Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is a non-invasive intervention which helps retain the muscles of the face, tongue and mouth to work they way they are ment to. When these muscles aren’t functioning properly- such as tongue sitting low in the mouth, the lips not staying closed, or a mouth breathing habit-this can affect dental development, swallowing, sleep and posture.

OMT uses gentle, targeted exercises to improve:

• Tongue Posture (resting up in the palate)

• Nasal Breathing and healthy airway habits

• Lip strength and closure

• Correct swallow pattern

• Jaw stability

• Chewing efficiency

• Facial muscle coordination

Why is matters for children?

Children’s faces and jaws are still growing, so early support can make a huge difference. OMT can help with:

• Mouth breathing habits

• Thumb & digit sucking

• Tongue tie-related muscle patterns (with or without release)

• Open bite or crowded teeth

• Speech impact from improper tongue placement

• Snoring or sleep-disordered breathing indicators.

When the orofacial muscles work correctly, children often see improvement in sleep, focus, feeding, craniofacial growth, over all oral health.

How therapy Works?

Treatment is personalised and may include:

• A full functional assessment

• Weekly or fortnightly guided exercises

• Home programs

• Collaboration with dentists, GP’s, speech pathologists, ENT specialists, airway practitioners, orthodontists, Manual Therapists, Paediatric sleep specialists and more.

• Establish correct tongue resting posture

Teaching the tongue to rest up on the palate, lightly suctioned, which acts as a natural palate expander, which supports healthy jaw growth, nasal breathing and a stable bite.

• Promotes Nasal Breathing

Encourages children to breathe through their nose- day and night-improves airway health, sleep quality, facial development, and overall wellbeing.

• Achieve proper lip seal

Strengthening the lips so they stay comfortably closed at rest, reducing mouth breathing and improving muscle balance around the face.

• Normalise the swallow pattern

Training the mature swallow that uses the tongue correctly, supports facial growth and prevents forward tongue pressure on the teeth.

• Improve Chewing Efficiency and Oral Habits

Encouraging proper chewing, reducing habits such as dummy use, thumb sucking and supporting health feeding patterns.

• Support facial & jaw development

Balanced facial muscles guide the growth of the maxilla, mandible and airway. OMT can help support orthodontic outcomes.

• Enhance speech foundations

While not a replacement for speech therapy, correct tongue posture and strength provide essential support for clear articulation.

• Improve Sleep & Airway function

By promoting nasal breathing, good tongue posture and healthier oral habits. OMT can reduce snoring and support better-quality sleep.

• Create Long- Term, stable Oral Health Habits

OMT aims for lifelong improvements by teaching children how to use their muscles efficiently and consistently- not just therapy but everyday. This is called creating new neural pathways or neuroplasticity.

An Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD) is when muscles of the face, mouth, tongue and lips are not working the way they are meant to. These muscles help with breathing, chewing, swallowing, speaking and guiding facial and dental development. When their function is disrupted, it can affect the child’s growth, airway health and oral habits.

Common Features of OMD’s:

1. Mouth breathing (Relying on mouth instead of nose to breathe, especially at rest or during sleep.)

2. Low or Incorrect Tongue posture (The tongue that sits low in the mouth rather than resting gently on the palate.)

3. Open -Lip posture (Lips stay apart, often due to weak lip tone or airway difficulties.)

4. Tongue thrust or immature swallow (The tongue pushes forward or sideways when swallowing, affecting tooth and jaw development.)

5. Oral habits (Thumb, finger sucking, dummy use, cheek or lip sucking or prolonged bottle feeding.)

6. Chewing or feeding difficulties (Inefficient chewing, preferences for soft foods or fatigue during meals.)

7. Speech sound challenges related to tongue placement. (Not a speech disorder itself, but the muscle pattern may contribute.)

Why OMD’s Matter?

If left unaddressed these dysfunctional patterns can influence:

• Dental Alignment and bite development

• Facial growth and jaw shape

• Airway health and sleep quality

• Orthodontic outcomes

• Feeding, chewing and swallowing

• Overall childhood wellbeing

Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) find traditional dental clinics overwhelming. The signs, sounds, smells and transitions can make it difficult for them to feel calm, safe and cooperative. Providing dental care in the comfort of the in own home can make significant difference in their wellbeing and oral health outcomes.

Familiar, low stress environment

Benefits:

• less fear and distress

• Easier transitions between activities

• More trust and engagement

Reduce Sensory Overload

Dental clinics can be noisy, bright and full of unfamiliar equipment. At home, sensory input can be controlled. The dental products available can also be tailored to the child’s sensory requirements.

Benefits:

• Softer lighting

• Lower noise levels

• Ability to use preferred sensory tools (weighted blankets, head phones, fidget items)

• Options for lighting, equipment (noise), tastes and textures for prophy paste and topical applications.

Consistent Routines & Flexibility

Children with Autism or ADHD thrive on routine and predictability. In-home care allows the appointment to fit around the best time of day and natural rhythms.

Benefits:

• Appointment during calm periods

• less rushing

• opportunity to pause and take breaks

• Meeting the child where they are at on the day.

• Show, tell, practice and do technique for explaining visit and treatment.

Better Behavioural and Emotional regulation

Being at home means children can move play or use self-regulation techniques without fear of judgement pr disruption.

Benefits:

• Less resistance

• Reduced behavioural escalations

• More positive dental experiences

Personalised, Child-Led care

In home visits allow dental therapist to move at child’s pace, build trust, and shape the experience around their needs- rather than expecting then to adapt to a clinical setting.

Benefits:

• Gentle desensitisation

• Trauma-Informed care

• Strong rapport over time

Supports Preventive Oral Health

Regular in home check ups reduce preventive decay, pain and dental emergencies-issues that children with ASD/ADHD maybe higher risk due to:

• Sensory challenges with brushing.

• Diet preferences

• Medication related dry mouth

• Difficulty tolerating visits

Allows Parents to be actively involved

At home, parents can observe, ask questions and learn tailored strategies for daily oral care. Child can be safe and play, and parent can get the information they need without being distracted.

Benefits:

• Realistic, personalised home-care routines

• Guidance for brushing, flossing and diet.

• Empowered, confident caregivers.

Builds Positive Dental Experiences for Life

By removing fear and stress, children learn that dental care can be gentle, calm and safe- setting them up for healthier habits as they grow.

• Social Story available before your child visit please request at the time of appointment

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

According to the sleep foundation in 2025 sleep- disordered beathing, including snoring and sleep apnea affects up to one-third of patients with ADHD. In 2024 a journal on sleep and autism outlined over 80% of children with ASD have clinically significant sleep problems. Multiple studies and journals have been published to show that Myofunctional Therapy decreases apnea-hyponea index by approximately 50% in adults and 62% in children. Showing that Myofunctional therapy could serve as adjunct to other obstructive sleep apnea treatments.

The Myo Munchee is a medical-grade silicone myofunctional tool. This small chewing device can be used by children and adults, which is designed to help improve the tone and strength of the muscles in the lips, face, and jaws. It also promotes nasal breathing.

The Myo Munchee website has loads of information and resources to help you decide if this is the right options for your family. Please visit https://myomunchee.com

At Nurturing Smiles we will work with your health care provider for Tongue-Tie release (frenectomy) to get the best outcome for your child. OMT is important for pre and post care after a procedure. Just think if you had to have surgery on another part of your body, following that procedure you would normally have physiotherapy to restore the muscle function to ensure that its moving and working correctly how it was before. With a tongue tie the muscle was never moving or working correctly in the first place. OMT is like the physio for your tongue.

I recommend starting therapy 4 weeks (completing 4 sessions) prior to a tongue tie release, and 4+ sessions to be completed after the release, for the best outcomes.

Why Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is Important Before and After Tongue-Tie Release

Before Tongue-Tie Release: Preparing the muscles for success.

A tongue tie is not just a piece of tissue- its functional problem that affects how the tongue moves, rests, and works with other facial muscles. Before the release, OMT helps prepare the muscles for the procedure is safer, more effective, and more comfortable.

Strengthens and wakes up Tongue Muscles

When a tongue-tie has restricted movement for years, the tongue becomes weak or under-used. OMT activates these muscles so the tongue can move properly once it’s freed.

Teaches Correct Tongue Posture

Children learn where the tongue should rest- up on the palate- so that after the release, they don’t fall back to old habits.

Improves mouth and facial muscle coordination.

OMT helps retrain the lips, cheeks, jaw and tongue to work together, making swallowing and speech more efficient after the release.

Reduces post procedure risks

Good pre-procedural function can lower the chance of:

• Excessive swelling

• Difficulty adapting to new environment

• Oral aversion

• Reattachment of the tissue.

Ensures the child is ready emotionally and behaviourally

Practicing gentle exercises beforehand helps the child feel familiar and confident with oral activities, making the actual procedure less stressful.

After Tongue release: Re-Training the new movement:

Once the tongue has been freed, it needs guidance to learn it’s new range of motion. OMT us essential to achieve the full benefits of the release.

Prevents reattachment

After the procedure, the tissue naturally wants to heal back together. Targeted exercises help keep mobility while the wound heals.

Builds Strength and Endurance

OMT helps the tongue and surrounding muscles become strong, coordinated, and able to sustain healthy new pattern.

Establishes Healthy Long-Term Habits

Children learn how to:

• Maintain proper tongue posture

• Breathe through their nose

• Swallow correctly

• Stabilise the jaw

These changes support long-term facial and dental development.

Thumb and finger sucking are common, comforting habits in childhood. When these habits persist, they impact oral development, tooth position, jaw growth, breathing patterns and speech.‍ The Happy Hand, Healthy Habits program is an evidence based 15 week program which uses a myofunctional therapy and positive behavioural based approach to help children confidently stop sucking habits.

Step 1: Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) Assessment

All children begin with an OMT assessment to:

• Identify why the habit is present.

• Assess oral muscle function, tongue posture, breathing and swallowing.

• Understand the impact of the habit on dental and facial development.

A personalised treatment plan is created. In most cases, OMT treatment follows the habit cessation program, however some exercises may be overlap with the cessation program depending on the child’s needs. If the child is not ready yet, that’s ok we can review again in 6 months. The success of this program is the child’s willingness to stop their sucking habit.

Step 2: Choose a “Quit Day”

Families are supported to plan a quit day together. We recommend choosing a Friday as this allows:

• Slower mornings and sleep ins

• Parents or carers are present

• Time to keep the child busy, active and supported.

Until quit day, children are reassured that they can suck their thumb or fingers as much as they like. This reduces pressure and anxiety and help make quit day feel positive and exciting. This is a monumental occasion and should be treated as a fun celebration.

Step 3: Quit Day- A positive Milestone

Quit day is designed to feel fun, empowering and celebratory- not scary or restrictive.

On Quit day:

• The child brings along their trigger (such as blankie or the item they usually use while sucking.)

• They may choose to have a photo taken to make this important milestone.

• The Happy Hands, Healthy Habits Kit is introduced.

• Parents and children are taught how to place and use a “happy spot.”

• The simple rules of the program are explained clearly and gently to both parent and child.

Children are in charge this whole process, parents are helpers. This helps children feel in control, empowered and is designed to be a light-hearted and fun event.

What’s inside the Happy Hands, Healthy Habits kit?

The Kits includes a range of child-chosen aversive reminders, such as:

• Band aids

• Gloves/ puppets

• Nail polish or thumb away spray

• Busy Hands List

• 2 toys to keep little hands busy.

These items are not punishments. They serve as reminders that the child has chosen for themselves to stop sucking. Choice and ownership are central to the success of the program.

The Myo spot “happy spot” is placed in three times a day to stimulate “happy hormones” and support healthy tongue posture and oral awareness.

Ongoing support- Especially week 1

The first week is usually the hardest and support is the key.

Kristy will:

• Touch base daily during the first week.

• Provide encouragement, rewards and positive reinforcement.

• Support parents with trouble shooting and reassurance.

This continues through to the first week review, ensuring families feel confident and supported.

Review Appointments & Progress Milestones

Reviews are conducted at:

• Week 1

• Week 3

• Week 7

• Week 15

  These appointments focus on:

• Praise, motivation and confidence building

• Reviewing sticker charts and rewards

• Addressing any challenges or concerns

• Negotiating and adjusting reminders

• Reviewing and taking measurements and photos of progress.

Week 15- Completion & Celebration

Week 15 is Completion Day!- a time to celebrate success.

At this visit:

• Final photos and measurements are taken.

• Progress is reviewed and celebrated.

• A certificate is presented.

• A special prize is given to acknowledge the child’s achievement.

  This marks the successful completion of the program and an important step toward healthy oral development.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is an exercised based program. Just like any exercise daily practice leads to bigger gains and faster improvement of symptoms. The level of commitment is your biggest success!

Home practice:

5-10 mins 1-2 times per day.

(Total of active practice 10-20mins per day) Consistency is key!

Appointments:

Usually fortnightly- Monthly for 30-40 mins.

Overall Program:

Most programs run 3-6 months.

As Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy targets improving oral rest posture and swallowing technique and integrating into everyday life (creating new neural pathways in the brain.) The treatment programs occurs in a few phases. First phase includes active therapy where child has weekly or fortnightly sessions with home practice 2 times daily and usually occurs for 2-4 months. Once the OMT goals have been achieved then they move to less contact with therapist but continued practice at home until fully integrated and neural connections have formed. This can take up to 12-18 months depending on the commitment at home, family support, abilities and compliance.

Many Children feel anxious, overwhelmed or simply not ready for a full dental exam or OMT assessment- and that’s completely okay. Your child does not need to sit still, open their mouth, or tolerate a full examination for me to begin providing meaningful support. As a Dental Therapist and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist, I am trained to work gently, patiently and flexibly with children of all abilities and needs. I follow your child’s cures and adapt the appointment to their comfort level.

Even without a full oral exam, I can still gather valuable information to support their dental health, feeding, breathing, orofacial development and future dental care.

What I can assess without a full exam:

Facial and oral muscle function:

I can observe:

• Lip tone and posture

• Tongue resting position

• Cheek muscle activity

• Signs of mouth breathing

• Swallowing patterns (as tolerated)

These give important clues about oral habits, airway health and myofunctional development.

Breathing patterns

Through gentle observation, I can look for:

• Mouth vs nose breathing

• Upper airway congestion indicators

• Day time breathing posture

• Snoring and sleep related concerns (based on parent report)

Oral habits

Even without looking inside the mouth, I can identify:

• Thumb/ fingers sucking

• Dummy (pacifier) use

• Cheek or lip biting

• Tongue thrust behaviours

• Bruxism (grinding) indicators

Head, Jaw and Posture

I can assess:

• Head posture

• Forward head position

• Jaw alignment during rest

• Muscular tension patterns

• Symmetry of facial growth

Feeding and speech indicators

Through observation and parent discussion, I can gather information about:

• Chewing ability

• Texture tolerances

• Picky eating

• Gagging and food refusal

• Drooling

• Early speech clarity concerns

Behavioural & Sensory clues

• Sensory triggers

• Appointment tolerance levels

• Desensitisation needs

• Preferred positioning (on parents lap, standing)

This helps create gradual, child-led plan for future care.

Dental Risk Assessment (without looking inside)

I can still discuss:

• Diet and snacking patterns

• Bottle/ breast feeding habits

• Oral Hygiene routines

• Flouride exposure

• Family Dental History

• Environment and life style factors

This allows me to build a personalised prevention plan even without a full mouth exam.

My commitment to a child-friendly stress- free approach, sensory safe:

I work at your child’s pace- gently, calmly and without pressure. The goal is always to build trust, create positive experiences and support healthy development. Sometimes this means starting with observation, play based rapport building, or myofunctional assessments and returning for more complete examination when your child is ready.

Every small step forward is meaningful.

Every child deserves a calm, positive and supported dental experience. Whether your child is curious, anxious or simple unsure what to expect, gentle preparation can make a big difference. Here are some simple, child friendly ways to help your child feel more comfortable before their appointment.

1 Keep explanations simple and positive.

Use short reassuring language such as. “Kristy’s coming tomorrow, she’s very friendly and coming to check your teeth, and smile.”

Avoid surprise appointments- predictability helps reduce anxiety.

Avoid language like “your so brave”, “it will be over quick,” “it won’t hurt.” This language makes the child think that will be facing something scary or painful and will have to endure something unpleasant without fear.

If your child is unsure or hesitant that is absolutely normal. It’s important that your anxiety and nervousness is not impacting their experience, so feel free to sit back and let me do all the work. When I arrive, I’ll do a lot of talking using all positive language and lots of play-based learning. Let your child know I have lots of fun things to show them and they even get a gift.

2 Use Visuals and social stories

Many Children benefit from seeing what to expect. You can use:

• Simple social story (contact if you would like nurturing smiles dentals one.)

• Photos from the website.

• A short video explaining brushing or visiting the dentists.

3 Practice through play

Play-based exposure helps build familiarity. Try:

• Using a toy toothbrush on a doll or teddy.

• Letting your child be the “dentist” for a parent or sibling.

• Opening wide like a lion or crocodile.

Keep it fun and pressure free. These are all things that we will also do when we visit. Ask your child if they would like a special toy to have their teeth checked before they have their own.

4 Support sensory needs

Help your child feel regulated by preparing:

• Favourite comfort items

• Pre-appointment movement (jumping, stretching, pressure) if calming for them.

5 Have handy things that helps communication

Whether your child communicates verbally, with gestures or visual cards, all communication methods are welcome. Feel free to have handy:

• Visual supports

• A communication device

• Cue cards

• Social story books

I will always follow your child’s communication style.

6 Share important information before the visit. Let me know:

• Your child’s sensory triggers

• What calms them

• Any fears and past experiences

• Preferred routines

• If they prefer slow, quiet approaches or high-energy, playful interaction.

This helps me shape the appointment around you child.

In the event of a dental emergency this includes dental trauma, tooth ache, pain and swelling. There is limited availability for services outside and during working hours. Parents of existing patients are encouraged to contact 0428 502 070 during working hours ASAP for emergency advice. If it occurs on non-working day parents of existing patients are encouraged to text 0428 502 070 with an image of dental concern and brief outline of what has occurred. If the dental emergency has occurred on a weekend a call out fee of $200 along with travel fees and emergency services will be required to be paid on the day and is subjected to availability. Please note for NEW patient’s emergency services are not able to be provided.

Advice for tooth avulsion:

If an adult tooth has been avulsed (completely knocked out)

In the event of a permanent tooth avulsion, it is crucial to act quickly to maximize the chances of successful re-implantation. Here are the steps to follow:

• Stay Calm: Keeping calm is essential to handle the situation effectively.

• Locate the Tooth: Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown (the chewing surface), not the root.

• Rinse the Tooth: If the tooth is dirty, rinse it gently with milk or saline solution.

• Provide first Aid: if the child/ teenager has a suspected head injury or jaw fracture or unable to open mouth. Please present to the closest emergency department and keep tooth in milk, saline solution or the patient’s own saliva. Until risk assessment has been completed by emergency department. Please advise ED that tooth has been avulsed as well and they will risk assess priorities of treatment. Note best success is if tooth has been replanted and stablised within 30 mins.

• Reposition the Tooth: If possible, try to place the tooth back into the socket. Hold it in place with gentle pressure.

• If unable to place tooth back into socket, keep tooth in milk, saline solution of the patient’s own saliva (inside the mouth.)

• Visit a Dentist: Visit a dentist or an emergency dental clinic within 30 minutes if possible. 

If an adult tooth has been moved out of its position but still in it’s socket.

• Reposition the tooth with fingers and hold it in place with gentle pressure.

• Contact a dentist ASAP for possible splinting, Xray and monitoring.

Please note Kristy is a Dental Therapist with extensive experience in dealing with dental trauma in children’s permanent (adult) and deciduous (baby) teeth. As a dental therapist means she is able to provide emergency services within her scope of practice. Anything that is outside of her scope of practice she will refer to appropriate dentist or specialist. Emergency services for trauma include repositioning of teeth, splinting, protective coverings over exposed pulp and temporary fillings. These will be limited to availability of equipment and materials. All dental traumas will be required to be assessed by a registered Dentist for follow up and review.

Baby Teeth avulsion (being knocked out)
It is not recommended for baby teeth to be replanted or placed back into the position as there is a risk of damaging the developing tooth underneath. If you're unsure if it’s a baby tooth or adult tooth and are an existing patient, please contact before tooth replacement.

Home visits are designed to provide gentle, preventive and assessment-based dental care in a familiar and low- stress environment. While this model is ideal for many children-particularly those with anxiety, disability or sensory sensitivity- it does have its limitations. During a home visit, restorative dental treatments such as fillings, extractions or complex procedures cannot be provided.

Discussions with local private dentists are underway for Kristy being able to provide restorative services under local anesthetic in a South-West private dental clinic.

Some children require dental treatment under relative analgesia (RA) or general anesthetic (GA) to ensure their safety, comfort and wellbeing. This maybe recommended when:

• Extensive treatment is required.

• A child is very young or unable to cooperate due to development or medical needs.

• Anxiety, sensory challenges or trauma make in-chair treatment unsafe.

• Multiple procedures are needed in a single visit.

In these cases, families will be supported with a referral to a specialist paediatric dentist who is trained to provide care under RA/ GA in an appropriate clinical or hospital setting.

Will you help us with the referral process?

Yes! Home visits play an important role in early identification, prevention and preparation for future dental care in a clinical setting. Where a referral is required, this is done thoughtfully and collaboratively. Ensure families are guided through the next steps with clarify and reassurance. Referrals are made with the child’s comfort, safety and individual needs in mind.

If treatment can’t be done at home, is a home visit still worthwhile?

Absolutely. Home visits are valuable for early identification, prevention, education and preparation. They can help reduce fear, build-trust and support a smoother transition to clinic based or specialist care if needed.

Is being referred for GA a failure or last resort?

No. A referral for RA or GA is not a failure. It is a clinically appropriate and compassionate option for many children and can be the fastest and least stressful way to provide necessary dental care. This is a judgement-free space. I believe all parents are trying their best and work incredibly hard and oral health challenges can happen despite best efforts. My role is about support and solutions, not fault or blame.

Payment is required in full on the day of the treatment/ visit. We accept cash, EFTPOS, visa and Mastercard.

Due to mobile business HICAPS is unable to be offered.

Please note travel costs and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is unable to be claimed through Child Dental Benefits or Private Health Insurance.

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule and private health insurance is only applicable to Dental Examinations and preventive dental treatment. Unfortunately, Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is not claimable through Child Dental Benefits Schedule or Private Health Insurance. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule does require additional paperwork at the time of your appointment. Please ensure that you inform Kristy prior to attending so that paperwork is available to sign at the visit. As the business is mobile HICAPS is not available.

However we can provide you an itemised statement after each appointment in order for you to be able to claim your rebate from your private health fund or Medicare for Child Dental Benefits Schedule. Queries regarding rebates should be taken up directly with your private health fun, please be aware that rebates from private health funds are generally disappointingly low.

At our mobile dental service, each appointment is carefully scheduled to allow enough time to travel, prepare and quality care for every child. To help us run efficiently and fairly for all families, we kindly ask you to review our cancellation policy below.

CHANGING OR CANCELLING AN APPOINTMENT

We understand that life happens and plans may need to change. If you need to reschedule or cancel, please contact us as early as possible.

NOTICE REQUIRED:
More than 48 hours notice

No fee applies. Your appointment can be rescheduled or cancelled without charge.

Less than 48 hours notice

A late- cancellation fee may apply, as this time has been reserved exclusively for your family and cannot easily be filled.

Same-day cancellations or missed appointments (“no shows”)

A full appointment fee may be charged to cover the travel time, preparation costs and lost appointment time.

MOBILE SERVICE CONSIDERATIONS:
As a mobile provider, appointment times are planned around travel routes and location-based scheduling. Short-Notice changes make it difficult to offer care to other families nearby, which is why appropriate notice is essential.

ILLESS

If your child is unwell, please let us know as early as possible. We will always work with you to find a new appointment time. In genuine illness situations, cancellation fees may be waived at our discretion. If you child is unable to attend a face-to-face OMT therapy session due to a mild illness- your child may have the option to attend an online session instead. It important for prompt notification so that this can be made possible.

RESCHEDULING

We’re always happy to rebook your appointment. Early notice helps is offer you the most suitable time and maintain efficient routes for mobile visits.

PAYMENT

Any cancellation fees must be finalised prior to booking your next appointment.

OUR COMMITMENT

Our goal is to provide gentle, accessible and high-quality dental care in the comfort of your own home. We truly appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us deliver the best possible service to all families in the South-West.

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected by Nurturing Smiles Dental ABN 39860144659 which is a sole trader business provided by Kristy Barnsley who committed to providing early intervention and dental care to children from age 6 months to 18 years.

Our commitment to Privacy

Nurturing Smiles Dental is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentially of personal information for patients, parents and carers. We collect and manage “personal Information and sensitive information” in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and other relevant regulations. We also have professional and ethical obligations to protect your privacy and keep your personal information confidential.

Personal Information means information or an opinion about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable:

(a) Whether the information or opinion is true or not; and

(b) Whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not.

If the information does not disclose your identity or enable your identity to be ascertained, it will in most cases not be classified as “Personal Information” and will not be subject to this privacy policy.

Sensitive Information is defined in the Privacy Act as including information or opinion about such things as an individual's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of a trade union or other professional body, criminal record or health information. Sensitive Information will be used by us only:

(a) for the primary purpose for which it was obtained;

(b) for a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose; and

(c) with your consent or where required or authorised by law.

Why we collect personal information, how we do it and what it includes:

Nurturing Smiles Dental will collect only information that is necessary to deliver services relevant to the dental services provided. We collect the following types of personal information from patients and parents/carers and perspective patients.

• Name and contact details

• Relevant Demographic details (such as age, date of birth, gender)

• Dental history and previous dentists

• Medical History

• Details about your current health, and medications. Family health history and/or social history.

• Financial or payment related information (private health insurance, medicare details and credit card details)

• Photographs, videos

How we collect your personal information:

We collect your personal information in a variety of ways, depending on the nature of the particular service and/or how you’ve chose to engage with us, including:

• Face to face contact

• Telephone calls

• Voice or image recordings

• Social media messages, posts or feeds

• Via the Nurturing Smiles Dental website

• Electronic surveys/ forms

• Email correspondence

• Postal correspondence

• Hard-copy forms

• Information from third parties such as other dental providers and medical practitioners if you have agreed that they can provide information to us.

How do we use that information:

To access whether we can safely provide you with a dental service.

• To maintain a complete accurate patient file

• To process claims

• Invoice you our fees

• To contact you for follow up services and check-up reminders

• To collect unpaid invoices and

• To send information to you about our dental business.

How do we make sure the information is accurate?

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal and sensitive information we collect is accurate, up to date and complete. These steps include:

(a) Updating and maintaining your personal information at each visit or point of care and

(b) Amending information when you let us know when, if any of your information has changed.

How do we protect and store your information?

We conduct yearly cyber security training for our staff to ensure the personal information which we hold are kept confidential. We keep electronic patient records of all patients’ personal information. We take steps to protect these records against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure.

Computer access requires multifactorial access and take steps to ensure that electronic data is backed up. We, or our contracted data storage providers, may use servers, systems and cloud computing systems outside Australia. We endevour to ensure that our storge systems and providers are compliant with Australian Privacy Laws. Most of the Personal Information that is stored in our client files and records will be kept until a person is 25 years to fulfill our record keeping obligations.

(a) The Australian Privacy Principles: permit you to obtain access to the Personal Information we hold about you in certain circumstances (Australian Privacy Principle 12); and

(b) allow you to correct inaccurate Personal Information subject to certain exceptions (Australian Privacy Principle 13).

Where you would like to obtain such access, please contact us in writing on the contact details set out at the bottom of this privacy policy

When will we disclose your personal information?

We will disclose your personal information to third parties if you have agreed that we can do so. This will be conducted by:

a) If you ask us in writing or provide us with written consent to disclose your information to a third party.

b) In an emergency situation, if you have nominated relatives or next of kin as emergency contacts

c) To other dental practices, specialists or healthcare providers, for the purpose of seeking a second opinion or referral.

d) To debt collection provides engaged by us if you do not pay your invoices withing the required time.

e) Under privacy act, we must disclose your personal information if we are directed by a government or regulatory body with legal powers to obtain your information.

Social Media

The Nurturing Smiles Dental supports using your preferred form of communication. If you choose to engage with the Nurturing Smiles Dental using our social media pages or feeds, please be aware that any personal information you supply in that arena may be:

•  Available for the user group to see (which may be a public or private group, depending on the social media platform being used)

• Able to be “screen shot” and potentially downloaded by anyone in the user group and is, thus, uncontrolled

• Subject to the privacy settings and privacy policy available on the relevant platform

Information shared in these forums may be visible to others and is not controlled by the Nurturing Smiles Dental.  We recommend caution when posting personal content in these spaces.

Links to other websites

The Nurturing Smiles Dental website or social media may provide links to information, resources and services available on other websites. When you link to other websites, you are leaving the Nurturing Smiles Dental website and your personal information will be handled in accordance with the privacy policies of those websites. The Nurturing Smiles Dental is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external websites.

We do not share your personal information with other websites and we do not track your external website browsing history.

Data Security and Breach Notification

We implement robust technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect personal information as required by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Our Information Security (IS) team implements and maintains comprehensive security controls including access restrictions, encryption, monitoring systems and regular security assessments to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure

Data Breach Notification

A data breach occurs when there is unauthorised access to, disclosure, modification, loss or misuse of personal information. Breach events are not confined to online or electronic systems. We comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988, requiring us to notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) when a data breach is likely to result in serious harm.

 If you believe that the Nurturing Smiles Dental has experienced a data breach, please contact us by telephone 0428 502 070, by email hello@nurturingsmilesdental.com.au

How to contact us about privacy

If you have any queries, or if you seek access to your Personal Information, or if you have a complaint about our privacy practices, you can contact us through 0428 502 070 or email hello@nurturingsmilesdental.com.au

Privacy Complaints

If you believe that Nurturing Smiles Dental has not collected or handled your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988, you can complain to us by doing the following:

Contact us by telephone 0428 502 070, by emailhello@nurturingsmilesdental.com.au We will respond to you within 48 hours and provide a full response within 28 days.

You may then be asked to complete our Privacy Complaint Form and/ or provide additional information in relation to the complaint.

 In dealing with your complaint, we will communicate timeframes to you based on the nature and complexity of your concern and will do our utmost to adhere to these.  

 If you are dissatisfied with our response to your privacy complaint, please contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) for further advice by telephone (1300 363 992) or by visiting their website.