14 Feb Dental Care for Children with CDBS

Child Dental Benefits Schedule

As a parent, making sure your child is as healthy as possible is understandably one of your highest priorities.

At Putney Dental Surgery we strongly believe that good habits start early. We encourage good oral hygiene and regular dental visits.

We bulk bill for children eligible for the CDBS . Dental examination can start at age 2 when toddlers have got most of their baby teeth. An intial good dental experience with Dr Patel our gentle dentist can start with merely counting the child’s teeth and having a ride on the chair

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) has been introduced by the federal government to make that task a little easier if you receive benefits such as Family Tax Benefit A payments. The CDBS helps you keep your kids’ teeth in great shape by providing you with up to $1000 that you can use over a two calendar year period on a range of dental services including examinations, routine cleaning, fillings, and root canals.

What the CDBS doesn’t cover, however, are orthodontic (the straightening of crooked teeth), cosmetic dental procedures (the restoration or replacement of damaged or missing teeth), or any work that might need to be done in a hospital. If you aren’t sure what’s covered, just ask your dentist.

Your child’s eligibility

Your child is deemed eligible for the
Child Dental Benefits Schedule by Medicare, who administers the program, if:

• they’re within the applicable age range for at least some of that year
• they qualify for Medicare;
• and you receive either Family Tax Benefit Part A, Parenting payment or Double Orphan Pension payments for at least some of that year.

Your child can still access CDBS services throughout a particular calendar year regardless even if your circumstances change. Even so, it’s still worth confirming with Medicare that your child still qualifies for CDBS before phoning your dentist to book an appointment.

Using your $1000 allocation
Child Dental Benefits Schedule

To ensure that you’re aware of the costs upfront, we will explain all probable expenses and get your consent in writing before treatment begins. If there’s any additional work needed following the initial examination, the costs will again be outlined and your consent obtained. This means you can then decide how quickly or slowly you use your $1000 allocation; you can use it all at once if you need to, or spread the spending out over the two calendar years.

If you’re not sure how much of your allocation you have left to use, our receptionist at Putney Dental Surgery can look that up for you, and let you know if you’ll be up for any out-of-pocket expenses.

Make an appointment on line www.putneydentalsurgery.com.au or call us on 98097110

Find out more

To discover more about this beneficial program, and whether your child is eligible, call Medicare on 132 011 or visit the Department of Human Services website.