Advice · 21 July 2026 · 5-minute read

How dental costs actually work in Randburg (an honest guide)

Nobody likes a mystery bill — least of all at the dentist. So here’s how the money actually works: no numbers pulled from thin air, just the mechanism, explained the way we’d explain it across the front desk.

Toothache right now? We keep same-day slots — and we answer.

Call now

Why most treatment can’t be priced before an examination

The cost of dental work follows what the dentist finds: how deep the decay runs, how much healthy tooth is left to build on, whether the nerve is involved, what the gum around it is doing. None of that is visible over the phone.

For most treatment — crowns, root canals, gum work — a number given before anyone has looked is a guess dressed up as a promise, and guesses tend to grow once reality is in the chair. The honest sequence is the boring one: look first, explain what was found, then put a price on it. The one fair exception is a straightforward emergency visit, where a clear description over the phone lets a practice tell you what walking in will cost — which is exactly why our front desk asks three quick questions before you arrive. Either way, the test is the same: the number comes before the treatment, never after.

Medical aid rates, in plain language

Every dental procedure has a code, and medical aid schemes publish the rate they pay against each one. When a practice says it works at medical aid rates, it means its fees are set in line with those published rates rather than above them — which is exactly how we work.

Two things still vary. Plans differ: the same clean might be fully covered on one option and partly covered on another. And where a plan pays less than the full fee, the difference is the co-payment — the part you cover yourself. A good practice tells you what your plan covers and what the co-payment will be before you’re in the chair, not on the invoice afterwards.

What actually moves the number

Three things, mostly. Complexity: a small chip that can be bonded in one sitting is a different job from a deep crack that needs a crown. Materials and lab work: a crown or veneer is made for your tooth, often by a dental laboratory, and that craftsmanship is part of the cost. And visits: some fixes are done in a single appointment, while something like an implant is deliberately staged over months.

This is why two people who both “had a filling” can pay different amounts — and why a written quote for your tooth beats any price list ever printed.

The quote comes before the treatment. Always.

Once we’ve had a proper look, you get the quote — in writing, in plain language, before anything starts. If there’s more than one way to fix the problem, the quote spells out the options with the price of each, so you choose with the numbers in front of you.

Bigger work is staged: implant and bridge quotes break the cost into steps, so you can see what happens when. And if something mid-treatment ever changes the picture, the work stops and the conversation happens first. No surprise bills — that’s the whole promise.

Questions worth asking any dentist about money

Take these four questions to any practice — the answers tell you most of what you need to know:

Can I have the quote in writing before we start?
What does my plan cover for this, and what will my co-payment be?
What are my options, and what does each one cost?
What happens to the price if you find something more once you’ve started?

How it works here

At Randburg Dentist the mechanism is simple: we work at medical aid rates and we quote before we treat — always. Tell us your plan when you book and the front desk will tell you what it covers before you sit down. In an emergency, we ask three quick questions on the phone and tell you what it will cost before you arrive.

No medical aid? Same promise, same order: a proper look, then the full price upfront, in writing, before you decide anything. Call or WhatsApp and the front desk will talk you through it.

Ready when you are. Even if it’s been years.

Booking takes about a minute — or talk to us first and ask anything you like. Everything gets explained before it happens, in plain language.

Book online Talk to us

Questions patients ask

Why won’t a dentist give me a price over the phone?

Because the cost follows what the examination finds — how deep the decay runs, how much healthy tooth is left, whether the nerve is involved. A number quoted for an unseen tooth is a guess; the honest sequence is a proper look, then a written quote.

What is a co-payment at the dentist?

It’s the gap between what your medical aid pays for a procedure and the full fee. Plans differ, so the same treatment can carry different co-payments on different options — we tell you yours in the quote, before treatment, never on the invoice afterwards.

Do you charge medical aid rates?

Yes — our fees are set in line with the rates medical aid schemes publish, and we quote before we treat. Tell us your plan when you book and the front desk will tell you what it covers, and what any co-payment would be, before you sit in the chair.

What if I don’t have medical aid?

The promise works exactly the same way: a proper look first, then the full price upfront, in writing, before you decide anything. Call or WhatsApp the front desk and they’ll talk you through booking and what to expect.