Paying for treatment · AIM Healthcare Centre, Malanshof, Randburg
Medical aid & paying for treatment
Money is the part of dentistry nobody explains — so here it is, explained. How medical aid billing works at this practice, what your plan actually decides, and the one promise that never changes: we quote before we treat.
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Call nowHow billing works here
Every dental procedure has a code — a standard label that tells your scheme exactly what was done, from a check-up to a crown. Your scheme publishes a rate it pays against each code, and 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. That’s exactly how we work.
Codes and tariffs sound technical, but the effect is simple: the fee for your treatment follows the same published rates your scheme itself uses — no invented numbers, no premium mark-ups, and a quote in writing before anything starts.
What your plan actually decides
Whether a treatment is covered is decided by your plan, not by us — and plans differ. The same clean might be fully covered on one option and partly covered on another; most plans set an annual limit for dentistry, and once that limit is used up, the rest of the bill is yours.
Some treatments sit outside cover altogether — most schemes treat whitening as cosmetic, for example, which is why we give you the full price upfront before you decide anything. And where a plan pays less than the full fee, the difference is the co-payment: the part you cover yourself. You’ll know yours before treatment starts, not on the invoice afterwards.
What gap cover is
Gap cover is a separate insurance product — not part of your medical aid — designed to help with the difference between what your scheme pays and what treatment costs. Some gap cover products help with dental co-payments and some don’t, so it’s worth checking yours before big treatment rather than after.
We can’t tell you whether gap cover is worth it for you — that depends on your plan, your product and your teeth. What we can do is put the exact quote your gap cover provider will ask about in your hands, in writing, before anything goes ahead.
What actually happens at the front desk
Bring your medical aid card; the front desk confirms with your scheme before treatment starts. That’s the whole system — you don’t have to decode your own plan, and you never find out what was covered after the fact.
Tell us your scheme and plan when you book and we’ll tell you what it covers before you sit in the chair. If there’s a co-payment, you’ll hear it from us first — the quote comes before the treatment, always.
No medical aid? You’re just as welcome
Plenty of our patients pay for themselves, and the promise works exactly the same way: a proper look first, then the full price upfront, in writing, before you decide anything.
No surprise bills is the rule of the house, however you pay. Call or WhatsApp and the front desk will talk you through booking and what to expect.
Questions worth asking your scheme
A few minutes on the phone with your scheme before big treatment saves a lot of confusion later. Ask them:
- What does my plan pay for this procedure code, and at what rate?
- Do I have a separate dentistry limit, and how much of it is left this year?
- Which treatments does my plan treat as cosmetic or excluded?
- Does this treatment need pre-authorisation before I book it?
- If my plan pays less than the fee, how is the co-payment worked out?
Find your scheme
What each scheme’s published 2026 dental benefits look like in plain language, option by option — always subject to the benefit check we do before treatment. We claim directly from medical aids; you pay only co-payments and anything your plan doesn’t cover or has already used up.
- Discovery Health
- Bonitas
- Bestmed
- Fedhealth
- Momentum Medical Scheme
- Medshield
- Medihelp
- KeyHealth
- GEMS
- POLMED
- SAMWUMED
- Transmed
- Remedi
- Profmed
- Sizwe Hosmed
- CompCare (Universal)
- Genesis Medical Scheme
- Thebemed
- Makoti Medical Scheme
- Suremed Health / Medimed
- Bankmed / LA Health / Umvuzo / Platinum Health / Sasolmed and other employer schemes
No surprise bills.
Medical aid rates. We quote before we treat.
Tell us your plan when you book and we’ll tell you what it covers before you sit in the chair — and whatever we find, the quote lands in your hands before any treatment is booked.
Questions patients ask
Will my medical aid cover my dental treatment?
That depends on your plan, not on us — the same treatment can be fully covered on one option and partly covered on another, and annual limits differ too. Tell us your scheme and plan when you book and the front desk will confirm what’s covered before treatment starts.
What should I bring for medical aid billing?
Your medical aid card and your ID — that’s all the front desk needs to confirm your details with your scheme before treatment starts. Forgotten the card? Come anyway: bring your scheme and membership details and we’ll take it from there.
What is gap cover and do I need it?
Gap cover is separate insurance that helps with the difference between what your scheme pays and what treatment costs. Whether it’s worth it depends on your plan and your teeth — we’ll give you the written quote your provider will ask about, before anything starts.
Can I come to the dentist without medical aid?
Yes — patients paying for themselves are just as welcome, and the promise works the same way: a proper look first, then the full price upfront, in writing, before you decide anything. No surprise bills, however you pay.
Why is there no price list on this website?
Because an honest price follows what the examination finds — how deep the decay runs, how much healthy tooth is left to build on. We work at medical aid rates and we quote before we treat, so the number you get is real, in writing, and yours before anything starts.
What are dental codes and tariffs?
Every dental procedure has a standard code, and medical aid schemes publish the rate they pay against each one. A practice working at medical aid rates sets its fees in line with those published rates — which is how we work, and why our quotes hold no surprises.
The full walkthrough of quotes, co-payments and what moves the number is in our honest guide to dental costs.
Wondering about something else? The FAQ page answers the questions we hear most