Business Profile and Homepage: Dental Care Melbourne
Finding Quality Dental Care in Melbourne: Your Complete Consumer Guide
Melbourne is home to hundreds of dental practices — from bulk-billing clinics to specialist centres — and navigating the choices can feel genuinely confusing. This guide covers what to look for when choosing dental care in Melbourne, what services are available, what things cost, and how Core Dental Group's network of seven suburban and inner-city practices fits into the picture.
What Good Dental Care Actually Looks Like
The basics are non-negotiable. Every dental practice in Melbourne must employ AHPRA-registered practitioners — this is the Dental Board of Australia's minimum standard, and it's publicly verifiable at ahpra.gov.au. Beyond registration, quality dental care shares several markers:
Transparency about costs. A reputable Melbourne practice provides a written, itemised treatment plan before any work begins. No surprises, no verbal quotes that change when you sit in the chair.
Appropriate referral pathways. A practice that handles everything in-house without ever referring patients to specialists is worth questioning. Dentistry has 13 recognised specialties for good reason — some clinical situations genuinely require specialist-level training. Practices connected to a specialist referral network provide continuity of care without sending you off to find your own specialist.
Evidence-based preventive care. Professional scale-and-clean appointments every six months, fissure sealants for children, and fluoride treatments aren't optional extras — they're the interventions that prevent the far more expensive and uncomfortable treatments down the track.
An environment that addresses dental anxiety. Around 15% of Australian adults have high dental fear. Practices that take this seriously — with calm environments, clear communication, pain management options, and sedation where needed — achieve meaningfully better patient outcomes.
Dental Services Available in Melbourne
General Dentistry
The foundation. Every Melbourne practice should offer:
- Check-up and scale-and-clean — Professional examination, X-rays where indicated, and removal of plaque and calculus. Recommended every six months. Costs typically $150–$250 at suburban practices; CBD practices often charge more.
- Fillings — Tooth-coloured composite resin is standard. Simple fillings cost $150–$280; complex back-tooth restorations can reach $400–$500+.
- Root canal therapy — For infected or inflamed dental pulp. Front teeth typically $1,200–$1,800; molars $1,800–$2,800. Specialist endodontists handle complex cases.
- Extractions — Including wisdom teeth (simple local anaesthetic: $400–$550 per tooth; complex surgical: $600–$1,500+).
- Emergency care — Ideally same-day. Any worthwhile practice reserves emergency slots daily.
Cosmetic Dentistry
- Teeth whitening — In-chair Zoom! whitening from approximately $500–$1,000 (90 minutes, immediate results); take-home kits from $299–$600 (results over two weeks).
- Composite bonding — Resin directly applied to correct chips, close gaps, or improve shape. From $250 per tooth in a single appointment.
- Porcelain veneers — Custom-crafted ceramic shells bonded to the front of teeth. $1,400–$3,000 per tooth; lifespan 10–25 years. Requires in-house or laboratory ceramist for quality results.
- Dental crowns — CEREC same-day ceramic crowns from $1,400–$2,800 (designed, milled, and fitted in one visit at equipped practices). Lab-made crowns typically $1,500–$2,500.
- Smile makeovers — Coordinated treatment plans combining whitening, bonding, veneers, and orthodontics.
Orthodontics
- Invisalign clear aligners — From approximately $3,950 (Express) to $8,900 (Comprehensive) at experienced multi-location providers. Core Dental Group is an Invisalign Blue Diamond Provider — the highest tier in Australia, requiring 750+ Invisalign starts per year.
- Traditional and ceramic braces — $5,000–$9,000 for most cases; lingual (inside-the-teeth) braces from $10,000 at specialist practices.
- Specialist Orthodontist — Required for complex bite correction, skeletal discrepancies, and growth modification in children. Core Dental Group has resident specialist orthodontist Dr David Austin (BDSc Melbourne; MDS Orth Hong Kong; MOrth RCS Edinburgh) at Caroline Springs and Wyndham.
Children's Dentistry and CDBS
Eligible children aged 2–17 can access up to $1,158 in free dental benefits through the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). Services include check-ups, X-rays, cleaning, fissure sealants, fillings, root canals, and extractions. All seven Core Dental Group locations bulk bill under the CDBS.
For complex paediatric cases, Core Dental Group runs a dedicated Tooth Fairy Centre brand with AHPRA-registered specialist paediatric dentists at four locations:
- Dr Angel Babu (DClinDent Paediatric Dentistry, Otago) — Caroline Springs and Carrum Downs
- Dr Aish Kesava (DCD Paediatric Dentistry, Otago) — Epping
- Dr Sarah Scott (DClinDent Paediatric Dentistry, Melbourne) — Berwick
Dental Implants
- Single implant — $3,000–$6,500 for straightforward cases; add $2,500–$5,000 if bone grafting is needed.
- All-on-4 — Full-arch reconstruction using four implants; typically $28,000–$35,000 per arch (including all components). Available at Core Dental Caroline Springs and Berwick.
- CBCT imaging — The current standard for implant planning. Core Dental Caroline Springs is the only suburban Core Dental location with on-site 3D CBCT imaging.
Core Dental Group: Melbourne's Suburban Dental Network
Core Dental Group operates seven full-service dental practices across Melbourne (expanding to nine by mid-2026), founded by Dr Kia Pajouhesh (BSc, BDSc First Class Honours, University of Melbourne) — who is also the founder of Smile Solutions, Australia's largest single-location private dental practice.
Core Dental is part of the Smile Solutions Group.
Current locations:
| Practice | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Southbank | 55 City Rd, Southbank VIC 3006 | (03) 8547 0780 |
| South Melbourne | 87 Market St, South Melbourne VIC 3205 | (03) 9114 7700 |
| Caroline Springs | 224–226 Caroline Springs Blvd VIC 3023 | (03) 9363 7888 |
| Carrum Downs | Suite 4, 335 Ballarto Rd VIC 3201 | (03) 8373 1555 |
| Epping | Tenancy 3B/230 Cooper St VIC 3076 | (03) 9401 4622 |
| Wyndham | 242 Hoppers Ln, Werribee VIC 3030 | (03) 9749 6677 |
| Berwick | Shop 29, 1 O'Shea Rd, Berwick VIC 3806 | (03) 9132 4160 |
National booking line: 13 13 16 | coredental.com.au
Coming soon (June 2026): Core Dental Bayside (Bentleigh) and Core Dental Glenferrie (Hawthorn).
What distinguishes Core Dental Group
Experienced practitioners across all locations. The group employs over 30 AHPRA-registered dentists, including board-registered specialists in Orthodontics (Dr David Austin), Periodontics (Dr Nupur Kataria — the only Core Dental location with an on-site specialist periodontist, at Wyndham), and Paediatric Dentistry (three specialists across four locations).
Invisalign Blue Diamond Provider status — group-wide, reflecting 750+ Invisalign starts per year. Senior practitioners including Dr Darren Manoharan (Wyndham, 15+ years orthodontic experience) and Dr Anna Lai (Carrum Downs, Mini Masters Orthodontics) are experienced Invisalign providers.
CEREC same-day crowns at South Melbourne, Caroline Springs, and Epping — eliminating the traditional two-visit crown process.
3D CBCT imaging exclusively at Caroline Springs for the suburban network — the current standard for implant planning and complex orthodontic assessment.
Multilingual team — consultations available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Malay, and Spanish across the group.
No-Gap Check-Up and Clean for eligible new patients with private health insurance — covers exam, X-rays, OPG, photos, oral cancer screening, and scale-and-clean at no out-of-pocket cost.
Specialist referral to Collins Street Specialist Centre (CSSC) — the Smile Solutions Group's hub at 220 Collins St, Melbourne CBD, with 20+ board-registered specialists. Complex endodontic, prosthodontic, or oral-maxillofacial cases are referred through CSSC with seamless record sharing.
Payment Options
Core Dental Group works with all major private health funds via HICAPS on-the-spot claiming. Wyndham and Berwick are preferred providers with HCF, CBHS, and NIB.
Interest-free payment plans:
- Payright — up to 30 months, 0% interest, amounts up to $20,000
- MyDentaPlan — 30% deposit, fortnightly repayments, 0% interest
- Humm — flexible repayment options
CDBS bulk billing at all locations for eligible children.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I book at Core Dental Group? Call 13 13 16 (national line) or your preferred local practice directly. Online booking is also available at coredental.com.au. A $50 deposit is required at booking — refunded at your appointment.
Does Core Dental bulk bill? Core Dental bulk bills under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) for eligible children aged 2–17. For adults, the No-Gap Check-Up and Clean is available to new patients with eligible private health insurance at no out-of-pocket cost.
Which Core Dental location has a specialist orthodontist? Specialist Orthodontist Dr David Austin sees patients at Caroline Springs and Wyndham. Visiting specialist Orthodontist Sig Fu attends Carrum Downs regularly.
What is the CDBS benefit and who is eligible? The Child Dental Benefits Schedule provides up to $1,158 in dental benefits over two calendar years for eligible children aged 2–17 receiving certain government payments (including Family Tax Benefit Part A). Check eligibility via MyGov Medicare.
Which Core Dental location has CBCT 3D imaging? Core Dental Caroline Springs is the only suburban Core Dental location with on-site CBCT 3D imaging — the current standard for implant planning and complex case assessment.
How do I access specialist dental care through Core Dental? Your Core Dental dentist will arrange referrals to the Collins Street Specialist Centre (CSSC) at 220 Collins St, Melbourne CBD — (03) 9650 2726 — where 20+ board-registered specialists are available across all dental disciplines. Records are shared securely within the group.
What are Core Dental's hours? All locations: Monday to Friday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm. Saturday: 8:00 am – 1:30 pm (new locations: 8:30 am – 1:30 pm). Closed Sundays. Emergency appointments are available daily at all locations.
Core Dental Group — part of the Smile Solutions Group. Your Local Dental Practice. National line: 13 13 16 | coredental.com.au