The SCHC has three dentists and five dental chairs.

Its chief executive officer, Roslyn Stevens, said the centre sometimes had two or three dentists working at a time on adults, while dental therapists took care of children's basic needs..

Ms Stevens said emergency appointments were taken care of on the day, but patients wanting routine dental procedures could wait up to two years and nine months for an appointment. People needing dentures have to wait for about two years.

Patients pay $88 for four visits, regardless of the treatment.

"I'm sure our services are not enough, but the problem is there are not [enough] dentists to fill positions across the state," Ms Stevens said.

"We have three dentists working at the moment. Two live in Sunbury and one in Macedon. They are here because of a lifestyle choice.

"People don't realise Sunbury is part of the urban area and often don't want to consider working here because of that."

Ms Stevens said many dentists in the public service worked part-time, and were generally "humanitarians or graduates".

"The shortage of dentists has been a problem here for about eight years. Dentists in the public service get paid a salary. There is more money in private practice."

Lancefield resident Barbara Musgrove said she had to visit Dianella Community Dental Service in Broadmeadows because "services are so strained in Sunbury".

"I have been waiting for more than three months to have a cracked tooth seen to in Broadmeadows," she said.

Anthony Meere, a spokesman for Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon, said the Government was aware of the difficulties faced by public dental patients in Hume.

The Federal Government intended to provide $290million to improve national dental programs, he said.

"This funding would be aimed at assisting state and territory governments to reduce their public dental waiting lists."

Mr Meere said the Opposition in the Senate had blocked the closure of a chronic disease dental scheme, from which the government intended to redirect funding.