Use dental to avoid hospital

25 Oct 2024

From 2020-2022, dental conditions were a leading cause of potentially preventable hospital admissions in Australia.

But with your Emergency Services Health Rolling Extras cover or Gold Combined cover, you and your family can avoid being part of that statistic.

Those stats come from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) latest report into potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPH) in Australia.

It found that out of every 100,000 people, 323 were admitted to hospital for preventable dental conditions in 2020–21, and 306 in 2021–22 – the highest rate among all clinical categories.

These dental conditions include periodontal diseases, gingivitis and a range of other mouth related diseases.

Dentist’s stats add to concern

The Australian Dental Association’s (ADA) 2024 Australia’s Adult Oral Health Tracker also found that;

32% of adults have untreated tooth decay, well above their 20% target
29% of adults have periodontal pockets larger than 4mm, almost double the ADA’s target of 17%

It also found that almost 11 in every 1,000 children aged 5-9 were admitted to Australian hospitals for preventable dental conditions in 2021-2022, compared to 9.5 per 1,000 in 2018.

So how can Emergency Services Health’s dental cover help?

If you have our Rolling Extras cover or Gold Combined cover and have served dental waiting periods, you can avoid going to the hospital by seeing the dentist regularly.

The Australian Dental Foundation and healthdirect highlight the many benefits of regular dentist visits, including;

Identifying early signs of dental issues such as cavities, gum disease, oral cancer, and teeth misalignment
Treatments are not only simpler but less expensive than emergency procedures

How often you should go and what you’re covered for

As our Dental Benefit Guide explains, most dentists recommend a routine dental check-up every 6 to 12 months,

The Australian Dental Association NSW (ADA NSW) says regular routine check-ups are important - not just for the teeth but also the gums and the mouth as a whole.

Regular visits can also help identify risks so that preventive strategies can be put in place.

Most dentists recommend a routine dental check-up every 6 to 12 months.

We cover General Dental and Major Dental. Different services and treatments fall under these two benefit categories.

	Waiting Period*	Includes	Annual Max Per Person	Rollover Max Per Person¹
General Dental	2 months	Benefits are paid at up to 80% of the provider charge, at your choice of provider, up to the set item limit for the following: Check-ups X-rays Extractions Fillings Endodontic treatment Periodontic treatment Maximum of 2 Oral exams/consults, 2 Scale and Cleans, 1 Mouth Guard per person per calendar year.	Unlimited²	N/A
Major Dental	12 months Rollover Maximums available after 2 years membership.	Benefits are paid at up to 80% back, at your choice of provider up to the item limit for the following: Crowns Dentures Inlays Implants	$1,500	$3,000

Waiting Period*

Includes

Annual Max Per Person

Rollover Max Per Person¹

General Dental

2 months

Benefits are paid at up to 80% of the provider charge, at your choice of provider, up to the set item limit for the following:

Check-ups
X-rays
Extractions
Fillings
Endodontic treatment
Periodontic treatment

Maximum of 2 Oral exams/consults, 2 Scale and Cleans, 1 Mouth Guard per person per calendar year.

Unlimited²

N/A

Major Dental

12 months

Rollover Maximums available after 2 years membership.

Benefits are paid at up to 80% back, at your choice of provider up to the item limit for the following:

Crowns
Dentures
Inlays
Implants

$1,500

$3,000

* Waiting periods do not apply to benefits for treatments in relation to accidents.
¹ Rollover Maximum available after 12 months membership with extras cover, except major dental which requires 2 years of membership.
² Some service limits apply.

Not a member? Get a quote or join our cover

We’ve made these separate to remove the impact that costly procedures can have on your annual maximum.

This means your Major Dental category is not exhausted by these services and is available if you need more complex dental services.

This is a unique way to structure dental benefits and creates greater value for members by covering more services under General Dental (which has no annual limit^). You can see how we compare below.

*All benefits may be subject to Waiting Periods, Limits and other conditions.
^Some service limits apply.

General Dental inclusions comparison

Prevention is better

While some of these suggestions may have some out-of-pocket costs, they are very small when you compared to an average out of pocket people pay when they go to hospital.

Plus, going to hospital tends to be a more stressful scenario than regularly seeing the dentist.