Postponing Important Oral Treatment

At Aria, we believe that everyone has the right to optimal health and wellbeing. Being healthy and living well is important to every single one of us, so we can spend valuable time with family, friends and out enjoying everything life has to offer. But sometimes it can be so easy for us to take our health for granted; to prioritise other things and to put it off until next week, next month or next year. It can also seem too big and too hard. We hear this from patients every day. 

Ultimately the choice is yours, but we ask you to consider the factors in putting-off important treatment. The consideration of not fixing your problems now, will only become more extensive in the ‘future’ and will likely require much more treatment, creating higher costs and potentially the range of treatment options that were available to you, are now reduced. 

If you are thinking of putting off treatment, you may like to consider: 

Treatment Costs

Your treatment diagnostics and treatment plan are only good for a period of time. Like all quotes, they are only valid for a short period of time before they expire. As time goes by, your teeth, gums and mouth will continue to deteriorate, which will mean you will require a fresh set of scans, x-rays, and diagnostics to be completed again at an additional cost, should you like to reinvestigate your options. 

The original options that were presented to you may now not be applicable. Your oral health has deteriorated past the point where some treatments can be performed, or additional treatments may now be required to be completed before you can start the original treatment. This will likely cost you more money and more time to complete your required treatment. 

Further Loss of Function 

You may be having problems with eating, chewing, and suffering pain now. As time goes by, unfortunately, these issues are only going to get worse. Missing teeth, with no tooth root stimulating the jawbone, will see your jaw recede and shrink. This will change the shape of your face and make inserting dental implants later a more complex journey and/or require additional bone grafting treatment. If you are suffering from disease or infection, this can lead to your teeth becoming loose, moving, and spreading out.

Reduction in Health Fund Coverage

It’s a pretty common understanding that Health Funds are reducing their coverage every year. As the population grows larger and older, there is more pressure placed on private Health Funds, which means that premiums increase and the range of coverage changes. What your private health insurance covered this year, may not be the same next year. The trend is that health funds are limiting claimable amounts over several years and removing popular (& expensive) treatments from lower coverage tiers as the demand for them increases. Unfortunately, Medicare doesn’t offer coverage when it comes to major dental. 

Health Problems

Dental and oral health is an essential part of your overall health and well-being. Our body works as a complete and whole system and you should care for your number one asset, your mouth, accordingly. Your poor oral condition continues, the bacteria in dental plaque can cause the bone supporting any teeth to be gradually eaten away. Ongoing poor oral health can lead to dental cavities, further tooth loss and gum disease – but has also been linked to more serious health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, blood clots and diabetes.

Reduced Quality of Life

Patients are likely to start to feel more self-conscious as your smile, your breath and overall aesthetics of your smile will deteriorate quickly. This may start to affect personal relationships and work / career opportunities. It is common for patients to often withdraw from social situations or avoid photos with friends & family.

It is likely you are already having trouble eating and if you can’t eat properly and cannot give your body the nutrients that it requires, you may continuously feel weak, unwell, and more prone to sickness due to your poor immunity. 

We understand that finances and health are nearly impossible to separate. After all, health care costs money, and there are lots of other ‘fun’ things that you could be spending that money on. Keeping our priorities straight is a challenge, and it is essential to always prioritise your health. Without a healthy body, everything you’re working towards or looking forward too doesn’t mean much if you are unwell and cannot enjoy them. We all know that medical costs can be tough for a family to handle but keeping yourself healthy will prevent a ton of extra costs and problems later. 

Have a look at some of the different financial options available to you, such as early release super, and sit down with your Dentist or an Aria Treatment Coordinator to discuss how your treatment plan cost can be tailored around these.