Many international students only discover the limits of their health cover when a tooth starts aching in the middle of semester. Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is compulsory for most student visa holders, but a standard policy does not pay for dental care. Check-ups, cleans, fillings and most urgent dental visits are paid for some other way: through an extras policy, or out of your own pocket.
Knowing this before you need a dentist makes it far easier to plan, and a little prevention goes a long way.
OSHC is built for hospital and medical care
The Australian Government's private health information site, privatehealth.gov.au, explains that OSHC helps pay for hospital and medical treatment, includes ambulance cover and gives limited help with medicines. It also states plainly that OSHC does not pay for general treatment, also called ancillary or extras cover, such as dental, optical or physiotherapy.
So a visit to a dental practice for a check-up, a filling or a sore tooth will generally not be covered by a standard OSHC policy. If a dental problem becomes serious enough that you are admitted to hospital, for example with a severe facial infection, how your hospital cover applies depends on your policy, so read the wording or ask your insurer directly.
Medicare usually will not fill the gap
Medicare is Australia's public health scheme for citizens and permanent residents, and most student visa holders cannot use it. Students from a small number of countries with reciprocal health care agreements, which privatehealth.gov.au lists as the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Italy and New Zealand, may be able to apply for Medicare, but that is in addition to OSHC rather than instead of it. Either way, Medicare does not cover routine adult dental care, so it would not pay for a check-up or a filling.
Public dental clinics are for eligible residents
NSW Health public dental services for adults are available to NSW residents who are eligible for Medicare and hold an eligible concession card, such as a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card. Most international students do not meet those conditions, so private dental care is the usual route.
Ways to get help with dental costs
privatehealth.gov.au describes three options for students who want cover for things OSHC leaves out:
- Extras OSHC bought from an OSHC provider as an add-on.
- General treatment (extras) cover from an Australian private health insurer.
- Supplementary travel insurance, which some students use for specific gaps.
Extras policies usually pay a set benefit or a percentage of each dental item up to an annual limit, so you may still have some out of pocket cost. Waiting periods often apply before you can claim: commonly about 2 months for general dental and 12 months for major dental, although each fund sets its own, so check the details with the insurer. A policy taken out after a problem has started will often not help with that problem.
Before you buy, check the waiting periods, the annual dental limit, the benefit for a check-up and clean, and whether the insurer has any preferred-provider arrangements. Our guide to what health insurance covers for dental explains these terms in more detail.
Paying without extras cover
Plenty of students, especially those on shorter courses, decide to pay for dental care as they go. These typical Australian market figures help with budgeting. They are not Lumi fees.
| Treatment | Typical market range |
|---|---|
| Check-up and clean | $200 to $400 |
| One-surface filling on a back tooth | Average $178 (most between $135 and $248), ADA 2022 fee survey as reported by CHOICE |
| Simple extraction | $200 to $350 |
| Surgical extraction | $400 to $900 |
What you pay depends on what the examination finds. Our article on check-up costs without private health insurance covers ways to keep costs down, including new patient offers. If you do have extras cover, Lumi claims health fund benefits on the spot through HICAPS, so you only pay the gap at the end of the visit.
When a dental problem is urgent
It helps to know where to go. Swelling of the face or neck that is spreading or making it hard to breathe or swallow, or heavy bleeding after an injury, needs a hospital emergency department or a call to 000. A toothache, a lost filling, a chipped tooth or a swollen gum is best seen by a dental practice as soon as possible, ideally the same day if the pain is severe.
Lumi offers emergency appointments, and we are open Monday to Saturday, with Thursday appointments until 9pm, which can make it easier to fit a visit around classes and work. Our guide to emergency dentist costs without an appointment explains what a same-day visit usually involves.
Prevention is the cheapest dental plan
Most dental costs come from problems that start small. Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between your teeth, drinking tap water rather than sweet drinks between meals and having a check-up before small problems grow will save more money than any policy. If you are only here for a year or two, a check-up soon after arriving can pick up anything that needs attention while you still have time to plan for it.
Common questions
Does OSHC cover a dental check-up?
No. Standard OSHC does not pay for general treatment such as dental. You need an extras policy, or you pay privately.
Can I add dental cover to my OSHC?
Yes. Many OSHC providers sell Extras OSHC, and Australian private health insurers sell general treatment cover. Compare waiting periods and annual limits before you choose.
What should I do if I am not sure whether my pain is an emergency?
Call a dental practice and describe what is happening. If you have spreading facial swelling or trouble breathing or swallowing, go to a hospital emergency department or call 000.
Seeing a dentist while you study
If you need a check-up, a filling or advice about a sore tooth, the team at Lumi Dental in Melrose Park can explain what a visit involves before any treatment begins. See our current offers or book with our general dentist team.
