Appointment Information

About your appointment

The initial appointment will involve a thorough dental examination, a scale and polish (depending on age and need), application of a remineralising agent (if appropriate), myofunctional and orthodontic screening, airway and tongue tie screening and a review of sleep-related symptoms. Depending on your child’s age, we’ll also touch on topics like breast/bottle/solids feeding, dummy/thumb sucking, teething concerns and explore your questions or concerns around your child’s oral function, orofacial development or behaviours.

With your consent, we may take photos of your child’s mouth and posture to assess jaw growth, oral rest posture, tongue mobility, risk factors for airway obstruction, dental bite and signs of dental crowding. In many cases, parents are unaware their child may be showing signs of an issue until we look at these photos together and talk through what we’re seeing. Sometimes, based on these findings, we might recommend a second appointment or referral for further evaluation or myofunctional therapy.

Please note that in order to examine thoroughly and document everything, Bec may need to audio-record her clinical “charting” notes during the appointment if working solo. These recordings are only done with your consent and purely for accurate record keeping, are not shared and are permanently deleted once notes have been transcribed.

If Bec sees a need for dental x-rays (for example, if there’s a risk of decay between teeth), these will need to be taken at a dental clinic, as they can’t be done in your home. You’re welcome to have this done at your usual dentist (Bec can send a referral request for this) or we can help arrange an appointment with Bec at her Subiaco clinic.

The appointment will usually begin with a brief check-in with you and review of the intake forms before shifting the focus to your child. This one-on-one time with you helps build trust in your child and creates a positive association with dental care, laying the foundation for confident, calm visits in the future.

We know that every family is different, and every child responds in their own way. Some children are completely unfazed by hearing terms like “tooth decay” or “tongue tie,” while others can be more sensitive or easily overwhelmed. While Bec does her best to read the room and respond accordingly, it's impossible to fully know how a child will react after just 45 minutes together. If there are any sensitive topics—such as behaviour, feeding, learning or sleep, that you’d prefer not to discuss in front of your child, or if you’d like certain findings (like enlarged tonsils or potential decay) to be shared with you privately, please let us know ahead of time. It’s always easier to tailor our communication with a heads-up and your guidance is greatly appreciated.

Above all, your child’s comfort is our top priority. We’re here to create a safe, supportive environment where both you and your child feel informed, respected and empowered.

At the end of the appointment, Bec will review the findings and will go through treatment or referral options if needed. At this point, your child is welcome to play, snack or explore the toys and props available or if they've had enough of us being in their space, we can arrange a separate telehealth follow-up to chat privately with you (note: this isn’t covered by Medicare). To help us make the most of your time, feel free to prepare a list of questions or have ready any relevant reports, photos, videos or radiographs. Our aim is for you to walk away feeling confident, clear and supported in the next steps for your child.

About the business

Developmental Dental is a family friendly business where kids come first! Even my own! Our hours of business are 9am to 2.30pm Monday to Thursday to fit in with school drop off and pick up during the school term. Fridays we are open 9am til 5pm and one or two days during the school holidays I do open my books for full 9am til 5pm sessions. However, these do go fast and you need to book well in advance.

Payment is required STRICTLY within 7 days of your session. We accept bank transfer ONLY. At this time due to the mobile nature of our business we cannot securely offer HICAPS processing, so in order to claim any rebates you will have to process these with your health fund after the appointment. This can usually be done quite easily online or through an app on your phone.

We are very happy to accept patients eligible for Medicare’s Child Dental Benefit Scheme, however, there is a small copayment and extra paperwork required for you to fill out as a requirement from Medicare so please let us know in advance if you will be using this as your payment method.

Please note myofunctional evaluations and treatment programs are not able to be claimed through Medicare or private health insurance and will need to be paid fully out of pocket. We have payment plans available if required and this can be discussed with Bec during the treatment planning phase.

Cancellation

Given that we are a mobile business, our days are meticulously planned to allow for as many families as possible to be able to access our services in the most logistically effective way that we can manage. However, I do understand that things come up and children get sick. 24 hours notice will be required to avoid a cancellation fee.

Preparing for your appointment

Please ensure there is somewhere available for me to park my car with easy access to your front door.

Friendly pets are very welcome to come up to me and say hi and have a sniff.

Please do not do any extra housework for my arrival but I will need a well lit, open room to conduct my examination with your child. This will ideally be a play room, rumpus room, lounge room or even the backyard. Somewhere your child enjoys playing and there is room for your child and myself to be sitting around on the floor together with room for my toys, props and instruments is ideal.

When discussing this appointment with your child please avoid the words: hurt, needle, sharp or anything negative and do not use the visit as a threat for better tooth brushing ie, “you better let me brush your teeth, the dentist is coming tomorrow!”

It is best to be very casual about my visit. One or two days before my arrival, it is a good idea to just mention in passing that “Bec will be coming on Tuesday to count your teeth and play some games with us!” If your child needs more information, “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure” are perfectly acceptable answers. Show your child my photo so they know what to expect when I arrive and you can follow up with “let’s ask Bec when she gets here.” Too many well meaning parents say things like “it won’t hurt”, “they won’t give you a needle today”, “it will be over quickly” etc etc and this just makes our job so much harder and your child’s experience less than the wonderful time it CAN be. If you or your child is particularly anxious about my visit PLEASE let me know in advance so that I can suggest some extra preparation options for you that will help.

Our business is largely referral based, and if you are happy with our service, we would love you to spread the word the with any friends or family who may be looking for a new dental practitioner.