Quinn and Natalie
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Quinn has had problems accessing public dental services since he was young. He is autistic and non-verbal and needs a general anaesthetic to keep still and allow the dentist to be close to him.
Natalie, his mum, told the Royal Commission, it wasn’t until Quinn was 15 years old and part of an NDIS trial, he had a case worker who helped her find an appropriate dental service. But the service could only be accessed every two years. If problems arose in between times, they were left ‘high and dry’.
Which is why Quinn ended up at the city dental hospital with a dentist who dismissed him because of his disability. Natalie remembers the dentist saying, ‘it didn’t matter if a 20 year-old young man lost all his teeth … he had no mental capacity to care and that I was only concerned because it would only bother me’.
This was said in front of Quinn. While he may not speak, Natalie said, ‘he certainly has a lot of understanding and emotions and feelings’.
By the time they left the hospital Quinn was ‘melting down’ from the noise, the stress and the four-hour journey. Also the trip was a waste of time. ‘They wouldn’t admit him for three years,’ Natalie said.
Back home, with Quinn still in pain, Natalie went to the media. This triggered a change in policy and Quinn had his teeth fixed at the local service a year before he was scheduled.
Everything was good for a few months until one of the fillings fell out. Natalie contacted the local service but they refused to help this time and suggested Quinn have it fixed privately, which Natalie could barely afford.
Then a friend recommended a private clinic in the city that did sleep dentistry as an alternative to general anaesthetic. After a long trip and a long wait, Quinn was jittery and found it hard to sit still. Natalie said the anaesthetist reacted badly and inappropriately, yelling at Quinn and the nurses, saying he couldn’t do his job if Quinn kept moving around. He also demanded Quinn’s consent, which Quinn couldn’t give. Natalie left in tears. Quinn left shaken and still missing a filling.
The clinic was supposed to have offered Quinn a sedative before his appointment, but the clinic was running behind schedule and forgot.
Natalie told us she is desperate. In addition to the media she has spoken to her state and federal politicians. They have offered some assistance, but she is often told about a service only to find out that the service isn’t available or isn’t suitable. ‘What we have had to go through for dentistry I wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy,’ Natalie said.
Natalie would like to see better access to public dentistry and training for all medical professionals in how to treat patients with disabilities. Basic respect should be at the top of the list. She would also like to see sleep dentistry available in regional areas for people like Quinn.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.