Gum Treatment Cost Calculator
Estimate the cost of gum disease treatment in Australia, from a standard clean through scaling and root planing to periodontal surgery and ongoing maintenance.
Your dentist determines this from pocket depths measured around each tooth and from x rays.
The mouth is divided into four quadrants. Deep cleaning is priced per quadrant.
Estimated first year of maintenance appointments after active treatment finishes.
Ask for the ADA item numbers on your treatment plan. Item 114 or 116 covers scaling and root planing per quadrant, and your fund can quote an exact benefit against each item number before you start.
Children aged 0 to 17 in eligible families may access up to $1,132 over two calendar years under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, which covers cleaning and some periodontal items but not orthodontics or cosmetic work.
💰 Ways to save
- Ask for a written itemised treatment plan with every ADA item number on it, then send it to your health fund for a pre treatment estimate. Funds will tell you the exact benefit payable against each item, which turns a vague $2,800 quote into a precise out of pocket figure, and it takes about a week rather than the guesswork most people rely on at the chair.
- Where the dentist agrees it is clinically acceptable, split a large course of treatment across two calendar years. Dental annual limits typically sit between $700 and $1,500 and reset on 1 January, so treating two quadrants in November and two in February can claim two full years of benefit against a single course of work.
- Ask whether a dental hygienist or oral health therapist can perform the scaling and root planing rather than the dentist. Hygienist delivered periodontal cleaning is commonly 15 to 25 percent cheaper for the identical item numbers, and the fund benefit is the same because it is paid against the item, not the practitioner.
- Use your fund's preferred provider network if it has one. Preferred provider practices are contracted to charge agreed fees and often deliver a no gap or reduced gap outcome on preventive and periodontal items, which on a $2,000 course of treatment can be $300 to $600 of difference for the same work.
How we estimate this
## What gum treatment costs in Australia in 2026
Pricing reviewed: June 2026.
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Understanding gum treatment costs in Australia
What gum treatment costs in Australia in 2026
Costs vary enormously with the stage of disease. A standard scale and clean with fluoride, appropriate where there is gum inflammation but no bone loss, runs $180 to $320. Scaling and root planing, the deep clean used once periodontitis is present, is priced per quadrant at $150 to $300 each, so a full mouth course of four quadrants is typically $600 to $1,200.
Advanced cases involving surgery are a different order of cost. Periodontal flap surgery runs $800 to $1,400 per quadrant. A soft tissue gum graft is typically $1,200 to $2,200 per site. Bone grafting or guided tissue regeneration adds $1,500 to $2,500. A full advanced periodontitis course with surgery commonly totals $4,000 to $9,000.
How treatment is staged and priced
Periodontal care in Australia follows a fairly standard sequence. It begins with a comprehensive examination and a full periodontal chart, where pocket depths are measured at six points around every tooth, usually with x rays. That initial assessment costs $150 to $350 at a general practice and $250 to $450 at a specialist periodontist.
Active non surgical treatment follows, delivered as scaling and root planing across one to four quadrants, typically over two to four appointments. A reassessment appointment 6 to 12 weeks later costs $90 to $180 and determines whether surgical work is needed. Only after that reassessment is a surgical quote meaningful, which is why an upfront estimate for a complex case is usually a range rather than a fixed number.
General dentist, hygienist or specialist periodontist
A general dentist handles the majority of periodontal treatment in Australia. Dental hygienists and oral health therapists perform scaling and root planing at 15 to 25 percent below dentist rates, commonly $140 to $230 per quadrant, and the health fund benefit is identical because it is paid against the ADA item number rather than the practitioner.
A specialist periodontist charges roughly 40 to 50 percent more across the board and is generally involved in advanced cases, surgery, grafting and implant related gum work. A specialist consultation is $250 to $450. Referral to a periodontist is at your dentist's discretion and does not attract any Medicare benefit.
Medicare, the CDBS and public dental
Adult dental care is not covered by Medicare in Australia. There is no MBS item for a scale and clean, for scaling and root planing or for periodontal surgery, and no GP referral creates one. The narrow exceptions involve dental work performed in hospital as part of certain medical treatments.
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule covers eligible children aged 0 to 17 whose family receives Family Tax Benefit Part A or certain other payments, providing up to $1,132 in benefits over two consecutive calendar years. It covers examinations, x rays, cleaning, fillings and some periodontal items, but not orthodontics or cosmetic work.
Public dental services are run by each state and territory and are generally limited to concession, pension and Health Care Card holders. Care is free or very low cost, but routine periodontal treatment commonly involves waiting lists of 12 to 24 months. Urgent and emergency presentations are triaged much more quickly.
Private health extras and annual limits
Extras cover is where most Australians recover part of the cost. General dental, which includes examinations, scale and clean and fluoride, is often covered at 60 to 100 percent up to an annual limit. Major dental, which includes periodontal surgery and grafting, is usually covered at 50 to 60 percent with a separate and often lower limit, and commonly carries a 12 month waiting period.
Annual dental limits typically sit between $700 and $1,500 on mid tier extras and $1,500 to $2,500 on top extras. These reset on 1 January and do not roll over. A $6,000 advanced periodontitis course will therefore exhaust a full year's cover several times over, which is the single strongest argument for staging treatment across two calendar years where the dentist agrees it is clinically appropriate.
Always request a pre treatment estimate. Send the itemised plan with ADA item numbers to your fund, and they will confirm the exact benefit payable against each item before you commit.
Ongoing maintenance is the recurring cost people forget
Once active treatment finishes, periodontal patients are typically placed on a maintenance recall of every 3, 4 or 6 months rather than the standard annual visit. Each maintenance appointment costs $150 to $280, so a three monthly recall is $600 to $1,120 per year, indefinitely.
That ongoing figure often exceeds a general dental extras sub limit on its own, and it is the number to plan around rather than the one off treatment cost. When you compare practices, ask what a maintenance appointment costs and how frequently they will want to see you, because a practice that is $200 cheaper on the initial course but recalls you every three months instead of every six will cost more within two years.
Frequently asked questions
How much does gum disease treatment cost in Australia?
A standard scale and clean is $180 to $320. Scaling and root planing costs $150 to $300 per quadrant, so a full mouth course of four quadrants is $600 to $1,200. Advanced cases involving surgery commonly total $4,000 to $9,000.
How much is scaling and root planing per quadrant?
Typically $150 to $300 per quadrant at a general dental practice, or $140 to $230 when performed by a dental hygienist or oral health therapist. A specialist periodontist charges roughly 40 to 50 percent more. The health fund benefit is the same regardless of who performs it.
Does Medicare cover gum treatment?
No. Adult dental care is not covered by Medicare in Australia and there is no MBS item for periodontal treatment. Eligible children aged 0 to 17 may access up to $1,132 over two calendar years under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.
What does private health insurance pay toward gum treatment?
General dental items are often covered at 60 to 100 percent and major dental at 50 to 60 percent, against annual limits of roughly $700 to $1,500 on mid tier extras and $1,500 to $2,500 on top extras. Major dental commonly carries a 12 month waiting period.
How much does a gum graft cost?
A soft tissue gum graft is typically $1,200 to $2,200 per site, and bone grafting or guided tissue regeneration adds $1,500 to $2,500. Quotes often exclude the specialist consultation, x rays and review appointments, so ask for an itemised plan with ADA item numbers.
What are the ongoing maintenance costs?
Periodontal patients are usually placed on a 3, 4 or 6 monthly recall rather than annual visits. Each appointment costs $150 to $280, so a three monthly schedule runs $600 to $1,120 per year indefinitely. That recurring figure often matters more than the one off treatment cost.
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