Hi, has anybody felt that a health provider is exploiting your private health care allowances. I have had experience with my dentist where I felt that they actually knew what my allowances were and what treatment could net the whole yearly allowance. It is no wonder our premiums skyrocket with providers who abuse our benefits.
Private health care extras are supposed to subsidise the cost for the patient not line the pockets of the providers.
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The last two dentists I’ve used always asked for my BUPA card up front and were able to get that information directly!
Does the Dentist then tell me what I have under my plan after checking? Only that I haven’t used all of the years fund payments for dental! Usually followed by a frown and look of admonishment.
Is the system being gamed?
Possibly, especially since I’ve been encouraged to come in twice a year for a dental check up!
And there is always a filling to be done!
And each time I’ve changed dentists they start all over again with xrays?
So my view is there is little value in changing Dentist for a forth time in 8 years. They are all the same in respect of business needs. At least the current one can do a clean and filling without undue pain and stress.
Rural and regional Australia excluded.
Are there too many dentists with too few customers?
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That is a good practice and ‘sold’ by dentists through the world, and has been such for yonks. The why is not for this financially themed question, but as a senior my semi-annual visits have caught a few problems early enough to be treated and have resulted in my (finally) learning improved dental hygiene.
Are dental prices too high compared to GPs, surgeons, even considering their investment in kit? I think that is an understatement.
Are dentists ones of many who ‘encourage us to use our benefits’? You haven’t received your optician’s warning that you might lose benefits if you don’t come in before end December?
The dentist should be showing you an image of the decay, as does mine. Fillings beat crowns and implants! You might consider your part in continually getting cavities 
Everyone probably should have x-rays every few years and starting with x-rays underscores that all dental problems are not visible when they start. eg. between teeth, at the edges of crowns, under the gum lines…
but they are not all the same regarding skill and how they meet their business needs. Mine is not cheap but has demonstrated specific skills of the highest order in my experience, and over the years has continued to improve the overall services delivered by his practice.
If you try to get a routine booking the reverse is probably true. Bookings have to be done 6 months ahead to get a place and if you change it within 2-3 months out, you will often add months to your wait unless there is a cancellation. A ‘real’ problem? Mine will fit me in ASAP but my concept of a ‘real’ problem and his have differing priorities 
Could be that part of the high cost is the comparative scarcity rather than oversupply, but I make that comment on limited data from NE metro Melbourne. If one can get into a dentist in these parts in under 2 weeks in any case, and it was an open booking place, it would be fair to wonder why that is so, because the good ones are so busy.
The comparative scarcity I experience could also be that I have a top dentist with top reputation, and the others are not so busy?
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I go to a Dentist in BrisVegas and have no problem getting a booking a week or two out. Same week when there has been a more urgent need.
Obtaining an appointment as we migrated around QLD has only ever been a problem in one town. Population 3,000 with nearly 1,000 of them children. The local dentist spread himself around several towns. The joys of country living.
Of interest is that on my previous visit last year, the regular dentist was on holidays. There was an alternate expert holding the drill. There were significant differences in approach and assessments between the last two visits. I’m curious to see how the next visit compares.
That a dentist heavily booked reflects the quality of the dentist, may be reliable where there is a choice. It is a similar approach to choosing a cafe to eat at where there are many in the one street. Avoid the ones with the least customers?
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