Let’s talk about the new 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 preventative dental check. The program aims to make it more affordable for families to keep their teenager’s teeth in good health.
If you are:
- aged between 12 and 17 years AND
- eligible to claim Medicare benefits, AND
- receiving Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY, OR
- part of a family receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A, AND
- have been issued with a preventative dental care voucher by Medicare Australia,
you are eligible for the annual dental preventative check.
Medicare Australia will write to eligible teenagers or their parent or carer and include a Medicare Teen Dental Plan voucher valued at $150 to use towards the cost of the preventative dental check.
A preventative dental check can be used to cover expenses for an oral examination and, if required, x-rays, scaling and cleaning, and other preventative services including:
- radiological examination and interpretation
- removal of plaque and/or stain
- topical application of re-mineralising agent
- dietary advice
- oral hygiene instruction
- fissure sealing.
If you are a teenager living in equal shared care arrangements, the letter and voucher will be sent to both of your parents or your carer receiving an Family Tax Benefit Part A payment. In this situation, there is only one benefit payable for a preventative dental check each calendar year so only one family can claim the service with Medicare Australia.
The voucher can only be used once per patient, per calendar year and is not transferable.
Need more information?
Download the Medicare Teen Dental brochure [PDF, 451Kb]
, call Medicare Australia on 132 011 or visit any Medicare office.
Some documents on this page may require the free Adobe PDF reader.
Last updated: 30 July, 2008