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• What is major dental?
• How much do major dental procedures cost?
• Are there other out-of-pocket costs for major dental procedures?
• Are there other costs after major dental procedures?
• How long will I have to wait for major dental procedures?
• What level of health insurance do I need to cover major dental procedures?
• Frequently asked questions
• How do I choose the right insurance plan that includes major dental?

Long story short

Major dental is a type of extras category

It covers more complex treatments than general dental – like root canals, dentures, crowns and bridges.

Major dental cover helps pay for expensive treatments

For instance, a full ceramic crown can cost $1,703 but health insurance could mean you only pay half of that out of pocket.

Major dental cover comes with waiting periods

These are 12 months, so it’s a good idea to take out cover sooner rather than later.

What is major dental?

Major dental is a category of dental procedures and refers to complex and invasive treatments, such as tooth extractions, crowns, bridges, root canals and dentures. It is also a subcategory of extras health insurance that covers some of the costs of these kinds of procedures.

Common examples of major dental procedures include:

• crowns and bridges: used to cover a damaged tooth or fill a gap caused by a missing tooth
• root canal therapy: saves a tooth that is badly decayed or infected
• wisdom teeth removal: while this isn’t always complex, it can involve surgical tooth extractions that need to be done by an oral surgeon
• dentures: full or partial sets to replace missing teeth
• dental implants: replaces a tooth root with a metal post.

Major dental cover is generally available with higher levels of extras cover. This type of insurance is more expensive and involves longer waiting periods, typically 12 months. Different policies will cover a different amount of the associated dental costs. While some treatments – like root canal therapy – could be listed under major dental they can also appear in different categories.

Some major dental surgeries – like wisdom teeth removal or dental implants – happen in hospital. Luckily, they can be found on mid-to-high hospital cover, like silver tier. However, you need to be a hospital inpatient for your surgery if you want to claim it on your hospital cover. Remember, hospital cover is different to extras cover (extras is for out-of-hospital services).

How much do major dental procedures cost?

Major dental surgery costs for private patients ranged from small (think less than $100 on average for a denture for a single tooth) to large ($1,703 on average for a full porcelain or ceramic crown) the 2023–24 financial year, according to Private Healthcare Australia (PHA). Because private dentists set their own prices, it’s always a good idea to check with your dentist how much they charge.

The cost of major dental procedures can vary depending on the treatment and where you live in Australia, too. Here’s what generally makes up the final bill:

• dentists’ and specialists’ fees: the amount your dentist or oral surgeon charges for their expertise
• hospital fees: your bed, theatre use and other related charges (if your surgery requires staying in a hospital)
• consultation fees: the initial appointments to assess and plan your treatment
• diagnostics: costs for X-rays, scans and other tests needed to get the full picture.

Unfortunately, the public system doesn’t typically cover major dental procedures, unless you’re eligible for state-run dental care, so you likely won’t have your costs covered by a Medicare rebate. So, without private health insurance, you’re looking at paying the full amount out of your own pocket.

On average, private health insurance extras policies covered 50.7% of treatment costs on average in the 2024–25 financial year, including for major dental, according to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. This means that on a major dental bill of $1,000, you’d be looking at an average out-of-pocket cost of $493. While not as nice as having your bill completely covered, private health insurance can take some of the sting out of these bills.

Note: These figures reflect indicative treatment costs for major dental procedures across Australia, based on PHA data from financial year 2023–24 and rounded where appropriate. Estimates include internal iSelect calculations applied to this data. Actual costs may vary depending on your circumstances. Data retrieved on July 2026.

Helpful tip

Keep in mind that annual limits apply to health cover. They’re the maximum amount you can claim for a covered service, like major dental, per year.

If a couple of major dental works are on the cards, have a chat with your dentist about how you can spread treatments across a few years to make the most of your cover. For example, you can plan an implant this year and a crown next year to maximise your annual limits and resets.

Your needs can change over time (maybe both you and the kids are needing a bit more dental TLC lately), so it makes sense to give your policy a yearly check-up. You might want to consider comparing policies and looking at things like annual limits for major dental and the percentage benefit you get back per service.

Andres Gutierrez

General Manager – Health

Are there other out-of-pocket costs for major dental procedures?

The biggest out-of-pocket costs for major dental procedures – excluding treatment – include fees connected to initial consults and x-rays, anaesthetist and hospital. Which apply to you depend on your situation, for instance, you won’t need to worry about hospital fees, like for accommodation, if you don’t go to hospital for your major dental surgery.

Depending on your procedure, you could have costs for:

• initial consultations and x-rays: for diagnosing the problem and plan your treatment
• anaesthetist fees: if your procedure requires general anaesthetic or sedation
• hospital or facility fees: for surgical procedures done in hospital, like complex impacted wisdom teeth removal.

If you have hospital cover and need to be treated in hospital, your health insurance could cover most, if not all, of your hospital fees. You’ll need to check that your treating doctor and hospital have an agreement with your health fund to ensure you don’t have any gap payments or to otherwise keep those out-of-pocket costs low. Your hospital cover might also come with an excess and/or co-payment you’ll need to pay.

Are there other costs after major dental procedures?

Post-procedure costs can include medication, further appointments and maintenance and will vary based on the treatment you have. For instance, someone who’s having a tooth removed would likely need medication to manage pain and infection but someone getting dentures wouldn’t.

After your major dental procedure, you could need to pay for:

• prescription medication: painkillers or antibiotics needed to manage discomfort and prevent infection
• follow-up appointments: to check on your healing or treatment progress, including removing stitches or starting the next treatment step
• maintenance: caring for dentures or implants, and replacing them when they become worn out.

It’s worth asking your dentist the expected costs of the procedure, including any aftercare.

How long will I have to wait for major dental procedures?

You’ll have to wait out your health fund’s waiting period for major dental extras before you can claim, with a minimum 12-month wait. If you’re heading to hospital, your waiting period will be at most 12 months if you’re treating a pre-existing condition (as determined by your health fund); otherwise, it’s a max of 2 months.

If your dentist is carrying out your procedure, then you’re unlikely to have much of a wait.

What level of health insurance do I need to cover major dental procedures?

You’ll need at least a mid-level extras policy for major dental coverage and a silver tier or higher hospital policy for in-hospital dental surgeries. You can often find dental surgery offered on a lower plus tier, though, like basic plus or bronze plus, but it’s not guaranteed.

Mid-range extras policies also usually include other dental cover, particularly general dental to help you prevent tooth decay and other issues that could lead to you needing major dental work. While they tend to cost more than a basic level extras policy, they do also come with cover for a range of other services Medicare doesn’t usually pay for, like physiotherapy and chiropractic. With one policy, you could get plenty of cover to take care of all sorts of bodily aches and pains.

A silver tier hospital policy also covers lung and chest surgeries, heart surgeries, endoscopies, joint reconstructions and more. This is in addition to the clinical categories covered on bronze hospital cover.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose the right insurance plan that includes major dental?

iSelect makes it easy to compare a range of health insurance options, including extras policies with major dental, in a matter of minutes. You can use our convenient comparison tool or speak with one of our health insurance comparison experts on 1800 784 772.