A large part of Queenstown arrives for a season and stays for three years. If that is you, the dentist is probably somewhere near the bottom of a list that starts with a flat and a job.
Fair enough. But there are a few things worth knowing early, mostly because they save money.
Dental care in New Zealand is not free for adults
This catches out people from the UK and from countries with public dental systems. New Zealand's public health system does not cover routine adult dentistry. If you are over 18, you pay.
There are two significant exceptions, and both are worth knowing.
- Under 18s get free basic dental care under the School Dental Scheme - including examinations, cleaning and standard treatment.
- Accidental damage is covered in part by ACC, whoever you are and wherever you are from, as long as the accident happened in New Zealand.
ACC is the one to remember
Queenstown being Queenstown, the odds of a dental injury here are higher than most places. Bikes, boards, skis, and the occasional over-enthusiastic night out.
If a tooth is chipped, broken or knocked out in an accident, ACC usually contributes to the treatment. You do not need to arrange anything in advance - we lodge the claim at the appointment. It applies to visitors and temporary workers, not only residents.
Get a check-up early, not late
The instinct is to wait until something hurts. It is the most expensive way to do it.
A check-up is the cheapest appointment in dentistry, and it exists to catch problems while they are small. The same tooth caught early is a filling. Caught late it is a root canal and a crown, or an extraction and an implant - a difference measured in thousands, not hundreds.
If you have arrived for a season and have not seen a dentist in a couple of years, an examination early in your stay is worth doing while it is a choice rather than an emergency.
Things that make it worse here
A few Queenstown-specific factors worth being aware of.
- Hospitality and bar work means grazing on sugar all shift - frequency matters more for decay than quantity.
- Energy drinks are both sugary and acidic, which is the worst combination for enamel.
- Altitude and heated indoor air are dehydrating, and a dry mouth loses the saliva that normally protects teeth.
- Season-long stress and shared houses tend to produce grinding, which shows up as jaw pain and worn teeth.
- It is a physical town - see the section on ACC.
If you are anxious about it
Plenty of people have not been to a dentist in years because of one bad experience a long time ago. If that is you, say so when you book. It is a common conversation and nobody is going to lecture you.
We offer sedation - happy gas, oral sedation and IV sedation - and the whole approach here is built around pain control. You can also book a consultation rather than treatment: come in, have a look, agree a plan, and do nothing else that day.
Practical details
We are at 12 Lake Esplanade in the middle of town, with free off-street parking. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, with a weekend on-call emergency service by request.
We will give you the cost of any treatment before it starts, and if cost is the barrier, say so - there is often more than one way to treat something, and we would rather find the option you can actually go ahead with.
General information, not a diagnosis. Written and reviewed by Dr Adrian Paul, BDS (Otago), principal dentist at Lakeside Dental Practice, Queenstown. If something is worrying you, see a dentist.
