Serving Hillarys 6025
Family Dentistry for Hillarys, Four Minutes Up the Coast
Hillarys is a family suburb — Padbury Catholic, Sacred Heart, the nippers at the boat harbour, weekend sport at Whitfords Nodes. Most of what we do for Hillarys households reflects that: kids' check-ups, custom mouthguards before the season starts, and getting parents in and out inside a school run.
- Four minutes door to door from Hillarys Boat Harbour
- Appointments from 8:00am, so you can go before the school drop-off
- Custom-fitted sports mouthguards in club colours
- Child Dental Benefits Schedule accepted for eligible kids
- Whole family booked back-to-back on one trip
- Free parking directly outside — no harbour car park hunt
What Walks Through the Door From Hillarys
After years of seeing Hillarys families, some patterns are hard to miss. These are the four things we see most often from this postcode.
Knocked and chipped teeth from junior sport
Whitfords Nodes and the Hillarys foreshore fields keep us busy through winter. A tooth knocked clean out is a genuine emergency: pick it up by the crown, not the root, rinse it in milk or saliva rather than water, put it back in the socket if you can, and call us immediately. Reimplanted within 30 minutes the odds are good; after an hour they drop sharply. A chipped front tooth is less urgent but still worth a same-week visit.
Erosion from the beach-and-sports-drink habit
A lot of Hillarys teenagers train hard and rehydrate with sports drinks. Those sit around pH 3, which softens enamel, and the damage shows up as thinning, translucent edges on the front teeth long before anything hurts. We catch it on the six-monthly exam and it is very manageable early — mostly a matter of changing when and how the drink is taken rather than giving it up.
First visits for three and four year olds
Australian guidelines put the first dental visit at around age one, or within six months of the first tooth. Most Hillarys parents bring their first child closer to three. That is fine — but the visit works far better if we make it a ride in the chair and a count of the teeth rather than a treatment appointment. Book it as a happy visit, and book it when there is nothing wrong.
Adults who stopped going during the kids' years
It is extremely common. You keep the children's appointments and quietly skip your own for five or six years. There is no lecture here about it — the useful thing is to come back, get a full exam and x-rays so we know what we are dealing with, and stage the work in an order that suits your budget rather than doing everything at once.
Everything Available to Hillarys Patients
One practice for the whole household, from a toddler's first count of teeth to implants.
General Dentistry
Exams, scale and clean, fillings, and the preventive work that stops small problems becoming expensive ones.
Emergency Care
Slots held daily for knocked-out teeth, broken teeth and toothache — the sports-season staples.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Veneers, bonding and smile design, often for chipped front teeth that never got repaired properly.
Teeth Whitening
In-chair and custom take-home whitening, popular before weddings and the school ball season.
Dental Implants
Permanent replacement for a tooth that has been missing or failing for years.
Digital Dentistry
Intraoral scanning instead of gag-inducing impression trays — a favourite with children and anxious adults.
What Happens at a First Family Visit
So you can tell the kids exactly what to expect on the way down Whitfords Avenue.
- 01
A conversation first
Before anything goes near a mouth we ask about medical history, medications, past dental experiences and what is bothering you. If someone in the family is nervous, this is when to say so.
- 02
The examination
A tooth-by-tooth check, plus gums, bite and a screen of the soft tissues. Usually two small x-rays for adults to see between the teeth where the eye cannot reach.
- 03
You see what we see
Anything found goes up on the screen. It is much easier to make a decision about a cracked filling when you are looking at it rather than being told about it.
- 04
A written plan
You leave with the findings, item numbers, and costs in writing — including what can safely wait. Nothing beyond the exam and clean happens on the day unless you have agreed to it.
Hillarys Parents Ask Us These
Straight answers to the questions that come up at the front desk.
My son plays footy at Whitfords. Is a chemist mouthguard good enough?
For contact sport, no. Boil-and-bite guards from the chemist loosen as the jaw moves, so children push them out with their tongue or take them out to breathe — and a guard sitting in a sock does nothing. A custom guard is made from a mould of your child's teeth, stays put, and lasts a season. Given the cost of repairing a knocked-out front tooth, it is the cheapest insurance in junior sport. Come in before the season starts, not after round one.
How old should my child be at their first dental visit?
Around their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing, is the recommendation. Very little happens at that visit — we look, we count, we talk to you about bottles and brushing. The point is that the child meets a dentist while nothing is wrong. Children whose first visit is a filling at age six carry that with them for years.
Does the Child Dental Benefits Schedule cover us?
It covers children aged 0 to 17 in families receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A or certain other payments, with a capped amount available over a two-year period for basic services — exams, x-rays, cleans, fillings and extractions. It does not cover orthodontics or cosmetic work. Give us your child's Medicare details and we will check their remaining balance before you commit to anything.
A tooth got knocked out at the beach. What do I do right now?
Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown — the white part — never the root. Do not scrub it. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or the child's own saliva; water damages the cells on the root surface. If you can, push it gently back into the socket and have them bite on a clean cloth. If not, keep it in a cup of milk. Then call us straight away on (08) 9401 8060. Time is the single biggest factor in whether that tooth survives.
Can you see three kids and me in one visit?
Yes. Tell us the number and ages when you book and we will run consecutive appointments in one block. With younger children we usually put a parent in the chair first — watching Mum or Dad have their teeth counted removes most of the fear, and it means you are not trying to explain the chair to a four year old cold.
My teenager wants their teeth whitened. Is that safe at 15?
Generally we ask families to wait. Teenage enamel is still maturing and the pulp chamber is larger, which means more sensitivity for less result. There is also usually a simpler explanation for the colour — staining from a sports drink habit, or a single darker tooth after an old knock, which needs a different treatment entirely. Come in and let us look before you buy anything online. Most of the whitening kits sold to teenagers on social media are either useless or abrasive enough to do harm.
I have not seen a dentist since my youngest was born. Is it going to be bad?
Probably less bad than you have convinced yourself. Six or seven years without a check-up usually means some tartar, possibly a couple of small cavities, and gums that bleed for the first fortnight of proper flossing. It is a normal starting point, not a moral failing, and we will not lecture you about it. We do a full exam, put a plan in writing, and work through it in the order that makes sense for you.
Is there parking, or is it like the boat harbour on a Sunday?
Nothing like the boat harbour. We are on Koorana Road, a residential street one block back from Mullaloo Beach, with free off-street parking at the practice and unrestricted kerbside parking on the street. Pull up, walk in.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your appointment today and take the first step towards a healthier, more confident smile. Our friendly team is here to help!
New patients welcome • Same-day appointments available
We Also See Patients From These Suburbs
Neighbouring areas along the coast and inland.