“Dentist, n.: A Prestidigitator who, putting metal in one's mouth, pulls coins out of one's pockets.”

April 16, 2007 2:01 AM

SE Queensland Dentist Filter: I need a dentist. But I want a nice one, or at least a non-judgmental one—I've had mean dentists! Needless to say, this has stopped me from going for quite a long time. I have decided to get braces though, so I need to have my teeth given the all-clear before approaching an orthodontist. I also need a recommendation for the orthodontist! Brisbane / Gold Coast area.

Anywhere really is fine. Bonus points if it's within walking distance of a train station in Brisbane, but I'm sure I can get a lift if it's a good dentist worth going to. It also needs to be cheap-ish -- do such dentists exist? Surely some are less expensive than others. I'd like to know about them.

Re: the orthodontist / braces -- it would help me a lot if anybody could point me towards an orthodontist that is known for being sympathetic to students or people who need some kind of payment plan. I can't afford to waste too much money on this. Does anyone know what the going rate is for braces these days, also? I know it's dependent on how crooked your teeth are etc (mine aren't overly) but a ballpark figure?

posted by mjao to health (3 comments total)

You're a student, from memory, so check out the UQ Dentist, which is not the dentistry school but a practice at UQ St Lucia campus. They do discounts for full-time students (although I've never been there so I don't know what it works out as, and I don't know if they mean UQ students only), and they might even do braces themselves - if not, they'll surely have some student-friendly place they refer to.

There is also the UQ School of Dentistry, although on reading that page it's not clear to me if they will just accept a random patient or not. It looks pretty cheap though, so it can't hurt to contact them!
posted by jacalata at 2:51 AM on April 16, 2007

This is probably a bit far away but Andrew Teakle is good, very friendly and gentle... I believe he's now practising in Ipswich (Booval maybe) now, unfortunately :( he used to be in Kenmore which was far more convenient for me at least, but what can you do... he's a great dentist. Not sure of the pricing in his new practice but I'd say it's cheaper than it was at Kenmore.

Sorry I can't give you a phone number off the top of my head but I can probably get one (my mother is a friend of his mother).
posted by snap, crackle and pop at 6:24 AM on April 16, 2007

My uncle has a dentistry practice in Bethania - he is the first result on this search. He was my dentist for the 14 years I lived in Brisbane, and is gentle. I can't attest to his current prices, however, and his surgery is ~12 mins walk from Bethania station (iirc).

I can also recommend the orthodontist I saw for braces. His website says he offers payment plans to meet individual needs.

Good luck with the braces! I hope you have an easy time of it.
posted by goo at 11:10 AM on April 16, 2007