I'm not one to take much notice of invoices unlike some friends who scrutinise and question every line of their bills and receipts. So it was a bit of an education for me when I decided to read my dentist's statement of services claimed from my health fund for my routine check up this morning.
The dentist charged $235 for a ten minute check up of which $196 has been approved to be paid by my health insurer. I had to pay $39 to make up the 'gap'.
The examination, a minute or so of poking around my teeth, cost $44.50.
Two X Rays, a minute of action at best and less than another minute of scrutinising the scans, cost $33.00 each.
Removing calculus, a couple of minutes of scraping, cost $95.50. Until now I only knew of calculus as a mathematical process but apparently it also is the term for hardened plaque.
Finally a 'topical agent' cost $29.00. I had no idea what this was until I did a Google check and learnt it is an 'antiinfective' applied to a localised area. That must be the fluoride the dentist applied to my teeth at the end of the check up, another minute of activity.
All in all not a great burden on my wallet and I have to admit one of my less disconcerting dental visits.
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