Driving south could slash dental bills

While some New Zealanders leave the country each year to have work done on their teeth, simply leaving ‘the big city’ could be enough to get a good deal.

Dental work is covered in New Zealand up until the age of 18, but after that a straightforward tooth extraction could cost several hundred dollars in central Auckland.

At Auckland’s Queen Street Dental Centre, it costs $385 for an uncomplicated wisdom tooth removal using local anaesthetic.

However, two hours south in the Waikato town of Otorohanga, the same procedure will set you back just $130 (not including an X-ray).

Otorohanga Dental Surgery owner, Charlotte Rose, believes there’s no difference between their service and other practices.

“I like to think we provide quality dental care at competitive prices.”

Dr David Crum, chief executive of the New Zealand Dental Association, said the prices charged reflect the difference between the cost of renting or buying a business property in central Auckland as opposed to Otorohanga, and the difference in living costs in those two places.

Dental practices in the country set their own fees, and Dr Crum said the range in costs didn’t reflect the profit made.

“Dentists throughout the country are making similar incomes.”

Former Auckland resident, Cameron Corban, drove to Hamilton for a tooth removal when he realised the price difference.

“I just thought it was typical Auckland, everything is 10 times more expensive.”

Mr Corban said he was surprised and “pissed off” when he discovered the difference, and believes that most people have no idea how much they could be saving.

However, the New Zealand Dental Association doesn’t recommend choosing different practices purely to save money.

“In the long term, you will have better dentistry if you can see the same dentist over a period of time and develop a trust in what’s being done,” said Dr Crum.