Children’s dental

Did you know 50% of children under the age of 6 suffer from dental decay? Dental care is important right from the start – even before teeth start appearing.

When should you book their first dentist appointment?

Our dentists recommend booking an appointment when your baby’s first tooth erupts and definitely before their first birthday.

Your child’s first dental visit

Our dentists are highly experienced in working with children and understand that some might find the dentist a little bit scary. Our team will always try to make check-ups fun and explain what they’ll be doing and why – your child’s comfort is our first priority.

During their appointment, our dentists will:

• Understand their medical history and overall health.
• Examine their teeth and check for decay.
• Check their bite (how your child’s teeth come together).
• Look for any potential problems.
• Discuss teething, thumb-sucking and brushing.
• Give nutritional advice for preventing decay.
• Make recommendations on how often to book their routine checks.

Ask as many questions as you need; we want you as a parent to feel comfortable and confident in looking after your child’s oral health.

Fissure sealants for children

The biting surface of molar teeth can have deep grooves that are almost impossible to clean with a toothbrush. Plaque and food debris become easily trapped and can eventually lead to tooth decay. Fissure sealants are a hard protective coating that our dentists use to seal these deep grooves and prevent decay.

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule

We welcome all patients claiming under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

This is a Medicare dental benefits program for eligible children aged from 2 to 17 years old. Benefits cover a range of services including:

• Examinations
• X-rays
• Cleaning
• Fissure sealants
• Fillings
• Root canals and extractions.

Benefits for basic dental services are capped at $1,000 per child over two consecutive calendar years. If you do not use all of your $1,000 benefits in the first year of eligibility, you can use it in the second year if you are still eligible. Any remaining balance will not be carried forward at the end of the second year.

You are encouraged to keep a personal record of your limit throughout the course of the two-year eligibility period. Medicare benefits claimed at a dentist outside of Health Partners will affect your $1,000 limit if you return to our practice for further treatment.

What to do if you’re claiming under this scheme

Please advise if you wish to use this program when booking your appointment and remember to bring your Medicare card to each appointment. Children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to give consent for the treatment to take place.