What to expect at your first visit

Before you arrive

Bring your Medicare card and any private health-fund card, and a note of anything that’s been bothering you. If you’re nervous, tell us when you book — we’ll plan the visit around that and take it at your pace.

A proper examination

We start by getting to know you and your teeth — a careful look over your teeth, gums, bite and the soft tissues, including a quick oral-cancer screening. Where it’s genuinely useful, we take on-site imaging, including a full-mouth 3D scan, so nothing important is guessed at.

You see what we see

This is the part people remember. Rather than describing a problem, we show it to you on your own intraoral photos and 3D scan on the screen. Decisions get made from your own pictures — which makes it far easier to understand what’s going on and why.

Costs explained upfront

If anything needs doing, you get a written plan and a price before it begins — not a number at the desk that changes once you’re in the chair. We’re a HICAPS practice, so any health-fund rebate comes off on the spot, and eligible children can be bulk-billed under CDBS. For eligible nib Extras members, Allura Dental is also a participating nib No Gap dentist. Our prices are published, not a mystery.

A plan that fits you

We’ll talk through your options — including the option of doing nothing yet — and agree a plan that suits your priorities and budget. Larger treatment can often be spread with interest-free options.

If you’re anxious

However long it’s been, and however the fear started, we’ve seen it before and there’s no judgement. For a nervous first visit, sometimes nothing needs to happen except a chat and a gentle look — more on that on our anxious-patients page. The goal is simply that you leave feeling looked after.

What to bring, and how long to allow

Allow about an hour for a first visit — longer than a routine check-up, because we’re building a full picture rather than topping one up. Bring your Medicare card, your health fund card if you have one, and a list of any medications you take. If you have recent X-rays from another dentist, ask them to send the files across or bring them with you; it can save repeating them. Arrive a few minutes early for the paperwork, or complete the forms online beforehand when we send them through. There’s parking right at the door.

What you leave with

Before you go, you’ll know three things: what we found, what (if anything) we recommend doing about it, and what it would cost. If treatment is needed, you get a written plan with item numbers so you can check your health fund cover, and a quote for each stage — nothing is booked until you’ve agreed to it. If nothing needs doing, you’ll hear that too, along with when we’d like to see you next. Many people are surprised by how often the honest answer is “keep doing what you’re doing.”