Welcome to our practice, we appreciate the confidence and trust that you have placed in us.
At Beacon Cove Dental, we strive to provide optimum lifetime dental care for our patients. This includes creating and maintaining health, function and aesthetics.
Our philosophy of care governs everything we do for you. Our aim is to help you take pride in your dental health.
In order to ensure your expectations are met at your first appointment, we wanted to outline our process and outcomes:
New Patient Process
To ensure that your teeth and gums are perfectly treated, there are 2 separate appointments.
The first with our dentists and the second with our hygiene team.
1. New Patient Examination
Our New Patient Examination is a one hour session where we collect detailed dental information and discuss your dental goals and issues in depth.
The information collected includes:
- Your Medical & Dental History
- Dental goals and issues
- Assessment of Jaw Joints, Muscles and Tissues
- Teeth Exam including Digital Xrays
- Photos of your teeth and mouth
- Gum and Bone Exam / Gum Charting (“Perio Charting”)
The treatment Plan that follows will address:
- Health – Gum and Bone health (Gingivitis, Periodontitis) and Tooth Decay
- Function – Cracks, Bite and Gaps
- Aesthetics – Cosmetic Requirements
A considered and comprehensive treatment plan is then completed with your photos, xrays, teeth and gum (perio) charts. This plan is tailored to your needs and expectations and will be presented and discussed thoroughly.
Depending on the complexity of your needs, we may invite you to attend a consultation session at a later date. This consultation is at no extra charge and allows you to ask questions and completely understand your treatment options in a relaxed environment.
The item numbers for insurance claims are:
- 011 - Oral Exam (Comprehensive)
- 221 - Clinical periodontal analysis and recording (Gum Health Chart)
- 022 / 022 – Two xrays (digital), one for each side of your mouth
2. Hygiene & Scaling Appointment
Following the Comprehensive Examination, a separate one hour Hygiene & Scaling Appointment will be conducted by a specialised Hygiene Therapist and includes:
- Removal of tartar and disease above and below the gum line
- Polishing of the tooth surfaces
- Stain removal where possible
- Personalised dental hygiene instructions to maintain a healthy smile for life including dietary impact on dental health
- Tooth Strengthening with Fluoride and natural ions
- Oral care pack with tooth brush, floss, paste and travel case
The item numbers for this session depend on your condition, however common items are:- 114 - Calculus Removal (cleaning, scaling of teeth)
- 121 - Topical Remineralising (application of fluoride)
- 222 - Root Planing & Curettage – (cleaning below the gum line)
- Possibly 281 if a subsequent appointment is required
We will always discuss any additional elements with you on the day.
In most cases, the foundation of the mouth (gums, bones and ligaments around the teeth) are treated first before repairing the teeth that they support.
CAN YOU HELP US?
So that we can spend more time talking with you, and less time processing your information we would appreciate you completing some tasks beforehand if you have time:
INFORMATION & MEDICAL HISTORY FORM
When you book, we will email you our New patient information form. Please print and fill this out, and bring this with you to your appointment. A copy can also be downloaded here.
OPG XRAY (Full Mouth Xray)
Also provided is a pre-filled form in order to obtain a full mouth xray (OPG xray) before your appointment. This allows us to have a detailed look at your entire jaw and teeth structure to ensure that we are covering all options and possibilities.
This service is 100% covered by Medicare and you can either make an appointment or simply walk into any MDI xray centre (closest being Albert Park). They will send your digital xray file to us directly so that we can study it before your appointment.
Visit www.mdi.net.au for other locations and contact details.
TRANSFERRING YOUR DENTAL FILES
If you are moving from a dentist in Australia where you have records such as xrays, charts and treatment history, it may be of benefit to have those files transferred to us so that we can better understand your history.
We will attach a “Release of Records” form for you to send to your previous dentist who will arrange for your files to be sent to us securely.
