Is the Auckland university dental centre a good deal?
My dentist, based in Ellerslie, charges $45 for a consult and $140 for a simple filling. So I’d say the university dentist’s discount is not “substantial” and it could be worth ringing around – especially for dentists in less well-heeled suburbs. Also, talk to the university. Student Financial Services This is a fully confidential service providing information on the funding and scholarships available to students, and financial assistance and budgeting advice to students in hardship. Telephone 373-7599 ext 7494 (2nd Floor, The ClockTower, 22 Princes St), or ext 6678 (Tamaki campus). I would say that being unable to get your teeth treated may qualify as hardship. When I worked at Waikato University we would certainly have looked at a hardship grant.
Thanks for the replies. I’m glad it’s not just me with the cheapness thing. While it’s certainly not overpriced in anyway it just didn’t feel like a substantial discount. Turns out one of my friends at work has a dentist father. She’s going to ask him tonight about mates rates and how much he’d charge for a filling (heh, she makes him treat all her friends for cheap apparently). He’s based in South Auckland at the moment and charges less accordingly (which matches with the comment from i_am_joe’s_spleen), so it sounds like it’ll be worth it even if mates rates aren’t amazing. I’ll also look into the hardship thing from the Uni, particularly if it ends up being more than a straight forward filling. I’m not too sure what my chances are, I have a stipend and earn just too much to qualify for an allowance. It’s a pretty small income though and I have very recently spent ~$700 on new orthotics (prescription inserts for my shoes, expensive and totally necessary), so the hardship is real. Eve
