Having trouble making ends meet is a hard way to live. Watching your children grow up with bad teeth is worse. Seeing them suffer from untreated cavities or broken teeth is heartbreaking.
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) provides basic dental care for children of low-income families. Since 2014, Australian citizens have been able to take advantage of this government program.
Children of eligible families, aged 2 to 17, have been able to receive up to $1000 of dental care over a 2 year period. Services included examinations, x-rays, cleanings, fissure sealing, fillings, root canals, and extractions. However, orthodontic or cosmetic dental work has not been covered.
That was all well and good. No one could complain about helping disadvantaged youth to enjoy basic oral health services. By preventing youthful dental problems from developing into adult health problems, the CDBS saved Australian taxpayers potentially millions of dollars.
Sadly the program was set to end at the end of 2016 after only 2 years.
Great news for Australia’s disadvantaged youth.
On 15 December 2016, Sussan Ley, Minister of Health, announced that the CDBS would not end, but would be extended, slightly modified, as of 1 January 2017.
The basic change to the CDBS is as follows. Children that are enrolled in the program on or after 1 January 2017 will be eligible for $700 of basic dental care over a 2 year period. That is 30% less than previously provided, but is still a substantial benefit that can provide for preventative care and some restorative or emergency care if needed.
Those enrolled in 2016 will still be covered up to $1000 until the end of December 2017.
Are your children eligible?
There is a “means test” that the CDBS administers to determine who qualifies for assistance. Basically, a receipt from the Family Tax Benefit Part A or another relevant Australian Government payment is required.
To find out definitively about the possibility of your children being covered, you should contact the Department of Human Services. You can also get general information about the CDBS program from the website of the Department of Human Services online.
Smiles Nambour is here to meet your children’s dental needs.
At Smiles Nambour we offer you and your children the best in modern dental care. We use only the latest dental techniques and the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment to provide you with the strongest, long-lasting, most attractive dental treatment available today.
We are very familiar with the dental benefits offered by the CDBS and are able to help you with the appropriate procedures to utilize the program. We are also keen to help you prioritize your dental care to take the greatest advantage of the program over the course of the 2 year period.
Use it or Lose it!
Remember, any benefit that you have not used by the end of the 2 year calendar period will be absorbed back into the program and made unavailable.
At Smiles Nambour we want to be your life-long family dental service. We get to know our patients, so as to better offer the best dental advice for each person’s individual situation and condition. And to offer them more comfortable, convenient service to make their dental experience as smooth and painless as possible.
Take advantage of the wonderful CDBS program designed to prevent childhood suffering and promote life-long dental health among Australia’s youth.
Book an appointment today! Call us at (07) 5441 4438 or make an appointment online.
