The Government’s $1000-a-year dental subsidy for beneficiaries is putting a confident smile on their face that will help them get jobs, says a Richmond dentist.
New Zealand Dental Association’s Nelson-Tasman secretary and Tasman Dental Centre’s Ben Simmons is all about creating a “beautiful confident smile” for his patients and in the past year he has been able to make that a reality for beneficiaries.
Since the end of 2022, beneficiaries have been able to get up to $1,000 worth of dental care each year and Ben says it has been transformative for many people.
“There were people who were losing their teeth and becoming less employable. It affects their confidence and also the confidence of other people in them in terms of employment.”
Older people in particular can have teeth that start to collapse, or their teeth began to rot out, though many of his patients using the subsidy are beneficiaries in their late 20s who have not been to a dentist since they left the free dental-care days of school.
Many beneficiaries often had more dental problems because then tended to not look after themselves well, he says, which often led to them developing a “whole mouthful of holes”.
At $1000, Ben says dentists can get a lot of work done on a patient and plan for more work when they are recalled a year later.
“It’s a feel-good thing when you can muck in there and do a good job.”
Kay Guyton, who supports people in need and ran the former charity Angel in my Street, gives beneficiaries advice about the subsidy so they can get long overdue dental work and she says many still do not know it is available.
She says dental work can make a huge difference to confidence.
“A lot of them put their hands over their face because they don’t want people to see their smile. Then they get their teeth done and I can take them to job interviews. It leads to a better quality of life.”
