Have you got your teen's dental voucher yet?
Churchill Dental is offering the Medicare Teen Dental Plan for eligible teens.
What is the Medicare Teen Dental Plan?
On 1 July 2008, the Australian Government introduced the Medicare Teen Dental Plan to help with the cost of an annual dental preventative check. The program aims to make it more affordable for families to keep their teenager’s teeth in good health.
Who is eligible under the Medicare Teen Dental Plan?
- You are eligible for the plan if you are a teenager
- aged 12–17 years:
- receiving ABSTUDY, Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment, Special Benefit, Youth Allowance; or
- whose family/carer/guardian receives Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB-A), or Parenting Payment, or the Double Orphan Pension for the teenager; or
- whose partner receives FTB-A or Parenting Payment; or
- 16 or older and receiving financial assistance under the Veterans’ Children Education Scheme (VCES) or the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme (MRCAETS) from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Eligible for Medicare.
What happens if I’m eligible?
If you‘re eligible, a letter and voucher advising of your eligibility for a preventative dental check will be sent to you or your family or carer. If you are in equal shared care arrangements, a letter and voucher will be sent to each parent or carer. If the teenager is in equal shared care arrangements, the first family to claim the service with Medicare Australia will be entitled to the full dental benefit.
What is the voucher for?
The voucher gives you entitlement to claim a benefit from Medicare Australia of up to the amount of $153.45* per year once you have seen your dentist and had a preventative dental check. Vouchers are only valid for the person named on the voucher and cannot be transferred to another person. The voucher must be used within the calendar year it is issued.
*Benefit as at 1 January 2009.
What is a preventative dental check?
A preventative dental check must consist of an oral examination and if necessary, your dentist may also:
- take x-rays
- provide a scale and clean
- provide a fluoride treatment
- give you oral hygiene instructions
- provide dietary advice
- Seal pits or cracks in a tooth (fissure sealing).
How do I go about having a preventative dental check?
Once you have received your voucher the following steps will help you receive your benefit.
When making the appointment with us, please mention that you have a teen dental voucher so we can allow enough time to get all of the preventative treatment completed.
You need to bring voucher and your Medicare card with you to Churchill Dental
for your appointment.
After your preventative dental check, we will swipe your Medicare card and claim online.
This means that you don’t need to pay the account, we will just “bulk bill” it direct through to Medicare.
Need more information?
Call us on 9686 8777 or Medicare Australia on 132 011 or visit any Medicare office. You can also visit the Department of Health and Ageing website at www.health.gov.au/dental.