Affordability crisis

More and more people are heading into retirement with their own teeth. While older generations had their teeth extracted to get dentures (sometimes as a 21st birthday present), baby boomers have chosen to keep theirs.

Fluoridation and fluoride toothpaste have slowed tooth decay and - along with improved technology and treatment - this has meant people have been able to keep their teeth where removal would once have been the only option.

But all is not well. In the 2006/2007 New Zealand Health Survey 71 percent of participants aged between 55 and 64 had had one or more teeth removed because of decay, abscess, infection, or gum disease. Ageing fillings crack or fall out and need to be replaced by even larger fillings. Just maintaining heavily filled teeth is expensive - see our table of dental fees.

The results of the 2009 New Zealand Oral Health Survey will be published towards the middle of 2010.

No subsidies

Professor Murray Thomson from Otago University's School of Dentistry has warned that dental care for older people is facing a crisis of affordability. Baby boomers are heading towards retirement and reduced incomes just when their dental needs are increasing - but unlike medical care, general dental care has no subsidies for people aged over 65.

Some health insurance policies provide cover for preventive dental care such as examinations, cleaning and scaling, fillings, x-rays, and extractions. This can be part of a comprehensive policy, or part of a "Dental and Optical" module that can be added to a basic policy and will refund 75 to 80 percent of dental costs up to a maximum of $500 a year. However, many people who have been retired for a number of years can no longer afford health insurance premiums.

So what can you do to minimise dental care costs later on? See our advice in Dental-care tips.