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1. Free ACC treatment
Free ACC Treatment at Guardian Dental Care
The Accident Compensation Corporation began in 1974 and has continued helping citizens of New Zealand ever since. This is a wing of the government established to handle the various monetary compensations under various headings provided to the citizens.
Under this Free ACC treatment, dental injuries are included. This form of compensation includes payment for medical bills, treatment, help at home and work and help with your income while you recover.
In some cases of accidents, the dentures or oral prosthesis that a person is wearing comes off or is damaged. This cost is also taken care of under ‘treatment injury’ by the ACC.
In the case of dental injuries, these are the following points that are important to know for free ACC treatment.
Injuries to the mouth, gums and teeth that are caused by an accident, as a sporting injury or as a result of wrongful medical or dental treatment are covered. In case the damage to the teeth or dentures is due to normal wear and tear, decay and gum disease or if the treatment was carried out by a dental technician rather than a registered dentist or the damage occurred to the dentures while you were not wearing them, the costs will not be covered by ACC.
Guardian Dental Care is one of the ACC recognised clinics and our expert dentists will help you fill out the necessary claim forms for the dental work post accident or injury. Once ACC has assessed the claim, they will write back to you to let you know whether or not your claim has been accepted.
In most cases, our dentists will treat you and ACC will pay part of the cost. ACC generally can only pay a certain amount towards your treatment and any additional cost will be borne by you.
The regulation amount that ACC contributes may be affected by the following
The type of treatment requested for the injury and the condition of your mouth, dentures and teeth before the injury happened.
It is important to discuss costs and payment arrangements with our dentists at Guardian Dental Care before starting treatment.
2. Free WINZ quotes
Have free Winz quotes from Guardian Dental Care
If a patient is living on government aid or is from the low income group, he/she may be eligible for WINZ dental benefits. WINZ stands for Work and Income New Zealand and to qualify for emergency or urgent dental care for yourself or your child, you have to fall under a certain level of income per week/year and have assets (second property, money in the bank) below a certain sum of money. In addition to economic status, the other conditions that have to be met include:
- The patient or parents of the patient (minor) are citizens of New Zealand or permanent residents.
- They have to be above 16 years of age.
- They must have an urgent and immediate need for healthcare.
Through WINZ you can get up to $300 worth of urgent dental care. Such a payment is generally not paid more than once annually. Depending on the urgency of the dental condition and the economic state of the patient, the amount may vary.
We, at Guardian Dental Care, have registered dentists who will be able to provide you with a quotation for your dental treatment free of cost that you may take to WINZ to ascertain what part of that amount may be available to you as benefit.
These are the steps to follow if you want to apply for WINZ dental benefits:
Step 1: Our dentists will fill in what is known as an ‘Emergency Dental information form’ out for you on request.
Step 2: You can apply for the benefit online on myMSD portal where you will be asked to upload the form that you received from us at Guardian DentalCare.
Step 3: In case you cannot apply online there will be an option for you to take an appointment to go and meet a representative of the MSD.
Step 4: Once your claim is processed, the MSD will give you a payment card with money loaded onto it to use for our services at Guardian Dental Care.
Step 5: We do accept MSD payment cards so you can have your dental services and pay for them with it at any of our clinics.
3. Mouthguards
Why Are Mouth Guards A Necessity
Most people find it hard to imagine how their mouth would look like if they lost one or two front teeth. We at Guardian Dental Care advise you to use mouth guards when participating in contact sports and outdoor games.
What do they do?
Mouth guards have a simple job- they help cushion any blow to the face, which in turn helps in minimizing the risk of injuries to your face, tongue, lips, jaw and teeth. The protectors cover the upper teeth since they take the brunt of the action more as they stick out more.
What Are The Types of Mouthguards?
At Guardian Dental Care, we prescribe among the following
- Custom-made: These will be made by us personally and it will fit comfortably in your mouth.
- Boil and bite: These can be found in regular sporting goods store. As the name states, they first have to be softened in boiling water and then inserted in the mouth, to allow it to adapt to the shape of your mouth.
- Stock: They come pre-formed and ready to wear. As a result they are inexpensive but don't fit well. Also to consider is the fact that they can be bulky and make breathing and talking difficult.
Mouthguard Care and Replacement Tips:
Talk to our dentists and they will guide you regarding when to replace your mouth guard. It is advisable to replace it immediately if it gets damaged. Along with replacement here are some tips on how to care for it:
- Regularly clean the mouth guard in soapy water or brush with toothpaste. Rinse it thoroughly after using soap.
- Keep your mouth guard in a container with vents so that it can be dry and also prevent bacteria from growing.
- Don't leave the mouth guard in sun or hot water.
Mouth guards should be used while playing any contact sport. For any further queries, you can contact our dental team at Guardian Dental Care.