FAQS

Yes you do. We highly recommend that your treatment with us is co-ordinated through either your General Dental Practitioner or a Dental Specialist or a General Medical Practitioner or a Medical Specialist. Also, if you do have a referral to see us, you may be entitled to a rebate through Medicare for your consultation.
Unfortunately, referrals from a Dental Hygienist are not recognised by Medicare for this rebate. In this case, the Dental Hygienist can ask a Dentist to write the referral.

We accept referrals from either your General Dental Practitioner, a Dental Specialist, General Medical Practitioner or a Medical Specialist, on your behalf. Your referral can either be mailed to our Brisbane CBD office at the address below, emailed to [email protected] or faxed to (07) 3221 7601.

Depending on which location you want to see Dr Tuffley (Brisbane CBD, Cleveland, Everton Park or Indooroopilly) we should be able to schedule an appointment within 1 - 2 weeks of enquiry. You can book an appointment without your referral, but your referral is required at the time of consultation.

Please ensure that you have forwarded to our Brisbane City rooms the following:
1. Referral Letter from either your Doctor or Dentist
2. Completed Medical History Form
3. Any relevant radiographs (OPG X-ray, CT scan or MRI)
4. List of current medications, including their name and dosage
5. Health Insurance cover, i.e. Hospital, Extras, Combined Hospital & Extras and whether
your level of cover is top, intermediate or basic

Your first consultation will last approximately 45 minutes and which will be sufficient time for you to ask all the questions you may have. Dr Tuffley will take a complete description of your symptoms and a full medical and dental history and will discuss with you his observations and assessment of your x-rays, scans, reports and more. The more information we have about you and your symptoms, the more accurately we can diagnose and treat your condition.

Dr Tuffley operates at various locations within Brisbane and the wider Brisbane area. (See Locations / Surgery). Depending on the location, your surgery may occur between 1-4 weeks after your first consultation. We can also book surgery bookings well in advance, i.e. during the school or university holidays.

Once you have chosen your hospital or day surgery facility and the date of your surgery, we are then able to forward your details to the relevant hospital and Anaesthetist on your behalf. You will need to complete hospital admission forms prior to your surgery. Most hospitals and day surgery centres have these forms available on-line and can be found on their individual websites. (See Locations / Surgery)

If you have surgery, Medicare may cover some of your fees including part of the Anaesthetist’s and Pathology costs. Please review what Medicare benefits you are entitled to here:(http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Home). You can submit a claim online.

Every Health Insurance Company and every policy is different from the next, so it is very important that you contact your company to obtain the most accurate information regarding their rebates. Your health insurance company will ask for the Item Codes. These are listed on your Treatment Estimate given to you at your consultation.
If you have Hospital & Extras Combined Insurance you are likely to be eligible for rebates for the Hospital, Anaesthetists and Dr Tuffley's accounts. If you have Hospital cover only you are likely to be covered for all or part of the Hospital and Anaesthetist, but not Dr Tuffley’s fee. If you have Extra's cover only then you may be eligible for rebates for Dr Tuffley's fees but not the Hospital's fees. See the table in our Fees section for more information.

The average day stay visit is approximately five (5) hours. The hospital staff will notify you when you are ready to be discharged. We recommend that you don’t schedule any other appointments on this or the next day.

If you will be asleep (under a general anaesthetic) for your surgery, then you will need to fast from all food and fluids prior to your surgery. If you drink or eat something within the fasting period prior to your surgery, then your surgery may need to be re-scheduled to the end of the list or to another list on another day.
If your surgery will be performed under local anaesthetic (awake and in the dental chair in our rooms) you need to have a small meal just prior to your surgery appointment.

Dr Tuffley will indicate to you at your consultation which medication/s you may need to stop and for how long prior to your surgery and when to resume these medications after your surgery.

No. Due to the lingering effects of the general anaesthetic (asleep for surgery), you are not allowed to drive yourself home from hospital after a general anaesthetic. You will need to be discharged into the care of an accompanying person for the first 24 hours after surgery, i.e. not left alone for this period of time.
If your anaesthetic is local (awake in our rooms) we still recommend that you arrange for a relative or friend to accompany you home.

Due to the numbing effects of the anaesthetic, please ensure all food and liquids are at room temperature (not hot or cold) for the first 24 hours. We recommend foods such as yoghurt, smoothies, scrambled eggs, custard, mashed veggies and gravy, for the first 24 hours. By the second day after surgery you can add soft pasta and minced meat dishes or steamed fish. Each day gradually adding to the consistency of your meals over the next few days. You should not need to be on a soft food diet for an extended period of time due to Dr Tuffley’s non-invasive surgical technique and minimal discomfort.

For the removal of wisdom teeth, most patients are able to return to work or school between 4 – 6 days after their surgery. For soft tissue surgery, one day should be enough.

Not immediately. We recommend that you rest for the first 24 – 48 hours and then you may resume a gentle exercise regime, e.g. walking. After five days post surgery, you may resume running. For all contact sports, e.g. rugby league or union, boxing, netball, we recommend a break of three (3) weeks. If playing a wind instrument, please abstain from playing for one week.

In order to secure your surgery booking, a deposit is required two (2) weeks prior to your surgery date.
The amount of your deposit can be found on the last line of your Treatment Estimate that was provided at your Consultation appointment. Due to the high volume of staff time and attention involved in scheduling your surgery, an administration recovery fee of $250.00 is payable if you cancel your surgery booking within seven (7) days of your surgery date., otherwise a full refund of your deposit will be given if surgery is cancelled more than a week prior to your surgery date.