Why We Don't Offer Free Dental Consultations

You've seen the ads: "FREE dental consultation!" So it's a fair question — why does Berala Dental charge for something other clinics give away?

The short answer: because a free consultation is never really free. Someone always pays for it. We'd rather be upfront about how, and let you decide who you trust with your mouth.

The honest economics of a "free" consult

A consultation costs a dental practice real money — the clinician's time, the room, the sterilised instruments, often X-rays. When a clinic gives that away, the cost doesn't disappear. It has to come back from somewhere, and there's only one place it can come from: the treatment plan you're handed at the end.

That creates a quiet pressure most patients never see. If the consult was free, the visit only "works" for the clinic when you say yes to treatment — and the bigger the plan, the better. It doesn't make anyone dishonest, but it tilts the table. The advice and the sales pitch start to blur.

We don't want that pressure anywhere near our treatment rooms. When you pay a fair, transparent fee for our time, our only job in that appointment is to give you an honest answer — including "you don't need anything done." A consultation that ends with "everything looks fine, see you in six months" is a good outcome for you and a perfectly good outcome for us.

What we charge instead — and exactly what you get

Our consultation pricing is deliberately simple, and it's the same story you'll find on our fees page:

• $80 — focused consultation. One specific problem — a wisdom tooth that's aching, a chipped filling, a tooth that's keeping you up at night. We examine that problem, take a targeted X-ray if it's clinically needed, and give you straight answers and options. And here's the part we're proud of: if we go ahead with treatment in the same visit/same day, the $80 goes toward that treatment. If a filling costs $250, you pay $250 — not $330.
• $120 — full treatment plan. The comprehensive workup: a full examination, an OPG, bitewing and anterior X-rays, intraoral photos of what we find, a periodontal clinical analysis if your gums call for it (a service valued at $150 on its own), and a complete written treatment plan you can take home, sit with, and compare.
• $150 — full treatment plan with Dr Belal Aly. Everything in the $120 plan, carried out personally by the principal dentist — with his complete insight and honest take on what's worth doing, what can wait, and what you shouldn't bother with. The plan is emailed or printed on request.

Treatment plans are exclusive of the treatment itself — the plan is the roadmap, quoted in writing, so you always know the numbers before anything happens. Second opinions are genuinely welcome; bring your other quote and we'll tell you what we honestly think of it.

"But the clinic down the road does it for free…"

And that's fine — free consults aren't a scam, and plenty of good dentists offer them. Just walk in with your eyes open: ask what the consultation includes, whether X-rays are extra, and how the clinic makes that visit pay for itself. If the answers are clear and the dentistry is good, great. If every free consult somehow ends in a large treatment plan, you already know what the consult really cost.

The one genuine exception: kids on the CDBS

There is one situation where a visit really does cost eligible families nothing out of pocket — and it's not a marketing trick, it's Medicare. Under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), Medicare pays the clinic directly for eligible children's dental care, up to a set benefit cap. We bulk-bill CDBS visits, so there's no out-of-pocket cost for covered services. That's a government program doing exactly what it's designed to do — not a loss-leader. You can check your child's CDBS eligibility here.

The bottom line

We charge for consultations because honest advice is worth paying for — and because you deserve an opinion that isn't quietly funded by the treatment plan attached to it. $80 for a focused answer, $120 for the complete picture, $150 for the complete picture with our principal dentist. No pressure, no upsells, no hidden fees.

Ready when you are: book online, call (02) 9649 6468, or start with our consultation page. English, Arabic and Urdu are spoken at our clinic.

This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personalised dental advice. Please see a dentist to discuss what's right for you.