Help a 6-Year-Old in Crisis Get Urgent Dental Care

My name is Michael Dare, and I am part of a group of fellow parents at a North Brisbane school who are trying to help a six-year-old boy who urgently needs dental care. Unfortunately, despite the fact that his pain frequently impacts his ability to sleep and participate in school, he is facing a 2-3 year wait in the public system for appropriate treatment. He and his mum are living in public housing and struggle to get by on Centrelink payments, so they cannot afford to get this treatment privately.

When we heard about his situation, we decided to see what could be done to help. We found a local charity (Just4Kids) that specialises in such cases. They not only helped us find a dentist (Dr Tim Park) who has agreed to do the work at a much discounted rate, but they also agreed to fund as much of the costs as they were able to. However, there is still a substantial gap to be covered.

Treatment Cost $7,000

Dental fees - $6,000

Anaesthetist fees - $1,000

Funding committed to date $3,932

Just4Kids contribution - $1,500

Donations from other parents - $1,000

Child Dental Benefits Schedule - $1,132

Donation from Mark Furner MP - $300

Required funds: $3068

Our initial target is $2,000

This target assumes that the boy's mum can obtain a government-backed NILS (no-interest, no-fee) loan to cover the last $1000. Ideally, we would like to avoid this. Any donations over our target will reduce the size of the loan required, and all donations will go directly to paying for this procedure.

Other questions you might have

Why does a six-year-old need such urgent care? And why is it so expensive?

This young boy has experienced extensive trauma throughout his life. Both he and his mum have been victims of domestic violence, and their experiences in government housing have exposed them to ongoing abuse and threats of violence. These circumstances, combined with other challenges (including complex ADHD), have interrupted his dental care and caused severe decay, ongoing pain, and recurrent infections.

He needs eight teeth removed along with other associated work, and given his age and traumatic background, the procedure will need to be conducted under general anaesthesia.

Aren’t they just baby teeth?

Baby teeth are essential for eating, speaking, guiding adult teeth into place, and supporting overall health, development, and confidence. Without treatment, he faces many years of pain and further complications. He needs treatment now to give him his best shot at engaging with school and life in these crucial years.

Why aren’t you using his name?

We have chosen to preserve both his and his mum’s privacy to spare them from unnecessary scrutiny.

What is stopping this from happening again?

This family is working hard and taking steps to address their issues. They are actively engaged with a range of services, and with your help, we can remove a major obstacle for them.