Why Choose Us

The honest version of this page

A page with this title is usually a list of superlatives. Under Australian law it cannot be.

Section 133 of the National Law prohibits advertising a regulated health service that is misleading (including by omission), that creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, that uses testimonials about clinical care, that offers an inducement without terms, or that encourages unnecessary treatment. Unsubstantiated superiority claims — “best”, “leading”, “number one” — are squarely within that.

So instead of telling you we are better, this page sets out what any practice can legitimately claim, what none of them can, and how to judge for yourself.

What we can factually tell you

The practice. Smile Solutions operates from Level 1, 220 Collins Street, in the Manchester Unity Building on the corner of Swanston and Collins Streets, Melbourne. It is a multi-practitioner practice with general dentists, registered specialists, oral health therapists, hygienists and dental prosthetists working on one site. The full range is listed under Our Services.

The hours. Monday–Friday 8.00am–6.00pm, Saturday 8.30am–1.30pm, Sunday by appointment.

The people. Everyone who treats you is listed at Our Team, grouped by registration category rather than by job title — which is the honest way to present it, and is how you can check them.

The verification. Every practitioner's registration, division, any specialist entry and any conditions on their practice can be checked free at ahpra.gov.au, in about a minute, by you.

What registration actually guarantees — and it is more than people assume

This is the floor every practitioner in Australia stands on, and it is the part of “why choose us” that is genuinely verifiable rather than asserted. It is also not a claim about this practice — it applies identically to every registered dental practitioner in the country, which is exactly why it is worth knowing.

Registration standards “define the requirements that applicants, registrants or students need to meet to be registered”. The Dental Board of Australia publishes these, each with a date of effect:

• Criminal history — current standard effective 15 July 2026
• Scope of practice — effective 1 July 2020
• Continuing professional development — effective 1 December 2015
• Endorsement for conscious sedation — effective 27 October 2015
• English language skills — effective 18 March 2025, with changes to minimum test scores effective from 23 April 2026
• Professional indemnity insurance arrangements — effective 1 July 2016
• Recency of practice — effective 1 December 2015
• General registration for overseas-qualified dental practitioners — effective 20 December 2011
• Specialist registration — effective 1 July 2010, with the list of recognised specialties, related specialist titles and definitions effective 1 October 2017

The scope of practice standard is the one to read if you read only one. It requires dental practitioners “to practise within the scope of their education, training, and competence at all times” — which is the obligation behind a practitioner declining to do something, or referring you on. Being referred elsewhere is the standard working correctly, not a practice failing to offer something.

And recency of practice is the standard most patients have never heard of. Registration is not a qualification you earn once; it has to be maintained.

What specialist registration requires

“Specialist” is a protected title, not a description of interest or volume.

The Dental Board recognises thirteen dental specialties, approved by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council. To hold specialist registration in one of them, a dentist must:

• have completed a minimum of two years general dental practice — which may be achieved outside Australia, subject to assessment and approval by the Board, and
• meet all the other requirements for general registration as a dentist

They must also hold general registration and appear on the Register under the division of dentists. There is a small historical exception: a few practitioners, because of the legislative framework in one jurisdiction before the National Scheme, are registered only on the Board's Specialists Register, and must restrict their practice to the specialty in which they hold registration, and to their education, training and current competence.

A useful illustration of how specific the list is: the Dental Board and the Dental Council of New Zealand have eleven specialties in common. Dento-maxillofacial radiology and forensic odontology are recognised in Australia but not in New Zealand, and restorative dentistry is recognised in New Zealand but not in Australia. Specialty recognition is a regulatory decision in a particular country, not a description of what a clinician happens to be good at.

The specialties practising at this address are listed at Specialist Care, and the registration category of every clinician here is at Dentists & Registered Specialists.

What a multi-practitioner practice actually offers — and what it costs

Practice size is a trade-off, not a hierarchy, and there is no evidence that size predicts clinical quality.

What having several practitioners on one site does buy:

• Registered specialists in the same building, so complex cases can be seen without an external referral and a long wait
• Internal second opinions, which are a genuine governance safeguard on treatment planning
• Extended hours and cover when a practitioner is away, including emergency appointments
• The scale to run the unglamorous systems properly — validated sterilisation with traceable cycle records, radiation compliance, records management, data security. The equipment side of that is set out under Technology.

What it costs:

• Continuity. In a solo practice you see the same person for twenty years. Records stay with the practice; the person may not.
• Consistency, which has to be actively managed rather than assumed

Both models contain excellent and poor practitioners. The honest account is at Why a bigger practice is better — and when it isn't.

What no practice can legitimately claim

• That an award means better dentistry. Business awards are judged by business people against business criteria. No award panel reviews radiographs or audits restoration survival. Awards explains how to read a badge; Smile Solutions lands a Telstra Business Award
• That the building means better dentistry. A handsome heritage address is an address.
• That reviews prove clinical quality. They measure the front-of-house experience, which is real and is not the same thing. Reviews
• That equipment means better outcomes. Technology can mean less tooth removed and less discomfort — genuine benefits. It is not evidence of a better result. CEO Magazine: The Practice Of Dreams – Kia Pajouhesh
• That any specific outcome is guaranteed. Nobody can, and advertising it is prohibited.
• That being a preferred provider for a health fund says anything clinical. It is a commercial arrangement — see Bupa Platinum Dental Provider.

Why this page makes no comparison with any other practice

Because comparative advertising of a regulated health service “can be misleading and/or deceptive because it can be difficult to include complete information when making comparisons”. Where comparative claims are used at all, they must be clear, accurate and supported by acceptable evidence.

AHPRA names three kinds of comparison specifically:

• comparisons between health outcomes and quality of care offered by different regulated health services
• comparing professions, or the competency, skill or experience of practitioners
• price comparisons of regulated health services

All three are common on dental websites. None of them is free to make.

And one piece of vocabulary worth carrying to every practice website you read

Where a practitioner does not hold specialist registration, the National Boards consider that advertising using words related to specialty is likely to mislead the public into believing they do. That includes “specialist”, “specialises in”, “specialty” and “specialised”, and variations of them.

By contrast, “substantial experience in” and “working primarily in” are described as less likely to be misleading.

So the wording tells you what the register would. A page that says a dentist “specialises in implants” is making a claim about registration status; a page that says the same dentist has “substantial experience in” implants is describing practice. The difference is not marketing tone. It is a legal distinction, and you can settle it yourself on the register in a minute.

The four questions that actually tell you something

You can ask these at any practice in Australia, inside twenty minutes, and the answers are more informative than every marketing page you will ever read.

1. “What happens if I do nothing?” Every legitimate option has a describable consequence. A practitioner who cannot state it is not offering you a choice.

2. “What is the least invasive option that would work?” Then ask why it is not the recommendation. Enamel does not grow back, and the difference between an onlay and a crown, or between orthodontics and veneers, is permanent.

3. “Can I have the plan and an itemised quote in writing, with ASDS item numbers?” Those numbers are the standard Australian code set. They let you price the same treatment elsewhere and check your health fund rebate before committing. See Understanding Your Treatment.

4. “Can I take this away, think about it, and get a second opinion?” The answer should be yes, without pressure, and you are entitled to your records and radiographs to take with you.

A practice that answers all four straightforwardly is telling you more about itself than any page like this one can.

And what you are entitled to, everywhere

Not courtesies — legal rights and professional obligations:

• The diagnosis, in words you understand
• The material risks, specifically — the standard from Rogers v Whitaker is what you would attach significance to
• Access to your own records and radiographs
• To refuse anything, and to withdraw consent at any time, including mid-procedure
• To know the registration and division of anyone treating you
• To complain — to the practice, and then to the Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria) or AHPRA

The full statement is at Welcome to Smile Solutions.

If cost is the reason you are hesitating

Say so. It changes the plan more than anything else you can say. And it is the commonest reason of all — a submission to a Parliament of Australia inquiry into out-of-pocket medical costs cites an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2013 survey finding that nearly a third of people aged 5 or older (32%) avoided or delayed visiting a dentist due to cost.

Why quotes differ so much between practices

There is no national dental fee schedule in Australia. Fees are set practice by practice, which is the structural reason two quotes for the same work can differ substantially.

The Australian Dental Association's Dental Fees Survey gives a sense of the spread. In the 2022 survey, data from 3,535 general practitioners — 32% of the ADA members invited — covered 122 items. Across those items, fees charged by general practitioners appeared to have increased by 3.7% during the two years since 1 July 2020, with the smallest increases in preventive services and periodontics (1.6%) and the largest in orthodontics (6.9%). The ADA reports “considerable variation in the fees charged within and between states”.

For specialists, the ADA's own caution matters more than the figures. Around 10% of active private-practice ADA member dentists are specialists, and 284 responded. A fifth (20%) charged an hourly rate, with a mean of $921 in 2022 (up from $662 in 2020) and a median of $800 (up from $600), ranging between $450 and $1,500 per hour. The ADA states the specialist response rate was low and that the specialist results “should be interpreted with considerable caution”.

None of those are this practice's fees — they are an industry survey, quoted to show the range, not a price list. Ours are at Price Guide.

How to read any offer, anywhere

An advertised gift, discount or inducement must state its terms and conditions, in plain language. Advertising may breach the National Law where it:

• contains price information that is unclear, inexact or vague
• states an instalment amount without stating the total cost — the total is itself a condition of the offer
• leaves out existing restrictions or limitations, such as age, expiry date, geographical limits or who is eligible
• offers “one consultation, get one free” while raising the price of the first to largely cover the second

And on the word “free”: AHPRA notes that “the public generally consider the word ‘free' to mean ‘absolutely' free”, and that where the cost of a free offer is recouped through a price rise elsewhere, or from other sources such as Medicare, the offer is not actually free. Terms must also be easy to find — the public “should not be required to exhaustively search for or contact the advertiser” for them.

The two schemes most often left unclaimed

• The Child Dental Benefits Schedule. Services Australia covers up to $1,158 for each eligible child over two consecutive calendar years. The cap is indexed on 1 January each year, and the increase applies only to a child or teenager who received their first eligible service in that calendar year. It covers check-ups, X-rays, cleaning, fissure sealing, fillings, root canals and extractions. It does not cover orthodontic work, cosmetic work, or any dental services in a hospital, and these services do not count towards the Medicare Safety Net or the Extended Medicare Safety Net. There are item and time restrictions on some basic services — check before treatment starts, not after.
• Public dental eligibility in Victoria, which is under-used, and where emergency care is triaged separately with a far shorter wait.

Ask what is urgent, what can wait, and what is optional. The urgent portion is often a fraction of the total. See Price Guide and Payment Plans.

Related pages: Our Team, Dentists & Registered Specialists, Our Services, Reviews, Contact Us.

Common questions

How can I verify the qualifications claimed by a dental practice?

Search each practitioner on the AHPRA public register. It shows current general registration and any recognised specialist entry. Practice wording and marketing titles are not substitutes for that check.

Does having many clinicians in one location guarantee a better result?

No. It can make consultation, referral and coordination easier, particularly for complex cases, but scale does not guarantee an individual outcome. The quality of diagnosis, planning, communication and execution still matters.

What should I expect before agreeing to treatment?

You should receive an understandable diagnosis, options including doing nothing, material risks, the clinician responsible, likely sequence, written itemised fees and an opportunity to ask questions and take time to decide.

Why are there no clinical testimonials on the site?

Australian regulated-health advertising restricts the use of testimonials. Independent third-party reviews may exist, but the practice should not reproduce or use them to advertise clinical services.

Why can quotes differ significantly between practices?

They may include different diagnoses, materials, clinicians, laboratory work, anaesthesia, temporary stages, maintenance or exclusions. Compare item numbers and complete scope rather than a single headline price.

What should I do if cost is preventing care?

Ask which part is urgent, which can safely wait and which is optional. Request staged options and check health-fund, Child Dental Benefits Schedule or public dental eligibility where relevant before committing to credit.

Can appointments accommodate access or communication needs?

The page asks patients to phone ahead so arrangements can be made. Explain mobility, sensory, communication, interpreter, anxiety or support-person requirements when booking so the appointment can be planned appropriately.

Practical details

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

If you have specific access or communication requirements, phone ahead on 13 13 96 so the appointment can be arranged properly.

Every practitioner's registration, division and any specialist entry can be verified free on the AHPRA public register at ahpra.gov.au.

This page contains general information. It is not a diagnosis, a treatment plan or a promise of any particular outcome, and no claim of superior clinical care is made on it. Fee survey figures are the Australian Dental Association's, not this practice's, and are quoted as published. Registration standards, benefit caps and scheme rules change; confirm the current position with the Dental Board of Australia, AHPRA and Services Australia.

Smile Solutions trades under ABN 28 193 514 103.