Who pays for my dental care in New Zealand?

It’s important to take care of your teeth, but navigating dental care costs can be a challenge, especially when you’re unsure about the financial options available to help. In this article, we’ll tell you about who typically pays for dental care in New Zealand, the average costs of common treatments, and where to find support if you’re facing a dental emergency or need help with payment.

Who pays for dental care?

In New Zealand, most people over 18 generally have to pay for dental care out-of-pocket or through private insurance. Unlike most other medical professionals who typically work within the publicly funded health system, dentists usually work in private practices. This means they have no fixed or recommended fee structure, so costs may vary between practices. Ask your practice how much the treatment will likely cost; it may be a good idea to shop around! Here are the average costs for some common dental procedures in New Zealand:

Treatment	Average cost nationwide
Examination only	$89
Single tooth extraction	$291
Surgical extraction	$481
Single root filling	$960
Amalgam filling, one surface	$201
Amalgam filling, two surfaces	$252
Composite crown	$502
All ceramic crown	$1624
Porcelain laminate veneer	$1504
Full upper and lower dentures	$3358

To see a more detailed list of procedures and regional averages, take a look at the price list provided by the New Zealand Dental Association.

Find dental specialists with an older person’s focus on Making Life Easier at Home.

What if I can’t afford dental care?

It can be stressful to know you need dental treatment to solve a health issue, but you currently don’t have the money to spare. Some dental practices may let you pay in instalments to help spread the costs. In some circumstances, there can be funding available for dental care. Read on to find out more.

If you have a disability or certain medical conditions like mouth cancer, your doctor, dentist, or dental therapist may refer you to a hospital for treatment. The work is free if you must be admitted to hospital, but there are some charges if you are treated as an outpatient.

If you’re on a low income or have a community services card, you might be eligible for emergency dental care like pain relief or extractions. You can also apply to Work and Income for up to $1000 to help with immediate and essential dental care. They may still be able to assist if your treatment costs more than $1000. Talk to them about how they can help.

WINZ also has a recoverable assistance payment, which is useful one-off payment to help cover the cost of something like dentures if you need them in an emergency. Keep in mind that this money must be repaid. If you are receiving benefit and cannot afford dental treatment, you can also apply for an advance payment of benefit – again, this would need to be paid back.

If you need dental treatment because of an accident, sporting injury, or if injuries have arisen from previous dental care, ACC may cover some of the costs. Click here to see the amounts ACC generally contributes to treatments. You can even apply for a refund from ACC if you’ve already paid in full yourself. Not all dentists take on ACC patients, so it’s a good idea to check with your dental practice before booking an appointment.

If you’re a veteran with a service-related injury, and you’re not able to get help from Te Whatu Ora or ACC, you may be eligible for assistance from Veterans’ Affairs.

If you have a SuperGold Card, you can get discounts from some businesses that offer dentures.

To find out what may be available where you live, click on the relevant link to public hospitals in your region. Type the keyword 'dental' into the search function.

Northern North Island