HBF Dentist

Dentista Dental Centre accepts all private health funds, and we are a HBF dentist.. commonly known in the industry as a HBF member plus dentist or HBF preferred provider.

HBF Dentist Morley

For those in the Noranda, Morley and surrounding areas, we are a HBF dentist. The HICAPS machine allows us to claim your private health insurance at the time of your treatment, so you only have to pay the gap, or 'out of pocket' amount. To claim with the HICAPS machine, we require either your actual health insurance card or virtual card on you mobile phone wallet (not just the member number). Some health funds allow you to claim with the HICAPS machine via an app on your phone. If you do not have your card or virtual card with you on the day of treatment (or it is an outdated card), you will need to pay in full and then you can claim your health insurance back using the information on your receipt.

The HICAPS machine also allows us to quote you for any planned treatment with your health insurance card. Private health insurance companies have an annual limit which they will pay toward your treatment per year. What cover you receive for your dental treatment depends on your insurer, and your level of cover, and any other treatment you have already claimed in the same category of treatment for that year. There is a huge variation between what different insurers cover for 'ancillary' (i.e. non-hospital) cover. Some insurers cover a lot for dental treatment, and others cover very little, or don't cover the full range of dental services (such as teeth bleaching and some items for fillings etc).

Insurance Providers

We are a HBF dentist Member Plus partner for HBF called a HBF member plus dentist or HBF member plus providers (this was previously known as HBF Preferred Provider). If you have HBF dental cover again please remember to bring you card or app. We do accept all private health funds such as those below.

Dentista is a HFB dentist providing the area a HBF Dentist Morley

How do I pay using my health insurance?

To claim your dental insurance on the day of your treatment you need to have your physical or virtual card with you, or downloaded your app. We swipe your card and your health insurance pays us directly via the HICAPS machine.

Most Private Health Insurers require we process the payment on the day of treatment, so if you are unable to bring your card with you to your appointment, or you have forgotten it, we will be unable to process your rebate in the practice. We suggest you pay the full price of your treatment and then you can claim back your rebate from your insurer online or at the branch... or if you live close by pop back and grab it!

How do I know what my health fund will cover?

To find out what you will get back for you dental treatment with your private health insurance (PHI), we can do a quote in surgery with your card. The amount you get back depends on your private health insurer, your level of cover, any waiting periods, and how much treatment you have already had in the billing period (most PHIs had an annual 'cap' or general and major dental). It is best to have a consultation first and we can determine a treatment plan and the associated item codes you require.

How much you get back from your particular insurer depends on a few factors

who you are insured with - some cover a lot and some cover a little
your level of cover - do you have general dental, or major dental as well? Example HBF major dental.
waiting periods - do you have to serve any waiting period?
limit of cover per year - what is the annual 'cap' of cover your insurer will provide? For example if you require $600 worth of treatment, will you get rebates for the whole $600 or is your limit $500 and the remaining $100 receives no cover?
when your annual calendar renews - most PHIs are calendar year, there are some that are financial year. You may choose to stage your treatment to receive the maximum rebates
how long you have been a member - this may dictate how much you are entitled to get back

Will my dental insurance cover cosmetic dental treatments?

The answer depends on many things - see above 'How Do I Know What My Health Fund Will Cover?'.

Some funds cover well for cosmetic treatments (for example HBF cover over $200 towards the Zoom! in chair whitening procedure!) and others cover very little (for example BUPA).

If you have major dental cover then most funds cover crowns, veneers, bridges etc.

IF you don't have major dental cover, you may still be covered for resin veneers as are they're considered general dental.

Preferred Providers - what does this mean?

The term preferred provider or HBF dentist/ HBF member plus dentist means the practice has a relationship with the private health insurer. For you, the patient, this means that the out of pocket expense is generally lower. For the dental practice that is a HBF dentist, this means their fees are controlled by the health fund. Thus as Dentista Dental Centre is a HBF dentist, our fees are controlled by HBF.

We currently are part of the Member Plus Agreement with HBF - this was previously known as the Preferred Provider Scheme.

I'm with HBF!

Great!

This means that for Preventative Dental Treatment HBF members are guaranteed to get between 75%, 85% or 100% back depending on your exact cover.

In addition, eligible HBF members get one scale and clean fully covered per calendar year! And did we mention we are the only Dentist in Morley/Noranda/Dianella area with the Airflow dental cleaning machine?? If you have sensitive teeth, or like your teeth cleaned really thoroughly then this is the cleaning machine for you!

I'm not with HBF - does this mean I can't use my private health fund?

We accept all health funds!

Should I get some treatment before and then after a calendar/financial year?

If you are hoping to have a lot of treatment done that exceeds the limit for one year this may be an option to maximise your private health insurance rebate. Part of your treatment can be completed in one year, and the rest the following year once your rebate has renewed. This sometimes works depending on your treatment. Private Insurance companies work on a calendar year.

For example - dental implants require several months of healing between the first stage of the treatment and the final stage of the treatment. If you have the first stage done in one calendar year, you can have the final stage the following year when your private health insurance rebate has refreshed.

If you are hoping to do this with cosmetic treatment, it can be a bit trickier as it will mean a lot longer time in temporaries, and more time in the dental chair as we split up the treatment. None the less.. we can work this out for you to ensure that you get the best treatment cosmetically and financially.