Last updated: June 2026
There's a federal government program that gives eligible children up to $1,095.44 in dental benefits over two years — and most families in Croydon, Ringwood, and Mooroolbark don't know it exists. It's called the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, or CDBS. It's funded through Medicare, it covers check-ups, cleans, fillings, x-rays, and extractions — and at Divine Dental Care, we bulk bill it. That means no out-of-pocket cost for you.
If your child goes to Yarra Road Primary, Sacred Heart, Croydon Hills Primary, Ruskin Park, Ainslie Parklands, or any school in the Maroondah area — and your family receives Family Tax Benefit Part A — there's a good chance they're eligible right now.
The CDBS is a Medicare program introduced by the federal government. It provides up to $1,095.44 per eligible child over a two-year calendar period (currently 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026). The balance rolls over within that two-year window, but resets when the next period starts.
It covers a wide range of dental services:
It does not cover orthodontics (braces), cosmetic work, or treatment in a hospital.
Your child qualifies for CDBS if they meet all three of these criteria:
In practice, most families with school-age children in Croydon and surrounding suburbs qualify. If you're receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A — which most families with a combined income under approximately $180,000 do — your children are almost certainly eligible.
You can check in three ways:
Medicare sends an eligibility letter at the start of each calendar year to families who qualify. If you received one and put it aside, it's worth checking — your child's balance may be sitting there unused.
This is the detail that saves families the most money, and almost nobody knows about it.
If you have private health insurance with dental extras, your family has a limited pool of dental benefits each year. Every time someone in the family goes to the dentist, it draws from that pool. When it's gone, you're paying full price for the rest of the year.
CDBS is completely separate from your private health fund. It's paid by Medicare, not your insurer. When your child's check-up is bulk billed through CDBS, it doesn't reduce your private health fund balance by a single dollar.
Here's what that means in practice for a family in Croydon Hills or Croydon North:
| Family Member | Funded By | Uses Private Health Fund? |
|---|---|---|
| Mum | Private health fund (BUPA, HCF, Medibank, etc.) | Yes |
| Dad | Private health fund | Yes |
| Child 1 (age 8) | CDBS through Medicare | No — separate funding |
| Child 2 (age 5) | CDBS through Medicare | No — separate funding |
The parents' check-ups use the private health fund. The kids' check-ups are covered entirely by CDBS. The private fund's annual limit stays intact for the parents — or for any treatments the kids need that CDBS doesn't cover (like orthodontic assessments).
Here's a typical scenario for a primary school child in Croydon over their two-year CDBS period:
| Visit | Treatment | Approx. CDBS Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Visit 1 (Year 1) | Check-up + clean + x-rays | ~$200 |
| Visit 2 (Year 1) | Check-up + clean + fissure sealants on first molars | ~$250 |
| Visit 3 (Year 2) | Check-up + clean + 1 filling | ~$280 |
| Visit 4 (Year 2) | Check-up + clean | ~$180 |
| Total used over 2 years | ~$910 | |
| Remaining balance | ~$185 | |
These are approximate amounts based on typical CDBS-scheduled fees. Actual costs depend on the specific treatments required. All figures are indicative only.
Four visits. Two years of preventive dental care. Every appointment bulk billed — you pay nothing at the time, nothing later, no claim form to submit. The $1,095 cap is generous enough to cover routine care plus minor treatments like fillings and sealants. For a healthy child with no major issues, it's usually more than enough.
If your child is between 6 and 12, ask about fissure sealants. These are thin protective coatings applied to the grooves of the back teeth (molars) — the ones that are hardest for kids to brush properly. They take a few minutes, they don't hurt, and they can prevent cavities from developing in the first place.
Fissure sealants are fully covered under CDBS. The best time to apply them is shortly after the adult molars come through — usually around age 6 for the first molars and age 12 for the second molars. If your child is at Croydon Hills Primary or Mooroolbark East Primary and they're in Prep to Grade 2, it's worth checking whether their first adult molars have come through yet.
If your child uses the full $1,095.44 before the two-year period ends, any further dental costs come out of your pocket (or your private health fund, if you have one). But for most children with good oral health, the balance covers all routine care comfortably.
When the two-year period resets, the full $1,095.44 becomes available again — provided your child still meets the eligibility criteria.
If your child needs significant treatment (multiple fillings, extractions, or other work), the CDBS balance can be used up faster. In those cases, our dentists will let you know when you're approaching the cap and discuss your options — including whether your private health fund can cover the remainder.
Some dental practices accept CDBS patients but don't bulk bill. Instead, they charge their standard fee and the CDBS benefit covers part of it — leaving you with a gap to pay.
At Divine Dental Care, we bulk bill CDBS. That means we accept the CDBS benefit as full payment — no gap, no co-payment, no claim form for you to submit. You bring your child, they get their check-up and treatment, and you leave without paying anything.
This is one of the reasons families from Ringwood, Bayswater, Kilsyth, and Mooroolbark drive to Croydon for their children's dental care. Bulk billing means the full $1,095 goes towards treatment, not towards covering gaps.
Taking a day off work to bring your child to the dentist isn't always practical — especially when you've got a child at Kalinda Primary in Ringwood and another at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Croydon Hills, and both need check-ups before the school holidays.
We're open Saturdays until 5pm. You can book siblings in back-to-back and get everyone seen in one visit. With 10 dentists and two hygienists on the team, we have the capacity to see your whole family in a single appointment block — no splitting visits across different weeks.
It takes about 30 seconds:
That's it. No referral needed, no paperwork to submit afterwards. We handle the Medicare claim on the spot.
We're at 59 Wicklow Avenue, Croydon — two minutes' walk from Croydon Station, with free parking on site. Open Monday to Friday until 6pm, Saturdays until 5pm.