A dental visit lasts an hour or so; your daily brushing routine carries on long after. Plan both with us: the access, seating and support for the appointment, and home care that suits your reach, grip and the help you have.
Good dental health is mostly built at the bathroom sink, or wherever you brush. Still, the professional visits matter, and for a wheelchair user they need some groundwork: confirming the route in, the space inside the treatment room, the way you'll be positioned and whether anyone will help you move. It's worth doing that groundwork before choosing a date.
Tell our team about the care you're seeking and how you manage day to day. Perhaps you shift across to other seats without help, perhaps you'd rather stay where you are, or perhaps a carer and a particular aid are part of every move. That's for you to say, not for anyone to guess. Mention as well anything about brushing or flossing that has become awkward, so it can be part of the conversation.
The aim is a plan that both sides understand, with any limits flagged and any need for a different setting raised early. Read what follows as a set of prompts. It doesn't confirm entrance measurements, lifting gear, transfer support or the option of being treated from your own seat.
Specific details make for useful answers. Ask about the arrangements that apply to you, not just whether the building counts as accessible.
Share what type of chair you use and whether its size could be an issue. Ask about the entrance, any thresholds, the room for turning and the layout around the treatment chair. If your appointment may be long, ask about washroom access and arrival arrangements.
Explain your usual routine and anything that restricts reclining or turning. Check that the planned care can be delivered with the space and equipment on hand. Being lifted by staff shouldn't be taken for granted, and nor should a transfer by your carer.
Describe how you'd like information given and whether someone will accompany you. Using a wheelchair tells nobody anything about your understanding or your choices. Expect to be addressed directly, with added support arranged as you request.
Agree on the details before arranging transport. A new chair, a health change, a different transfer method or new support are all good reasons to get back in touch and review the plan.
Your mobility can affect reaching the treatment space and the posture care requires. An early conversation means the team can think about the appointment as it will really unfold. Occasionally that points to extra preparation, or to facilities somewhere else.
Planning also leaves the decisions with you. You can ask who's helping, what has been settled and what happens if things don't suit you once you arrive. Small gaps are simpler to close over the phone than in the treatment room.
Patient information: NIDCR — mobility considerations in dental care
Your equipment and habits are familiar to you. Say what help is useful and what to avoid. A transfer requires a plan agreed beforehand; a willing helper isn't evidence that the method or resources are appropriate.
A consultation, a routine examination and lengthier treatment can make different demands on seating and access. Ask what's planned for your appointment. If more treatment is to follow, understand the next step before arranging further trips.
A carer, support worker or other clinician may help explain a specific requirement, including how your daily oral care is managed. Agree what should be shared and how. Nobody should have to guess which details matter.
Expect to discuss both the dental concern and your access needs. Detailed or urgent requirements are better handled by phone than by a booking form.
A checkup, a cleaning, a sore tooth or a broken filling? Raise urgent symptoms right at the start. That helps the team propose a suitable appointment and outline the arrangements it might need.
Share your chair's features, any transfer routine, and whether remaining seated matters to you. Hear what can be arranged and what still requires a check. If one particular device or form of help matters, ask for a direct answer.
Decide who should attend and how the team will explain steps or know you need a break. Pass on health details relevant to safe positioning through an appropriate route. If input from another professional is required, organize it before treatment.
When you arrive, check the agreed approach still fits and mention anything new. If something can't be done, discuss other options. Before you leave, raise any brushing or flossing difficulties so advice can be tailored.
Advice will depend on what was done. Ask how temporary effects might affect eating, talking, the trip home, transfers and the care routine you or your helpers follow.
When freezing, medicine or anything else disrupts your normal day, ask for clear directions before you go. Confirm support and transport needs. Something suitable after a checkup may not suit after a different procedure.
Talk about brushing and cleaning between teeth in terms of your grip, reach and preferred position. Whether a helper should assist is a question about you, not your chair. Ask about the specific motion or tool you struggle with.
Let the team know what worked and what should change next time. If your chair or support changes, reconfirm the important details. A smooth previous visit helps, but new treatment needs its own planning.
Phone the team with information about your chair and the care you're looking for. Please don't infer facilities or transfer help from the illustrative pictures on this website.
Call our Bronte Street practice to discuss your dental needs and your access, seating and support requirements. The team will go through the arrangements and explain what still needs to be confirmed.
Specific facilities and assistance need to be confirmed with the team. Images on this website are illustrations and don't depict the clinic’s premises, equipment or confirmed transfer support.
