Some children need dental treatment that is safest and kindest to do while they are asleep. This page explains how a hospital booking works at Tooth Town, from the treatment plan to the follow-up visit, so you know what to expect at each step.
How the booking works
1. Your treatment plan. After your consultation we email you a treatment plan listing the recommended treatment and Tooth Town’s dental fees. Hospital and anaesthetist fees are separate — see GA fees and payments.
2. Choose a date. Call us on (07) 3398 5885 or reply to the email. Our clinicians operate at Herston Private Hospital and St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital; the date and hospital depend on which lists your clinician operates.
3. Hold the place. Once a date is chosen we email you a booking and medical form and a deposit request. Both are needed within 24 hours to hold the theatre place — until then the place is tentative and may be offered to another family. The deposit comes off the total dental fee; it is not an extra charge. We email you when the place is confirmed.
4. Consent and payment. About three weeks before surgery we send the consent forms (signed online) and a request for the balance of the dental fee. These are due by 4:00 pm two weeks before surgery. If you book within two weeks of the date, they are due at booking.
5. Hospital and anaesthetist. In the week before surgery the hospital and the anaesthetist’s rooms contact you about their own forms and fees. See Your hospital for what each one needs.
6. Admission time and fasting. Two business days before surgery we email your child’s admission time and the fasting instructions for that list, and send a text to say the email has been sent. Fasting instructions are set by the anaesthetist for each list — see Fasting before general anaesthesia.
7. After surgery. You receive a receipt within one to two business days, and a complimentary review appointment, ideally within a month. See After surgery.
Treatment plans and what can change
Your treatment plan is valid for three months. After that we need to see your child again before booking, because children’s teeth change quickly — the reassessment is usually complimentary; any radiographs taken are charged.
Sometimes a full examination or radiographs aren’t possible at the consultation, so the plan is provisional. Radiographs taken under anaesthesia can show that a tooth needs a different treatment from the one planned. Where a choice has to be made — for example, saving a tooth rather than removing it — your clinician will contact you before proceeding where that is required. The final account reflects what was actually done: we invoice the difference if it is more, or refund and issue a corrected receipt if it is less. Treatment plans show “OR MAY REQUIRE” against an item where the final choice depends on what is found under anaesthesia.
Blood tests under general anaesthesia
If your child needs blood tests for another reason, these can often be taken while they are asleep, which avoids a separate experience. This needs to be organised in advance: tell us as early as possible, and provide the pathology request form from your GP or treating doctor before the surgery date, along with any special collection requirements. Blood tests cannot be added on the day without the paperwork and collection tubes. Results will be reviewed and discussed by your physician, we will not have access to the results of these tests.
If your child is unwell before surgery
Please contact Tooth Town and the anaesthetist’s rooms if your child develops a cough with phlegm, heavy nasal congestion or discharge, vomiting or diarrhoea in the days before surgery. The anaesthetist decides whether it is safe to go ahead. If surgery is postponed because of illness, your deposit transfers to the new date.
Deposits, changes and cancellations
- The deposit is refundable if the GA is cancelled and transferable if the date changes. Cancelling within 48 hours of surgery may result in the deposit being forfeited.
- If surgery is postponed due to illness, the deposit transfers to the new date.
- If you are unable to pay by a due date, please call us — we would much rather agree a date with you than lose the theatre place.
Where to find things
- GA fees and payments
- GA information for families — fee & booking guide and treatment options
- Your hospital
- Fasting before general anaesthesia
- After surgery
Questions: (07) 3398 5885 ·
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