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Dentist Canberra – Northside Family Dental

Northside Family Dental is a very gentle care, professional & a family friendly dental practice with state of the art modern dental treatment equipment with strict infection control compliant with Australian regulatory standards. As your Gungahlin Dentists, our aim is looking after our patients dental health at affordable prices with maximum health fund rebates offering complete family dental care for all ages at our very convenient location in the heart of Gungahlin in Canberra. We are your Gungahlin family Dentist Canberra!

Our Gungahlin Marketplace Canberra Dentists have extensive experience in all facets of dentistry and will spend quality clinical time with you to discuss all the possible treatment options & provide you with a dental treatment plan keeping it totally transparent to safeguard your oral health so that that you are completely aware of your dental treatment options. Our Canberra Dentists will thoroughly explain your dental treatment choices at every step of the way so that you can make well informed decisions. If you are an anxious patient, do not hesitate to ask our lovely Dentists about Happy Gas Inhalation Sedation options for your dental treatment. Our Principal Dentist Dr Shilpa Kalburgi is formally certified in treating dental fear / dental anxious patients with Happy Gas (Nitrous Oxide) Inhalation Sedation which is also known as Relative Analgesia (RA) in dental terminology or very popularly known among kids as Laughing Gas!

Our friendly & courteous Receptionist will make your every visit easy, memorable & enjoyable. You can expect the highest professional standards in all aspects of dental care from our Dental nurses. We endeavour to do our very best & the duty of exceptional dental care by our Canberra Dentists & Dental Assistants / Dental Nurses which is recognised in the WOMO 2014 Service Award for excellence & the trust that we have attained for delivering top quality customer service as Canberra Dentists in Gungahlin for a very long time & we continue to hold this trust for the Canberra community!

Canberra Dentist


Dr Shilpa Kalburgi, BDS, ADC

Dr Shilpa Kalburgi - Northside Family DentalDr. Shilpa Kalburgi is our Principal Dentist at Northside Family Dental. Dr Shilpa graduated in December 2003 with Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in India, she obtained her Australian Dental Council (ADC) certificate in 2005 & has ever since worked as a trusted Canberra Dentist well over 19 years. Dr Shilpa has thoroughly attained expert mastery of clinical skills, enormous knowledge & extensive experience in all aspects of dentistry. From very young children having their very first dental visit, to teens, adults, pregnant women, special needs & the elderly, Dr Shilpa has excelled in providing quality dental treatment of any dental complexity across all ages. If your kids need the magic cure for ‘fear of dentists’, Dr Shilpa is the Canberra Kids Dentist you can clearly rely on to build that chain of trust for life for your kids Dental visits. Dr Shilpa believes in developing a long-term caring professional relationship with each of her patients, she will listen very well to all dental concerns & believes in communicating her dental treatment plan very clearly to her patients. Dr Shilpa can be trusted upon as your local Gungahlin go to Canberra Dentist and the quality clinical time with her is very thorough.

Dr Shilpa is totally committed to provide the highest standard of care by using the best available dental materials & the very latest modern dentistry techniques in all areas of dental treatments for Emergency, General, Preventive, Restorative, Orthodontic & Cosmetic dentistry. Dr Shilpa is also Canberra’s accredited provider of the modern next generation Orthodontic treatments such as Invisalign (Invisible Clear Braces), functional Pre-Orthodontics called Myobrace (suitable for kids 5 to 10 years of age) & has successfully delivered numerous teeth straightening results for both kids and adults. She also delivered various glamorous Cosmetic dental treatments such as Zoom Teeth Whitening, Snap-On Smile (SOS) & even Tooth Jewellery!

Dr. Shilpa’s philosophy is to treat every patient with compassion, respect & professionalism. She also actively undertakes various CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programs, seminars, workshops & lectures to keep her up to date with the latest developments in dental materials, dental treatment techniques & the use of modern technology in the field of dentistry. When not in practice providing dental treatments, Dr Shilpa loves to spend family time with her two lovely boys, her husband & enjoys cooking delicious meals at her lovely home.



Dr Elspeth Nicholls, BDSDr Elspeth Nicholls

Dr. Elspeth Nicholls is our senior highly experienced Dentist at Northside Family Dental. Dr Elspeth graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from The University of Sydney in December 1979. She began her career as a Dentist in Canberra straight after, but took the opportunity to gain experience by working as a Dentist in UK before returning to Canberra where she owned and managed a very successful dental practice called Kippax Dental, a very busy practice for many years in Canberra.

Dr Elspeth has abundance of clinical experience as a Dentist for over 40 years and comes with efficient clinical management of dental treatments for all types of patients. Dr Elspeth is aptly skilled & comfortable with all types of tooth extractions and has a great passion for the needs of older patients, particularly dentures for seniors. Dr Elspeth is also very lovely with younger kids keeping them engaged in a friendly conversation during treatments making toddlers, kids and teens very comfortable during dental treatments. Dr Elspeth is very friendly, a great communicator in advising her patients for good oral health and hygiene habits. Dr Elspeth is endlessly interested in providing the best available treatment to her patients with her solid dental experience build over many years and is a welcome addition to the lovely team at Northside Family Dental.

Dr. Elspeth’s hobbies include swimming both in open water and Olympic closed pools, she has a passion for running with disabled athletes, loves watching movies and spending quality family time with her six grandchildren.



Our Digital Dental Technology, Modern Dental Treatment Equipment & COVID-19 safe Infection Control:

Ours is a state of the art modern dental practice with computerised record keeping using Dental4Windows software practice management system to ensure your dental records are digitally safe, confidential & secure. Our treatment dental chair’s are all modern top quality treatment systems such as the latest technologically advanced A-DEC 300 & SIRONA’s SINIUS digital model which are a new class in total 100% accuracy & efficiency all coupled with the digital X-RAY / PA system VISTASCAN MINI PLUS which safely stores the digital copies of your dental records in a fully digitised & encrypted repository storage subsystem under the safe and secure Dental 4 Windows software. Our “full mouth X-Ray” (OPG) system is the top of the range state of the art Hyperion MyRay digital x-ray unit that is used to assess WISDOM TEETH, bone structure, jaw alignment etc that captures the digital image of your mouth at the highest available resolution for that minute details of your entire mouth.

COVID-19 safe - NORTHSIDE FAMILY DENTALOur infection control hygiene systems use top end MELAG Premium Class autoclave steriliser coupled with all other professional sterilisation equipment such as ASSISTINA for hand pieces & digitally controlled and monitored infection control processes that are 100% compliant with the Australian standards regulatory authorities ensuring that we maintain a highest standard of totally healthy infection free clinical environment throughout our dental practice ensuring our patients and staff alike are totally 100% safe. Please be assured that all dental instruments and hand-pieces used in our dental practice are sterilised for each and every patient that is strictly monitored, tracked & recorded digitally for your total peace of mind.

Rest assured, our hygiene protocol for the entire practice follows strict compliance with COVID-19 safe Infection Control guidelines by the Australian Government / Dental Boards for your clinical safety and peace of mind during these unprecedented challenging times of Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic !!!

Our COVID-19 safety plan is thoroughly documented & strictly followed by all staff members of our dental practice, logged, monitored & reviewed continuously in the interest of public health and safety !!!


Our COVID – 19 SAFE PLAN:

PRE-SCREENING of all the patients booking dental appointments:

All the patients who call to make an appointment and all online bookings via our website / HealthEngine will go through a thorough series of COVID-19 screening questions as below to assess any risk factors

Epidemiological Criteria: any patient who has

    • been overseas in the last two weeks OR known exposure sites
    • had CLOSE contact with a known / suspected COVID-19 positive case in the last two weeks
    • recently tested positive for COVID-19 infection

Clinical Criteria: any patient who has the following symptoms

    • fever
    • cough
    • sore throat
    • shortness of breath
    • fatigue
    • other respiratory symptoms
    • recent loss of smell/taste

Hand hygiene upon entering & leaving the surgery: All patients and their relatives entering or leaving the surgery to perform alcohol based hand sanitiser kept easily accessible at reception front desk.

Waiting room: Our seats in the waiting room are spaced out to maintain the 1.5 metre safe distance between the seats and our reception staff will strongly enforce social distancing in waiting room and will keep limited number of patients and their relatives in the waiting room.

PPE’S FOR DENTISTS AND DENTAL ASSISTANTS:

Northside Family Dental is equipped with enough supply of personal protective equipment (PPE’s) including gowns, surgical masks, eye wear etc. to provide all the dental treatment needed with standard precautions as per NHMRC (The National Health Medical Research Council) and Dental Board Australia COVID-19 infection control guidelines.

Pre-procedural Mouth rinse and Dental procedure modification to avoid or minimising generating aerosols as below:

  1. All the patients will be asked to do pre-procedural mouth rinse 0.2% chlorhexidine to reduce microbial loads as follows:

Colgate chlorhexidine gluconate 2mg/ml – 10ml orally rinsed for 30 secs by the patient as soon as the patient is seated in the dental chair.

  1. Our dentists will use and modify dental procedures wherever required to reduce / minimise generating aerosols i.e. provide dental treatment under rubber dam, use of high volume suction etc.

 


Affordable Dental Fees & NO INTEREST Dental Payment Plan (Only applies to certain dental treatments that stagger over time that require multiple visits, see detailed explanation below):

Consider Northside Family Dental as your Good Cheap Dentist Canberra. Our lovely Canberra Dentists believe in providing the best Dentist service at affordable fees. Our Dentist fees are very modest with maximum health fund rebates which is why we are also popularly known as Affordable Cheapest Dentist in Canberra, rest assured we do not compromise on the quality of dental care by our affordable Canberra Dentists & take every effort to keep our fees very reasonable to our patients. Though we are your Medicare Bulk Billing Gungahlin Dentist in Canberra, there is no such thing as FREE Dentist Canberra or FREE dental Canberra as Medicare Bulk Billing for Dental services is for eligible Kids & Teens under 18 years of age only (kindly please see below section under CDBS). However, you can trust us to be your affordable Dentist Canberra as our Dental Fees Australia are affordable Canberra Dentist prices. You can certainly trust us for your tooth filling cost, tooth extraction cost, wisdom teeth removal cost, root canal treatment cost, dentures cost, crowns cost, veneers cost & teeth cleaning cost Canberra.

Please kindly be aware that the dental fees are strictly payable upfront at the end of each appointment for all dental treatments which represent a qualified skilled professional providing dental treatment with the dental equipment & dental materials, laboratory fees, COVID-19 compliant infection control measures, staff, utilities & the dental premises. We do accept CASH, EFTPOS, Visa, MasterCard and American Express (please be aware that there is a surcharge of 3% for AMEX). Any unpaid account will be professionally referred to debt collection agencies & law enforcement if required. Using our HICAPS facility, we process on-the-spot claiming to your private dental health fund / dental health insurance for your dental extra’s health cover providing you with instant health fund rebates & thus saving you from the inconvenience of manual claim from your private health fund / health insurance.

For some complex major treatments such as Invisalign which are more expensive & that span over time or a few visits, our friendly Canberra Dentists can discuss the staggered NO INTEREST PAYMENT PLAN arrangements during your initial Consultation & provide you with the complete dental treatment plan with an appropriate interest free dental payment plan keeping everything transparent. Please be aware that we strictly DO NOT offer credit or give out accounts, we understand that the need for dental care can sometimes place unexpected pressure on any household budget and if you need a Dental Payment Plan, we are more than happy to accept external PAYMENT PLANS only if pre-approved by any third party credit payment plan providers such as MediPay. More information on MediPay is available at https://www.medipay.com.au (However, please kindly note that we DO NOT accept AfterPay or ZipPay).


$1000 free dental at Northside Family DentalMedicare BULK BILLING for eligible Kids & Teens ONLY (Child Dental Benefits Schedule – CDBS) upto $1000 for under 18 years of age for means tested eligible families
(Please thoroughly kindly read the detailed explanation of CDBS below for Child Dental Benefits Scheme eligibility as CDBS is means tested by Australian Government based on your Family Tax Benefit entitlements / Tax Returns):

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Can I use MEDICARE card for my KIDS & TEENS dental treatment for FREE upto $1000?
Eligible Kids & Teens can be BULK BILLED using Australian Government MEDICARE card under CHILD DENTAL BENEFITS SCHEDULE which is also known as CDBS (Child Dental Benefits Scheme) upto $1000 / year i.e. FREE Dental for Eligible Kids & Teens upto $1000. Please do let our practice know in advance if your child is seeking treatment under CHILD DENTAL BENEFITS SCHEDULE & provide us your kid’s Medicare card details beforehand as we will have to check & confirm their Dental Bulk Billing entitlements with Medicare if they are eligible for bulk billing for dental treatments by our Canberra Bulk Billing Dentists.

PLEASE NOTE: Dental treatments are NOT bulk billed for Adults 18+. i.e. Medicare BULK BILLING Dentist is for eligible Kids & Teens ONLY under CDBS (Child Dental Benefits Schedule)

About CHILD DENTAL BENEFITS SCHEDULE (CDBS)
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is a $2.7 billion measure by the Australian government that will provide a Commonwealth funded capped benefit entitlement for basic dental services for children. Around 3.4 million children aged 2-17 in families who meet a means test will be eligible for dental benefits each year. The total benefit entitlement will be capped at $1000 per child over a two Calendar year period. CDBS started in the year 2014 in Australia.

How to claim the $1000 dental on Medicare or How do I know if I my Kids / Teens are eligible for the CDBS?
The Australian Government started writing to eligible children or their families starting early 2014 to confirm eligibility. Children aged 2 to 17 who meet certain means testing are eligible for the CDBS. Eligibility is determined by MEDICARE each calendar year however unused available funds are valid for two calendar years. Families eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB-A) or certain other government payments as listed below will be able to take advantage of the CDBS:

  • Youth Allowance
  • ABSTUDY
  • Disability Support Pension
  • Parenting Payment
  • Special Benefit
  • Carer Payment
  • Double Orphan PensionFor children above 16:
    • Veteran’s Children Education Scheme
    • Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme

For CDBS eligibility check, please kindly call us and our friendly staff will be more than happy to check your family for Medicare Child Dental Benefits Scheme eligibility. Please be aware that although eligibility is determined for each calendar year, the $1000 allocation of funds is valid for two years (in consecutive calendar year periods). If you think your child or children may be eligible under CDBS, you should ensure that your family details held at Centrelink / Services Australia are fully up to date to receive the benefit of the CDBS scheme by the Australian Government.


NSW Health DENTAL VOUCHERS:
Can I use dental vouchers issued by NSW Health?
YES, we do accept Emergency Dental Vouchers & Restorative Dental Vouchers issued by NSW Health. If you currently get a Centrelink payment, you may be eligible to get a Dental Voucher by visiting NSW Health Community Centres who can issue these dental vouchers to you under the government dental scheme for adults. These are also known as CENTRELINK DENTAL VOUCHERS.


DVA Gold Card & White Card:
Can I use Veteran’s Affair Gold or White card for FREE dental treatments?
YES, we do accept Veteran’s Affairs Gold & White cards for FREE dental treatments to all Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) eligible patients approved by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) with no cost to you as we will bill your dental treatments directly to the Australian Government’s Department of Veteran’s Affairs for payment.

DVA GOLD cards are totally eligible for any dental treatments. However, please note that for DVA WHITE cards, we would need to check your eligibility for dental benefits prior to making your dental appointment. If you have any DVA family or friends that may benefit from this service we would happy to help them.


HCF, NIB & Dental Extra’s cover Health Insurance Claims for on the spot health fund claims via HICAPS facility:

HCF & NIB Preferred Provider Canberra Dentists:

We are your HCF Dentists Canberra. We are HCF Preferred Providers for HCF’s ‘More for Teeth’ dental health insurance program in Gungahlin. If you are a member of HCF extra’s cover for Gold, Silver & Platinum Extra’s cover) you will be fully covered with NO GAP payment (i.e. 100% back at no extra cost to you at all) for 2 Checkups, Scale & Clean, Fluoride every Calendar year (Jan 1st to Dec 31st) which also includes any X-Ray’s and Sports Mouthguard’s. If you have HCF Bronze Extra’s cover, please note that only 1 Checkup, Scale & Clean with Fluoride is fully covered with NO GAP payment per Calendar year. Also, if you are into sports, dont forgot to get your SPORTS MOUTHGUARD for free which is totally covered by your HCF health fund once every calender year!

We are also your NIB Preferred Provider Canberra Dentist costing you less out of pocket for your dental treatments. We are the only NIB Dentist Canberra in Gungahlin to offer NIB’s First Choice dental benefits under the NIB First Choice Network! Once we process the health fund claim from our HICAPS’s terminal, you will instantly know your rebate and you only pay the GAP as your out of pocket expense.



hicaps-providers

For all other HEALTH FUNDS / HEALTH INSURANCE, if you have an eligible EXTRAS / ANCILLARY dental insurance policy, you will be up for a minor GAP (out of pocket) amount as each health fund / health insurance has a different rebate amount for each dental treatment. Some emergency dental procedures e.g. extirpation of pulp & surgical tooth extractions may fall within a 12 month waiting period with some funds. We process on-the-spot instant electronic claiming from your private health fund / health insurance cover through the HICAPS facility on-site at our practice so that you don’t have to physically queue up at your health fund office for a refund. For overseas patients, please present us your pre-approval, if not, we are able to provide an Invoice & Receipt showing what dental treatment was performed so that you can easily lodge a claim direct from your travel insurer. You can depend on us if you are an International Student having OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover).

We process all dental health insurance funds with Dental EXTRA’s cover as listed below:
ACA Health Benefits Fund, ADF Family Health (Australian Defence Force card), AETNA, AHM, ANZ Health Insurance, Australian Unity, Budget Direct, Bupa, Bupa International, CBHS, CBHS Corporate, CDH Benefits Fund, CUA Health, Defence Health, Doctors Health, EURO CENTER, Fit Health Insurance, Frank Health Insurance, GMF Health, GMHBA, Grand United Corporate Health, HBA, HBF, HCF, Health Care Insurance, Health Partners, Healthguard, HIF, Latrobe Health Services, Lysaght Peoplecare, Manchester Unity, MBF, MDHF, Medibank Private, Mutual Community, National Health Benefits, Navy Health, NIB, NIB International, NMRA Insurance, OHP, Peoplecare Health Insurance, Phoenix Health Fund, Police Health, Qantas Assure, QTUHF, Queensland Country Health, RACT Health Insurance, Railway & Transport Health Fund, Reserve Bank Health Society, RT Health Fund, St George Health Insurance, St.Lukes Health, Teachers Federation Health, Teachers’ Union Health, The Doctors’ Health Fund, Transport Health, VPS Health Scheme, Westfund, Health.com.au, SMILE.com.au, GoDental, Onemedifund & all Overseas Student Health Covers (OSHC)