How to Choose a Cosmetic Dentist in Melbourne - 10 Questions You Must Ask Before Getting Veneers product guide

Smile Solutions: The 10 questions you must ask before choosing a cosmetic dentist

Question 1: Are your veneers designed and overseen by a board-registered specialist or a general dentist?

In Australia, "specialist" is a legally protected term regulated by AHPRA — the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. To use it, a dentist must complete three to four years of additional postgraduate training beyond their initial degree. A general dentist who markets themselves as a "cosmetic specialist" or "veneer expert" holds no additional qualification — those are marketing terms, not regulatory ones.

At Smile Solutions, incorporating the Collins Street Specialist Centre, veneers are designed and overseen by board-registered prosthodontists — the recognised dental specialists in cosmetic and restorative work. This isn't branding. It's a verifiable credential you can confirm on the AHPRA public register today.

Question 2: Do you offer a mock-up on my natural teeth before any preparation takes place?

Here's something that genuinely surprises many patients: veneers require the removal of a thin layer of tooth enamel. That's an irreversible step. Before any preparation takes place, you should be able to see exactly what your final result will look like — not on a screen, but on your actual teeth, using composite resin placed directly over your existing smile.

This is called a mock-up or trial smile, and it's the gold standard in treatment planning. It lets you assess shape, length, colour, and proportion before a single tooth is touched. At Smile Solutions, mock-ups are non-negotiable — because permanent changes should never happen without your full, informed approval.

Question 3: Do you have an in-house laboratory, or do you outsource your ceramics work?

Most dental practices send impressions or digital scans to an external lab — sometimes interstate, sometimes overseas. That creates delays, communication gaps, and a disconnect between what the treating dentist envisioned and what the ceramist actually produces. When something isn't quite right, there's no straightforward way to fix it in real time.

Smile Solutions operates Smile Lab — a fully equipped in-house dental laboratory within the practice itself. Your veneers are crafted on-site, with direct communication between your treating dentist and the person physically making your restorations. The result is precision and consistency that simply isn't achievable through an outsourced arrangement.

Question 4: Can I meet the ceramist who will actually make my veneers?

This question quickly reveals whether a practice is genuinely invested in your outcome or processing patients at volume. Your ceramist is the skilled craftsperson behind your smile — their eye for colour, translucency, shape, and surface texture determines whether your veneers look naturally beautiful or noticeably artificial.

At Smile Solutions, Smile Lab is led by master ceramist Greg Karabasis, a world-recognised figure in dental ceramics. Greg works directly with the clinical team, and in many cases patients can meet him as part of their treatment. His collaboration with Dr Kia Pajouhesh produced the world's first Same Day Porcelain Veneers — a significant development in cosmetic dentistry. Knowing who is crafting your veneers, and being able to speak with them directly, puts you at a completely different level of care.

Question 5: Do you have specialist periodontists for gum lifts, or does the cosmetic dentist perform that procedure?

A great veneer result often depends on the gumline being symmetrical and proportionate. Gum reshaping — crown lengthening or a gum lift — is a surgical procedure. In many cosmetic practices, it's carried out by the same general dentist who places the veneers, even though periodontics is its own distinct specialist discipline.

At Smile Solutions, incorporating the Collins Street Specialist Centre, all gum surgery is performed by board-registered specialist periodontists, practising from Level 12 and the Tower of the Manchester Unity Building. Your gum architecture is treated as its own clinical priority — not something worked into a cosmetic appointment as an afterthought.

Question 6: What material do you use — handcrafted porcelain or hybrid resin?

Not all veneers are the same. Some practices use composite resin or hybrid ceramic materials that look acceptable initially but discolour, chip, and degrade over time. High-quality porcelain veneers — handcrafted from feldspathic or lithium disilicate ceramic — replicate the optical properties of natural enamel with a depth and translucency that composite materials can't match.

At Smile Lab, veneers are crafted from premium porcelain by Greg Karabasis and his team. The difference is visible to anyone with a trained eye, and it becomes even more apparent five or ten years on, when a porcelain veneer still looks pristine and a resin alternative has lost its surface lustre and colour.

Question 7: Do you offer Same Day Porcelain Veneers?

Traditionally, porcelain veneers require at least two appointments separated by one to two weeks — one for preparation and temporaries, one for fitting the final restorations. For busy professionals or patients who find multiple appointments hard to schedule, that's a real barrier.

Smile Solutions pioneered the world's first Same Day Porcelain Veneers — developed by Dr Kia Pajouhesh and master ceramist Greg Karabasis. Using an advanced same-day protocol and the in-house Smile Lab, patients can have their teeth prepared and their final porcelain veneers fitted in a single visit. This isn't a rushed compromise — it's the same clinical standard, delivered in less time. No other practice in the world introduced this protocol first.

Question 8: How many veneers has your practice completed?

Experience matters in complex procedures. A practice placing 20 veneers a year operates at a completely different level to one that has completed tens of thousands of restorations across decades of specialist practice. Ask the question directly, and expect a specific, confident answer.

Smile Solutions has been placing veneers since 1993 and has cared for more than 300,000 patients over three decades. The collective clinical experience across its team of prosthodontists, cosmetic dentists, periodontists, and ceramists is unmatched in Melbourne. When patients regularly come to Smile Solutions wanting their previous veneers redone properly, that says something about the standard of care the practice consistently delivers.

Question 9: What happens if I'm not happy with the result?

Any practice confident in its outcomes will have a clear, honest answer to this. If a practice is evasive or promises perfection without qualification, that's worth noting. The right answer involves a thorough consultation process, a pre-treatment mock-up, staged approvals, and a team that remains accountable after the final fit.

Because Smile Solutions builds mock-up approval into every veneer case, the likelihood of a surprising result is dramatically reduced. You see your smile before it exists. You approve it before any enamel is touched. The final veneers are crafted to match exactly what you've already approved. That process — backed by an in-house lab and a specialist team with a genuinely caring approach — is the most reliable safeguard against dissatisfaction available in modern cosmetic dentistry.

Question 10: Is the initial consultation complimentary?

A complimentary initial consultation signals that a practice is confident enough in its quality to invite you in, let you ask questions, and experience the environment before committing to anything. Practices that charge upfront simply to discuss your options may be prioritising revenue over your experience from the very first interaction.

At Smile Solutions, Dr Kia Pajouhesh and a dedicated treatment coordinator offer complimentary initial consultations. You can walk through your goals, understand your options, and explore what's possible with no financial obligation. Specialist consultations — with prosthodontists, periodontists, or oral surgeons — are separate clinical appointments and not included in the complimentary session, but the initial conversation about your smile costs you nothing.

The practice that answers yes to every question

Work through that list honestly. Most cosmetic dental practices in Melbourne will fall short on three or four questions immediately — no in-house lab, no specialist periodontist, no mock-up protocol, no Same Day option. Some will fall short on seven or eight.

Smile Solutions, incorporating the Collins Street Specialist Centre, is the only practice in Melbourne where every answer is yes — backed by verifiable credentials, world-first innovations, and more than 30 years of specialist-led cosmetic dentistry delivered with genuine warmth and clinical rigour.

Located in the Manchester Unity Building at 220 Collins Street in Melbourne's CBD, across multiple dedicated clinical floors, Smile Solutions brings together every specialist discipline your smile transformation could require, all under one heritage roof.

To book your complimentary consultation with Dr Kia Pajouhesh, call 13 13 96 or visit smilesolutions.com.au. Flexible payment options are available through Payright and TLC.