What to Expect

Welcome to McIntyre Dental Clinic! We’re pleased you’re here and look forward to assisting you and your family with the dental care you deserve. From the moment you enter our practice, we hope you’ll be relaxed and comfortable-and we’ll do everything we can to make it so.

If you’ve booked an appointment in advance, you’ll receive a call or text to confirm your appointment a few days beforehand.

Your First Visit

When you enter, you’ll be greeted by our reception team who will invite you to take a seat in our lounge area. One of our highly trained clinical nurses will then escort you back to see the dentist. We typically take X-rays before prescribing any type of treatment plan so that we can get the best idea of what will be suitable for you.

Your Para Hills dentist will perform an initial examination and then happily discuss any findings and questions with you. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible and encourage you to let us know what we can do to make your visit more pleasant.

If you’re interested in continuing with recommended treatment, we’ll gladly provide you with an itemised list of costs before you leave. Please bring your health insurance card to your visit so we can claim through HICAPS for you.

Your initial examination with the dentist should last roughly 30 minutes.

Your Second Visit

If you’d like to continue with your recommended course of treatment, we’ll welcome you back and begin your care by working through your customised treatment plan. For patients who are nervous or anxious, we do offer several options for calming your nerves, including intravenous sedation and laughing gas. We’ll always keep our ears open to your concerns as we want your experience to be ideal.

If there’s anything we can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Frequently Asked Questions at McIntyre Dental Clinic

We always encourage our patients to ask us whatever questions they may have. Below are a few of the most common questions we hear. If you have additional questions for us, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or schedule an appointment.

How often should I get a dental check up/clean with the hygienist?

A regular dental check up/clean with the Hygienist should be done on average every 6-12 months. People with higher risk of dental diseases such as decay and periodontal disease should frequent more often (every 4-6 months), whereas low risk patients can often visit every 12 months.

How often should I brush my teeth?

You should brush your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes – once in the morning and once at night, with care taken to be thorough but gentle. The most important time to brush your teeth is just before bed at night.

How often should I floss my teeth?

The gold standard for flossing would be to do it daily, however 2-3 times per week is much better than not flossing at all. If the gums become inflammed due to plaque build up, they may bleed when flossing. This is usually an indicator that you need to be flossing more regularly. Healthy gums should be light pink and firm and should not bleed when flossing.

How often should I change my toothbrush?

Your toothbrush should be changed every 2-3 months. A good way to remember this is to change your toothbrush at the change of each season. I.E. The change from Winter to Spring can prompt you to make the change. Another indicator that it is time to change is if the bristles start to splay.

What stiffness toothbrush should I use?

You should only use a soft bristled brush. Medium/hard brushes can often do more damage than good. Brushing your teeth is more about technique than brute force. Be sure to use a soft brush concentrating on being thorough but gentle.

What do I do if I have an emergency?

If you have an emergency, please call the clinic on 8258 3883 to request an appointment. We strive to organise our appointment book with vacancies set only for emergencies, however these spots may fill due to varied demand. We will always endeavour to see to your dental emergencies as soon as possible.

How long does it take to get an appointment?

This time varies from on the day to a couple of weeks away based on the following:
1/ The urgency of the appointment
2/ The availability of the dentist/hygienist due to their demand
3/ Your availability

How much will it cost?

The cost of each dental visit varies depending on what is involved. Our experienced reception team are usually able to verbally estimate a cost over the phone. However, this quote is an estimation only and precise treatment plan costs cannot be quoted without an examination/consultation from one of our dentists to assess your individual needs.

Do you need to use the drill?

Dental drills are commonly used during most procedures. Dental drills continue to improve as time goes on to create a more efficient and comfortable experience for the patient. At McIntyre Dental, we prioritise updating our equipment to be able to deliver the best possible level of care. If the noise of the drill concerns you, feel free to bring music + headphones to your appointment to help to lessen the noise and distract you.

How safe are dental x-rays?

At McIntyre Dental, our x-rays are all digital which reduces the radiation exposure by as much as 80% when compared to conventional dental radiography. You will be exposed to more background radiation in Australia in one week (approx. 38 uSv), than you would in one panoramic OPG x-ray (approx. 11uSv).
The benefits of dental x-rays include diagnosing small areas of decay between the teeth and under existing fillings – these are areas that we cannot see otherwise. X-rays also show us supporting jaw bone levels and any infection below the gum level and in the bone.

What is available to help me cope with dental anxiety?

McIntyre Dental are equipped with a variety of sedation options to suit your individual needs.

McIntyre Dental Clinic | (08) 8258 3883