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Child Dental Benefits Schedule

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 03:52:45 GMT

Bulk Billing dental treatment for kids ages 2-17

The Medicare-funded Child Dental Benefit Schedule provides up to $1000 of dental treatment for eligible children aged two to 17 over two calendar years.

What is the Child Dental Benefit Schedule (CDBS)?

The CDBS is a Medicare-funded program providing dental care for eligible children.

How to check if your child/children are eligible

If you are a family that holds a Health Care Card, receives a Centrelink payment or Family Tax Benefit A, your child(ren) may be eligible for the CDBS. You may have received a letter from the Department of Human Services letting you know you are eligible for the CDBS.

If you are unsure, it’s quick and easy to check your eligibility.

Simply ask at the reception of your dental clinic.

Alternatively you can call Medicare on 132 011 (seven days a week, 24 hours a day) or visit www.humanservices.gov.au.

If your eligibility is confirmed Make an appointment with a dentist of your choice. How does the $1000 cap work? Eligible children may have up to $1000 of dental treatment over a two-year period. It begins at the start of the calendar year, and any money not spent in the first year is carried over to the second year. You cannot claim benefits from both private health insurance and the CDBS for the same services.

What dental services are covered?

A range of services are covered by the CDBS.

These include:

• Dental check-up

• Cleaning

• X-Rays

• Fillings

• Fissure sealing

• Extractions

What is not covered?

• Orthodontics (e.g. braces)

• Treatment under general anaesthetic

• Cosmetic dental treatment (e.g. teeth whitening)

• Mouthguards

Dental Anxiety

rcarakitsos@gmail.com (Rubia Carakitsos) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:58:15 GMT

How to Deal with Dental Anxiety

Are you one of the millions of people who avoid going to the dentist because of fear or anxiety? Dental fear and anxiety are extremely common, you are not alone but when you put off visiting the dentist because of it, it becomes unsustainable. The health of your teeth and gums can affect your entire body so in order not to put yourself at risk we have a few tips and tricks on how you can combat your fear and start a conversation with your dentist about your anxieties.

1. Let your dentist know!

The first step to create a safe and anxiety-free environment for you is to ensure your dentist is completely aware about your fear and/or anxiety. When you do this, you allow for an open conversation with your dentist about your individual triggers. They can then help you create a step-by-step plan to ensure that when you visit them you are comfortable.

2. Learn coping techniques

Coping techniques may be simple but they can help you with your dental anxiety. Some techniques that have proven to work are listed below:

- Deep breathing

- Listen to music or watch the screens while in the chair

- Meditation

- Progressive muscle relaxation

3. Sometimes you may need something a little stronger

If you have tried the techniques above but still aren’t successful you may want to try dental sedation. In order to try this, you need to have a conversation with your dentist about their options surrounding sedation with dental anxiety. The sedation could include:

- Happy gas

- Oral anxiety relieving medication

- Conscious sedation

- General anaesthesia

If you still feel as though none of these would work for you get in touch with us and we will be able to help you in the best pathway to get you in the dentist chair. It may not be easy, but your teeth will thank you for it later.

Let's Talk Floss!

rcarakitsos@gmail.com (Rubia Carakitsos) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:27:44 GMT

Are you flossing correctly?

Flossing is an essential part of your oral health routine but sometimes we struggle to understand if we are flossing correctly. When we floss, we are able to get into the hard-to-reach spaces that we are unable to clean effectively with our toothbrush. Not only that but by flossing we are reducing the number of harmful bacteria in our mouth which has been proven to be linked to heart disease. This then proves that not only does flossing save your teeth, but it in turn could save your heart.

How do you know if you are flossing correctly? Follow these helpful tips and tricks and you will be flossing like a pro.

When should I floss?

It is important to make sure that you are flossing before you brush! If you floss after you brush all the bacteria and plaque that you have pulled from your teeth will stay in your mouth overnight and can cancel out the entire process.

How do I floss without irritating my gums?

First thing is first, be gentle. When you floss aggressively you have more of a chance of jamming the floss into your gums and causing irritation. The best way to do it is to be gentle, slid the floss up and down the side of the tooth and move onto the next one. Repeat this process.

Why am I seeing blood when flossing?

If you are seeing blood when you floss you should book an appointment to come and see us.

When you haven’t flossed for a while it can be normal to see a little bit of blood on your gums, if you have seen blood on a few different occasions then you may be flossing too aggressively. But if you are seeing blood every time you floss it can be a sign of a bigger issue, in some cases, gum disease. We highly recommend that if that is happening to you to book an appointment and come and visit us, so we can help you determine what is going on.

How much floss should I be using?

Well, it is recommended that you should use around 45cm of dental floss; it is important to note that you should be moving on to a clean section of the floss every time you move onto another tooth. If you are still using the same part of the floss, then you are simply spreading more bacteria around your mouth rather than cleaning it. This also accounts for other flossing tools as well.

If you are still unsure if you are flossing correctly or want to demonstrate your technique at your next appointment just ask! We would be more than happy to help and show you some of our favourite tips and tricks for flossing.