If you’ve been dreaming of perfect teeth, you’ll know they often come at a cost. But they might be in closer reach than you think.
If you’re unhappy with your smile, you’re not alone. A survey from Orthodontics Australia found that 55% of Aussies are self-conscious about their teeth.
In fact, almost two-thirds (62%) would like to do something about it and 46% said that their teeth would be the first facial feature they’d change, given the chance.
So, what’s stopping us? Well, it likely comes down to price. A Finder survey of over 2,000 Australians found that two-thirds avoid the dentist, and 41% of those do so because of the cost.
But there are ways to make the cost of dentistry, and specifically teeth aligners, more affordable.
Compare providers
This once can be tricky because the cost of teeth aligners isn’t always clear until you have a consultation. That’s because it’s usually based on your own smile and what specific adjustments need to be made.
Saying that, we looked at five different teeth aligner providers and found that prices ranged from a starting price of around $2,000 all the way up to $10,000.
Take the time to research different providers, make the use of free consultations and compare potential costs before you dive in. It could end up saving you thousands.
Compare health insurance
Extras health insurance can help towards the cost of teeth aligners, as long as you get a policy that covers orthodontic treatment.
When looking for a policy, look at your annual limits, your lifetime limits, any waiting periods that apply and, obviously, the cost of the policy.
The higher the limits, the more money you’ll get off your teeth aligners. Waiting periods indicate how long you have to wait between buying a policy and being able to claim.
Be savvy with your insurance
Every extras health insurance policy comes with annual limits on orthodontics. These limits are the most the insurer will pay out in any given year.
These limits reset every year on the same day. For some providers, that’s in January and for others, it’s in July.
If you can time your teeth aligner treatments to be shortly before and after the reset day, you’ll be able to make two large payments and pay off a big chunk of your bill.
Pay them off in instalments
Another way to make the cost of teeth aligners less painful is to spread the cost over a longer period of time. Dentists have clued on to the desire for this and many now partner with buy now pay later services to make teeth alignment more accessible to everyday Aussies.
For example, buy now pay later provider humm is accepted by over 1,000 dental practices. With the platform, you can spend up to $30,000 on dental treatment and then spread that cost over a maximum of 48 months, with no interest.
So if you spent $5,000 on teeth aligning and spread the cost over 36 months, you’ll only be paying $40 a week for your perfect teeth, including account management fees. Nice!
Look for discounts
Download a browser extension that automatically applies discounts whenever you visit shopping pages and you’ll be alerted to any current offers.
Even before you commit, ask the provider if there are any promotions or discounts running. You may find a specific dentist offers student or senior discounts. Don’t be shy.
This article was originally published on and in partnership with Finder. Written by Nicola Middlemiss.
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