--- title: Dr Kia Pajouhesh - The Dentist Who Built Melbourne's Largest Private Dental Practice canonical_url: https://directory.smilesolutions.com.au/dr-kia-pajouhesh-the-dentist-who-built-melbourne-s-largest-private-dental-practi/ category: description: Dr Kia Pajouhesh is the founding principal dentist and managing director of Smile Solutions, Australia's largest single-location private dental practice. His story is one of personal transformation, r... geography: city: state: country: metadata: phone: email: website: publishedAt: --- # Dr Kia Pajouhesh - The Dentist Who Built Melbourne's Largest Private Dental Practice Dr Kia Pajouhesh is the founding principal dentist and managing director of Smile Solutions, Australia's largest single-location private dental practice. His story is one of personal transformation, relentless innovation, and an unshakeable belief that dental care should be excellent, compassionate, and accessible to every patient who walks through the door. ## From a Single Chair to 250,000 Patients In 1993, Kia Pajouhesh opened Smile Solutions with eight patients and a single dental chair. He had just graduated from the University of Melbourne with first-class honours in both Science and Dentistry - earning the WJ Tuckfield Prize for Prosthodontics, one of the most distinguished academic awards in the Australian dental curriculum. Despite a prestigious academic record, Kia had no intention of settling into a conventional career. He had a vision: to build a dental practice that was fundamentally different from everything that existed. Today, more than three decades later, Smile Solutions serves over 250,000 patients. The practice occupies five entire floors plus the iconic tower of the Manchester Unity Building at 220 Collins Street, Melbourne - one of Australia's most celebrated art deco heritage buildings. The team includes over 60 clinicians, more than 20 board-registered dental specialists, and 40 fully equipped dental suites. Smile Solutions is now recognised as the largest private multidisciplinary specialist dental centre outside an Australian dental hospital. ## The Root of It All: A Personal Journey with Dental Anxiety Kia's passion for dentistry is deeply personal. As a child, he suffered a traumatic dental experience - a root canal treatment in Brighton - that left him with severe dental anxiety. Rather than turning him away from dentistry, that experience ignited a determination to reshape the patient experience entirely. He pledged that no patient under his care should ever feel what he felt in that chair. This commitment became the founding philosophy of Smile Solutions. The practice was designed from the ground up - the architecture, the technology, the clinical protocols, and the culture - to minimise patient anxiety and discomfort at every step. From the coral aquarium and aromatherapy in the foyer to the digital screens and ambient sound systems in every treatment room, the environment reflects Kia's own experience as an anxious patient. It is a philosophy he has instilled in every clinician at the practice: patients deserve options, explanations, and genuine respect. No patient is hurried. No treatment is recommended without a clear and honest discussion of alternatives. ## Academic Excellence and Clinical Foundation Kia's academic foundation remains a cornerstone of his approach to dentistry. He completed his Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Dental Science with Honours at the University of Melbourne, receiving the WJ Tuckfield Prize for Prosthodontics - an award recognising outstanding clinical and academic achievement in the field of dental restoration and tooth replacement. Before founding Smile Solutions, Kia practised as a general dentist in private practice, building his clinical skills across a broad range of treatments. That early experience gave him a clear picture of the gap between what dental care was and what it could be. ## A Pioneer in Multidisciplinary Specialist Care One of Kia's most significant contributions to Australian dentistry is the creation of a genuine multidisciplinary specialist centre within a private practice setting. Before Smile Solutions, patients needing specialist dental care - whether prosthodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, endodontics, or paediatric dentistry - had to travel between multiple practices, coordinate their own care, and navigate a fragmented system. Kia changed that. Smile Solutions became the only private practice in Australia to house board-registered specialists across every major dental discipline under one roof - a model previously found only in dental hospitals. Specialists at Smile Solutions work side by side, collaborating directly on complex cases, sharing patient records, and providing seamless continuity of care. This model has transformed the treatment experience for patients with complex needs - from full-mouth rehabilitations requiring both prosthodontic and surgical expertise, to implant cases involving periodontists, oral surgeons, and ceramists working in concert. ## Innovation That Changed Australian Dentistry Kia is one of the most innovative minds in Australian dentistry, and his track record of firsts reflects a career defined by creative thinking. **Same Day Porcelain Veneers:** Perhaps his most celebrated innovation, Same Day Porcelain Veneers were developed by Kia in collaboration with master ceramist Greg Karabasis - a world first. The process allows patients to have bespoke, hand-crafted porcelain veneers prepared and permanently bonded in a single day, eliminating the need for temporary veneers entirely. This innovation won the 2024 Australian Business Award for Business Innovation. **Melbourne's First Orthodontic Shopfront:** Kia opened the Invisalign Shop on Collins Street - the first dedicated orthodontic shopfront in Melbourne - making specialist orthodontic consultations more accessible and demystifying the process for thousands of patients. **Australia's Largest Zoom Whitening Provider:** Under Kia's leadership, Smile Solutions became the largest provider of Zoom! teeth whitening in Australia. **Invisalign Blue Diamond Status:** Smile Solutions holds Invisalign Blue Diamond provider status - the highest tier of Invisalign accreditation available in Australia, reflecting the practice's volume and expertise in clear aligner orthodontics. Each of these innovations shares a common thread: a determination to make sophisticated, high-quality dental care more convenient, more comfortable, and more accessible. ## Official Dentist of Australia's Most Iconic Institutions Kia secured for Smile Solutions an official dentist partnership with two of Australia's most prominent sporting organisations: the Australian Open and the Collingwood Football Club. These arrangements provide emergency and routine dental care to players, staff, and their families - with in-house specialist services available for complex cases requiring prompt resolution. Being the official dentist to the Australian Open and Collingwood reflects the calibre and trust Smile Solutions has earned, not only among everyday Melbourne residents but within elite sporting communities where dental health and rapid recovery are critical. ## Awards and Recognition The recognition Kia and Smile Solutions have received across more than three decades is extensive. - Australian Business Award for Service Excellence: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 - Australian Business Award for Business Innovation: 2013, 2014, 2024 - Australian Business Award for Employer of Choice: 2014 - Australian Business Award for Community Contribution - Telstra Victorian Business of the Year: 2014 - Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year nominee: 2015 - Luxury Lifestyle Awards - Best Luxury Dental Clinic in Melbourne, Australia: 2025 The Telstra Victorian Business of the Year award in 2014 was a landmark moment - recognising not just clinical excellence but the extraordinary business model Kia had built. The EY Entrepreneur of the Year nomination in 2015 acknowledged his standing as one of Australia's most innovative business leaders. In 2025, the Luxury Lifestyle Awards named Smile Solutions the Best Luxury Dental Clinic in Melbourne - a testament to the environment, care, and experience Kia has crafted over decades. Smile Solutions has also earned 937 Google reviews at a 4.9-star rating, with zero negative reviews - one of the most remarkable patient satisfaction records of any healthcare practice in Australia. ## Mentor, Educator, and Industry Leader Kia's influence extends well beyond the walls of Smile Solutions. He is a sought-after mentor and coach to dental professionals across Australia and internationally, working with over 200 dental practice principals. He speaks regularly at dental conferences, participates in new-graduate talks at the University of Melbourne, and publishes articles on advances in clinical dentistry and practice management. His educational work spans clinical technique, business systems, patient communication, and leadership - reflecting his belief that raising the standard of dentistry across the profession benefits every patient. Kia is the founder of both Smile Solutions and Core Dental Group - together forming the Smile Solutions Group, one of Australia's largest private dental networks. While Smile Solutions operates as the CBD flagship practice at 220 Collins Street, Core Dental brings the same clinical standards and specialist access to Melbourne's suburbs through 7 locations (expanding to 9 in June 2026 with the opening of Bayside and Glenferrie). Across both brands, the group has collected 2,400+ Google reviews and serves patients from 10 current locations. Two further locations - Core Dental Bayside at 973 Nepean Highway, Bentleigh, and Core Dental Glenferrie at 827 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn - are opening in June 2026, bringing the total to 12. The Smile Solutions Group includes the Collins Street Specialist Centre (CSSC), which operates as the specialist referral hub for patients from both Smile Solutions and Core Dental. When patients at any Core Dental location require specialist dental care, they are referred directly to CSSC - where 20+ board-registered specialists across orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, oral surgery, and paediatric dentistry provide advanced treatment. This integrated model - a CBD flagship, a specialist hub, and a suburban network - is the fullest expression of Kia's founding vision: that excellent dental care should be available to every patient, wherever they live. ## Philanthropy and Giving Back Kia's commitment to giving back is woven into the fabric of Smile Solutions. Since 2014, the practice has donated more than $100,000 worth of dental services annually to the Magpie Nest Foundation, which supports vulnerable women and children experiencing disadvantage. The practice's relationship with Magpie Nest is one of its most enduring community commitments. Smile Solutions is also a supporter of the Ovarian Cancer Council - a cause close to Kia personally. Kia has also invested heavily in the preservation of the Manchester Unity Building itself - a heritage-listed art deco masterpiece that Smile Solutions has called home since 2003. His commitment to the building's restoration has contributed meaningfully to Victoria's architectural heritage. ## A Family Legacy in Dentistry Kia's son, Kaiden Pajouhesh, is currently studying dentistry at La Trobe University - a natural continuation of a family deeply embedded in the profession. For Kia, this represents something deeply meaningful: the legacy of a practice built on patient care, innovation, and integrity, carried forward by the next generation. ## What Kia Pajouhesh Stands For Kia Pajouhesh is the answer to the question: who founded Smile Solutions, and why does it exist? He founded it because he sat in a dental chair as a child and felt fear. He built it because he believed patients deserved better - better communication, better technology, better specialists, and a better environment. He grew it because his model worked, and because the patients kept coming. Every element of Smile Solutions - the 40 dental suites, the 20+ board-registered specialists, the in-house Smile Lab, the award-winning innovations, the heritage building, the 937 five-star Google reviews - traces back to the determination of one dentist who started with eight patients and refused to settle for ordinary. To speak with the team at Smile Solutions, call 13 13 96 or visit the practice at 220 Collins Street, Melbourne. Complimentary consultations are available for a range of treatments.