FAQs
There are two main ways to volunteer:
We understand that volunteers are busy professionals, so there is no ongoing or fixed commitment required. You are free to offer as much or as little time as you can manage. Even treating one patient can make a huge difference in their life.
Clinic dates change from year to year. The most up-to-date calendar of scheduled Filling the Gap clinics can be found on our website. We encourage volunteers to check back regularly and choose a date that works best for them.
To register, please complete the online volunteer registration form on the Filling the Gap website. Alternatively, you can contact our program coordinator:
Bronte Morrison – [email protected]
Once registered, we will work with you to match your skills, location, and availability with the needs of our patients.
Our volunteers provide essential and general dental care, including:
You won’t be expected to provide complex, specialist, or cosmetic treatments.
FAQs
We are unable to provide dental treatment without a referral from a registered charity or non for profit organisation.
To receive treatment through Filling the Gap, you must be supported by a registered charity or not-for-profit organisation. Your case worker will need to complete and submit a referral form on your behalf. Unfortunately, we cannot accept self-referrals, as the program is designed to work closely with organisations who can support patients holistically with both dental and other social needs.
No. All treatment provided through Filling the Gap is completely free of charge to patients. Our volunteer dentists and their teams generously donate their time and skills, and there is no billing to you or your case worker.
Most patients will attend our clinic located at ADA NSW in St Leonards, Sydney. In some cases, you may be referred to one of our volunteer dental practices across the community, depending on your location and the type of treatment you need. You will be informed in advance of where your appointments will be held.
Treatment focuses on essential dental care that addresses immediate needs and helps improve your oral health. This may include:
Specialist or cosmetic treatments (such as orthodontics or whitening) are not provided through this program.
FAQs
To participate in Filling the Gap, your organisation must first be registered with us. Registration ensures we can verify that patients are being referred from a legitimate, established charity or not-for-profit. To start this process, please contact the program coordinator, Bronte Morrison [email protected]
Once your organisation is registered, the coordinator will send you a referral form. This form must be completed and returned for each individual client you wish to refer. The form collects essential medical and background information to help us prepare for the patient’s care.
Filling the Gap provides one course of essential dental treatment for each referred patient. The goal is to restore a reasonable level of oral health and function, not to provide specialist or cosmetic care. We work with charities to ensure that clients are supported holistically, not just dentally.
No. Once a patient has completed their agreed course of treatment, their involvement with Filling the Gap concludes. This allows us to provide care to as many people as possible within the resources available.
Waiting times vary depending on demand and the urgency of the client’s dental needs. For urgent cases (such as severe pain, infection, or inability to eat properly), we do our best to prioritise and arrange an appointment as soon as possible. For routine cases, the wait may be longer, especially if the waiting list is long at the time of referral. Our team will always communicate realistic timeframes to case workers.
Filling the Gap is a registered charity. Donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible.
L1, 1 Atchison Street,
St Leonards 2065
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