Referral guidelines
Thank you for considering us for your patient. This page sets out what we treat, what we don’t, and how we work. If anything here doesn’t answer your question, please call or text.
What we treat
Root canal treatment. Primary endodontic treatment on any tooth.
Retreatment. Please send a detailed referral and a good radiograph so we can assess what is being asked and quote accurately. Item numbers for retreatment vary considerably case to case, so we quote these individually rather than publishing a figure.
Cracked teeth. Assessment and management.
Dental trauma. Initial management is generally best handled by you at the time of presentation. We are happy to take over once the immediate situation is stabilised.
What we refer on
Surgical endodontics. We perform a limited range of surgical procedures, selected case by case. Most surgical cases are better served by an Oral Surgeon and we will refer accordingly.
Sedation. We don’t provide it. If your patient needs sedation, please tell them before referring, or call us and we will suggest Practices that do.
Appointments
One hour, every appointment. Enough time to take a history, examine, reach a diagnosis, explain the options and, in most single visit cases, complete the treatment in that same hour.
Monday to Thursday, 7.30am to 5.00pm. Closed public holidays. The early start suits patients who need to be treated before work.
Urgent cases
We don’t hold emergency appointments. Where a cancellation becomes available we will use it for an urgent case, but we can’t promise same-day access. Most acute presentations are best managed in your own chair in the first instance.
You will hear from us the same day
We write to you after every appointment, reviews included, and the report goes out on the day. You will know what we found, what we did, and what the tooth needs from you, before the patient is back in your chair.
3D imaging
We do not have CBCT at this Practice, and that is a deliberate decision rather than a gap.
On justification. A 3D scan is ordered only where we think the result will change the treatment decision, and where there is no other reasonable way to obtain the information. Dose has to be justified by the change in management it produces.
On reporting. Conditions imposed on CBCT licence holders in Western Australia require that all CBCT images be reported by an AHPRA-registered medical radiologist or dento-maxillofacial radiologist, with evidence of a reporting agreement required before the equipment can be registered. New South Wales imposes no equivalent condition. We think the Western Australian position is the correct one. A cone beam volume captures the sinuses, the jaws, the cervical spine and the surrounding soft tissues. We are endodontists. We are not qualified to assess that volume for incidental pathology, and taking an image we cannot fully interpret does not serve the patient.
So we refer 3D imaging to a radiology practice, where a specialist radiologist reports the entire scan.
If you send us a CBCT. We will use it for the endodontic assessment only. Where a scan reaches us without a radiologist’s report, we will take it that you have accepted responsibility for assessing the volume for non-endodontic pathology. We are not qualified to do that and will not be reviewing it for that purpose. If the scan has been reported, please send the report with it.
How we name the reports we send you
There is no closed national system for transferring patient records in Australia. Until there is one, the filename has to carry the identification, because that is the only part that survives being saved into your practice management system.
Every report we send you is named in this order:
• Patient’s first name
• First three letters of the patient’s family name
• Date of birth
• Our patient ID
• Date of the report
Three identifying points is the standard for transferring records, and this format meets it. We use three letters of the family name rather than the whole name to keep the disclosure to the minimum that still works.
If you cannot match a report to a patient from the name and date of birth, please call us on 0499 024 080 and we will sort it out.
How to refer
Text. Photograph your referral and text it to 0499 024 080. This is how most referrals reach us and it works well.
Email. admin@gvendo.com. Please note that email is not a secure channel. If you would prefer, text instead.
Online form. Refer a patient. The form asks for the patient’s first name and the first three letters of their surname only. It is a public form on the internet, so we keep identifying information on it to a minimum and phone your Practice for the rest. That call is also how we confirm the referral came from you.
Referral pad. Call us on 0499 024 080 and we will post you a pad.
What helps us
• The tooth in question, by number.
• A recent periapical radiograph where you have one.
• What you have already done, and what you are hoping we can achieve.
• Anything you know about the patient’s anxiety, availability or medical history that would change how we plan the appointment.
We don’t dictate what you send. More detail generally means a better first appointment for the patient.
Fees
Published, with item numbers, on our fees page. Patients pay us directly at the time of service. Please let them know there will be a separate cost for the definitive restoration in your chair, so the total is clear to them from the outset.