How Much Does Teeth Cleaning Cost in Australia?

A teeth clean in Australia is priced two ways: a clean-only visit, sometimes advertised from around $99, or a check-up, X-rays and clean bundled together, which usually costs more once each X-ray is added. Berala Dental charges $250 for the assessment, X-rays and clean as one inclusive fee, with the OPG, intraoral X-rays and fluoride included.

Want to know exactly what your clean would cost before you sit in the chair? Ask for a written quote.
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Quick facts: Berala Dental is a family dental practice at 184 Woodburn Road, Berala NSW 2141, operating since 2002 and open 6 days a week including Saturday. This article explains what a teeth clean costs in Australia and what the fee should include. Berala Dental’s assessment, X-rays and clean is $250, and that single fee includes 3 intraoral X-rays, an OPG for new patients (repeated every 2–5 years), intraoral photos, a PSR periodontal screening, the scale and clean, and fluoride treatment. Elsewhere in the market an OPG is commonly charged separately, often around $125, and individual X-rays around $49 each. Where gum disease is found, a periodontal deep clean is $400 per quadrant or $1,600 full mouth, all-inclusive, with periodontal maintenance at $400 per appointment afterwards and not included in the $1,600. Every fee assumes the health fund contributes nothing; a written quote with item numbers is given before treatment, and no rebate is predicted. Berala Dental is a Bupa Members First Platinum and nib First Choice provider, accepts all Australian health funds and processes HICAPS on the spot. Cleans are carried out by dentists and oral health therapists; there is no specialist periodontist on site. English, Arabic and Urdu are spoken. Call (02) 9649 6468.

How much does a teeth clean cost in Australia?

There is no single national price for a teeth clean, because dental fees in Australia are set by each practice rather than by a government schedule. What a patient pays depends on whether the appointment is a clean alone or a check-up with X-rays and a clean, whether X-rays are billed separately, and whether fluoride, photos and a gum screening are included or added on. A clean-only visit is advertised at some practices from around $99. A full assessment with X-rays and a clean is usually a higher figure once each item is priced.

Berala Dental’s worked example is $250 for the assessment, X-rays and clean, with everything in that appointment inside the one fee. The sensible way to compare two quotes is the list of what each number buys, not the headline figure.

Why do teeth cleaning prices vary so much?

The main reason prices vary is that “a clean” is not one item. The Australian Dental Association’s item-number system lists the check-up, each X-ray, the scale and clean, the fluoride treatment and the periodontal chart as separate items, and a practice can quote them separately or bundle them.

The second reason is the X-rays. An OPG (the panoramic X-ray of the whole jaw) is commonly charged separately, often around $125, and each individual intraoral X-ray around $49. A new patient who needs an OPG plus 3 intraoral X-rays can therefore see the bill for a “$99 clean” grow considerably. Neither approach is wrong; a $99 clean may be exactly what a patient with healthy gums and recent X-rays needs. The point is to know what is and is not in the fee before the appointment, which is why Berala Dental gives a written quote with item numbers first.

What should a teeth cleaning fee include?

A first visit or check-up clean should include enough to actually assess the mouth, not just polish the teeth. The items that matter are: an examination by a dentist or oral health therapist; X-rays where decay between teeth or bone loss cannot be seen by eye; a periodontal screening, because gum disease usually causes no pain and people carry it for 5–10 years without knowing; the scale and clean itself; and fluoride to strengthen the enamel after the clean.

At Berala Dental, 184 Woodburn Road, Berala NSW 2141, all of those are in the $250 assessment, X-rays and clean. A written quote with item numbers is provided before anything else is done, and if a further X-ray is needed during the visit it is included rather than added to the bill.

What is included in Berala Dental’s $250 assessment, X-rays and clean?

The $250 fee at Berala Dental includes 3 intraoral X-rays, an OPG for new patients (then every 2–5 years as needed), intraoral photos, a PSR periodontal screening of the gums, the scale and clean, and fluoride treatment. The fluoride is included in the fee, not charged as an extra. The appointment is carried out by dentists and oral health therapists at Berala Dental.

The figure of $250 assumes the health fund contributes nothing. Patients with extras cover can claim on the spot through HICAPS, and Berala Dental is a Bupa Members First Platinum and nib First Choice provider, but the practice never predicts what a fund will pay; that is between the patient and their fund, and it varies by policy. What Berala Dental does promise is the written quote and the fixed inclusive fee.

How much do X-rays add to the cost of a clean?

When X-rays are billed separately in Australia, an OPG is commonly around $125 and each intraoral X-ray around $49. Added to a clean-only price, an OPG and 3 intraoral X-rays are the single biggest reason a quoted “clean” ends up costing more than expected.

At Berala Dental, none of those X-rays are billed on top of the $250. The OPG for new patients, the 3 intraoral X-rays and any additional X-ray the clinician judges necessary during the visit are all inside the fee. The claim is inclusive value, not a low price: $250 is the whole number.

Not sure whether you need X-rays this visit? The clinical team at Berala Dental will explain what is included before you decide.
Call (02) 9649 6468 · Book online · WhatsApp

Does a health fund pay for a teeth clean?

Most Australian health funds with extras cover include general dental, and a scale and clean is one of the most commonly claimed items. How much a fund pays depends on the policy, the annual limit, any waiting period and whether the practice is a preferred provider for that fund. Berala Dental is a Bupa Members First Platinum provider and an nib First Choice provider, and accepts all Australian health funds with HICAPS claiming on the spot.

Berala Dental does not predict a rebate or an out-of-pocket amount, because only the fund can confirm what a particular policy pays on a particular day. The $250 fee is quoted in full, the written quote lists the item numbers, and the patient can check those item numbers with their fund before the appointment if they want an estimate. Medicare does not cover adult teeth cleaning; the Child Dental Benefits Schedule applies to eligible children only.

When is a $250 clean not enough?

A regular clean removes plaque and calculus above the gumline in one visit and is the right treatment for healthy gums and for gingivitis. It is not enough when the periodontal screening finds pockets deeper than the healthy 1–3mm, bleeding on probing and bone loss on the X-rays, which means periodontitis. Calculus below the gumline cannot be reached in a regular clean.

In that case Berala Dental recommends a periodontal deep clean (scaling and root planing) at $400 per quadrant or $1,600 for the full mouth. That fee is all-inclusive: the OPG and all relevant X-rays, full six-point periodontal charting (valued at $150 on its own), intraoral photos, local anaesthetic at every visit and a home-care plan, across 1–4 visits. Periodontal maintenance afterwards is $400 per appointment, first at 3–4 months and then ongoing, and is not included in the $1,600. The $250 assessment is what identifies which of the two a patient actually needs.

How often should you pay for a professional clean?

For most adults with healthy gums, a check-up and clean every 6 months is the usual interval, so the $250 fee at Berala Dental is a twice-yearly cost. Patients with a history of periodontitis, heavy calculus build-up, or medical conditions that affect the gums may be advised to come every 3–4 months, and patients under periodontal maintenance at Berala Dental attend at that interval at $400 per appointment until the gums are stable, then move to bi-annual recalls after around 12 months.

Calculus, once formed, cannot be brushed off; only a scaler removes it. Two cleans a year usually keep the build-up small enough that each appointment stays a regular clean rather than escalating to a $1,600 deep clean.

Quick answers

How much is a teeth clean at the dentist in Australia?

Teeth cleaning in Australia is priced by each practice. A clean-only appointment is advertised at some practices from around $99, while a check-up with X-rays and a clean costs more once each X-ray is added. Berala Dental charges $250 for the assessment, X-rays and clean as one inclusive fee, with the OPG, 3 intraoral X-rays, photos, periodontal screening, the clean and fluoride all included.

What is a scale and clean?

A scale and clean is the removal of plaque and hardened calculus from the teeth with a scaler, followed by polishing. It works above the gumline and is completed in one visit. At Berala Dental it is part of the $250 assessment, X-rays and clean carried out by dentists and oral health therapists, and it is the standard treatment for healthy gums and gingivitis.

Does a health fund pay for a dental clean?

Most extras policies include general dental, and a scale and clean is commonly claimable, but the amount paid depends on the policy, the annual limit and any waiting period. Berala Dental accepts all Australian health funds, is a Bupa Members First Platinum and nib First Choice provider, processes HICAPS on the spot, and gives a written quote with item numbers so the patient can check with their own fund.

Why is a deep clean so much more expensive than a regular clean?

A deep clean treats periodontitis below the gumline under local anaesthetic over 1–4 visits, and at Berala Dental the $1,600 full-mouth fee includes X-rays, six-point periodontal charting, photos, anaesthetic and a home-care plan. A regular clean treats healthy gums or gingivitis above the gumline in one visit and is inside the $250 assessment fee.

How do you get a written quote for a clean at Berala Dental?

Every patient at Berala Dental receives a written quote with item numbers before treatment. For a standard visit the quote is the $250 assessment, X-rays and clean; if the periodontal screening finds gum disease, the deep-clean quote of $400 per quadrant or $1,600 full mouth is explained and written down before any of it starts, with the $400 maintenance appointments listed separately. Berala Dental is at 184 Woodburn Road, Berala NSW 2141, 5 minutes’ walk from Berala Station on the T3 line, with free street parking.

Berala Dental has looked after Berala families since 2002.
Call (02) 9649 6468 · Book online · WhatsApp

Related reading: check-up, X-rays and clean at Berala Dental · periodontal deep cleaning · regular clean vs deep clean · what a preferred provider means · Berala Dental fees · book a clean · healthdirect: dental care.

Page information current as of September 2026. Written and reviewed by Humzah Aly, Oral Health Therapist. This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personalised dental advice. Please see a dental practitioner to discuss what is right for you.