Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons at Smile Solutions Melbourne - Specialist Surgical Team product guide

Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Melbourne's CBD

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is one of the most demanding disciplines in all of healthcare. It sits at the intersection of dentistry and medicine, requiring practitioners who are trained in both - and in Australia, the pathway to becoming a registered oral and maxillofacial surgeon is among the longest and most rigorous of any clinical specialty.

To hold registration as a specialist oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Australia, a practitioner must complete both a dental degree and a medical degree, followed by an additional specialist surgical training program. The result is a surgeon who is simultaneously a registered medical practitioner and a registered dental specialist - qualified to operate in both dental and hospital settings.

Smile Solutions houses a specialist oral and maxillofacial surgical team operating from Levels 12 and the Tower of the Manchester Unity Building in Melbourne's CBD. The team includes Dr Ricky Kumar, who holds dual qualification as a Specialist Prosthodontist and a registered oral and maxillofacial surgeon - one of the most clinically integrated dual roles in Australian dentistry.

Dr Ricky Kumar - Dual-Qualified Specialist

Dr Ricky Kumar's clinical position at Smile Solutions is uniquely powerful. He holds qualifications as both a Specialist Prosthodontist and a registered oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

This dual qualification means Dr Kumar can approach complex cases with an integrated perspective that neither a surgeon alone nor a prosthodontist alone can bring. He understands the surgical requirements of implant placement, bone grafting, and jaw surgery - and simultaneously holds the prosthodontic expertise to plan the restoration that will follow. For patients requiring complex surgical and restorative treatment, this unified clinical approach reduces communication gaps, simplifies coordination, and often produces superior outcomes.

The oral and maxillofacial surgical team at Smile Solutions extends beyond Dr Kumar, with additional OMS-trained practitioners contributing to the practice's surgical capacity.

Why Registration as an OMS Matters

In Australia, only registered specialists can use the title of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. This registration requires not just additional training but the completion of both a dental degree and a medical degree - a combined educational pathway that typically spans a decade or more.

This matters for patients for a clear reason. Only registered oral and maxillofacial surgeons can operate on patients in private hospitals. When a surgical procedure is of sufficient complexity or risk to warrant a hospital setting - with full anaesthetic support, nursing teams, and post-operative monitoring - only a dual-degree registered specialist has the hospital operating privileges to perform it.

Procedures performed by non-specialists in general practice settings, or by general dentists with surgical training but no specialist registration, do not carry the same clinical safeguards. At Smile Solutions, all oral surgical procedures are performed by or under the supervision of board-registered specialists.

What the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Team Treats

Wisdom Teeth Removal Impacted wisdom teeth - those that have failed to erupt properly or are causing infection, pain, or damage to adjacent teeth - are among the most common reasons patients are referred to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. At Smile Solutions, wisdom teeth removal is performed by specialist surgeons, with the option of treatment in a private hospital setting for complex cases or patients with significant anxiety.

Jaw Surgery - Orthognathic Surgery When the relationship between the upper and lower jaws is significantly misaligned - producing problems with bite function, breathing, sleep, or facial aesthetics - jaw surgery may be required. Orthognathic surgery repositions the jaws to correct skeletal discrepancies that orthodontic treatment alone cannot address.

Critically, jaw surgery requires close collaboration between the oral and maxillofacial surgeon and an orthodontist. At Smile Solutions, both are present in the same building. The orthodontic team and the oral surgical team plan jaw surgery cases jointly - with shared records, direct communication, and coordinated treatment stages. This is the standard of care for complex orthognathic cases, and it is rarely available in a single location outside a major hospital.

Bone Grafting When patients have experienced bone loss - through tooth loss, gum disease, or trauma - bone grafting can rebuild the volume of jawbone needed to support dental implants or improve facial structure. The oral surgical team manages bone grafting procedures including socket grafts, ridge augmentation, and block grafting.

Sinus Lifts Implant placement in the upper back jaw is often complicated by proximity to the maxillary sinuses. A sinus lift procedure adds bone volume in this region, creating the space needed to place implants of adequate length. This is a specialist surgical procedure requiring precise technique and radiographic planning.

Zygomatic Implants For patients with severe bone loss in the upper jaw - where conventional implants or even sinus lifts may not provide sufficient anchorage - zygomatic implants offer an alternative. These longer implants anchor into the cheekbone (zygoma) rather than the jawbone, allowing implant-supported prosthetics in cases that would otherwise require extensive and complex bone grafting. Zygomatic implants represent one of the most advanced implant techniques in oral surgery.

Complex Implant Placement Standard dental implants are placed by periodontists and general dentists. Implants in anatomically complex positions - near the inferior alveolar nerve, in significantly resorbed bone, or requiring simultaneous bone augmentation - benefit from the skill and hospital access of an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Dental Trauma Traumatic injuries to the teeth and jaw - fractures, avulsions, luxations, and alveolar ridge fractures - may require surgical intervention. The oral surgical team manages acute dental trauma as well as the longer-term consequences, including implant placement in sites of previous traumatic tooth loss.

Procedures Under General Anaesthetic in Private Hospital When surgical complexity, patient anxiety, or medical history warrants treatment in a hospital setting rather than a dental chair, the Smile Solutions oral surgical team has access to private hospital facilities. Procedures can be performed under general anaesthetic with full anaesthetic and nursing support - an option simply not available from dentists without specialist surgical registration and hospital privileges.

The Integration Advantage

The oral and maxillofacial surgical department at Smile Solutions does not operate in isolation. It is one component of a fully integrated specialist centre.

A patient referred for jaw surgery works with the orthodontic team in the same building throughout their treatment - before surgery to align the teeth in preparation, and after surgery to refine the result. Their radiographic imaging is managed in-house at Collins Street Imaging on Level 9, with specialist reporting from MFI Radiology. Post-surgical prosthodontic work is coordinated with the prosthodontic team, and The Smile Lab provides ceramic and prosthetic fabrication on site.

A patient requiring bone grafting before implant placement has the graft and the implant placed by surgical specialists who work with the prosthodontist designing the final crown - all within the same practice.

This is the structural advantage of a genuinely multidisciplinary specialist centre. Surgical cases that cross specialty boundaries - and the most complex cases always do - are managed by teams that actually work together, not practitioners who communicate by referral letter.

Getting Started - No Referral Required

You do not need a referral from another dentist to access the oral and maxillofacial surgical team at Smile Solutions.

The entry point is a complimentary consultation with Dr Kia Pajouhesh, Smile Solutions' founding principal and Managing Director, 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).

Oral Surgery at the Highest Level

Wisdom teeth removal, jaw surgery, bone grafting, sinus lifts, zygomatic implants, private hospital access, dual-qualified surgeons. All operating within Australia's only practice with 25+ board-registered specialists across all six dental specialist disciplines under one roof.

When surgery is required, the standard of care matters. At Smile Solutions, the standard is specialist.