WINZ Funding for Urgent Dental Treatment:

If you receive any financial help from Work and Income New Zealand you may be eligible for help with the cost of urgent dental care.

WINZ will help eligible adults with up to $1000 for dental care a year. Find out if you are eligible here (https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/eligibility/health-and-disability/dental-treatment.html).

WINZ will help with dentistry required to treat urgent conditions generally caused by infection. Services you can get help with are: extractions, fillings, root canals of front teeth, treatment of gum infection. Services WINZ do not provide funding for are regular dental checkups, cosmetic treatment, preventative cleans, crowns, molar root canals, dentures.

The process is simple:

Phone us and let us know you have a problem, we will book you for an urgent consulation. Prior to the consultation you need to pop into Alexandra or Cromwell clinic to pick up a WINZ quote for the consultation fee. This needs to be submitted to WINZ prior to your consulation. If getting into the clinic is difficult we can email you the WINZ quote.

At your consultation we will look at the tooth/teeth you are concerned about, take at least one xray, discuss the options you have to treat the tooth/teeth/gums, decide with you on the course of treatment you want for your current concern and fill in another WINZ dental treatment request form. The 10 minute consultation appointment is designed to address a single problem it is not a full checkup. WINZ do not pay for checkups, if you would like a more comprehesive checkup which we can help you make a plan for your whole mouth you will require a longer appointment and the minimum fee is $160. This can still be the better choice if you have multiple issues as you can then get a comprehensive plan, some of which can still be funded by WINZ if the treatment meets the normal requirements. Please advise the receptionist when booking if you would prefer a full exam.

Once you have handed in the form to WINZ either in person at a WINZ service centre or online through MyMSD, you will receive confirmation and approval for the treatment. You need to have the approval prior to the treatment, approval is usually quick, within a day or two, so you can book as soon as you have your consultation, just make sure you get the form straight into WINZ. 

ACC and WINZ:

If the tooth requiring urgent care has previously been affected by an accident that was reported to ACC you may still have ACC cover. This usually applies when a tooth was badly damaged in an accident and required a large filling or root canal treatment. Sometimes years after the initial treatment, the treatment fails and you are back in pain or missing a large portion of your tooth. ACC will usually cover some of the new treatment for the tooth and so long as the treatment required meets the normal WINZ requirements, WINZ will often cover the gap between what ACC pays and the standard private fees (the gap fee).