Last updated: June 2026
If you're with Medibank and your dentist isn't a Members' Choice Advantage provider, you're probably paying more than you need to. Not because your cover is wrong — because of where you go.
Medibank runs a preferred provider network called Members' Choice. Within that network, there are two tiers — and the tier your dentist sits on determines whether your check-up costs you $0 out of pocket or $60 to $100 in gap payments every time.
Divine Dental Care at 59 Wicklow Avenue, Croydon is a Medibank Members' Choice Advantage provider — the highest tier. Here's what that means for your family in real terms.
Medibank has two provider tiers for dental, plus the option of going out-of-network entirely. Most people with extras cover don't realise there's a difference — they see "Medibank accepted here" and assume the benefits are the same everywhere. They're not.
| Provider Type | What It Means | Check-up Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Non-network dentist | Dentist sets their own fees. Medibank pays your standard rebate only. | You get a rebate, but the gap can be significant |
| Members' Choice | Agreed fees with Medibank. Lower costs than non-network. | 100% back on 1 check-up/year (x-rays excluded on some policies) |
| Members' Choice Advantage | Highest tier. Agreed fees, highest rebates, extra benefits. | 100% back on up to 2 check-ups/year (including x-rays) |
The difference between the two tiers isn't small. At a standard Members' Choice provider, members with Healthy Living Extras get one check-up at 100% back — and x-rays may not be included. At a Members' Choice Advantage provider like Divine Dental Care, eligible members get up to two check-ups per year at 100% back, including bitewing x-rays where clinically required.
And here's the part most people miss: those check-ups don't count towards your annual limits. Your regular dental benefit pool stays untouched — available for fillings, crowns, or anything else that comes up during the year.
When Medibank says 100% back on a check-up at a Members' Choice Advantage provider, they mean the full appointment — not just the exam. For eligible members with extras cover (held for two months or more), this includes:
At a non-network dentist, each of those items gets billed separately at the dentist's own rate, and Medibank pays a fixed rebate per item. The gap between what the dentist charges and what Medibank pays back is yours to cover.
Benefits depend on your specific Medibank extras policy and remaining annual limits. Members must have held eligible extras cover for at least two months. Members on Healthy Living Extras receive 100% back on one check-up per year at a Members' Choice Advantage provider. Check your policy details or contact us — we'll confirm your entitlements when you book.
Here's where it gets concrete. A standard check-up with x-rays and a clean at a non-network Melbourne dentist typically runs between $250 and $350. Medibank's rebate on those items might cover $160 to $200, leaving you with a gap of $60 to $150 per visit.
At a Members' Choice Advantage provider, the fee is agreed with Medibank — and for eligible members, Medibank covers it in full.
| Non-Network Dentist | Members' Choice Advantage (Divine Dental) | |
|---|---|---|
| Check-up + clean + x-rays | ~$300 | Agreed Medibank rate |
| Medibank pays back | ~$190 | 100% of agreed fee |
| Your gap (per visit) | ~$110 | $0* |
| Family of 4 × 2 visits/yr (8 visits total) | ~$880 | $0* |
*Figures are approximate and based on typical non-preferred provider fees in Melbourne's Outer East. Actual amounts vary depending on your specific Medibank extras policy, your dentist's fees, and your remaining annual limits. At a Members' Choice Advantage provider like Divine Dental Care, eligible members receive 100% back on check-ups at agreed fees.
Let's put real structure around this. A family of four — two parents working in the Maroondah area, two kids at Yarra Road Primary — all on a Medibank family extras policy.
| Who | What They Use | Out of Pocket |
|---|---|---|
| Mum (check-up × 2) | Medibank extras — 100% back at Members' Choice Advantage | $0 |
| Dad (check-up × 2) | Medibank extras — 100% back at Members' Choice Advantage | $0 |
| Child 1 (check-up × 2) | CDBS (Medicare) — bulk billed | $0 |
| Child 2 (check-up × 2) | CDBS (Medicare) — bulk billed | $0 |
| Total (8 visits) | $0 |
At a non-network dentist, the same eight appointments could cost that family close to $900 in gap payments across the year. At Divine Dental Care, they pay nothing for their preventive care — and their Medibank annual limits stay largely intact for anything else that comes up.
If you've got children aged 0 to 17 and your family receives Family Tax Benefit Part A (or certain other government payments), your kids are likely eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). This is a federal Medicare program — completely separate from your Medibank private health cover.
Under CDBS, each eligible child gets up to $1,158 in dental benefits over a two-year period. Check-ups, cleans, fillings, x-rays, fissure sealants — all covered. At Divine Dental Care, we bulk bill CDBS, so your child pays nothing out of pocket. Full eligibility and cap detail is on our CDBS dentist in Croydon page.
Here's the part families in Croydon Hills, Mooroolbark, and Heathmont often don't realise: you cannot claim the same service under both CDBS and private health insurance. But you can use them strategically. Use CDBS first for your children's routine dental care. If the CDBS balance runs out within the two-year period, your Medibank extras kicks in for subsequent treatments.
And because you're using CDBS for the kids, your Medibank annual limits stay untouched — available for Mum and Dad's fillings, crowns, or any other dental work that comes up during the year. Many parents we see from Ringwood East and Bayswater have been using their private health fund for their children's check-ups when CDBS could have covered it at no cost — leaving more of their extras benefits available for the treatments that actually need them.
The 100% back benefit applies to preventive care — check-ups, cleans, x-rays, and fluoride. For everything else — fillings, extractions, crowns, root canals, dentures, implants — you'll get a rebate from Medibank, but there will typically be a gap.
The advantage of being at a Members' Choice Advantage provider for these treatments is that we charge Medibank's agreed fees. The fees are set and predictable — you know what you'll pay before treatment starts. At a non-network dentist, the fee is whatever they choose to charge, and Medibank's rebate stays the same regardless. That double hit — higher fee, same rebate — is why gaps feel so steep at non-network practices.
You can also use Medibank's Out of Pocket Estimator in the My Medibank app before your appointment. It gives you an estimate of what you'll pay based on your specific policy and the treatment planned. We encourage every patient to check this — no surprises is how dental should work.
Here's a benefit that flies under the radar. Medibank members on eligible extras covers (except Healthy Living Extras) earn 1,000 Live Better Rewards points for each dental check-up at a Members' Choice Advantage provider — up to 2,000 points per year.
Those points have real value. You can redeem 5,000 points for a $50 reduction on your dental gap, or put them towards your Medibank premium. At 25,000 points, you save $200 on your annual premium. For a family where both parents earn check-up points across the year, it adds up over time.
You don't earn these points at a non-network dentist. It's one more quiet benefit of choosing Members' Choice Advantage that most people don't think about until someone points it out.
The Maroondah corridor — Croydon, Croydon Hills, Croydon North, Ringwood, Heathmont, Kilsyth — has a catchment of around 128,000 people. Median age sits between 38 and 39. Home ownership rates are high — between 70% and 89% in some pockets. These are suburbs full of families carrying mortgages, paying school fees at Sacred Heart or Kalinda Primary or Mooroolbark East Primary, and trying to make their health insurance actually earn its keep.
These aren't families without health cover — they're families who have it and want it to work properly. When you're paying $3,000 to $6,000 a year in Medibank premiums for a family policy with extras, the difference between a dentist who gives you 100% back and one who leaves you with a $110 gap every visit is material. Over five years of family dental care, that's potentially thousands of dollars in unnecessary out-of-pocket costs.
And for families who've recently moved into Bayswater or Kilsyth — maybe downsizing from closer to the city, maybe buying their first home in a suburb where the median house price is still manageable — choosing a dentist is one of those early logistics decisions. If you're already with Medibank, checking whether your new dentist is Members' Choice Advantage isn't a luxury. It's basic financial sense.
Before your next appointment, check three things:
Not sure about any of this? Call us on (03) 9725 8040. Our reception team can check your Medibank cover status when you book and confirm what you'll get back. We process everything through HICAPS on the spot — you swipe your Medibank card, see exactly what's covered, and pay only the gap (if there is one) before you leave.
Getting a family of four to the dentist during the working week is a logistics exercise most Croydon parents know too well. Picking kids up from Ruskin Park Primary or Croydon Hills Primary at 3:30, racing to an appointment, and hoping the practice is still open — it's stressful and it's why families push check-ups back month after month until half the year is gone.
Divine Dental Care is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm and Saturdays 8:30am to 5pm. With 10 dentists on the team, we can often book the whole family into the same Saturday morning session. You're in and out by lunchtime, and you've still got the afternoon free for Eastland or the Croydon Market.
For families in Ringwood and Bayswater where Mandarin or Cantonese is spoken at home, choosing a dentist starts with a practical question: can they explain my treatment and my health fund cover in my language?
Dr Cedric Ong speaks Mandarin. Dr Chris So speaks Cantonese. Both are experienced general dentists who can walk you through your Medibank benefits, explain your treatment options, and answer your questions in the language you're most comfortable with. The Members' Choice Advantage benefits work the same regardless of which language you discuss them in.
Divine Dental Care holds QIP accreditation — the Quality Innovation Performance standard for Australian dental practices. It covers infection control, equipment maintenance, clinical governance, and patient safety protocols. It's not something patients usually ask about, but it's the kind of thing that matters when you're choosing where your family goes twice a year for the next decade.
If you're with Medibank and you haven't used your dental benefits this year, they're sitting there unused. At a Members' Choice Advantage provider, a check-up with x-rays and a clean may cost you nothing out of pocket — and you'll earn Live Better Rewards points on top.
Benefits don't roll over. Once your policy year resets, unused benefits are gone.
Call (03) 9725 8040 or book online. Mention you're with Medibank and we'll confirm your Members' Choice Advantage benefits when you arrive.
We're at 59 Wicklow Avenue, Croydon — two minutes from Croydon Station, with free parking on site. Open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm, Saturdays 8:30am to 5pm.