Kids dentist in Rockhampton — bulk billed under the CDBS

Children eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule are bulk billed at A2ZDental in Rockhampton. That means no out-of-pocket cost for the covered treatment — you do not pay and claim back, we bill Medicare directly.

The first visit treats nothing. The chair goes up and down, everything gets demonstrated before it comes near a mouth, and if we get as far as counting the teeth, that is a good appointment.

Is children's dental free in Rockhampton?

For eligible children, yes — through the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, a Medicare programme.

• Who is eligible. Children aged 2 to 17 whose family receives Family Tax Benefit Part A or certain other government payments. Eligibility is assessed by Medicare, not by us.
• What it covers. Examinations, X-rays, cleans, fissure sealants, fillings, root canal treatment and extractions, up to a capped benefit over two consecutive calendar years.
• What it does not cover. Orthodontics, cosmetic work, and treatment provided in a hospital or under general anaesthetic. The dental treatment itself is claimable; the anaesthetic and theatre are not.
• How much is the cap. It is indexed on 1 January each year, so the figure changes. Rather than quote a number that goes out of date, check your child's current balance — it takes a minute.
• How to check. Ring Medicare on 132 011, or look in your Medicare online account through myGov. Bring the child's Medicare card to the appointment and we will confirm the remaining balance before treating.

We bulk bill it. You will not be asked for a gap payment on covered treatment.

How a first visit actually goes

1. Arrive The chair goes up and down. That is the first thing most children want to try. Bring whatever they want to hold.
2. Look Nothing goes near a mouth before it has been demonstrated. The mirror, the little air blower, the suction — all of it gets shown first, usually on a giraffe.
3. Count A look and a count. If that is all we manage today, that is a good appointment. It gets easier every time.
4. Sticker Non-negotiable, apparently. It is how they remember the visit, which is the whole point.

We do not treat anything at a first visit. If something needs doing, it gets booked for another day, once the child knows the room.

Frightened once, frightened for thirty years

That is not a slogan. It is the reason the first visit treats nothing.

Children who are held down and forced through treatment tend to become adults who avoid the dentist entirely. We see the results of that every week — people in their forties who have not been in a chair since childhood, with problems that were small twenty years ago.

Spending one appointment doing nothing is the cheapest preventive treatment in dentistry.

When a child cannot manage treatment awake

Some children cannot, and it is not a failure of parenting or of the child.

Where that is the case, every tooth needing work is completed in one session while they are asleep, in the general anaesthetic theatre on site here, with a visiting specialist anaesthetist and continuous monitoring throughout. One session instead of six appointments that each end in tears.

The minimum age for general anaesthetic is two. Your child goes home the same day.

The dental treatment itself is bulk billed if they are CDBS eligible. The theatre and anaesthetist fees are separate and are not covered by the CDBS — the anaesthetist's fee is quoted by their own office, and we do not estimate it.

For Central Queensland families the usual alternative has been travelling to Brisbane for this.

Full detail on treatment under general anaesthetic

When to bring them for the first time

Around the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. Not because anything needs doing at that age, but because the visit becomes ordinary before it ever needs to be anything else.

If your child is older and has never been, that is fine too, and it is very common. Start now.

What we look for

• Decay between the teeth, which you cannot see, and which is why images are taken where they are indicated.
• Fissures — the deep grooves on the biting surface of the back molars, where decay usually starts. A sealant is a coating painted into the groove: minutes, no drilling, and covered by the CDBS.
• How the adult teeth are coming through. Crowding is easier to plan for early than to correct late.
• Grinding. Common in children and usually outgrown. Worth mentioning, rarely worth treating.
• Habits. Thumb sucking and dummy use past about four start to affect the bite.

Mouthguards

Made from a scan of your child's own teeth, so it stays put and gets worn. The boil-and-bite version from the chemist moves, and a guard that is not worn protects nothing.

Comes in whatever colour they want, which matters more than adults expect when the person wearing it is fourteen.

What it costs

Children eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule: bulk billed. No out-of-pocket cost for covered treatment.

For children not eligible, or for treatment outside what the CDBS covers, you get a written quote before anything is done.

Pricing is indicative. Diagnostics inform final pricing — you receive a written quote before anything begins.

Questions people ask