointments and the length of each appointment required. You can pay as you go for each appointment using cash, Eftpos, Visa Card, Master Card or Bank Cheque.

3) UP TO 18 MONTHS INTEREST FREE* OR EXTENDED PAYMENT PLANS WITH NO DEPOSIT
Extended payment plans with no deposit offering a range of Interest Free* and Extended Payment* options for treatments from $300 to $40,000 is available to approved applicants.
3, 6, 12 and 18 months Interest Free or choice of 2,3 and 4 years Extended Payment Plans are available. A monthly payment chart is listed below.

4) INTEREST FREE PAYMENT PLAN WITH DEPOSIT - EXCLUSIVELY FOR INVISALIGN TREATMENT
For Invisalign treatment 1st payment of $490 once records (impressions, photos etc) have been done.
2nd payment of $1950 or more is then payable when the initial aligners are supplied.
Equal installments are then payable up until two months prior to the completion of treatment on any balance that is owing. Please note payment option 1) or 3) is also available for Invisalign treatment.

For more information about Invisalign: Straight Teeth, No Braces please click here.

How can I reduce the cost of Dental Treatment even if I don't have private health insurance?
If your total out of pocket costs (after any health insurance claims you may have) exceeds $1500 a 20% rebate is allowed on the excess payable upon lodgment of your Australian tax return. This applies to all dental and medical expenses for yourself or any dependants ( Wife / husband and children). If, for example, the total cost of dental and medical treatment combined is $4500 a tax rebate of $600 will reduce your total fee to $3900 even if you don't have any private health insurance.

Calculation: 20% X ($4500--$1500) = $600
This means you will effectively get a $600 discount!
We advise you confirm these details with your accountant or the Australian Tax Office in case the current conditions change.

Is Dental Treatment expensive?
We understand that our precision quality, exacting standards, durability, guarantee and of course, our unhurried and gentle approach is very inexpensive compared to seemingly cheap prices, ongoing patching, pain, eventual tooth loss and inferior removable denture teeth.
Costs vary depending on the services provided and the number of teeth treated. The costs reflect the value of the time taken and the skill of the dentist as well as the equipment and materials used. When required we only use highly experienced laboratories and advanced dental technicians that never compromise quality. Our dental practice is totally committed to the highest possible quality hence our exclusive five year guarantee. Our dental practice has many thousands of satisfied customers who are a testament to the value of their investment, in many cases enhancing quality of life by improving self-image and self-confidence. Fees are discussed openly and clients are given a treatment plan with a full breakdown before you decide to do any treatment. If you have private health Insurance you will usually be able to reduce your cost even for many dental procedures that have been done for cosmetic reasons.

Dental Fees:
1. unlike Medicare, dental fees are not subsidised by the Federal Government and there is no recognised fee schedule.
2. fees have to be set by the dentist to take account of individual costs of practice which will vary in different practices.
3. as a general rule, a dentist has to pay out approximately 70% of all fees received in the overhead costs of running the practice.
4. if this practice tries to cut these costs to lower the fees you pay there is a danger that the quality of your treatment may be compromised.
5. the fees charged in this practice are kept as low as possible whilst providing care of the highest quality.
6 . there is no comfort in providing cheap dentistry as this means a lower quality of care for patients and greater risk of pain and re-treatment costs.
7. the best way to lower you dental costs is to prevent dental decay and gum disease in the first place. Regular check-ups are a relatively inexpensive way to avoid higher costs. Also see about the Australian Government Tax rebate below. This applies even if you have no dental health insurance.

When you take out health insurance to cover you for dental fees, you should be aware that:
8 . each health fund determines what level of rebates it will pay based on its own commercial requirements
9. an important aim of some health funds is, quite appropriately, to make profits for their shareholders as well as to provide rebates for their customers
10. the rebates payable on dental fees are unlikely, in many cases, to cover more than 60% for common dental items and may cover less than one third the cost of complex and expensive procedures. The health funds will almost always have a ceiling on how much it will pay regardless of the amount of treatment you may need. The funds often do not pay more than $500 to $1500 per year. Unfortunately this ceiling has hardly changed over the past twenty years and has not kept up with inflation.
11. for some people, these rebates may be of assistance in offsetting some of the costs for more expensive procedures but some arrangements may not always represent value for money for routine dentistry for you and your family
12. if you have a problem with your private health insurance, you should contact the fund directly. If you are unable to reach a satisfactory agreement with your fund, contact the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman, an independent body formed to help resolve complaints and provide advice and information. The Ombudsman can be reached on 1800 640 695 or by writing to Suite 1201, St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney 2000.

Fax: 02 9261 5937. Email: infor@phio.org.au

Before paying premiums for dental benefits, or selecting a particular benefit table, you should ensure that these costs represent value for you and your family.