New paediatric dental surgery service at Busselton Health Campus gives families a reason to smile
Ewen pictured after his surgery.
Ewen, aged almost four, might have lost a tooth but he’s gained something unique: the title of Busselton Health Campus’s first paediatric dental surgical patient.
Ewen had a tooth extracted under anaesthetic and was cared for by the local day surgery and recovery team – no need for a trip to Perth, thanks to the newly established local paediatric dental surgery service.
“He’d had a troublesome baby tooth at the back of his mouth,” his mum explained.
“We were at the hospital first thing in the morning and leaving by late morning. It made a huge difference to us to be able to get him home on the same day and not to have to go to Perth or stay overnight.
“The Busselton team were amazing, so friendly and welcoming. They showed him the apparatus they’d be using, the blood pressure bandage and so on. He felt really comfortable with it all.
“By the evening he was playing and walking around at home.”
The new surgical service means some South West children can now be treated closer to home for urgent care dental extractions.
It is expected to benefit more than 300 young patients and their families every year.
Under the clinical leadership of Perth Children’s Hospital visiting consultant Dr John Winters, the local Busselton team will see young patients for assessment and surgery on referral from their local dental care provider, without multiple trips to the metropolitan area.
Commencing as a monthly service in August 2022, paediatric dental surgery will double to fortnightly from January 2023, providing even more options for young families across the South West.
It is the result of extensive collaboration between Busselton Health Campus and the Child and Adolescent Health Service.