Dental Care Recommendations

Maintaining good mouth, tooth and gum health is important for overall health.

Steps to maintaining a healthy mouth include:

• Daily teeth and gum brushing to maintain good oral health.
• Regular dental check-ups to monitor oral health and ensure problems are picked up as early as possible.
• See a speech pathologist if you receive assistance to brush your teeth and have difficulty swallowing thin fluids.
• Discuss the best products to use with your dentist, GP and pharmacist.

There are a number of options available when accessing dental care.

• Private dentist – generally accessed using private health insurance. Appointments or treatment by a private dentist that are not covered by private health insurance must be paid for. 
• Dental Health Services - subsidised public dental care for concession card holders.
• Government clinics – clinics exist in metropolitan and country areas. For more information and to find a clinic near you:
  Online: www.dental.wa.gov.au
  Phone:(08) 9313 066
• Special Needs Dental Clinic – a purpose-built special needs clinic operates in North Perth, providing dental services to those who meet eligibility criteria. To learn more:
  Phone: (08) 9201 9889
• Domiciliary unit – services that can come to your home. For more information about in-home dental care:
  Phone: (08) 9313 0555
• Private home dental care – private home dental services operate in the Perth metro area. An online search is recommended to locate services.
• Aged Care Dental Program – this service provides oral health care to the residents of registered aged care facilities.
• School Dental Service – general dental care is available to school children throughout Western Australia through this service. To locate a School Dental Therapy Centre:
  Phone: (08) 9313 0660
  Online: www.dental.wa.gov.au

What do I do if I can’t sit still?

or hold my mouth open for a few minutes?

or sit in a dentist chair?

For people with physical disabilities, there can be barriers to accessing dental health care – sitting in a dentist chair, sitting still or maintaining an open mouth for an extended time can be challenging.

When contacting a service to arrange dental care, it’s important that access and mobility needs are clearly explained.

Discuss with your GP what options may be available for you.

Dental Health Services offer programs that may suit your needs. They can also organise interpreter services.

If general anaesthetic is required, or a dental care program includes more complex treatment that cannot be met through available community services, your GP can refer you to a local or tertiary hospital dental clinics. There are strict eligibility criteria for treatment in these clinics, one of which is ‘special (medical) disability requirements’.