IT support for dental practices in Townsville, from the front desk to the X-ray
Tech TroubleShooters keeps dental practices across Townsville and North Queensland running: the reception and chairside computers, the imaging PCs, phones, email, internet and backups. Patient records stay private, X-rays and scans stay safe, and when a computer freezes with a full book, you call Kelly or Carisa directly.
What a bad day in a dental practice looks like
- “The X-ray sensor stopped working after last night’s update.”
- “Chair 2 takes forever to open a patient’s file.”
- “Our scans are huge and the server’s nearly full.”
- “Appointment reminders stopped going out and nobody noticed for a week.”
- “We run Saturday sessions. Our last IT company didn’t.”
In most businesses, a slow computer is annoying. In a dental surgery, it’s a patient in the chair with their mouth open while everyone waits. Your day is booked in fifteen and thirty minute blocks, so the fix has to be quick, and the problem ideally shouldn’t happen at all.
The imaging problem nobody warns you about
Dental practices are different from most clinics because of imaging. Intraoral sensors, OPG machines, intraoral scanners and the computers that drive them all depend on software and drivers that can be fussy about updates. A routine update can stop a sensor talking to its computer, and you find out when the first patient sits down.
So we treat imaging computers with care. They’re monitored and patched like everything else, and when something stops a sensor talking to its computer, we work through it with you, including dealing with the equipment supplier when it’s an IT problem. Image files are also big and keep growing, so we keep an eye on your storage and back it up, rather than finding out the drive’s full on a Tuesday morning.
The rules, in plain words
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice.
The Privacy Act applies to every dental practice. Dentists are health service providers, so the small business exemption doesn’t apply, whatever your turnover. You need reasonable steps to protect patient information, including X-rays, charts and treatment notes. If you suspect a data breach, you must assess it within 30 days at the most. If serious harm is likely, tell the patients affected and the OAIC as soon as practicable.
Accreditation is voluntary, but it asks questions. Private dental practices that choose accreditation are now assessed against the National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards. If you’re working towards it, we can help you get the IT side of the evidence together.
My Health Record, if you’re registered. Registered practices need a written security and access policy under the My Health Records Rules 2026, covering accounts, staff training, breach handling and security measures like encryption and backups, reviewed at least yearly.
ASD Essentials is the yardstick for “reasonable steps”. It’s the Australian Signals Directorate’s successor to the Essential Eight, launched on 15 October 2026. The Essential Eight is still valid while practices change over, so an insurer asking about it isn’t out of date.
What you get with us
Imaging and chairside computers looked after, monitored and patched, with drive health monitoring, so a failing drive is usually spotted before it fails.
Encrypted backups kept in Australia, sized for imaging files, not just the appointment book. See backup and disaster recovery.
Server and storage that keep up, whether your images live on a local server or in the cloud. See local servers and storage.
Security that stops ransomware by watching what programs do, for managed IT clients. Practices hold exactly the kind of information criminals want to lock up. See cyber security.
Logins of their own for every dentist, hygienist and receptionist, with two-step sign-in, switched off when someone leaves.
A phone system hosted on secure Australian servers, so if the practice loses power or internet, calls can go to mobiles instead of going unanswered. See cloud phone systems.
A plain-English report every month, showing what we updated, checked and blocked. Good IT in a dental practice is mostly invisible. The report makes it visible.
Being straight with you
We don’t make your imaging equipment or your practice software, and we won’t pretend to. When it’s an IT problem that involves your equipment or software supplier, we’ll deal with them for you, rather than leaving you to bounce between companies.
Who answers
Kelly Hunn has been fixing IT for more than 30 years, and Kelly and Carisa have run their own business since 2006. It’s Kelly or Carisa, every time, so the person you’re talking to already knows which chair has the sensor and which computer runs the OPG. Usually one of us answers straight away. If we’re driving or on a job, we’ll call or text you back, usually within the hour.
Managed IT clients get 24/7 support at no extra charge, Saturday sessions included. Not a client yet? Call any time. After hours we’ll get back to you as soon as we can, but we can’t promise to start straight away.
We look after practices across Townsville and out to Ayr, Ingham and Charters Towers, and much of the work happens remotely. No lock-in contracts unless you ask for a set term.
Questions dentists and practice managers ask us
Does the Privacy Act apply to our dental practice?
Yes. Dentists are health service providers, so the Privacy Act applies whatever your turnover. That includes taking reasonable steps to protect patient information and following the Notifiable Data Breaches rules if something goes wrong.
How should we back up X-rays and scans?
Imaging files are large, so they need a backup sized for them, with a copy kept away from the practice. Our backups are encrypted and kept in Australia.
An update broke our X-ray sensor once. Can you stop that happening again?
Nobody can promise every update will behave, because part of it sits with the equipment maker. What we can do is keep your imaging computers monitored and patched, and if something stops working, get on to it quickly, including dealing with the equipment supplier when it’s an IT problem.
Is accreditation compulsory for dental practices?
For private practices it’s generally voluntary. Practices that choose it are assessed against the National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards. Some funding or contracts may ask for it, so check yours.
Do you support practices that work Saturdays?
Yes. Managed IT clients get 24/7 support at no extra charge, weekends included. And you’re calling Kelly or Carisa’s own mobile, not leaving a message with an after-hours service.
Tell us what’s bugging you.
Talk it through with Kelly or Carisa. They’ll ask about your imaging computers, backups, storage and security, and tell you honestly what’s working and what’s likely to bite.
Leave your number and Kelly or Carisa will call you back, usually within the hour, and within one business day at the latest.
Busy? We'll ring you.
Leave your number and tell us what's not working. We'll take it from there.