Tooth decay in kids....

[Aligater]

both of mine get yearly checks for free through the school dentist till they are 6 then the school covers them. infact they just went 2 weeks ago my 3 year old has the best teeth they had seen for ages Wow at 3 thats bad but at least I know they are good and my 1 year old it was just to get her use to going and make sure they are coming in right

[Olive]

you're spot on trill and its wrong

[Bathsheba]

Trillian: i wouldn't feel bad for using the free clinic even though you have PHI. You pay your taxes don't you? The clinic would be funded from government taxes. Or does it have a long waiting list and others might miss out if you use the clinic? We have PHI and yet i wouldn't feel bad about going to the public hospital if we needed to... my DH pays more in tax than most people in our rural town earn so if we are helping to fund a system then we should have access to it too.... unless, I guess, we were rolling in $$$ and weren't counting every dollar like we currently are. Go use the clinic if the private dentist is going to rip you off like that. We have had our kids' teeth sealed too and paid what Jols said... about $40 a tooth... but our PHI covered 80% of that. Dental is where we REALLY benefit from PHI... especially when you are a family of 5 and feel like the dentist is a "home away from home" some months!

[Olive]

hey bath have you found a new dentist ok up there?
xx

[Mad Scientist]

I agree that the dentist is very expensive but I also believe that it comes down to priorities. There a many free options for dentistry out there, many dentists offer payment plans and in the end we are responsible for the care of our childrens' teeth. I would forgo some things in life to ensure my girls got dental care. I don't think the government can be expected to fund every little thing. I've taken advantage of what the government does fund in relation to dentistry but I have also had to save my butt off to pay for certain things especially in relation to the girls. I've never expected the government to step up and help me out. Sure it would be nice but in the end my children and their health are my responsibility.

[Bathsheba]

We haven't been to one yet Jols... but apparently there are some good ones... unlike GPs... we haven't been able to get into a GP yet... all their books are closed!

I've got an appointment with my dentist in Melbourne for july that i'm still hoping to keep!

[Olive]

good to hear there are some good ones! pity about the GP's

[helle]

I read an article the other day that tooth decay has also become more of an issue since the increased used of formula.

here

[Trillian]

Hi Bath! They are pretty busy so it would take away from other kids whose parents just couldn't afford to go to the Dentist. As I said, I'm not worried about the cost because our PHI covers 80% of it and he is an excellent dentist. The school dentist is only a Dental Technician, so she is limited in what she can do anyway. One of the teeth DD1 had to have filled kept coming out all the time because she just wasn't doing it properly and then it coincided with us getting PHI so I took her to him and never looked back.