Special care dental health services

Special care dental services are provided in hospitals. They are available:

• if you are undergoing medical treatment that affects your mouth, teeth and gums
• if you need dental treatment in hospital due to other health conditions.
• to treat you until you can return to your regular dental health service clinic or private dentist for ongoing dental care.

Special care dental health appointments

• Special care dental services are available to you by referral only.
• A referral means that the person treating you will tell us that you need this service.
• We will contact you to make an appointment.
• It is important to understand that if you go to the Emergency Department after hours or on the weekend, you cannot receive a referral and you will need to contact us yourself on opening hours to get an appointment. You can contact us on 1300 011 013.

Waiting times for special care dental health services

• We prioritise appointments according to urgency.
• You may experience some waiting time for treatment.
• We will let you know how long you may have to wait.

Special care dental health unit locations

In Tasmania, these services are provided at:

Special care dental health service costs

• There is no cost if you are under 18 or are already admitted to hospital.
• All other patients may need to pay some of the costs towards your treatment.
• If you need dentures there will also be some costs to pay.
• Your dentist will discuss any costs with you at the appointment.

How to pay for treatment

If you must pay any costs, we will send you an invoice after your appointment. This tells you:

• how much you need to pay
• when the fee is due
• how to pay.

You can read more about how to pay for dental health services here.