Victorian Dental Group

A general dental practice at 291 Wattletree Road, Malvern East. Family-owned, accredited against the national safety and quality standards, and run on a simple principle: you should understand what is being recommended, why, and what it costs, before anything happens.

Book online at any hour · or call (03) 9088 5808, Monday to Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm

Start here

If something is wrong right now

Facial swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or a facial injury — call 000 or go to a hospital emergency department. Do not wait for a dental appointment.

A knocked-out adult tooth — minutes matter. Pick it up by the crown, not the root; do not scrub it; put it back in the socket if you can, or keep it in milk; then seek care immediately. Full first aid on broken or knocked-out tooth.

Dental pain during clinic hours — ring (03) 9088 5808 rather than booking online, so it can be triaged. We hold capacity for urgent problems.

After hours we do not operate an on-call service. Nurse-on-Call is available 24 hours on 1300 60 60 24, and the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton, provides public emergency dental care for eligible patients.

What we are, and what we are not

We are registered dentists and oral health therapists providing general dental care. None of our practitioners holds specialist registration, and we do not describe ourselves as specialists. Where a case needs an endodontist, periodontist, orthodontist, prosthodontist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon, we say so and refer.

A general practice is the right place for most dental care — examinations, prevention, fillings, crowns, most extractions, dentures, gum treatment and routine root canal treatment. Knowing where that ends is part of doing it properly.

You can verify any practitioner here by name on the public AHPRA register at ahpra.gov.au. It is free and takes under a minute, and we would encourage you to do it with any clinic.

How we work

• A written treatment plan with itemised costs before anything begins. You take it home; nothing is decided in the chair
• The options explained, including the least invasive one, the cheaper one, and what happens if you do nothing — which is sometimes the right answer
• "Monitor it" is a real recommendation, and we make it often. Early decay can frequently be managed preventively rather than drilled
• A second opinion encouraged whenever it would help you decide. Taking a plan elsewhere is normal
• Referral when a case calls for it, including when that means treatment somewhere other than here

We do not publish patient testimonials. Australian law prohibits them in advertising a regulated health service, and a site covered in them is telling you something — see testimonials for what to weigh instead.

Accredited, and what that means

Victorian Dental Group is accredited against the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards through Quality Innovation Performance (QIP), an approved accrediting agency of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

Accreditation is voluntary for private dental practices. It means an independent assessor has examined how this clinic actually runs — infection control and sterilisation records, consent, clinical governance, medication safety, and complaint handling — against a published national standard, and that it is reassessed periodically.

Registration is mandatory and applies to the practitioner. Accreditation is optional and applies to the practice. See accredited dental practice.

What we treat

Prevention and routine care — check-ups and hygiene, dental examinations, X-rays and OPG, fissure sealants, children and families

Gums — gum care and periodontics, bleeding and swollen gums, gum recession, bad breath

Repairing teeth — fillings and restorations, crowns and bridges, root canal treatment, full mouth restoration

Replacing missing teeth — implants, dentures, implant-supported dentures

Appearance — teeth whitening, veneers, smile makeover

Surgery — dental surgery, wisdom teeth

Pain, jaws and grinding — toothache, abscess, face and cheek swelling, jaw pain and TMD, night guards and splints

Protection — custom sports mouthguards

The full index, with a line on each, is on treatments.

In the clinic

• Digital X-rays and an on-site OPG. A panoramic image is taken during your appointment rather than at another address on another day — which, if you are in pain, is the difference between being diagnosed today and next week
• Intra-oral cameras, so you see what we see rather than being told about it
• Drill-free air abrasion for suitable small cavities — no vibration, no heat, often no needle
• Amalgam-free. We do not place silver fillings, and an amalgam separator captures the mercury-containing residue when old ones are removed, rather than releasing it to the sewer
• Australian dental laboratories for crowns, dentures and appliances — shorter turnaround, materials to Australian Standards, and a technician we can actually ring about your case
• Largely paperless, with forms completed on your own device before you arrive

Technology finds problems earlier and treats them more conservatively. It is not a reason in itself to have treatment.

Paying for it

HICAPS on-the-spot health fund claiming — bring your card and pay only the gap. Eligible children aged 0–17 may be covered under the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule. Card and EFTPOS, plus Afterpay and Zip.

Routine fees are published rather than quoted on request — see check-up and hygiene. Anything that depends on your own mouth is quoted in writing after an examination, because a figure given without looking would be a guess.

If cost is the reason treatment is being put off, say so. It is a common reason and not one to feel awkward about. Staging treatment by clinical priority is often the cheapest answer, and it is always worth asking about. See payment options.

Booking, and changing a booking

Online booking runs 24 hours; appointments fall within clinic hours, Monday to Friday. If your preferred time is not showing, ring — we can often find something the online calendar does not show.

Changing or cancelling requires at least two (2) business days' notice, by telephone. An SMS or email does not cancel an appointment unless we confirm it in writing. Short-notice cancellations and missed appointments may attract a fee, and deposits apply to some longer appointments. The full terms are on attendance policies, and it is worth reading them before you book rather than after.

Tell us when you book if you are anxious, pregnant, take a blood thinner or a bone medication, have a heart valve replacement, need step-free access, or would like an interpreter. All of those change how the appointment is planned, and none of them is a problem with notice.

Finding us

291 Wattletree Road, Malvern East VIC 3145

Free on-site parking at the rear, including reserved accessible parking. The entrance is via White Street, not Wattletree Road, and it is easy to drive past — read the parking directions before your first visit, and set your map app to White Street rather than the street address.

For public transport, the PTV journey planner at ptv.vic.gov.au will give you current services to the address; we would rather point you there than publish route numbers that change.

We see patients from Malvern East and the neighbouring suburbs — Armadale, Ashburton, Caulfield, Glen Iris, Prahran, South Yarra and Toorak.

Your first visit

1. Forms beforehand. A link arrives by email or SMS, so your appointment time goes on your teeth rather than on paperwork
2. A conversation first, chair upright — what has brought you in, your history, what you want from your teeth
3. A comprehensive examination — teeth, existing work, gums and periodontal measurements, bite, and a soft-tissue check that is also an oral cancer screen
4. Radiographs only where they would change what happens next, explained before they are taken
5. What we found, with the screen turned towards you
6. A written plan with costs if anything needs doing, taken home rather than signed in the chair
7. Your clean, if you booked one at the same visit

Allow about an hour. Bring your health fund card, your Medicare card if a child may be eligible, a list of your medications, and any recent X-rays from another practice — or arrange a records transfer in advance, which can save repeating them.

Questions we are asked

Do I need a referral? No. Book directly. Practitioners referring a patient can use the referral form.

Are you open weekends? No — Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, closed public holidays.

Do you bulk bill? Adult dental care is not covered by Medicare. Eligible children may be covered under the CDBS, which we claim directly.

Will I see the same practitioner each time? Where you want to and scheduling allows, yes. Continuity helps, particularly if you are anxious or partway through a plan.

Do you place amalgam fillings? No. We remove failing ones, with the waste captured by the separator.

What if I disagree with what is recommended? Say so, and seek a second opinion if it would help. We will not be offended.

How do I raise a concern? Tell us first — ring the practice or email info@victoriandentalgroup.com.au. Independently, the Health Complaints Commissioner in Victoria (hcc.vic.gov.au) and AHPRA (ahpra.gov.au) are both open to you and need no involvement from us.

Contact

Victorian Dental Group — 291 Wattletree Road, Malvern East VIC 3145

(03) 9088 5808 · info@victoriandentalgroup.com.au · Monday to Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm · book online

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This page is general information and does not replace advice from a registered dental practitioner about your own circumstances. In a life-threatening emergency call 000. Please see our Disclaimer.