My Family Dental Children’s Dentistry in Bowen
Check-ups, sealants and the occasional emergency, for kids who live here
CDBS bulk billed
Up to $1,158 over 2 years for eligible kids
First visit by 12 mths
Or within 6 months of the first tooth
Sealants
Protecting the back teeth without drilling
Same-day emergencies
For the knocks that happen at school
The thing that decides how a child feels about the dentist for the next forty years is usually how the first few visits went. In Bowen that means kids can be seen here rather than in Townsville or Mackay, which is the difference between a check-up happening and being put off.
Bulk Billed for Eligible Children
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule is a Medicare program covering children aged 0 to 17 whose families receive an eligible payment, most commonly Family Tax Benefit Part A. Eligible children can access up to $1,158 across two calendar years, and the cap is indexed each January. It covers the ordinary things: examinations, cleans, x-rays, fillings, extractions.
We bulk bill it at Bowen. That means eligible care can be at no out-of-pocket cost to you within the cap, and it means the question of whether you can afford to bring them in stops being the reason a small hole becomes a big one. We check eligibility at the front desk before the appointment rather than sending you off to find out.
If you have private extras cover instead, we claim any rebate on the spot through HICAPS. There is more detail, including what the scheme does and does not cover, on our Child Dental Benefits Schedule page.
The First Visit
Bring them by around their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth. A first visit is a ride in the chair, a count of the teeth and a look at how they are coming through. Nothing that hurts, and nothing that has to be finished on the day.
From there it is a check-up every six months, which is less about finding holes than about spotting things while they are still small: a bite that is developing awkwardly, a groove that would be better sealed, a habit worth changing.
Stopping Decay Before It Starts
- Fissure sealants over the grooves of the back teeth, where most childhood decay begins. No drilling, and it is quick.
- Fluoride application at check-ups to strengthen the enamel.
- Silver diamine fluoride, which can arrest some early decay without a drill. Worth asking about for very young children and for children who cannot yet manage a filling.
- Tooth-coloured fillings where a filling is needed, so it does not show.
- Straight advice about drinks, which in this climate is most of the conversation.
Children Who Are Frightened
Some children arrive already frightened, often because of something that happened somewhere else. That is worth telling us when you book rather than when you arrive, because it changes how we plan the appointment.
There are ceiling-mounted televisions over the chairs, and the appointment is paced to the child rather than to the book. Bowen also has happy gas, which for a nervous child is often the difference between a treatment appointment that works and one that does not.
Where a child genuinely cannot have treatment done awake, sedation and general anaesthetic options exist, and a visiting anaesthetist attends this clinic. That is a proper conversation with you about risks and alternatives, not something decided on the spot.
Mouthguards, Because This Is North Queensland
Junior league, union, hockey, AFL, and everything else played hard on a Saturday morning. A custom-fitted mouthguard is made from an impression of your child’s own teeth, so it stays put and they will actually wear it, which is the entire difference between a mouthguard and a mouthguard in the bottom of a bag. We make them at Bowen, and there is more on our sports mouthguards page.
Teenagers in braces need one too, and it needs to be made for braces rather than around them.
When Something Happens
Knocked-out teeth, chipped front teeth and toothache that starts on a Sunday are all normal parts of childhood. Ring (07) 4786 1092 and we keep room for same-day emergencies at this clinic. If an adult tooth has been knocked out, hold it by the crown, do not scrub it, keep it in milk or in your child’s own saliva, and come straight in. There is more on our emergency page.
Bringing Them Here
Children are seen here in Bowen rather than referred elsewhere, which for a six-monthly check-up is the whole point: an appointment you can do before school is one that actually happens. There is parking on site.
Languages Spoken Here
Between the team here, Hindi, Punjabi and Nepali is spoken as well as English. A parent who can ask the question they actually wanted to ask gets a better appointment for their child, and so does the child. There is more on our languages page.
My Family Dental Bowen
24 Williams St, Bowen QLD 4805
(07) 4786 1092
Important: CDBS eligibility and benefit caps are set by Medicare and can change. We confirm your child’s eligibility at the time of visit. Any dental treatment carries risks and outcomes vary between individuals. Seek advice appropriate to your child’s circumstances from a qualified health practitioner.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
By around 12 months of age, or within six months of the first tooth appearing, whichever comes first. That first visit is mostly a look and a chat rather than treatment. The point of starting that early is that the dentist becomes an ordinary place your child has always been, instead of somewhere they get taken when something hurts.
Possibly. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule is a Medicare program for eligible children aged 0 to 17 whose families receive an eligible payment such as Family Tax Benefit Part A. Eligible children can access up to $1,158 in benefits across two calendar years, covering check-ups, cleans, x-rays and fillings. We bulk bill it here at Bowen, so eligible care can be at no out-of-pocket cost within the cap. We check eligibility at the front desk before the appointment, so you know where you stand.
Tell us before the appointment rather than on the day, and we will plan for it. A first visit can be nothing more than sitting in the chair and counting teeth. There are televisions over the chairs. This clinic also has happy gas. Where a child genuinely cannot manage treatment awake, sedation and general anaesthetic options exist and we will talk them through with you properly rather than in a corridor.
Fissure sealants are the main one: a coating over the grooves of the back teeth, where most childhood decay starts, applied without drilling. Fluoride application, and advice about what is actually in the drinks your kids have, do the rest. Where a small cavity has already started, silver diamine fluoride can sometimes arrest it without a drill, which is worth asking about for very young or very anxious children.
If they play a contact sport, yes, and a custom-fitted one rather than a boil-and-bite from a sports store. We make them here at Bowen. A knocked-out or broken front tooth in a teenager is a repair that follows them for life, and a mouthguard is the smallest cost in that whole story.
Ring us straight away on (07) 4786 1092. If it is an adult tooth, hold it by the crown rather than the root, do not scrub it, and keep it in milk or in the child’s own saliva while you come in. Time matters a great deal with a knocked-out adult tooth. We keep space for same-day emergencies at this clinic.
Ready to Book Your Visit?
Book a visit at your nearest My Family Dental clinic: we’ll talk through your options and what it costs.