Dental service for children under 17 years old

[Juniper]

In the US the standard of care is a cleaning at least every year, and it seems to have shifted to twice a year for many practices. I even know some people who do it quarterly if they have had gum surgery or some other high risk factor. Cultural differences there for sure!

My eldest just had her first filling at 10 years, I thought it might have been all our time traveling without regular cleanings. But who knows, I guess.

[Oregonkiwi]

In the US the standard of care is a cleaning at least every year

Yes, that's the same in NZ too, for adults.

[Juniper]

Yes, that's the same in NZ too, for adults.

Maybe so, but my dentist said my teeth were too clean for him to bother, so still seems like a different standard! Lol

[Oregonkiwi]

my dentist said my teeth were too clean for him to bother

Dental care is horribly expensive here, so maybe he was trying to do the right thing by not charging you for unnecessary treatment? If my dentist said that, I'd be grateful that I didn't have to sit through and pay for a cleaning I didn't need.

[newarrival]

In the US the standard of care is a cleaning at least every year, and it seems to have shifted to twice a year for many practices. I even know some people who do it quarterly if they have had gum surgery or some other high risk factor. Cultural differences there for sure!

My eldest just had her first filling at 10 years, I thought it might have been all our time traveling without regular cleanings. But who knows, I guess.

Out of curiosity- is that a free service? I know that in Germany, even with health insurance that always includes dental, lots of dentists started charching for 'non- essential' treatmnet, and cleaning was included.

[newarrival]

Dental care is horribly expensive here, so maybe he was trying to do the right thing by not charging you for unnecessary treatment? If my dentist said that, I'd be grateful that I didn't have to sit through and pay for a cleaning I didn't need.

I guess it all depends on what you compare it with. If you add up all the payments for your compulsory health insurance in Germany, for example, including the part that the employer pays, plus the add- on payments that started some years ago, I am pretty sure it wouldn't be a lot cheaper.

[Juniper]

Out of curiosity- is that a free service? I know that in Germany, even with health insurance that always includes dental, lots of dentists started charching for 'non- essential' treatmnet, and cleaning was included.

That’s essentially what I’m trying to discover. The gov page I linked earlier says cleanings are free, but I don’t know how to get one and if it’s only “as needed.”

[Juniper]

Dental care is horribly expensive here, so maybe he was trying to do the right thing by not charging you for unnecessary treatment? If my dentist said that, I'd be grateful that I didn't have to sit through and pay for a cleaning I didn't need.

Yes he did mention saving money. I was flustered but pleased, as I’d never been told there was nothing to clean. Is it that expensive? I just got a crown for about $1500, but it’s my first so I wouldn’t know.

[newarrival]

That’s essentially what I’m trying to discover. The gov page I linked earlier says cleanings are free, but I don’t know how to get one and if it’s only “as needed.”

I was referring to the post where you said that in the US cleaning was a standard service, or part of it....

[Juniper]

I was referring to the post where you said that in the US cleaning was a standard service, or part of it....

Ohhh right. Well in the US, nothing is free unless you’re an executive and have absolutely amazing insurance, which of course you still pay premiums for automatically from every paycheck. The best insurance I ever had was a $100 deductible for the year (on top of premiums), after which all further costs would be free. My company stopped offering it to most employees after awhile, because they realized it was too generous in the first place to give the best insurance to everyone.

But yes, if you have dental insurance, cleanings are considered basic care, at least once a year. Some allow more frequent cleanings, and the “copay” ($ you owe for each treatment) varies from plan to plan.

Clear as mud, right?