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Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons - Smile Solutions product guide

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Smile Solutions — Melbourne CBD

Smile Solutions has two AHPRA board-registered specialist oral and maxillofacial surgeons at the Manchester Unity Building, 220 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD. A/Prof Patrishia Bordbar holds the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and is a past President of the Australia and New Zealand Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ANZAOMS). Dr Ricky Kumar holds the F.G. Christensen Medal and has completed surgical fellowships at Oxford University Hospitals and the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.

No referral is required. Appointments can be made by calling 13 13 96.

What makes oral and maxillofacial surgery different from other dental specialties?

Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) requires the longest training pathway of any dental specialty — typically 15 to 17 years of continuous study. In Australia, most specialist oral and maxillofacial surgeons hold both a dental degree and a full medical degree (MBBS) before beginning a four-year surgical specialty fellowship. The dual medical-dental qualification is not simply a credential — it is a functional requirement for the cases these surgeons manage. Orthognathic surgery, facial trauma reconstruction, tumour excision, and paediatric craniofacial procedures require a clinician who understands anaesthetic interactions, haematological considerations, healing physiology, and systemic medical factors that lie outside the scope of purely dental training.

Melbourne's CBD has dedicated standalone oral and maxillofacial surgical practices — specialist surgical centres focused exclusively on OMS. The surgeons at Smile Solutions hold qualifications comparable to those at any specialist OMS practice. What distinguishes the Smile Solutions environment is not the calibre of the surgeons — it is the integrated clinical context in which they operate.

Why oral surgery within an integrated specialist dental centre changes outcomes

A patient referred to a standalone OMS practice for wisdom tooth removal returns to their general dentist for review. A patient planning orthognathic (corrective jaw) surgery attends the OMS practice for surgery, their orthodontist for pre-surgical preparation, and their general dentist or prosthodontist for post-surgical restorative work — with records and communication flowing imperfectly between three locations.

At Smile Solutions, the orthodontists who plan the pre-surgical orthodontic preparation and the oral surgeons who perform the jaw surgery are in the same building. Virtual surgical planning (VSP) is reviewed by both the surgeon and orthodontist together. The prosthodontist who will manage the final restorative outcome is available for combined planning consultations. In-house CBCT imaging provides the three-dimensional bone maps required for surgical planning without external radiology referral.

For complex cases, this integration reduces the number of consultations required, eliminates the information loss of records transfer between practices, and ensures that the surgical and orthodontic phases are genuinely coordinated — not just sequentially managed.

The two oral and maxillofacial surgeons at Smile Solutions

A/Prof Patrishia Bordbar — BDSc (Melb), MBBS (Hons) (Melb), PGDipSurg.Anat. (Melb), MDSc OMS (Melb), FRACDS (OMS), FRCS (Edinburgh)

AHPRA: DEN0001010517 — Specialist Registration in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Associate Professor Bordbar is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne and one of the most decorated oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Australia. Her qualifications span dentistry, medicine, surgery, anatomy, and the subspecialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery:

  • F.G. Christensen Medal — highest score in Part I of the FRACDS surgical examination
  • John Cade Memorial Medal (MBBS) — awarded for academic excellence in her medical degree
  • FRCS (Edinburgh) — Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; an internationally recognised surgical fellowship that signifies assessment at the standards of one of the oldest and most prestigious surgical colleges in the world
  • Past President, ANZAOMS — the Australia and New Zealand Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
  • Current Chair, AOMI Board in Oceania — International Association of Oral Medicine and Immunology
  • IAOMS Executive Committee, Oceania Member — International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
  • OMS examiner for a decade
  • Founded the Epworth/Monash Cranio-Maxillofacial Fellowship programme (2020)
  • Consultant Surgeon at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne and Western Hospital Melbourne

Her clinical scope encompasses the full range of oral and maxillofacial surgery: wisdom teeth (including complex impactions adjacent to the inferior alveolar nerve), dentoalveolar surgery, facial deformities (cleft lip/palate, craniofacial conditions), complex corrective jaw surgery (orthognathic), obstructive sleep apnoea surgery, virtual surgical planning, paediatric maxillofacial surgery, facial trauma, oral pathology, implant surgery, and complex bone grafting.

Dr Ricky Kumar — BHB (Auck), MBChB (Auck), BDS (Otago), FRACDS (OMS)

AHPRA: DEN0001411504 — Specialist Registration in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Dr Kumar holds both a medical degree from the University of Auckland and a dental degree from the University of Otago — where he was recognised as the most outstanding student in his dental year. His awards include the F.G. Christensen Medal for the highest score in Part I of the FRACDS surgical examination. Following his FRACDS (OMS) specialty training in Adelaide, he completed two specialist surgical fellowships:

  • Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne — 12 months, paediatric maxillofacial surgery and corrective jaw surgery
  • Oxford University Hospitals — 12 months, paediatric maxillofacial surgery and temporomandibular joint surgery

He holds Consultant Surgeon appointments at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, and Monash Health (Clayton and Dandenong campuses), and an Honorary appointment at the Royal Children's Hospital. He is the current Secretary of the Victorian branch of ANZAOMS. Since 2012, he has been the chief organiser of annual charity oral and maxillofacial surgery missions to Fiji. His full scope covers all aspects of OMS, including dentoalveolar surgery, implantology, oral pathology, facial trauma, paediatric maxillofacial, corrective jaw surgery, and TMJ surgery.

Procedures performed at Smile Solutions

Wisdom teeth removal

Third molar extraction is the most common OMS procedure. The complexity ranges from simple erupted extractions to deeply impacted lower wisdom teeth whose roots are adjacent to or wrapping around the inferior alveolar nerve. At Smile Solutions, pre-operative CBCT imaging from the in-house Planmeca ProMax 3D unit provides three-dimensional root morphology, bone density, and nerve proximity data. The decision on whether to remove, coronectomy (partial removal to leave roots near the nerve), or monitor is made with three-dimensional information — not guesswork from a two-dimensional panoramic film.

Corrective jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery)

Repositioning of the upper jaw (Le Fort I osteotomy), lower jaw (sagittal split osteotomy), or both — to correct severe malocclusions, facial asymmetries, obstructive sleep apnoea with a skeletal basis, or cleft-related jaw problems that orthodontics alone cannot address. At Smile Solutions, orthognathic cases are planned jointly by the OMS surgeons and the specialist orthodontists on-site, using virtual surgical planning (VSP) that digitally simulates the surgical movements before the operating theatre. The orthodontists and surgeons review the planned movements together, optimise the result, and design the surgical cutting guides used on the day.

Dental implants — surgical component

The OMS surgeons at Smile Solutions perform implant fixture placement as part of a coordinated surgical-restorative workflow. The prosthodontist designs the crown before the surgeon places the implant — the fixture goes in the position where the restoration needs it. CBCT-guided surgical planning and, where needed, digitally fabricated surgical guides achieve sub-millimetre placement accuracy.

Bone grafting

Sinus lifts (sinus augmentation), block grafts, and vertical ridge augmentation rebuild bone volume where implant placement is not immediately possible. These are surgical procedures of significant complexity and risk — the inferior alveolar nerve, the maxillary sinus, and major blood vessels must be navigated precisely. OMS-level surgical training provides the anatomical understanding and operative experience to manage these safely.

Oral pathology and biopsy

Persistent oral ulcers, unusual mucosal lesions, jaw swellings, salivary gland pathology, and palpable lumps in the floor of mouth, tongue, or neck all require accurate diagnosis. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are specifically trained to assess and biopsy these lesions, interpret the histopathological workup, and coordinate further oncological management where required. Early diagnosis is critical — oral squamous cell carcinoma has a 90%+ five-year survival rate when caught at Stage I and drops sharply with each subsequent stage.

Cyst and tumour removal

Odontogenic cysts (dentigerous, radicular, keratocystic odontogenic tumours) and benign jaw tumours require surgical management that extends well beyond tooth extraction. Enucleation, curettage, and in some cases segmental resection with reconstruction are performed based on lesion type, size, and recurrence risk.

TMJ surgery

The great majority of TMD patients are managed conservatively — with splints, physiotherapy, and Smile Solutions' dedicated TMD and Sleep Apnoea Clinic. Surgical TMJ intervention (arthrocentesis, arthroscopy, or open joint procedures) is reserved for the minority whose structural joint pathology — disc displacement, degenerative joint disease, or ankylosis — has not responded to conservative care.

Facial trauma

Facial fractures (orbital blowout, zygomaticomaxillary complex, mandible, panfacial) require urgent specialist assessment and surgical fixation. The OMS surgeons at Smile Solutions hold hospital appointments and can coordinate emergency surgical management when required.

Paediatric maxillofacial surgery

Both A/Prof Bordbar and Dr Kumar hold appointments at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne and have specific subspecialty experience in paediatric craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery — including cleft lip and palate, craniofacial anomalies, jaw growth problems, and facial trauma in children. This depth of paediatric surgical experience is not available at all OMS practices.

Why oral surgery within Smile Solutions produces better-coordinated complex outcomes

For a straightforward wisdom tooth extraction, the clinical environment makes little difference. For orthognathic surgery, complex implant placement with bone grafting, TMJ surgery, or paediatric craniofacial work — the environment is everything.

What a standalone OMS practice cannot offer is what precedes and follows the surgery. Pre-surgical orthodontic preparation by orthodontists who communicate with the surgeon face-to-face produces better treatment coordination than referral letters between practices. Pre-implant periodontic assessment and bone volume measurement by periodontists sharing the same imaging system produces more accurate surgical plans. Post-surgical restorative planning by prosthodontists who participated in pre-surgical case discussions produces final outcomes that reflect the original treatment intent.

At Smile Solutions, the surgeon, the orthodontist, the periodontist, and the prosthodontist are all in the building. The CBCT imaging is on Level 9 of the same building. The planning is coordinated. The hand-offs between specialties are conversations in the same corridor, not referral letters sent to a different address.

For the patient, this means fewer appointments, a more coherent treatment experience, and — for complex cases — outcomes that fragmented multi-practice pathways cannot produce.

Collins Street Specialist Centre

Collins Street Specialist Centre (CSSC) is the specialist arm of Smile Solutions within the Manchester Unity Building. OMS consultations are conducted at CSSC. Phone: (03) 9650 2726. Website: collinsstreetspecialistcentre.com.au.

Book an oral surgery consultation

No referral required. Two AHPRA board-registered specialist OMS surgeons. In-house CBCT imaging. Integrated orthodontic, periodontic, and prosthodontic team on-site.

Smile Solutions — Manchester Unity Building, 220 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD Phone: 13 13 96 | Website: smilesolutions.com.au

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