At Melville Dental Care, our patients may receive part of their treatment from a dual-qualified practitioner called an Oral Health Therapist who is qualified in both Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene.

Dental Hygiene looks after the periodontal (gum) health of their patients and will work with their patients on the prevention of oral disease.

Dental Therapy involves being responsible for dental check-ups, preventative treatment, restorative treatment, the removal of teeth, and pulpotomies.

Oral Health Therapists are autonomous practitioners, which means they are solely responsible for formulating and completing the treatment options for their patients. However, given that they are not dentists, there is a scope of practice for which they must work within. For instance, a dental therapist cannot extract a permanent (adult) tooth, but they can extract deciduous (baby) teeth. Oral Health Therapists are able to identify when their patient requires treatment which is outside of their scope, and this is when they would consider referral to the dentist.

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