A scale and clean can cost you as much as $350 without health insurance, but it’s free with most basic extras policies.
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This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
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*Prices updated December 2024, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices reflect the cheapest available for a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
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A scale and clean costs between $150 and $350 if you don't have health insurance.
It's included in most basic extras policies with no out of pocket fees.
Scale and clean's often have shorter waiting periods, or no waiting period at all in health insurance.
What is a scale and clean?
A dental scale and clean hlpes prevent gum disease, tooth decay, and other oral issues by removing plaque and tartar buildup that your tooth brush or dental floss may miss.
The whole procedure normally takes about 30 minutes in a dentist chair and can be booked as part of a regular check-up. It can sometimes include deep cleaning which generally consists of 2 parts:
Scaling – this involves removing plaque from under the gumline.
Root planing – this involves removing plaque and build-up from the roots of your teeth.
How often you need a scale and clean depends on your oral hygiene habits and plaque accumulation. Generally, it's recommended every 3 to 6 months.
What does a scale and clean cost?
With a $3-a-week extras insurance policy, a scale and clean is unlikely to cost you anything. Here's a breakdown of scale and clean costs with and without insurance.
With extras cover
General dental covers a scale and clean, and costs around $12 per month. Many health funds offer no gap dental check-ups (which includes a clean and polish or scale and clean) – so you won't have any out-of-pocket expenses.
Without extras cover
Scale and clean costs between $150 and $350 without health insurance, though prices vary depending on the dentist you go to.
Extras cover that includes deep cleaning
Here are some Finder partners that offer a benefit for a scale and clean. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney.:
"I'm a bit fanatical about my teeth and like to get them cleaned 4 times per year instead of the usual 2. I took out a high coverage extras policy that gives me unlimited coverage for routine dental - including scale & clean."
Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
Email me my results (optional)
To get a copy of your results for later, add your email below
You'll pay the same price as going direct - we don't
charge fees
We don't ask for your phone number to see prices
Hang tight - we're fetching policies just for you!
Comparing quotes from 40+ funds...
Is a scale and clean covered by Medicare?
The simpliest answer is that it partly does. Dental care in general is only covered by Medicare for children as part of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). You'll have up to $1,095 per child over 2 calendar years for basic dental services including scale and clean's.
Any dental care or procedures you need as an adult unfortunately won't be covered by Medicare.
Are there any waiting periods for a scale and clean?
Most extras health policies will have a fairly short watiing period for a scale and clean. This is the minimum time you need to wait after buying your health insurance before you can make a claim on a particular treatment or condition.
Scale and cleans are fairly routine and aren't considered a major procedure. So the average waiting period is around 2 months, however, we've also seen a number providers with no waiting period at all.
FAQs
Deep cleaning teeth costs between $150 and $350 depending on the dentist you go to. You'll generally pay around $200 unless you get extras insurance – in which case you're unlikely to have any out-of-pocket fees.
A scale and clean removes any plaque, tartar and stains from your teeth that brushing and flossing might miss. The procedure is fairly straightforward and usually takes around 30 minutes.
It's recommended that you get a dental tooth clean at least 2 times a year. Most basic extras policies can cover you for this.
Most basic extras policies can cover a clean and polish for around $3 a week. You will generally have a 2-month waiting period before you're covered.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 644 Finder guides across topics including:
Cameron is the local insurance scholar at Finder. With a diverse background writing in independent education, web-3, and finance, his mission is to build helpful content and that speaks to readers in language they understand. See full bio
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Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
Email me my results (optional)
To get a copy of your results for later, add your email below
