The Pambula Village Dental Practice

Frequently Asked Questions at Pambula Village Dental Practice

Below you'll find answers to the questions we get asked the most at Pambula Village Dental Practice. Simply click on the question you want answered.

If your child develops a toothache, book an appointment with your dentist straight away. In the meantime, rinse your child's mouth with salty water and/or use paracetamol for pain relief. If facial swelling is present, your child needs to see a dentist as soon as possible. These recommendations do not apply to babies who are teething. *Ref Australian Dental Association.

 

Deciduous (baby) teeth

If your child knocks out a 'baby' tooth, remain calm and follow the steps listed below:

  1. Find the tooth, and hold it by the crown only, not the root.
  2. If it is a baby tooth, do not reinsert back into the mouth. If you are unsure, place the tooth in milk or saliva to transport it to your dentist.
  3. See your dentist straight away.

NOTE: The crown is the part of the tooth visible inside the mouth while the root anchors the tooth to the jawbone and is not normally visible. Depending on your child's age, the baby tooth may not have much root structure remaining. This is because the root resorbs for the tooth to become loose before falling out.

Permanent (adult) teeth

Remain calm and act quickly, ideally try to see your dentist within 30 minutes:

  1. Find the tooth, and hold it by the crown only, not the root.
  2. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it in milk or tap water very briefly. Do not scrub it.
  3. Place the tooth back in position inside the mouth.
    • Make sure it is facing the right way around.
    • Gently bite down on soft cloth or tissue or use aluminium foil or your mouthguard to hold it in place.
  4. If you can’t replant the tooth, transport it to your dentist in milk or saliva. Do not store in water.

NOTE: The crown is the part of the tooth visible inside the mouth while the root anchors the tooth to the jawbone and is not visible normally.

DO NOT:
  • Do not wrap the tooth in paper towel or a serviette.
  • Do not store the tooth in water when transporting it to the dentist.
  • Do not scrub the root surface of the tooth when rinsing it.
  • Do not delay seeing a dentist, the sooner you do, the better the long-term outcome may be.
Other dental injuries

Alternate forms of trauma to the teeth can include injuries causing a tooth or multiple teeth to become:

  1. Moved from their original position, e.g. pushed backwards
    • Try to move the teeth gently back to their original position and close the mouth with a soft cloth or tissue between the front teeth.
  2. Cracked, chipped or fractured
    • If you find the fractured tooth fragment, take it with you to the dentist.
  3. Loose/mobile
  4. Pushed up into the gums and bone – the tooth may no longer be visible

For any of these types of trauma, it is best to visit your dentist as soon as possible.

 

Fillings vary in cost from small chip repairs to complex reconstructions. We recommend patients come in for an examination that will include a full treatment plan and costing if additional treatment is required. Our friendly receptionist will help you further with any queries.

 

Booking for in house teeth whitening is a great way to get an instant result! Your appointment will include a clean prior to treatment, impressions for your own customised take home bleaching trays and the 1 hour treatment session.

At the end of the appointment you will take home a kit with some relief gel, bleaching syringes and your bleaching trays to 'touch up' your whitened teeth and keep your smile bright. Including the scale and clean, the cost is $700.00.

 

Our practice now offers Afterpay.

 

It will vary depending on the person's need. For most people it will 12 months, however some people may need a clean, for example, every 6 months.

 

It is recommended that children have their first visit to the dentist at approximately 12 months of age.

 

Medicare covers some eligible patients under the Oral Fee for Service Scheme for those patients with a health care card, Commonwealth Dental Benefits Scheme for children under 17 and Veterans. Please see below for details.

 

Our practice accepts NSW Health OHFFSS treatment vouchers. These vouchers entitle the healthcare card holder to free treatment at our practice and cover 3 main areas:

  1. Emergency Care Voucher: This voucher entitles the patient to emergency treatment for 1 tooth excluding Root Canal Therapy.
  2. General Care Voucher: This voucher is for non-urgent care such as examinations, Xrays, cleans, fillings, extractions.
  3. Denture Voucher

 

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) provides eligible families with children aged 2-17 years old with access to a benefit of $1,000.00 for eligible dental services over a 2 calendar year period.

The CDBS provides benefits for a range of dental services including

Bulk Billed:

  • dental check-ups
  • x-rays
  • teeth cleaning
  • fissure sealing

A gap fee will apply to the following services as quoted prior to treatment:

  • fillings
  • root canals
  • tooth extractions

Benefits are not available for orthodontics or cosmetic dental work and cannot be paid for any services provided in a hospital.

 

The CDBS continues to be means tested, which requires of Family Tax Benefit Part A or a relevant Australian Government payment.

Your child is eligible when:

  • they are eligible for Medicare
  • they are between 2 and 17 years old for at least 1 day that year
  • you or they get an eligible payment at least once that year

 

We welcome Veterans. As a holder of a Gold Card or White Card with the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), you are eligible to receive treatment at our practice through the Medicare Benefits Scheme.

 

Depending on the level of private health cover you have, dental treatment is usually covered if you have 'extras' included. Our receptionist can supply you with the relevant item codes so you can contact your fund to find out how much you incur in out-of–pocket expenses.

Our practice has the HICAPS in house claims system. We will process your claim on the spot so you only need to pay the gap.

 

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