Roarer,
Thank you, I find this a very important issue. I strongly agree with you that Australia’s dental health scheme is a total disgrace.
Funding for dental programs should be increased. Dental care, like other health care aspects, should be covered by Medicare; it is a public need and the government should be at our service...

More dental training places should be created, including training places for dental hygienists.

Steel,
dental health is a health issue.
We’re not talking about the government funding fancy tooth art; we’re talking about dental hygiene education, tooth decay and gum disease.
Perhaps you don’t fully realise that tooth decay is a serious health issue. It is!

http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourhealth/a2004-03-02-gumming.html
“Mounting evidence shows a link between periodontal disease—chronic infection of the gums—and a host of serious and sometimes life-threatening medical problems, from heart disease and stroke to diabetes and respiratory disease.”
Also, bad teeth do have a negative effect on social interaction. Think of bad breath, applying for jobs, the embarrassment and depression a mouthful of decaying teeth can cause a person.

Sorry, Steel; I obviously didn't mean you, I meant to address Leigh.

fester,
you're absolutely right. more funding does not solve problems such as lack of self-control re junk food & soft drinks. neither does it stop marketeers from pushing their dreadful products. pointing the finger in the right direction as you rightly state actually means pointing it towards and yes you guessed right, bureaucracy . what is the most common hurdle when decent, community minded people try to make a difference ? bureaucratic gobbledygook and right-out nonsence. isn't it bureaucracy who provides licenses & permits which makes it legal for marketeers to ambush society. this includes unhealthy food, violence related toys & all other insane crap. health is not only teeth. it's mind n'all. just look at tv commercials. every 100 seconds the same commercial is being played 24/7. ever checked how much tooth-destroying junk food is legally pushed. yes they do show the odd tooth paste but the crap still heavily outweighs the sensible. how much should society fork out for drug rehabilitaion ? where do we draw the line for people with no self control ? when do we bail up bureaucracy & make it accountable for making life so miserable for people that they lose self control. if society wants people to behave better then they must be given to opportunity to do so. for a start to a healthier society, (mind, body & attitude) we have to have national service (not military) for every 19 year old for 6 months.

Last year, I needed two crowns and a root canal treatment for the tooth which hadn't had this done. I asked a local dentist for a quote. I didn't get a quote, I got an estimate. The estimate did not include the root canal treatment or X-rays. I think he was trying to keep his price down so as not to scare me off and would have slugged me anyway.

I've been a regular holiday visitor to Bali for many years. I'd had a dentist there recommended to me by a Perth friend. I emailed this dentist and got a quote and instructions on how to contact him. My lady friend and I booked a 15 day holiday, staying in nice hotels and eating and drinking in nice restaurants etc. Our total holiday cost, including the dental treatment, was less than I would have had to pay the Perth dentist.

The Bali clinic was more modern than any I have been to in Australia. No pain, no discomfort, a top job. Several of my friends have since been to this clinic and all have been very satisfied.

I have been told that many Brits go to Spain for dental treatment and many West Europeans to Eastern Europe for the same reason, to save money and still get a top job

Thanks for calling me an idiot, Steve, and showing everyone how you deal with diversity of opinion. Your are a real intellectual. A bloke worth taking notice of.

I don't know what people like you hope to achieve by calling others names. I've been called quite a few, and I feel just the same. Perhaps you should try an effigy and pins. I'll let you know if I feel anything.

You and a few other misguided people need to try addressing the subject put up by roarer, and others, rather than abusing people with whom you disagree.

Another person mistakenly addressed a remark to someone which was meant for me. Why would anyone bother? I have my opinion, they have theirs. When someone takes the trouble to raise a subject, I'm quite happy to join in with them if the subject interests me. However, I have no interest in what other people think of that subject or of my opinion

Rex,
Well, that's the best trip to the dentist I have ever heard of!
You're a wise man and you seem to have a lot of fun in life- even when going to a dentist!

Leigh,
"However, I have no interest in what other people think of that subject or of my opinion"

I suppose I (and some other people) have to get used to your way of discussing things, because it's a little different from the way things normally are being discussed on OLO.

Yours, like everybody else's opinon, should be respected and heard, and I do agree with you that namecalling isn't the best way to discuss things.
But really, you can't expect people not to react to your opinions; in most people's view, a discussion forum is there to enable people to discuss things, to interact, to share opinions and information.

It is only to be expected that other people react or even criticise to the content of anyone's post, including yours.

Discussing opinions about a topic is the whole point of an opinion forum.

BTW, if I address the wrong person there is nothing wrong with correcting that error, is there?