The problem
Dental patients in Western Australia risk significant financial hardship due to unfair dental treatment charging practices, particularly for expensive procedures like dental implants. Two major issues are putting consumers at risk:
Upfront payment demands – encouraged to access super funds
Some dental providers are requiring patients to pay substantial amounts upfront for expensive treatments, especially dental implants. In some concerning cases, providers are actively encouraging patients to access their superannuation early to cover these costs, potentially compromising their future financial security.
Lack of specialist training
A significant concern is that not all practitioners offering dental implant procedures have specialist postgraduate training in prosthodontics. While general dentists are legally permitted to perform these treatments, they are not specialists in this field. This has led to situations where:
- Patients receive treatment from non-specialist practitioners
- The treatment requires correction or improvement by a specialist
- Patients must pay twice for the same procedure
- Consumers are left considerably out of pocket
The issue is summarised in this article from the Sunday Times:
What Health Consumers’ Council is doing
We are taking a range of actions to address these gaps in health consumer protection:
Stakeholder Engagement
We have reached out to key decision-makers and regulatory bodies to highlight our concerns, including:
- The Office of the Chief Dentist at WA Health
- The WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection
- The WA Dental Board
Planned Summit
We are scoping and planning a summit on this critical topic. This event will bring together all stakeholders who contribute to the gaps in consumer protection regarding the quality and funding of dental treatment.
Medicare Campaign
We are actively contributing to discussions about including dental treatment in Medicare, which would provide broader access to affordable dental care.
Share Your Story: together, we can make WA healthcare fair!
If you have experienced unfair dental treatment charges or poor quality treatment requiring costly corrections, we want to hear from you. Your experiences help us build a stronger case for consumer protection reform.
Share your story at this link
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Follow our campaign for updates and ways to get involved:
Together, we can work toward fairer, more transparent dental treatment pricing and ensure patients receive quality care from appropriately qualified practitioners.
Let’s make WA healthcare fair.