I'm trying to understand how NZ dentists work and how they differ from the UK. I've scanned the forum and the NZIS site but they don't go into detail (apart from for children under 18 which I'm not!), so, can anyone help please:

1. Do you all register with a local dentist? Do they invite you for a checkup every 6 months or do you just pop into your local one when you have a problem?

2. Do they all have set fees for services? Roughly how much for a 6 monthly checkup please? I've heard lots of quotes.

3. Do you all pay an equivalent of UK national insurance contributions? Or do can you pay into a dentist insurance policy which covers the cost of trips to the dentists? Any web links for this service so I can get a quote if so please?

4. any other related info would be appreciated.

Cheers in advance...