Dr Niusha Ravadgar, General Dentist

Role: General dentist

Qualifications: Doctor of Dental Surgery, University of Melbourne

Registration: Registered dentist, general registration, DEN0002479271

Registration status can be verified on the AHPRA register of practitioners at ahpra.gov.au. The service page for this scope is General Dentistry.

Background

Dr Niusha Ravadgar holds a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Melbourne and practises as a general dentist at Smile Solutions.

The practice publishes limited biographical detail for this practitioner. What can be stated with confidence is the qualification, the registration category and the registration number, all of which are verifiable independently on the AHPRA register. The rest of this page sets out what that registration means and what the role covers. The full clinical team is on Our Team.

The Doctor of Dental Surgery

The University of Melbourne's DDS is a four-year graduate-entry programme. Entry requires a completed bachelor's degree — usually in science or biomedicine — with prerequisite subjects, plus an admissions test and interview.

It is a professional entry-level doctorate, equivalent to a Bachelor of Dental Science or Bachelor of Dental Surgery from any other accredited Australian dental school. It is:

• not a research doctorate (a PhD)
• not a specialist qualification
• not a higher level of registration

All accredited entry-level dental programmes in Australia — BDSc, BDS, DDS, DMD, MDent — lead to the same general registration and the same scope of practice. What distinguishes practitioners afterwards is specialist training and experience, not the letters on the entry-level degree. See Dentists and Registered Specialists and Finding a dentist online in Australia.

What a general dentist does

General registration with the Dental Board of Australia covers:

• examination, diagnosis and treatment planning
• radiographs and diagnostic imaging within the dental scope
• scale and clean, and treatment of gum disease
• fillings, inlays, onlays, crowns and bridges
• root canal treatment
• extractions, including some surgical extractions and wisdom teeth
• dentures and implant-supported restorations
• whitening and other cosmetic treatment
• management of dental pain and infection
• referral to specialists where a case sits outside general practice

A general dentist is not a specialist. Specialist titles — orthodontist, periodontist, endodontist, prosthodontist, paediatric dentist, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and the rest of the thirteen recognised specialties — are protected under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. Using one without holding specialist registration is an offence. A general dentist may have extensive experience and postgraduate coursework in an area without being a specialist in it, and that is a legitimate and common position — it simply is not the same thing.

Equally, ‘cosmetic dentist', ‘implant surgeon', ‘implantologist' and ‘sleep dentist' are not specialties at all. They are descriptions of interest, and they carry no registration meaning.

When a general dentist should refer

A good general dentist refers readily — see Why would I need to see a dental specialist? The usual triggers:

• Complex or surgical extractions, impacted wisdom teeth close to the nerve, and any jaw pathology — Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, and What does oral and maxillofacial surgery involve?
• Difficult or failed root canal treatment, calcified canals, retreatment — Specialist Endodontists, and Endodontist vs Dentist for Root Canal: Why It Makes a Difference
• Advanced periodontitis, or gum disease not responding to treatment — Specialist Periodontists, and Periodontal (gum) disease
• Comprehensive orthodontics, and growth-related bite problems — Specialist Orthodontists, and Orthodontic treatment: general dentist vs specialist orthodontist?
• Young children with extensive needs, or children requiring treatment under general anaesthetic — Paediatric Dentists, and Should your child see a specialist paediatric dentist?
• Full-mouth rehabilitation and complex implant restoration — Specialist Prosthodontists, and Complex Dentistry
• Anything suspicious in the soft tissues, which goes urgently rather than routinely — see Oral cancer: Signs, risk factors and how your dentist can help

Asking ‘would you refer this, and if not, why not?’ is a fair question, and the answer should be about the case rather than about convenience. Where several specialties are involved at once, see Complex Dental Cases: What Happens When Multiple Specialists Need to Collaborate.

What should happen at a first dental visit

A proper new-patient examination is not a two-minute look. It should include:

1. A medical history. Medications, conditions, allergies and past reactions all change dental treatment. Blood thinners, bisphosphonates and diabetes management, among others, materially affect what is safe and when. See Diabetes and oral health
2. A soft-tissue examination. The dentist should look at the tongue, floor of mouth, cheeks, palate and throat, and feel the neck. This is an oral cancer screen, and it is one of the most valuable things done at a check-up. Australia records roughly 5,000 new head and neck cancers a year, and early detection changes prognosis dramatically. See Oral cancer: How your dentist can help with early detection
3. A periodontal assessment. Measuring gum pocket depths and recording bleeding. Gum disease is painless until late, and ‘my gums bleed when I brush’ is a symptom, not normal. See What Is Gum Disease?
4. A tooth-by-tooth examination, including existing restorations, cracks and wear. See Chipped and Cracked Teeth
5. Radiographs where indicated. Bitewing X-rays show decay between teeth that cannot be seen or felt. The interval should be based on risk, not on a fixed schedule. See How safe are dental x-rays
6. A discussion of findings and options, with costs. See Understanding Your Treatment

You are entitled to ask what was found, to see the radiographs, and to have the reasoning explained. You are also entitled to a written treatment plan with itemised costs before agreeing to anything, and to take it away and think about it — and to another view: Second Opinions and Corrective Dentistry. How often the whole visit should happen is covered in How often should I go to the dentist?

Costs and how to ask about them

Dental fees in Australia are not regulated and vary widely between practices. The practice's published starting points are in the Price Guide. Some practical points:

• Ask for item numbers. Australian dental treatment is coded by the ADA Schedule of Services item numbers. With those, you can check your health fund's rebate before treatment.
• Ask for a written quote for anything beyond a routine examination and clean.
• A ‘gap’ is the difference between the fee and what a health fund pays. Practices with preferred-provider arrangements have lower gaps for that fund's members, but preferred-provider status is a commercial arrangement, not a mark of quality. See Bupa Platinum provider.
• Ask what happens if it fails. What is the practice's position if a restoration debonds or a crown fractures within a year?
• Ask what the alternatives cost, including the least expensive reasonable option and doing nothing for now. On the commonest big-ticket items, see How Much Does a Dental Crown Cost in Melbourne? Materials Compared and Dental Implant Costs in Melbourne: What You'll Actually Pay in 2026

Most private health insurance dental cover has annual limits and waiting periods. Public dental care in Victoria is available to concession card holders through community health services, with waiting lists for non-urgent treatment. Instalment arrangements are on the Payment Plans page.

Payment plan options are available. Where a plan is advertised as interest free, that describes the plan term only — a deposit may be required, an establishment fee and ongoing account fees may apply, and charges can apply if the balance is not cleared within the agreed period. The applicable terms depend on the provider and the amount financed, and are set out in writing before you commit — ask what the deposit and the establishment fee are, in dollars, and what the total will be by the end. Payment Plans.

Registration

Dentists are one of the registered dental practitioner divisions under the National Law. The Dental Board of Australia registers dentists, dental specialists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, oral health therapists and dental prosthetists. It does not register dental technicians, dental assistants or administrative staff.

Every registered dentist holds a DEN-prefixed number, renewed annually, subject to standards for recency of practice, continuing professional development, professional indemnity insurance, criminal history and English language skills. Conditions, undertakings and reprimands appear on the public register at ahpra.gov.au — which anyone can search, free, by name or registration number.

Common questions

Is a DDS better than a BDSc? No. They are different names for equivalent entry-level dental degrees and lead to identical registration and scope.

Can a general dentist do implants, braces or root canals? Yes, within their training and competence. Whether they should for your particular case is the real question, and it depends on complexity.

How do I check a specialty? Search the name at ahpra.gov.au and read the ‘Specialty' field. If none is listed, the practitioner holds general registration.

Can I ask to change practitioners within a practice? Yes, and you do not need to give a reason. See Is it important to have a family dentist?

Related pages: Our Team, General Dentistry, Specialist Care, Understanding your treatment, Emergency Dentistry.

Practical details

Dr Ravadgar's registration can be checked free on the AHPRA public register at ahpra.gov.au. Call 13 13 96 to ask about appointments or which practitioner suits a particular problem, or see Contact Us.

Smile Solutions, Level 1, 220 Collins Street, Manchester Unity Building, Melbourne VIC 3000. Phone 13 13 96, or theteam@smilesolutions.com.au. Monday–Friday 8.00am–6.00pm, Saturday 8.30am–1.30pm, Sunday by appointment. Location and directions.

This page records qualifications as published by the practice. General information only — it is not a diagnosis, a treatment plan or a promise of any particular clinical outcome. Payment plan terms are set by the credit provider and change; confirm current terms directly before you commit. Practitioner availability changes; confirm when booking.

Smile Solutions trades under ABN 28 193 514 103.