Brisbane Paediatric Dentistry - Dr Vivienne Linnett BDSc MDSc MRACDS(Paed)

A degree in a speciality cannot train the people skills necessary to deal with people sadly. I cannot see how this business survives.

My experience with Dr Linnett was not at all pleasant. My daughter left, feeling very upset, and her fear of dentists, massively worsened. Silly me, I would have assumed, a paediatric dentist would have a pleasant and effective manner in dealing with children. For us, this was not the case. We may have caught her on a bad day, but she appeared serious, unfriendly, gruff and I’m not sure she smiled once. When it was time for my daughter to hop in the chair, she was very reluctant, and was hiding behind me. I attempted to make some small talk, so my daughter would loosen up and to lighten the very sombre mood. I tried to get Dr Linnett involved, and mentioned a moon boot she was wearing, but she sat there, in silence, not bothering to converse at that time, seeming like she just wanted to get on with it. I don’t know any child who would respond well to this, or be able to feel comfortable.



Beforehand, she'd spoken to my daughter for one minute, very generally, and then expected her full cooperation, after gaining no trust and having built zero rapport. Shortly after I managed to coax my child into the chair, and allow Dr Vivien to have a look, she leaped out of the chair crying, as she later explained, that Dr Linnett was leaning on her throat and choking her, so naturally, she panicked and fought to get off the chair, for the simple need of breath! When my daughter got up, Dr Linnett said she was being silly. She didn't even ask my child what was wrong. I'm sure she didn't mean to affect my daughter's breathing, but an awareness of her physical placement would be helpful.



The dental nurse, and Dr Linnett, displayed a lack of empathy, and patience, and just seemed annoyed that my child was fearful. They treated her like a problem. Dr Linnett then proceeded to suggest my daughter needs to see a psychologist. Yes, this may be beneficial, due to anxiety with dentists, now made all the worse, but I can certainly think of some skills that Dr Linnett could work on, that would get massively better results from children! I had explained in my forms etc, that my daughter would be very anxious, yet no extra care was shown, no special measures taken. Would it not be basic practice, in working with children, to engage with the child, put the child at ease, or to at least smile?



Dr Linnett also spoke to me quite condescendingly, as though I had no idea about my daughters' oral health. Asking me about sugary drinks and juices etc. I had already explained that my daughter only had problems with her teeth due to the use of ineffective, natural toothpaste, and oversights from our regular dental checks. After looking in my daughters’ mouth, for all of 30 seconds, her treatment plan was quite extensive and involved a general anaesthetic. The entire appointment felt very rushed, and I think it would have only been about ten minutes.



Thankfully, we have steered clear of this place, and were delighted to visit a true expert on the Gold Coast. It was like chalk and cheese. He made everything about the child, and worked hard, to make it so very smooth and easy. His suggested treatment plan was also massively simplified in comparison. He also, made no suggestion, for my daughter to receive help from a psychologist, as he knew how to get the best responses from my daughter. He showed genuine care and interest, he smiled and was friendly. He was patient and reassuring, and we were not rushed at all, spending about an hour there, and most of that was engaging and building rapport, chatting to my daughter.



I cannot believe, that I paid Dr Linnett money, to traumatise my child, and make her feel like she was choking. And then suggest a psychologist, as though the issue, was my child! It would be helpful, if she considered her own manner, in dealing with children. Is it not okay, or even expected, for children to fear dental visits? Is it not the role, of a dentist, especially that of a paediatric dentist, to help and understand the

My experience with Dr Linnett was not at all pleasant. My daughter left, feeling very upset, and her fear of dentists, massively worsened. Silly me, I would have assumed, a paediatric dentist would have a pleasant and effective manner in dealing with children. For us, this was not the case. We may have caught her on a bad day, but she was serious, gruff and I’m not sure she smiled once. I attempted to make some small talk, so my daughter would loosen up and to lighten the very sombre mood, and tried to get Dr Linnett involved, but she sat there, in silence, not bothering to converse. I don’t know any child who would respond well to this.



She spoke to my daughter for one minute, and then expected her full cooperation, after gaining no trust and having built zero rapport. My daughter leaped out of the chair crying, as she later explained, that Dr Linnett was leaning on her throat and choking her, so naturally, she panicked and fought to get off the chair, for the simple need of breathe! When my daughter got up, Dr Linnett said she was being silly. The dental nurse, and Dr Linnett, displayed a lack of empathy, and patience, and just seemed annoyed that my child was fearful. They treated her like a problem. Dr Linnett then proceeded to suggest my daughter needs to see a psychologist. This may be beneficial, due to anxiety with dentists, now made all the worse, but I can certainly think of some skills that Dr Linnett could work on, that would get massively better results from children! I had explained in my forms etc, that my daughter would be very anxious, yet no extra care was shown, no special measures taken. Would it not be basic knowledge, to engage with the child, put the child at ease, or to at least smile?



Dr Linnett also spoke to me quite condescendingly, as though I had no idea about my daughters' oral health. Asking me about sugary drinks and juices etc. I had already explained that my daughter only had problems with her teeth due to the use of ineffective, natural toothpaste, and oversights from our regular dental checks. After looking in my daughters’ mouth, for all of 30 seconds, her treatment plan was quite extensive and involved a general anaesthetic. The entire appointment felt very rushed, and I think it would have only been about ten minutes.



Thankfully, we have steered clear of this place, and were delighted to visit a true expert on the Gold Coast. It was like chalk and cheese. He made everything about the child, and worked hard, to make it so very smooth and easy. His suggested treatment plan was also massively simplified in comparison. He also, saw no need, for my daughter to receive help from a psychologist, as he knew how to get the best responses from my daughter. He showed genuine care and interest, he smiled and was friendly. He was patient and reassuring, and we were not rushed at all, spending about an hour there. This included my daughter getting a prize and playing with the receptionist, while I could speak with the Dr.



I cannot believe, that I paid Dr Linnett money, to traumatise my child, and make her feel like she was choking. And then suggest a psychologist, as though the issue, was my child! It would be helpful, if she considered her own manner, in dealing with children. Is it not okay, or even expected, for children to fear dental visits? Is it not the role, of a dentist, especially a paediatric dentist, to help and understand the children who are just plain scared, and to at least attempt to allay those fears?

My experience with Dr Linnett was not at all pleasant. My daughter left, feeling very upset, and her fear of dentists, massively worsened. Silly me, I would have assumed, a paediatric dentist would have a pleasant and effective manner in dealing with children. For us, this was not the case. We may have caught her on a bad day, but she was serious, gruff and I’m not sure she smiled once. I attempted to make some small talk, so my daughter would loosen up and to lighten the very sombre mood, and tried to get Dr Linnett involved, but she sat there, in silence, not bothering to converse. I don’t know any child who would respond well to this.



She spoke to my daughter for one minute, and then expected her full cooperation, after gaining no trust and having built zero rapport. My daughter leaped out of the chair crying, as she later explained, that Dr Linnett was leaning on her throat and choking her, so naturally, she panicked and fought to get off the chair, for the simple need of breathe! When my daughter got up, Dr Linnett said she was being silly. The dental nurse, and Dr Linnett, displayed a lack of empathy, and patience, and just seemed annoyed that my child was fearful. They treated her like a problem. Dr Linnett then proceeded to suggest my daughter needs to see a psychologist. This may be beneficial, due to anxiety with dentists, now made all the worse, but I can certainly think of some skills that Dr Linnett could work on, that would get massively better results from children! I had explained in my forms etc, that my daughter would be very anxious, yet no extra care was shown, no special measures taken. Would it not be basic knowledge, to engage with the child, put the child at ease, or to at least smile?



Dr Linnett also spoke to me quite condescendingly, as though I had no idea about my daughters' oral health. Asking me about sugary drinks and juices etc. I had already explained that my daughter only had problems with her teeth due to the use of ineffective, natural toothpaste, and oversights from our regular dental checks. After looking in my daughters’ mouth, for all of 30 seconds, her treatment plan was quite extensive and involved a general anaesthetic. The entire appointment felt very rushed, and I think it would have only been about ten minutes.



Thankfully, we have steered clear of this place, and were delighted to visit a true expert on the Gold Coast. It was like chalk and cheese. He made everything about the child, and worked hard, to make it so very smooth and easy. His suggested treatment plan was also massively simplified in comparison. He also, saw no need, for my daughter to receive help from a psychologist, as he knew how to get the best responses from my daughter. He showed genuine care and interest, he smiled and was friendly. He was patient and reassuring, and we were not rushed at all, spending about an hour there. This included my daughter getting a prize and playing with the receptionist, while I could speak with the Dr.



I cannot believe, that I paid Dr Linnett money, to traumatise my child, and make her feel like she was choking. And then suggest a psychologist, as though the issue, was my child! It would be helpful, if she considered her own manner, in dealing with children. Is it not okay, or even expected, for children to fear dental visits? Is it not the role, of a dentist, especially a paediatric dentist, to help and understand the children who are just plain scared, and to at least attempt to allay those fears?

For a parent whose child needed significant dental work under general anesthetic, the staff were extraordinarily giving of their time to answer our concerns. The anesthesiologist working with Dr Linnett was wonderful with our child, and Dr Linnett was professional and clearly explained the procedures required. We knew our child was in good hands.

I attend this practice with my 7yr old and almost 5yr old and have been going here for a few years now. My eldest has anxiety issues which makes trips to dentists very hard. Since going to See Dr Linnett and the ladies, both my sons feel very comfortable and happy. They go the extra mile to make them feel at ease and I am so very thankful for this. They are all so lovely to us all and I’m so glad we found them. I would highly recommend this dentist to anyone I know. Thank you Dr Linnett and staff for all that you do. Karinna Hoggart

I brought my 1 year old to see Dr Linnett early this year and felt her response was quite cold and insensitive. After spending ten minutes in the room discussing my baby's teeth, she recommended that i book him in for extractions and give up breastfeeding. When i asked how soon he needed his teeth removed she responded "the sooner the better". I was quoted over $3,000 for the operation. Thank goodness i sought further opinions and found a brilliant paediatric dentist who has suggested waiting as long as possible to extract his teeth, given there are absolutely no signs of infection and the decay is very minor. More than six months on from my appointment with Dr Linnett, extractions are still not necessary, the decay has not progressed, my baby is not in any pain and there is no infection. PLEASE seek a second opinion if ever you are advised that you need to extract your child's teeth. The impact on eating, speech and self esteem from unnecessary extractions is huge and the monetary gain from such procedures is totally unjust. It is mind boggling that Dr Linnett suggested removing teeth urgently, when there really was no urgency at all.

I bought my son to this surgery and found the service of the dentist to be terrible. To be fair the office ladies and assistant were lovely. Dr Linnett didn't even speak to my 5 yr son and basically had me hold him while she wedged his mouth open with a toothbrush. My son is on the autistic spectrum and he needs to feel relaxed. She looked in his mouth for about 10 sec and organised a treatment plan costing around $3500, including 3 crowns and 2 extractions. I spent more time talking about cost and payment than anything else. I have since taken him to another dentist, the service was great and the bill and procedures halved.

I ended up in tears in Dr Linnett's office. I was made to feel like a terrible parent who was criticised for my child eating to much fruit.
She showed no compassion for me becoming upset. After seeking a second opinion it was relieved that my child has poor enamel that is due to genetics and not my terrible parenting.
I would not recommend this surgery. Not due on her dental capabilities that I am sure are of quality but due to my personal experience and how I was treated.

Couldn't recommend Dr Linnett and her team high enough. Living interstate with no local options of a paediatric dentist Dr Linnett called personally to talk me through possible treatment options. She went out of her way to provide a consultation and treatment appointment within days and fit around travel times. The flexibility of having treatment done in surgery versus hospital was a major benefit. Dr Linnett provides matter of fact, professional information.
Thank you Dr Linnett And your amazing dentist assistants for treating my son, Hunter & being so accomodating.