Is your child eligible for free dental treatment? We know that dental care can sometimes be expensive, which is why Sailors Bay Dentistry is happy to participate in the Australian Government's Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS).
The CDBS provides up to $1,052 of general dental services over a two-year period to help parents of all backgrounds to look after their kids' dental health. Around 3.4 million children aged 2–17 are eligible for the CBDS schedule, which covers basic and preventive services including check-ups, fillings and root canals.
To find out if your child is eligible or to book an appointment with a CDBS paediatric dentist in Northbridge, contact our team at Sailors Bay Dentistry today. Call (02) 9958 0400 or complete the contact form below and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
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Child dental scheme NSW
Children under 18 in New South Wales whose parents or guardians receive eligible payments can access the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule in NSW. Free dental services are available at both public and private dental clinics.
You don't need to register to claim dental costs through the CDBS fee schedule, but you do need to inform our Northbridge dentists in advance if you plan to make a claim. We offer bulk billing for CDBS payments, so we can process your claim on your behalf – just bring your Medicare card.
Child Dental Benefits Schedule eligibility
The means test for the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is the same as for the old Medicare Teen Dental Plan (MTDP). To claim reimbursement from a CBDS dentist, you must:
have a child aged 2 to 17 years on at least one day of the calendar year
be eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB-A) or another accepted Centrelink payment
receive this payment at least once per calendar year
Child's parent, guardian or approved care organisation
ABSTUDY
Double Orphan Pension
Family Tax Benefit Part A
Parenting Payment
Teenager under 18
Carer Payment
Department of Veterans' Affairs education allowances
Disability Support Pension
Family Tax Benefit Part A
Parenting Payment
Special Benefit
Youth Allowance
Teenager's partner
Family Tax Benefit Part A
Parenting Payment
What if my circumstances change?
Child Dental Benefits Schedule eligibility is assessed on a yearly basis, so you'll still be able to claim for dental services for the remainder of the calendar year even if your situation changes and you become ineligible. However, you won't be able to carry over any leftover allowance to the following year.
If you're not sure whether you're still entitled to access Medicare kids' dental services, you should check this before you schedule a treatment.
You can also speak to our Northbridge dentists by calling (02) 9958 0400.
What child dental benefits are covered?
The CDBS was designed to make dental health care for children more accessible to families on lower incomes. The child dental scheme covers preventive and general dentistry including:
Contact our clinic in Sydney's North Shore to find out whether the treatment your child needs is covered. You may still be able to claim some services on your health fund, depending on your policy limits.
How much can I claim?
CBDS may cover all or part of a dental treatment, depending on the costs involved. We'll make sure you know about any costs before you agree to a treatment.
Child dental benefits through CDBS are capped at $1000 per child over a period of two consecutive calendar years. This means that if you use all of your allowance in the first year, it won't be renewed for the second year.
You will be assessed by Medicare annually to check whether your child still qualifies for free dental services.
How do I make a claim with a CDBS dentist?
We've made it as easy and hassle-free as possible to claim free kids' dental services through the CDBS at Sailors Bay Dentistry. The process is as follows:
Check your Medicare account to make sure you still have some benefit allowance available.
Let us know that you'll be using CDBS when you schedule your child's appointment with our dentists. Make sure you bring your Medicare card along so we can process your claim on the same day.
At your appointment, we'll discuss what your child's treatment will cost and whether this can all be claimed on CDBS or another method. We'll give you a consent form to sign, agreeing to the cost.
When your child's treatment has finished, we'll process your claim for you. We bulk bill Medicare payments so you don't have to pay out of your own pocket and chase claims yourself. Medicare will then deduct your total dental bill from your benefit allowance.
If you don't have your Medicare card on you, or you need to make a claim yourself, you can do this by:
downloading the Express Plus Medicare app on your phone
signing in to your myGov account
posting or handing in a claim form at your local service centre
If you're processing your own claim, Medicare will refund the payment into your bank account.
If your child's dental treatment is covered by CDBS and you have enough benefit allowance remaining, you won't have to pay anything. Our dentists in Northbridge bulk bill payments so you don't have to pay out-of-pocket costs.
However, if some or all of your child's treatment is not eligible for CDBS, you will have to cover the gap payment yourself or claim it through another method, such as your health insurance.
You can still claim for eligible dental treatments through CDBS when your child turns 18 if they were 17 for at least one day of the calendar year. However, they will no longer be eligible after the calendar year ends.
If you have already received an eligible Medicare payment on at least one day of the calendar year, you can still claim treatments through CDBS until the year ends. If you haven't received a payment, you will no longer be eligible unless your circumstances change.
No, the CDBS is offered based on the individual child. If you have more than one child, they should all be similarly eligible for free dental care if they are aged between 2 and 17 years.
Your CDBS allowance is calculated over two consecutive calendar years, so it begins on 1 January in the year when you first make a claim and ends on 31 December the following year (if you are still eligible for the second year). The two-year period is not calculated from the date of the first appointment.
After two calendar years, your CDBS allowance resets to $1000, as long as your child is still eligible. If you still have some funds remaining in your CBDS account by the end of the two-year period, this cannot be carried over to the new balance.
No, you can't claim for the same treatment on both the CDBS and your health fund. If you want to preserve your CDBS allowance, you can claim on your health insurance instead.
Talk to a CDBS dentist in Northbridge
Sailors Bay Dentistry is proud to be part of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, helping to make quality dental care more accessible to people of all backgrounds.
If you want to know more about how CDBS works, or to book an appointment with our children's dentists in North Shore, call us on (02) 9958 0400 or contact us today. We also offer the Child Dental Benefits Schedule to the following suburbs: Castlecrag, Naremburn, Artarmon, Crows Nest, Chatswood and Lane Cove.
Please mention that you want to use the CDBS when you book your appointment.
