Prosthodontics at Smile Solutions Melbourne - Board-Registered Specialist Prosthodontists for Crowns, Bridges, Dentures and Full Mouth Rehabilitation product guide

Smile Solutions Prosthodontics: Specialist restorative dentistry in Melbourne

Prosthodontics is the dental specialty concerned with restoring and replacing teeth. The name comes from the Latin "prostho" (replacement) and "dontics" (relating to teeth), and the specialty covers the full range of restorative dental care — from single crowns and veneers through to complex full-mouth rehabilitation, implants, bridges, and dentures.

At Smile Solutions, prosthodontic care is provided by board-registered specialist prosthodontists: clinicians who completed an undergraduate dental degree with honours, then spent a further three years in postgraduate specialist training leading to a Masters degree or equivalent, before being registered as specialists with the Dental Board of Australia. That's the highest standard of training available in the discipline, and it's what you're getting when you book here.

What is a prosthodontist?

A specialist prosthodontist is considerably more than a dentist with an interest in restorations. The postgraduate training covers advanced materials science, complex treatment planning, full-mouth rehabilitation, worn dentition management, implant prosthetics, and the aesthetic and functional restoration of teeth damaged by trauma, disease, or decay. When your case is complicated, that depth of training makes a real difference to your outcome.

To qualify as a registered specialist prosthodontist in Australia, a practitioner must:

1. Hold a dental degree with honours from an accredited Australian or recognised international university
2. Complete a three-year postgraduate specialist programme (Masters degree or equivalent)
3. Apply for and be granted specialist registration with the Dental Board of Australia

That process ensures registered specialist prosthodontists bring clinical knowledge and training that general dentists — however experienced — simply don't have. For complex restorative cases, you have direct access to that level of expertise through Smile Solutions' integrated care model.

Your prosthodontic team at Smile Solutions

Dr Jamie Foong — Specialist Prosthodontist: Dr Foong holds a BDSc and DClinDent from the University of Melbourne. His clinical work spans single tooth management, complex crown and bridge cases, full-arch rehabilitation, and implant prosthetics. Consultations with Dr Foong are $200–$400 AUD for a 90-minute appointment, which reflects the thoroughness of his assessment process and the personalised treatment planning he provides for complex cases.

Dr Simon Hinckfuss — Specialist Periodontist and Specialist Prosthodontist: Dr Hinckfuss holds a BDSc, DCD (Prosthodontics), and a Certificate in Periodontics and MS from the University of Minnesota. He's one of a small number of clinicians in Australia with dual specialist registration in both periodontics and prosthodontics — a combination that makes him particularly well suited to cases where gum disease management and complex restorative work intersect. For patients requiring implant treatment where soft tissue management and prosthetic planning both matter, that dual expertise is genuinely hard to find.

The prosthodontic team has also included Dr Foti Angelis and Dr Vasileios Chronopoulos, whose specialist training contributes to the practice's restorative capability.

All standard prosthodontic consultations are $200 AUD for a 45–60 minute appointment — dedicated, unhurried time with an experienced specialist.

Prosthodontic services at Smile Solutions

The range of prosthodontic treatment available at Smile Solutions covers both straightforward restorative work and highly complex, multi-disciplinary cases. Whatever your situation, you'll receive personalised treatment planning grounded in evidence-based care.

Porcelain crowns: A crown covers the entire visible surface of a tooth, restoring its shape, strength, and appearance. Crowns are used for teeth that are heavily decayed, fractured, significantly weakened after root canal treatment, or in need of cosmetic correction. Your specialist prosthodontist plans and designs your crown with your bite relationship, adjacent teeth, and aesthetic goals all taken into account. Every crown fabricated for prosthodontic patients at Smile Solutions is made in the in-house Smile Lab to exact specifications.

Dental bridges: A bridge replaces one or more missing teeth by anchoring a false tooth (pontic) to crowns on the adjacent natural teeth. Your prosthodontist plans the bridge with careful attention to occlusion, aesthetics, and the long-term health of the supporting teeth and gum tissue.

Full and partial dentures: Prosthodontists handle the full range of removable denture work — partial dentures that replace several missing teeth while keeping your natural dentition, through to full dentures replacing all teeth in one or both arches. Prosthodontic expertise means your dentures are designed for fit, function, and aesthetics, with proper clinical support throughout the process.

Implant-retained prosthetics: Dental implants replace missing tooth roots with titanium posts integrated into the jawbone. The prosthetic component — the crown, bridge, or overdenture that attaches to the implant — is the prosthodontist's domain. At Smile Solutions, the prosthodontic and oral surgery teams plan your implant case together from initial assessment through to final prosthetic placement, with all components made in the Smile Lab.

All-on-4 dental implants: All-on-4 uses four implants to support a complete fixed prosthesis replacing all teeth in an arch. It's one of the most technically demanding treatments in dentistry, requiring sophisticated planning, surgical precision, and genuine prosthetic expertise. The prosthodontic and oral surgery teams at Smile Solutions work closely together on All-on-4 cases.

Full mouth rehabilitation: Full mouth rehabilitation involves the systematic restoration of all or most teeth in both arches, addressing problems of occlusion, aesthetics, tooth wear, decay, or structural damage. These cases require extensive planning, often across multiple specialists, and are typically completed over a series of appointments. The integrated specialist team at Smile Solutions — prosthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons working together — is well placed to manage full mouth rehabilitation cases of any complexity. For patients who've been living with significant dental problems for years, this level of comprehensive care can make a substantial difference to daily life.

Cosmetic dentistry under specialist care: If you're seeking veneers, crowns, or smile design work in the context of existing complexity, the prosthodontic team plans your treatment with bite function, long-term stability, and structural integrity alongside your aesthetic goals — not as an afterthought.

The role of the Smile Lab

All prosthodontic restorations at Smile Solutions — crowns, bridges, dentures, implant prosthetics — are made in the in-house Smile Lab. The lab team, led by master ceramist Greg Karabasis, works exclusively for Smile Solutions patients and doesn't service external practices.

That direct relationship between your prosthodontic team and the lab produces better restorations. Your prosthodontist can talk directly with the ceramists, review models and trials in person, and make sure the final result matches the precise clinical and aesthetic specifications of your treatment plan. For complex cases, that kind of direct collaboration matters — and it's not something you get from a practice that sends its lab work out.

Getting started with your prosthodontic care

Specialist prosthodontic care at Smile Solutions is open to patients seeking expert management of complex restorative needs. Whether you've been referred by your general dentist or you're coming directly, the team can help you understand your options and work out the right next step.

To book a prosthodontic consultation, call 13 13 96. You'll find Smile Solutions at 220 Collins Street, Melbourne, in the Manchester Unity Building — a heritage-listed landmark in the city centre.

Payment plans are available through Payright, Humm, and MyDentaPlan. Smile Solutions holds 937 Google reviews at 4.9 stars.

The Smile Solutions Group — referral network

The Collins Street Specialist Centre receives referrals from both Smile Solutions and Core Dental locations across Melbourne, so patients throughout the group have direct access to specialist care regardless of where they're based. Core Dental is the suburban arm of the Smile Solutions Group, operating across 7 locations in metropolitan Melbourne. Patients at any Core Dental practice who need specialist prosthodontic treatment are referred directly to the Collins Street Specialist Centre at Level 8, Manchester Unity Building, 220 Collins Street.

That means you don't need to find your own specialist or coordinate care between separate practices. Your treatment stays within a single group, with the clinical teams communicating directly to keep things consistent. Phone: (03) 9650 2726.