Rockingham Dental Centre helps vulnerable locals with essential treatment

Rockingham Dental Centre held its annual Dental Rescue Day last month, providing locals in need with essential dental treatment. Organised through the Australian Dental Health Foundation, Rockingham Dental Centre have hosted the Dental Rescue Day for the past 15 years. Its team of four dentists, one dental hygienist, five assistants and three administration staff was able to help 13 patients on March 25 free of charge. Volunteers assisted with examinations, radiographs, extractions, fillings, emergency root canal treatment, deep scaling and cleaning. Most patients had been experiencing acute or chronic pain and discomfort, and had been referred for urgent treatment by charity or not-for-profit organisations, the centre said. Rockingham Dental Centre co-owner Hari Menon, said the previous owner initiated Dental Rescue Day and it was something they wanted to continue to support. “Unfortunately, dental care is not a high priority for people who are experiencing hardships in life,” Dr Menon said. “They are reliant on care through the government system but usually find it hard to access and they often have a sense of fear and anxiety about seeing a dentist.” The clinic has now provided about $130,000 in free dental services since 2008. Dr Menon said the feedback from patients was overwhelmingly positive, with one patient in particular saying she was humbled by the dentists and staff who went out of their way to make sure she was comfortable and at ease. “Most of our clients have dentist anxiety and fear stigmatisation and judgement, and they were all so grateful to feel supported, unjudged and cared for by all the staff,” he said. Three patients were also adopted by the clinic to receive ongoing treatment with the help of ADHF sponsor Oceanic Dental Laboratory.