Last updated: 2 July 2026
At Dentists @ Canning Vale, we believe you have the right to understand the cost of your dental care before you agree to treatment. This page explains our approach to informed financial consent, in line with the Australian Dental Association’s Policy Statement 5.16 on Informed Financial Consent.
1. What Is Informed Financial Consent?
Informed financial consent means you give your consent to the fees for a proposed treatment before that treatment goes ahead, based on clear information about what it will cost. We consider this an essential part of ethical, transparent dental care, not an optional extra.
2. What You Will Receive Before Treatment
Following your consultation and clinical examination, we will provide you with a written treatment plan and cost estimate covering the recommended treatment, any reasonable alternatives, and the associated fees. For more complex or staged treatment (such as implants, orthodontics or full-mouth rehabilitation), we will provide cost estimates for each stage as your treatment plan progresses, since some costs cannot be finalised until earlier stages are complete.
3. Health Fund, Medicare and DVA Estimates
Where you have private health insurance, we use HICAPS to process claims and provide instant, on-the-spot rebates wherever possible. Because rebates depend on your individual policy, level of cover and any waiting periods, we recommend contacting your health fund directly to confirm your entitlements before treatment begins. Where relevant, we will also provide estimates relating to Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), or the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS).
4. If Costs Change During Treatment
Dentistry does not always follow a predictable path. If, during treatment, we identify a clinical issue that was not apparent at the time of your original quote, for example, an unexpected complication, we will explain this to you and discuss any change in cost before proceeding further, wherever it is clinically safe to do so.
5. Payment
Unless another arrangement has been agreed with our team in advance, payment is required at the time of treatment. We accept the payment methods displayed at our practice and can process most private health fund claims instantly via HICAPS.
6. Financial Hardship and Payment Plans
We understand that dental treatment can represent a significant expense. If cost is a concern, please speak with our team, we are happy to discuss staged treatment options where clinically appropriate. We are not financial advisors and encourage patients to seek independent financial advice where needed; we do not provide credit or financial products ourselves.
7. Emergency Care
In a genuine dental emergency, our priority is your immediate care. A full written cost estimate may not always be possible before urgent treatment is provided, but we will discuss costs with you as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.
8. Questions About Your Account
If you have any questions about a quote, invoice or account, please contact our team directly, most billing queries can be resolved quickly with a conversation.
Dentists @ Canning Vale
Phone: (08) 9256 2588
Email: admin@dacv.com.au
Or visit our Contact Us page.
This page should be read together with our Dental Treatment Fees page, Disclaimer and Privacy Policy.