The Practice Half Your Street Already Goes To

Book the first appointment in the morning

An afternoon appointment gives you an entire day to think about it. Morning slots mean less time spent dreading it, and you are less tired, which genuinely affects how you cope.

• 8:00am starts available
• Less anticipation time
• Get it done and get on with the day

Say it at the desk, not in the chair

Tell us when you book, so the appointment is built around it from the start. A longer slot cannot be created once you are already sitting down.

• Longer appointment allocated
• Agreed hand signal to stop
• Nothing done without warning

Bring someone, or bring headphones

A friend in the room is allowed. So are your own earphones and whatever you want to listen to — for many people the sound is most of the problem and removing it removes most of the fear.

• Support person welcome
• Headphones encouraged
• Breaks whenever you want one

I have not been to a dentist in over ten years. Honestly, how bad is this going to be?

The first appointment is almost certainly easier than you are imagining, because the first appointment is not treatment. It is an examination, some x-rays, and a conversation. Nothing gets drilled, nothing gets pulled, and you leave with a written plan and the ability to go home and think about it. The thing most long-absent patients say afterwards is that the anticipation was worse than the appointment, which is not us being reassuring — it is just what people report.

Will you tell me off for the state of my teeth?

No. It serves no purpose and we do not do it. We have seen every possible situation and none of it is shocking. What we will do is tell you clearly what is going on, including anything serious, because you cannot make a decision without accurate information. There is a difference between being told the facts and being told off, and you will only get the first one here.

How much is a check-up and clean?

We will tell you the exact fee when you call — we just will not print a figure on a webpage, because what you actually pay depends on your health fund and on whether x-rays are due, and a number here that turns out not to apply to you is worse than no number. Ring (08) 9401 8060 and ask; there is no obligation and it takes a minute. For anything beyond the exam and clean you get a written quote with item numbers before we begin.

What if I need a lot of work and cannot afford it all?

Then we sequence it. A written plan is broken into what is actively causing damage, what will cause damage inside a year, and what is cosmetic or optional. You do the first group now, and the rest as your budget and health fund limits allow — often across two calendar years, since extras limits reset on 31 December. Nobody is required to accept an entire plan at once, and we would much rather you did the urgent third than nothing at all.

I gag on everything. Can I even have x-rays taken?

Yes. Tell us, because there are real workarounds. Digital sensors are smaller than the old film packets. An external x-ray taken from outside the mouth avoids the problem entirely for many views. Intraoral scanning has replaced impression putty, which was historically the worst offender. Sitting more upright, breathing through the nose, and a little salt on the tongue all genuinely help. A strong gag reflex is a nuisance, not a barrier.

Can I stop partway through if I need to?

Yes, and we will agree how before we start — usually a raised hand. It stops the moment your hand goes up, every time, and you do not have to explain why. Knowing you have that control is often what makes the appointment possible, and being able to take three short breaks during a filling is not a problem for us.

Do you do sedation?

For most nervous patients good local anaesthetic, a slower pace and an agreed stop signal are enough, and that is where we start. If your anxiety is severe enough that you genuinely cannot be treated awake, that needs sedation or general anaesthetic delivered in an appropriate setting, and we will refer you rather than pretend otherwise. Come in and talk first — a lot of people who arrive convinced they need to be asleep find they do not.

Someone on my street recommended you. Can I say who?

You can, and it does not get you a discount, but it does help us — knowing you were sent by a patient we already treat tells us something about what you are expecting. We do not run a referral scheme and never have. If you like what happens here, tell the next neighbour; that is how this practice has always worked.