Here you will find information that will help you stay organised and hopefully answer any questions you may have leading up to your child’s hospital visit.

This can be an anxious time and our aim is to keep it simple for you and your child and supply you with as much information as possible. We have an extensive amount of frequently asked questions and it’s a great idea to read through these. As always, if there is something you still need to discuss with us, feel free to CONTACT US. We’re happy to help.

You will have received a Kiddies Dental Care Hospital Pack upon confirmation of your child’s procedure. Included in this pack is a STEP by STEP GUIDE on what needs to be completed by you, before your child’s hospital visit and also contains a checklist for you to tick things off as you go. If you have misplaced this pack, all of the information is available on our Hospital Webpages.

HOSPITAL CONSENT FORM
dental chair treatment
PLEASE NOTE: YOUR CHILD’S TREATMENT PROPOSAL IS ONLY VALID FOR 3 MONTHS

Before the procedure

The actual time of your child’s operation is decided 10 days prior to the treatment date and you will be contacted at this point for confirmation and will be notified of the time you will be required to arrive at the hospital with your child.

The actual time commencing the operation/treatment is usually determined by the age of the child. As a general rule, the younger the child, the earlier they get treated.

You will be required to arrive no later than 60 minutes prior to your child’s operation time. Please arrange childcare (including dropping off and picking up from school) for your other children (if applicable) as you will need to be with your child for most of the time.

Your child must fast for a MINIMUM of six hours before arrival, your child must not: eat any food, drink any milk (including breast milk), suck on any lollies, chew any chewing gum.

Your child may sip water only up to ONE HOUR before arrival time. Please DO NOT drink carbonated (fizzy) drinks or juice.

Please note if your child has not fasted, the operation will be cancelled, a cost will be incurred if the treatment has to be cancelled due to failure to fast your child. We understand it is not easy to fast young children, but it is very dangerous to anaesthetise a child that has not fasted, and hence cancellation is necessary. We hope you adhere to our instructions and contact us if you have any queries about the fasting time.

If your child develops any fever, respiratory symptoms or cough in the couple of days leading to the day of the operation, the operation may need to be postponed until your child’s health improves. Please contact immediately either: Kiddies Dental Care on 9372 8960 or your anaesthetist directly, please see the yellow sheets or our website for their direct contact information for further advice.

The hospital may also phone you a few days before the date of treatment, to confirm any gap expenses you may have, or ask medical/ health questions once they have completed a health fund check with your insurance company.

Why am I being charged for treatment under general anaesthesia by Kiddies Dental Care as well as an anaesthetist fee?

Under The Australian Schedule of Dental Services and Glossary Australian Dental Association Twelfth Edition the description for item code 949 is:

949 Treatment under general anaesthesia/sedation
The treatment of a patient under a general anaesthetic/sedation administered by another registered practitioner in a suitably licensed facility. This may require the provision of additional equipment, instruments, materials, and staff by the practitioner[s] providing the dental service[s]. The dental treatment provided should be itemised separately.

This item code is approved by the Australian Dental Association but not always recognised and paid by every health fund.

The item code 949 for Kiddies Dental Care covers the cost involved towards travel offsite for our Specialist/nurses/administration team – Equipment and Materials transportation, and admin time into organising your child onto the next available hospital list.

Your anaesthetist name and contact numbers are located on the yellow sheet within this confirmation pack, or found on our website and you are quite welcome to contact their office prior to treatment to discuss any concerns you may have.

On the day

A visit to the hospital can be a scary time for your child. It’s always a good idea to bring a change of clothes (including tops and bottoms) in case of any accidents. Also, a comforting cuddly toy can sometimes help keep your child relaxed and calm prior to the treatment.

It’s not suitable to bring siblings to the hospital on the day of your child’s operation – we would advise you to make childcare arrangements for your other children on the day of surgery.

This enables you to focus on admission/ preoperative consultation/ consent with the treating dentist/ anaesthetist – and devote time and be able to comfort your child before and after surgery.

After the procedure

  • When your child has sufficiently returned to a normal state, is comfortable, is eating and drinking small quantities safely and you are comfortable with aftercare advice, you will be able to take your child home. The standard recovery time is usually 1 – 1.5 hours after the treatment.
  • It is not advisable to go home with public transport after a general anaesthetics.
  • Your child may feel a little drowsy the following day, but should quickly return to normal activities within 48 hours. For most dental work, paracetamol (eg. Panadol) should provide sufficient pain relief.

  • You would have received a deposit receipt initially at the time of booking via email/post
  • The payment will be referenced on the final receipt for your pre-payment that is due one week prior to treatment
  • You are unable to use receipts to claim from your health fund, unless treatment is completed/NIL balance.
  • We are unable to provide an itemised invoice until all treatment has been finalised, an invoice and receipt will then be emailed/posted to you 1-2 days after treatment.