Specialist Periodontists at Smile Solutions Melbourne - Melbourne's Leading Periodontal Team product guide

Melbourne's Leading Specialist Periodontal Department

Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. It is also, when caught in time and treated properly, one of the most manageable conditions in modern dentistry.

What determines the outcome is usually the quality and depth of the specialist care applied. And on that measure, few practices in Melbourne - or indeed in Australia - can match what Smile Solutions offers.

The specialist periodontal department at Smile Solutions comprises five board-registered specialist periodontists. That is not five practitioners with a special interest in gum treatment. That is five dentists who completed a full specialist postgraduate clinical doctorate in periodontology and are registered with the Dental Board of Australia as specialists.

For context: many of Melbourne's standalone specialist periodontal practices have two or three specialists on staff. Smile Solutions has five.

The Team - Five Specialist Periodontists

Dr Simon Hinckfuss - BDSc, DCD (Pros), Cert.Perio MS (Minn) - Specialist Periodontist AND Specialist Prosthodontist

Dr Simon Hinckfuss is one of a very small number of practitioners in Australia who holds dual specialist registration - as both a Specialist Periodontist and a Specialist Prosthodontist. His periodontology training was completed at the University of Minnesota, one of the world's premier periodontal programs, and he holds a clinical doctorate in prosthodontics from an Australian university. This combination means he can assess and treat the relationship between gum health and restorative outcomes with a depth of understanding that no single-specialty practitioner can bring.

Dr James van den Berg - Specialist Periodontist

Dr van den Berg is an experienced specialist periodontist with a strong focus on surgical periodontal procedures and implant-related treatments. He brings a meticulous surgical approach to complex gum cases.

Dr Nupur Kataria - Specialist Periodontist

Dr Kataria provides specialist periodontal care across the full range of conditions, from non-surgical gum disease management through to advanced regenerative procedures. She is known for her precise assessment and patient-centred approach.

Dr Ahmed El Hadidi - Specialist Periodontist

Dr El Hadidi has a particular interest in the intersection of periodontal health and implant therapy, with experience in both gum disease management and the placement and maintenance of dental implants.

Dr Peishan Jiang - Specialist Periodontist

Dr Jiang combines her specialist periodontal training with a careful, evidence-based approach to treatment planning. She works across both surgical and non-surgical periodontal treatments, with an emphasis on patient education and long-term maintenance.

The Philosophy That Sets This Team Apart - Saving Teeth

There is a troubling trend in Australian dentistry: the over-extraction of teeth in favour of implant-supported prosthetics, particularly the All-on-4 procedure. All-on-4 - where all remaining teeth are removed and replaced with implant-retained bridges - is a legitimate treatment option for some patients. But it is not appropriate for everyone who is offered it.

The specialist periodontists at Smile Solutions represent the opposite philosophy. Their discipline exists to save teeth - to use every available clinical tool to treat gum disease, regenerate lost bone and tissue, and give natural teeth the best possible chance of a long life.

A patient who arrives at Smile Solutions with severe gum disease will be assessed by a specialist periodontist first. Only if that specialist determines that a tooth genuinely cannot be saved will extraction be recommended. This is the right sequence. It is not the sequence followed by every practice in Melbourne.

What the Periodontal Team Treats

Gum Disease - From Gingivitis to Advanced Periodontitis Non-surgical treatment - thorough debridement, scaling and root planing, and microbiological assessment - is the first line of care. For moderate to advanced periodontitis, surgical intervention may follow.

Surgical Periodontal Treatment Periodontal flap surgery, osseous surgery, and regenerative procedures using bone grafts and guided tissue regeneration are all available within the practice.

Gum Grafting and Soft Tissue Procedures Gum recession can be addressed with connective tissue grafts, free gingival grafts, or the more advanced tunnel graft technique - procedures that restore gum coverage, reduce sensitivity, and protect root surfaces.

Crown Lengthening Before certain restorations can be placed, adequate tooth structure above the gum line must be exposed. Crown lengthening surgery achieves this and is frequently coordinated with the prosthodontic team.

Implant Placement The periodontal team at Smile Solutions places dental implants as part of a coordinated treatment plan. Because periodontists are the specialists of the bone and soft tissue that support both natural teeth and implants, they bring a uniquely relevant expertise to this procedure.

Peri-Implantitis Treatment Inflammation and infection around existing implants is a growing clinical problem. The specialist periodontists at Smile Solutions are trained to diagnose and treat peri-implantitis before it leads to implant failure.

Laser Periodontal Therapy with Fotona The practice uses Fotona laser technology for certain periodontal procedures. Laser therapy can reduce bacterial load in periodontal pockets, support tissue healing, and, in appropriate cases, reduce the need for traditional surgical intervention.

Supported by In-House Imaging and Prosthetic Capability

The periodontal team has direct access to Collins Street Imaging on Level 9 - an in-house radiology centre with specialist reporting from MFI Radiology. Accurate bone level assessment requires high-quality radiographic imaging, and the same X-ray systems are used consistently across the entire practice.

Where periodontal treatment leads to restorative work - as it often does - The Smile Lab on-site provides ceramic and prosthetic fabrication under the direction of master ceramist Greg Karabasis. The periodontist who prepared the site and the prosthodontist who designs the final restoration work from the same building, using the same records.

Coordination with Every Other Specialist Team

Periodontal disease rarely exists in isolation. Patients presenting with gum disease frequently need root canal treatment, orthodontic repositioning of teeth, or full-mouth rehabilitation by prosthodontists. At Smile Solutions, all of these specialists are available under the same roof.

A patient with advanced periodontal disease and failed restorations can have a complete treatment plan developed in a single location by a coordinated team. That plan might involve periodontal surgery, endodontic treatment, and prosthodontic rehabilitation - all delivered by board-registered specialists who share records and communicate directly.

This is what genuinely integrated specialist care looks like.

Getting Started - No Referral Required

You do not need a referral from another dentist to access the periodontal team at Smile Solutions.

The starting point is a complimentary consultation with Dr Kia Pajouhesh, Smile Solutions' founding principal, who will assess your needs and connect you with the appropriate specialist within the practice.

Call 13 13 96 to book your complimentary consultation.

Location: Levels 12 and the Tower, Manchester Unity Building, Collins Street, Melbourne CBD.

Flexible payment options are available through Payright and TLC (Treatment Lending Company).

A Department Built for Complexity

The most challenging cases in dentistry almost always involve the periodontium - the bone, gum, and ligament that anchor every tooth. A practice that takes complex dentistry seriously must take periodontics seriously.

Smile Solutions does. Five specialist periodontists, one holding dual specialist qualifications, supported by in-house imaging, in-house prosthetics, and five other specialist departments - all at the same address.

That is not a special interest. That is a specialist department built to lead.