---
title: I cannot afford my treatment, what are my options?
description: Tell us. There are more options than most people realise, and cost is the one problem we were built to solve.
---
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# I cannot afford my treatment, what are my options?
**Quick answer:** Tell us. There are more options than most people realise, and cost is the one problem we were built to solve.
Dental care in Australia is expensive enough that a lot of people go without and end up needing more treatment later. Getting you seen is better for you and better for us than you putting it off.
Ways to spread the cost
- Afterpay, four fortnightly instalments with no fee from us
- Zip Pay, flexible payments with no fee from us
- TLC (Total Lifestyle Credit) for major treatment, from $2,000 to $70,000 over terms up to 84 months
- Where eligible, compassionate release of superannuation for large treatment, where a Treatment Coordinator helps with the application
Your health fund
If you have extras cover you can claim a rebate back from your fund using the receipt from your appointment. Worth checking before you decide the cost is out of reach
If your child is eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, you can also claim a Medicare rebate using your itemised invoice .
Start with the cheapest appointment
A Clean and Check Up is $99 and includes a full examination, a professional scale and clean, and any x-rays clinically required. That gives you a proper assessment and a clear picture of what you actually need, which is often less than people fear.
It is also the cheapest way to keep your costs down over time. Research into preventive dental care has found that every $1 spent on prevention can save $8 or more on future restorative or emergency treatment.\* Staying on top of a routine clean is how you avoid the bigger, more expensive treatments later.
\*University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry, "The Value of Preventive Oral Health Care" (2016)
If you are in pain and worried about money
Please do not wait. Book a Toothache Management appointment for $99, call 000, or go to your nearest emergency department if the pain is severe. Dental pain almost always gets more expensive the longer it is left.
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