--- title: Specialist Paediatric Dentists at Smile Solutions Melbourne - Children's Dental Specialists canonical_url: https://directory.smilesolutions.com.au/specialist-paediatric-dentists-at-smile-solutions-melbourne-children-s-dental-sp/ category: description: ## Melbourne's Specialist Children's Dental Department Children's dentistry is not simply adult dentistry scaled down. It requires a fundamentally different approach - to behaviour management, to com... geography: city: state: country: metadata: phone: email: website: publishedAt: --- # Specialist Paediatric Dentists at Smile Solutions Melbourne - Children's Dental Specialists ## Melbourne's Specialist Children's Dental Department Children's dentistry is not simply adult dentistry scaled down. It requires a fundamentally different approach - to behaviour management, to communication, to the biological reality of developing teeth and jaws, and to the anxiety that so many children (and their parents) carry into the dental chair. At Smile Solutions, children with complex dental needs are cared for by board-registered specialist paediatric dentists - practitioners who completed both an undergraduate dental degree and a further three to four years of specialist postgraduate training in children's dentistry, making them eligible for registration with the Dental Board of Australia as specialists. The specialist paediatric dental team at Smile Solutions operates from Level 8 of the Collins Street Specialist Centre within the Manchester Unity Building in Melbourne's CBD - part of a multidisciplinary specialist centre that is unique in Australian dentistry. --- ## Why Specialist Paediatric Care Matters The difference between a general dentist treating a child and a specialist paediatric dentist treating a child is not simply experience or bedside manner. It is the depth of specialist training in child psychology, behaviour guidance techniques, sedation protocols, the management of developing occlusion, and the clinical complexity of primary and mixed dentition. Specialist paediatric dentists are trained to: Manage children with significant dental anxiety using proven, evidence-based behaviour guidance techniques - including the approach used at Smile Solutions called "teddy bear therapy," which helps children feel safe, in control, and genuinely comfortable in the dental environment. Treat children with developmental challenges, sensory sensitivities, or behavioural needs who may not respond to standard dental appointment formats. Assess and monitor the development of children's teeth and jaws, identifying problems early when intervention is most effective. Perform complex dental treatment under sedation when a child's anxiety, age, or medical history makes conscious treatment difficult or inappropriate. A general dentist can provide routine check-ups and basic treatment for most children. For complex needs, for anxious children, or for situations requiring the highest standard of clinical care, a specialist paediatric dentist is the appropriate choice. --- ## The Team - Board-Registered Specialist Paediatric Dentists The specialist paediatric dental team at Smile Solutions comprises board-registered specialist paedodontists. To hold this registration in Australia, each practitioner has completed a general dentistry degree followed by three to four years of specialist postgraduate training specific to children's dentistry - earning a Masters degree or clinical doctorate before applying for registration with the Dental Board of Australia as a specialist. The team works closely with Smile Solutions' general dentists, dental therapists, and the wider specialist community within the practice. Where a child's dental needs intersect with orthodontic, surgical, or other specialist concerns - as they often do in growing patients - the relevant specialist team is available in the same building. --- ## Dr Kia Pajouhesh and the Heart Behind Children's Dentistry at Smile Solutions The commitment to children's dental care at Smile Solutions is deeply personal for Dr Kia Pajouhesh, the practice's founding principal. As a child, Dr Pajouhesh had a traumatic experience in the dental chair - an experience that shaped not only his choice to become a dentist, but his vision for what dental care should feel like. He entered dentistry with a specific intention: to ensure that no patient, particularly no child, would leave his practice carrying the same anxiety he once felt. Dr Pajouhesh has said: "If I hear a child crying at the very other end of my practice, I will get up from my chair." This is not a marketing sentiment. It is a statement of clinical culture. The approach to children's dental care at Smile Solutions - the specialist team, the teddy bear therapy method, the careful attention to the child's psychological experience - flows directly from that founding intention. --- ## What the Paediatric Dental Team Treats **Preventive Dental Care for Children** The most important dental appointment a child can have is one that teaches them good habits and keeps their teeth healthy. The paediatric team provides fluoride treatments, fissure sealants to protect the chewing surfaces of back teeth, and oral hygiene education designed for children at different developmental stages. **First Dental Visits - From Age One** The Smile Solutions paediatric team welcomes children from their first birthday for their initial dental assessment. Early dental visits are not primarily about treatment - they are about establishing a positive relationship with the dental environment, monitoring early development, and educating parents about children's oral health. **Fissure Sealants** The chewing surfaces of back teeth contain deep grooves - fissures - where decay frequently begins. Fissure sealants are thin protective coatings applied to these surfaces that dramatically reduce the risk of decay. They are a simple, highly effective preventive measure and are available at Smile Solutions for children whose teeth are at risk. **Treatment of Dental Decay in Children** Whether in baby teeth or permanent teeth, decay requires appropriate treatment - not extraction as a default solution. The specialist paediatric team assesses each situation and determines the most appropriate clinical response, taking into account the child's age, the tooth involved, and the expected development pattern. **Children's Dental Emergencies** Dental trauma in children - knocked-out teeth, chipped or fractured teeth, teeth pushed into or out of their sockets - requires prompt and knowledgeable management. The paediatric team is experienced in managing dental emergencies in children, including the replantation of avulsed (knocked-out) permanent teeth where timing allows. **Child Dental Benefit Schedule** Eligible children aged 2 to 17 may access services under the Child Dental Benefit Schedule (CDBS), which provides up to $1,095 over a two-year period for basic dental services. The Smile Solutions paediatric team can advise families on CDBS eligibility and applicable services. **Paediatric Sedation Options** For children with high dental anxiety, significant behavioural challenges, or clinical situations requiring more extensive treatment, sedation options are available. The specialist paediatric team is trained in the appropriate use of sedation for children, ensuring the safest and most comfortable possible experience. **Assessment of Tooth and Jaw Development** Growing patients present unique clinical considerations. The paediatric team monitors the development of children's teeth and jaws, identifying early signs of orthodontic problems, eruption issues, or developmental anomalies - and referring to the specialist orthodontic team within the practice when early intervention is warranted. --- ## When to Refer to Our Orthodontic Team Children's dentistry and orthodontics overlap significantly in growing patients. The specialist paediatric team works closely with Smile Solutions' four specialist orthodontists - all located within the same building - to ensure seamless transitions when orthodontic assessment or early intervention is needed. Early orthodontic evaluation from age 7 is available where indicated. The paediatric team identifies the right timing for referral and ensures the child's orthodontic journey begins at the most clinically appropriate moment. --- ## Supported by In-House Radiology Collins Street Imaging on Level 9 of the Manchester Unity Building provides in-house radiographic imaging with specialist reporting from MFI Radiology. The same imaging system is used consistently across the entire practice. For children, dental X-rays are taken judiciously and at the minimum exposure required for clinical decision-making. Having in-house imaging with specialist-level reporting means that when X-rays are needed, they are interpreted with the same rigour applied to adult cases. --- ## Getting Started - No Referral Required You do not need a referral to access the specialist paediatric dental team at Smile Solutions. The starting point for new patients is a complimentary consultation with Dr Kia Pajouhesh, Smile Solutions' founding principal, who will assess your child's needs and ensure they are connected with the right specialist or treating dentist within the practice. **Call 13 13 96** to book your complimentary consultation. **Location:** Level 8, Collins Street Specialist Centre, Manchester Unity Building, Collins Street, Melbourne CBD. Flexible payment options are available through **Payright** and **TLC** (Treatment Lending Company). --- ## Children Deserve Specialist Care The formative experiences children have in dental settings shape their relationship with oral health for the rest of their lives. A child who leaves the dental chair feeling safe, respected, and comfortable is a child who will maintain their dental health as an adult. At Smile Solutions, that experience is delivered by board-registered specialist paediatric dentists, in a practice founded by a man who never forgot what it felt like to be a frightened child in the dental chair. Specialist children's dental care. In the CBD. No referral required.