NobleDentist dental plan gaining momentum in Australia

The value of dental plans in the United States and United Kingdom has long been recognised, with well over one hundred million people in the United States alone currently members of a dental plan of some kind. Despite its international success and Australia's ongoing dental crisis, it is only in recent years that the concept has gained momentum here, following the launch of NobleDentist in 2006.

Through a model that benefits both patients and dentists, NobleDentist provides new patients to participating dentists and reduced dental fees for members. The concept is based upon highly successful US and UK dental plans, which have been established for several decades.

NobleDentist is currently the fastest growing dental cover in Australia, with membership quadrupling in 2009 and expected to quadruple again in 2010. As NobleDentist is not health insurance, members pay a low annual fee and are not restricted by waiting periods, annual limits and treatment exclusions. This leads to increased patient numbers and treatment acceptance.

The NobleDentist process is simple and effective for both participating dentists and members. When members visit a participating dentist, they present their membersip card. Members are charged reduced fees and participating dentists receive their full payment in accordance with the NobleDentist Fee Schedule immediately after each appointment.

Founder of NobleDentist, Dion Kramer, said he expected the concept to be popular due to the incredible success of similar overseas plans, but demand had exceeded his expectations and the company was now poised to make the dental plan concept as highly regarded as in the US and UK.

"Dental plans are immensely popular overseas, yet despite Australia's dental crisis and the need to bring patients and dentists together, no quality dental plan had been established here, which is why I decided to start NobleDentist," Mr Kramer said.

"The demand we are experiencing for NobleDentist is testimony to the long overdue need for a quality dental plan in Australia. In the past 12 months the number of dental practitioners involved has tripled and our number of members has quadrupled.

"Feedback we are receiving is very positive from all perspectives as participating dentists are receiving more patients through their doors and patients are benefiting from reduced dental fees," he said.

Despite being a Brisbane-based company, NobleDentist has expanded across Australia in just three short years and currently has participating dentists in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast as well as some regional areas in New South Wales.

Mr Kramer said within the next 12 months NobleDentist aimed to have an increased number of participating dentists in existing areas and have participating dentists in each Australian state.

"In addition to having thousands of members, we also have thousands of people on waiting lists eagerly awaiting NobleDentist to become available in their town or city and we would like to meet that demand as soon as practicable," he said.

"We believe that our success is based upon the fact that by becoming a participating dentist with NobleDentist, dental practitioners can attract patients that are motivated to receive treatment without having to spend time and money organising costly advertising. Additionally, members save money on their dental fees, therefore it's a win-win situation."

Mr Kramer said the NobleDentist model was extremely beneficial for participating dentists as there is greater treatment acceptance because members can save on all minor, major and cosmetic treatment, thus increasing patient gratitude and loyalty.

"The process is also uncomplicated for participating dentists and members. Members are not restricted by waiting periods, annual limits, and treatment exclusions. The membership fee for patients is also the most affordable of any dental cover in the country which means more patients for participating dentists."

"Participating dentists receive new patients in addition to establishing a significant online presence as a result of the NobleDentist website, which is currently the best rated dental website on Google. Our website was awarded one of the 'Top 10 Most Visited Websites' in the field of health by internet authority, Hitwise Australia," he said.

To meet demand, NobleDentist is currently accepting applications from dental practitioners wishing to become participating dentists. There is no cost to become and remain a participant of NobleDentist, and selected dental practitioners will secure the opportunity to exclusively service their area.

"We welcome applications from quality and ethical dental practitioners that would like to attract more patients and look forward to working together to improve oral health in Australia," he said.