Defence Health & DVA Dental Care in Canberra

Canberra has one of the highest concentrations of defence personnel and their families in Australia. Between Russell, Campbell, Duntroon, ADFA, the Department of Defence at APH, and the intelligence agencies across the inner south, a significant number of people living in and around Canberra carry Defence Health cover or a DVA card — and a lot of them need a dentist they have not gotten around to finding yet.

If you have been posted to Canberra recently, or you have been here a while but have been putting off finding a new practice, this article covers how Defence Health and DVA dental benefits work at Dental Embassy in Braddon. It is general information about health fund and DVA claiming, not clinical advice.

Defence Health members

Defence Health is a not-for-profit health fund created specifically for Australian Defence Force members, veterans, and their families. If you have Defence Health extras cover that includes dental, you receive a rebate toward dental treatment at any registered dentist. But how much you get back depends on whether the practice is a Defence Health preferred provider.

Dental Embassy is a Defence Health preferred provider. That means:

• Your rebates are at the higher preferred-provider rate.
• Fees for covered services are capped at the Defence Health schedule.
• We process the claim on the spot with HICAPS — swipe your card, the rebate comes off, you pay only the gap.

For many Defence Health policies with extras, preventive care (check-ups, cleans, x-rays) at a preferred provider has a low or zero gap. The exact amount depends on your level of cover and remaining annual limits.

DVA card holders

If you hold a DVA Gold Card, you are eligible for a comprehensive range of dental services with no out-of-pocket cost — the treatment is bulk-billed directly to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Gold Card holders are entitled to all clinically necessary dental care.

If you hold a DVA White Card, dental coverage depends on the accepted conditions listed on your card. Dental treatment related to your accepted conditions is covered. Talk to us about what your card covers — we can check before your appointment.

How it works at our practice:

• Bring your DVA card to your appointment.
• We bill DVA directly for eligible treatment.
• There is no claim to submit and no gap to pay for covered services.

We welcome DVA patients and see them regularly. If you are unsure whether a particular treatment is covered, call us on 1300 000 230 and we will check with DVA before your visit.

Finding a dentist after a posting

Being posted to a new city means rebuilding the small but important parts of life — a GP, a dentist, a mechanic, somewhere to get a haircut. A lot of defence families in Canberra put dental off because the posting feels temporary, or because the last few places they lived had long waits for new patients.

A few things that might make the decision easier:

• We can usually see new patients within a week. Three dentists and a hygiene team means we have capacity. You are not going on a six-week waitlist.
• We are in Braddon — 104 Northbourne Avenue. Central, easy to reach from Russell, Campbell, the city, and the inner north. Parking on Northbourne or the surrounding streets.
• Open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 3pm. That early start is useful if you need to be at Russell or APH by 8:30.
• Families are welcome. We see children from age three and bulk-bill eligible kids under the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS — up to $1,158 over two years for ages 0-17 in eligible families).
• Sedation is available. Dr Sri holds a postgraduate qualification in conscious sedation from the University of Sydney. If dental anxiety is a factor — whether from a bad experience years ago or from deployments where dental care was limited — sedation options are here.

Spouse and family cover

Defence Health policies often cover dependants. If your spouse or children are on your Defence Health policy, they receive the same preferred-provider rebates at our practice. For families, booking two or three appointments back-to-back on the same morning can be a practical way to get everyone seen without multiple trips.

Transitioning out of the ADF

If you are transitioning out of the Australian Defence Force and moving from Defence Health to a civilian health fund, there are a few things worth knowing:

• Your Defence Health policy continues until you cancel it — it is not automatically terminated when you leave the ADF.
• If you switch to a different fund, continuity of cover rules mean you generally do not need to re-serve waiting periods for dental, as long as you transfer within a certain window (usually 30-60 days).
• If you have a DVA card, your dental entitlements continue regardless of your employment status.

Use your benefits before you transition if you have treatment pending. Once your Defence Health policy ends, any unused benefits do not carry over.

How to book

Call 1300 000 230 or book online at dentalembassy.com.au/book. Mention that you have Defence Health or a DVA card when you call, and bring your card to the appointment.

This article is general information about Defence Health and DVA dental claiming. Rebate amounts depend on your specific policy and level of cover. DVA entitlements depend on your card type and accepted conditions. Contact Defence Health or DVA for individual benefit details.