Frequently Asked Questions
How soon can you be seen?
Your referring GP/Dentist will usually advise on the referral if your appointment is required on an urgent basis. For initial consultations Dr John Webster aims to see all new patients within two weeks of your referral to triage and treat you concerns in a timely manner. After reviewing the referral our team may call you to advise a further x-ray or scan is required prior to your initial consultation in order to streamline your care.
Do you need a referral?
Dr John Webster is classified as a medical specialist and as such you are eligible for a Medicare Rebate on initial and review consultations with Dr John Webster, only if you have an eligible referral from a GP, Dentist or other Specialist for MBS items. Dr John Webster can offer a consultation without a referral but you cannot access Medicare Rebate in this circumstance.
What do you need to bring to the initial consultation?
- Referral
- Medicare Card
- Private Health Fund Card (if applicable)
- Department of Veteran’s Affairs Card (if applicable)
- Medical History
- Medications
- OPG x-ray or any scans you have completed recently in last 12 months
- Other reports or clinical photos from GPs, Dentist or Specialists
- Diary/Phone Diary to be able to book a surgical date
- Please bring a support person if you feel the need to have in consultation
How long does an initial consultation take?
What is the cost of the initial consultation?
We deliver exceptional care at the most reasonable cost to our patients and in certain circumstances Dr John Webster may choose to bulk-bill or reduce your consultation fee at his discretion.
Most Australians understand that Medicare rebates alone do not cover the costs of operating a specialist medical practice so our routine is to charge a gap on our consultation fees.
Standard initial consultation fee is $160 for a 20 min appointment. You will receive approximately $75 rebate from Medicare if you provide an eligible referral.
Review consultations fee is $80 and you will receive approximately $37 rebate from Medicare if you have an existing eligible referral provided at the initial consultation.
Extended consultation fees are charged for lengthy initial consultations and certain referral types or conditions that require a double appointment to get through the content and options for treatment. Please be aware that the Medicare rebate does not increase in accordance with the time Dr John Webster spends with you and the maximum Medicare rebate for an initial medical specialist consultation is approximately $75.
To reduce your fees the Oral Facial & Implant Centre have spent a lot of time developing a great resource of content on our website to educate you and answer a lot of common questions prior to your appointment to avoid extended consultation fees. Another alternative for some complex treatments such as All-on-4®, Dental Implants or Facial Cosmetic Surgery is to attend one of our free education evenings where a lot of questions can be answered prior to your appointment. Both of these resources can allow the time you have with Dr John Webster to be focused on answering your specific questions and tailoring the information to your specific needs and customising your treatment options.
If you provide us with your Medicare details on the day with your eligible referral then in most cases, we can process this transaction through to Medicare on your behalf and the rebate can be transferred directly to your account.
Can you just get a quote over the phone prior to consultation?
Yes in some cases our friendly reception team can advise approximate quotes for common procedures such as a single dental implant and removal of teeth or wisdom teeth over the phone but these may change once X-rays have been reviewed at your initial consultation as even routine cases can need bone grafting or further surgical time due to deep impaction of teeth. Beyond routine procedures the reception team cannot advise a quote because the complexity or duration of your required surgery cannot be anticipated from the referral alone and by non-medical practice staff. Treatment advice is only advised by Dr John Webster after your opinions, history, examination and x-rays/scans have been reviewed with you. Once you have had all the treatment options discussed with and have chosen a treatment path and provided informed consent to a procedure, only then can a quote be prepared for you by the administration team and informed financial consent be completed.
Can you have a consultation and treatment on the same day?
Our team appreciates many of you travel a great distance to have a consultation. If you advise at the time of referral and upon arranging your initial consultation that you would like to have same day treatment either under local anaesthetic or general anaesthetic, then we can assist in coordinating this for you. Same day treatment is not available on each day of the week due availability of general anaesthetic theatre lists in the accredited day surgery and private hospitals, but the team at Oral Facial & Implant Centre will assist where possible to streamline your care.
Do you have to pay upfront for your surgical procedure?
Payment for treatment completed in the practice under local anaesthetic is required prior to the service being provided to you on the day. Following the procedure, a receipt will be issued and any item numbers that can attract rebates from Medicare or your Dental Extras (with your health fund) will be explained to you.
Payment for surgical procedures undertaken in an accredited day surgery or private hospital will be required in full, one week in advance of the surgical booking. In this setting you will also have an Anaesthetist Medical Fee and your Hospital Fee (or Hospital Insurance Excess if you have maintained a Private Health Hospital Policy).
If you have any questions regarding your fees, please contact one of our friendly team on 07 4580 4733 to assist your understanding of the rebates available and methods of payment available.
Do you need to coordinate the Hospital and Anaesthetist?
No. Our team will coordinate the hospital and anaesthetist for your procedure after you have advised if you have a preferred site. Some procedures only have equipment at certain sites but for routine cases you will have a choice of where you want your procedure undertaken and a day that suits you.
For quotation of the hospital fee and the anaesthetist fee you will have to confirm your details with both the hospital and anaesthetic practice. We will provide you with the phone numbers required to arrange these quotations as part of the pre-surgery pack you will receive from the Oral Facial & Implant Centre. Part of our exceptional care model is to streamline your journey to your desired surgical outcome. If there is any confusion please contact our friendly team on 07 4580 4733 to discuss how we can assist further.
Should you see a Specialist Oral Surgeon over a General Dental Surgeon?
Review our website section “ What is an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon” and you will see there is a vast difference in experience and training between Dr John Webster and other general Dentists with an interest in oral surgery procedures.
If you choose a Specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon like Dr John Webster in Toowoomba, you will rarely be charged more than a general Dentist fee for similar procedures in the mouth. However, you will be gaining access to improved outcomes and lower complication rates following routine oral surgery procedures like wisdom teeth removal, impacted teeth removal and surgical extractions. You will be pleasantly surprised that the Oral Facial & Implant Centre fees for oral surgery are very competitive in Toowoomba and across the Darling Downs region.
If you are unsure if you have been referred to a Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon for your oral surgery then you can easily check the status of any health practitioner in Australia via the Australia Health Practitioners Regulation Agency website (AHPRA website) to see if they have specialist or general registration.
Can you still be treated if you don’t have Private Health Insurance?
Yes. The Oral Facial & Implant Centre treats many uninsured and self-insured patients. You will be eligible for assistance from Medicare if you attend to your consultation with an eligible referral. If the procedure is a medical procedure like removal of a facial skin lesion/cancer, facial trauma or TMJ surgery then you will receive Medicare rebates for these types of facial surgical procedures.
If you don’t have a Private Health Insurance Hospital Policy that means you will need to rent the theatre and staff of the accredited day surgery or private hospital via a facility fee. The standard facility fee minimum is approximately $1100 for a day procedure under general anaesthetic. The fees set by the accredited day surgery or private hospital will depend on the item number of the procedure. If you are uninsured or self-insured, you will need to obtain a quote from the day surgery or private hospital to know your exact fees and any overnight stay would add to the facility fee each night of the stay so ask your surgeon if you are likely to need an overnight admission.
If you don’t have a Private Health Insurance Extras Policy you will not receive any rebates for wisdom teeth removal, impacted teeth removal and surgical extractions as these are dental based procedures. There is also no Medicare rebates for wisdom teeth removal, impacted teeth removal and surgical extractions.
Do you need to have a review consultation?
Our philosophy of exceptional care means we always offer a review consultation after surgery that is complimentary and is part of our complete surgical service.
For routine oral surgical cases with resorbable (dissolving) sutures there is often no need to attend a follow-up appointment in person however we always check in with you multiple times during the recovery phase to ensure you achieve success in your desired outcomes.
For complex facial surgery, skin surgery and cosmetic surgery there is often a need for removal of sutures and review of pathology results and healing. Given many patients travel a large distance it is not always practical to return for removal of sutures and in some cases your local GP or health nurse will be happy to review. The Oral Facial & Implant Centre will follow-up with you via mobile or email to ensure you are fully healed and return to normal function.
For dental implant surgery there is a need for post-surgical x-rays to assess the location and placement and in order to establish a baseline for the height of the bone surrounding the implant at placement. Once the dental implant is restored the restorative Dentist is the main health professional who will monitor the health of implant and peri-implant tissues and any rare issues will be promptly referred back to Dr John Webster for review.
What are your payment options?
We accept Australian currency via direct deposit, EFTPOS, Mastercard and Visa.
Should you be interested in financial plans with financing your desired treatment plan immediately you can review our website section on “ Payment Plans ” and consider AfterPay, Zip Money and OpenPay.
Do you offer payment plans?
The Oral Facial & Implant Centre does not offer internal payment plans.
