Southland Dental Surgery is situated within the Westfield Shopping Centre and has been catering to the needs of the Bayside Community since 1977. At our surgery, we use the latest technology, materials and philosophies to ensure that you maintain healthy teeth and gums, while helping to gain confidence in your Smile.
Our Staff are knowledgeable and employ safe and proven procedures. We offer a range of general dental services from simple dental check-ups and preventative maintenance, to tooth-coloured fillings, bonding, root canal treatment, extraction of teeth and periodontal (gum) treatment.
Along with our general dental services we also offer a range of cosmetic dental services to improve the appearance of your smile. This includes the latest advances in cosmetic dentistry such as UVeneers, Zoom Whitening and braces, including Cfast – a minimally invasive minimally invasive and discreet orthodontic system and SmileTru – Invisible braces.
Choosing a dentist is one of the most important decisions one can make. Our dentists at Southland Dental Surgery are caring, experienced, gentle, and offer services to ensure that the services provided is as painless as possible and precise. We are always willing to take the time to go over all of your options/costs and treat you as a person, not just a patient.
We are preferred providers for nib First Choice and Smile.com.au. This means that patients with nib, Australian Unity, Defence Health and Peoplecare private health insurance will pay NO GAP or have minimal or NO out of pocket costs for dental treatments at our surgery
Our Team
Dr. Smitha Gaikwad
Principal Dentist
Dr. Smitha is the Principal Dentist at Southland Dental Surgery. She has practiced Dentistry for over 20 years across Australia, New Zealand and India. She is up to date with the latest dental technology and techniques. Her particular interests are in white fillings, crowns, veneers, implants, tooth whitening and orthodontics, that includes traditional and invisible braces.
Smitha recently also completed her Continuing Professional Development Certificate in Fixed Orthodontics (2015) and is a registered provider for SmileTru, ClearCorrect and Cfast treatment techniques. She also offers advanced treatment options such as Soft Tissue laser and Uveneers.
Dr.Smitha is a member of Australian Dental Association and New Zealand Dental Association. She is of the firm belief that choosing a dentist is one of the most important decisions one can make. She is very happy to take the time to go over all of your options/costs and treat you as a person, not just as a patient!!
Smitha is available at Southland Dental on all weekdays for consultations on Cosmetic and General Dental services.
Dr. Karen Chung
Dentist
Karen graduated with a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Dentistry and Masters of Dentistry from La Trobe University. As part of her training, Karen has worked in many rural parts of Victoria, including Bendigo, Ballarat and Wodonga before returning home to Melbourne.
Karen is fluent in Chinese (Mandarin).
Karen is known for her caring and compassionate nature, and allows patients to feel at ease in the dental chair. She aims to provide optimal and individualised care for every patient, helping patients achieve beautiful healthy smiles.
Outside of dentistry, Karen also enjoys baking, travelling and watching Netflix.
Dr. Sara Vargas
Dentist
Sara completed her ADC in 2020. She is a fully qualified dentist with four years experience in Colombia and around 2 years of experience in Australia. Sara joined our team in 2020 and is extremely eager to learn all aspects of practicing in Australia. She prides herself as a champion in oral extractions!!
She has extensive experience working in hospitals, as well as remote and rural clinics. She dedicates herself to the comfort, care, hygiene and wellbeing of all patients, whilst supporting her colleagues in both Southland Dental and Team Dental Bayside.
Dr. John
Dentist
Dr John has completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery in India and then attained his Master of Dental Surgery in Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics. He was teaching and practicing in India for some years before he moved to Abudhabi, UAE and practiced as specialist for 18years. He attained his certification in oral implantology from ITI. In 2012 he successfully completed Australian Dental Council exam and moved to Australia. His passion is to work ethically and improve the quality of life of people whom he comes across.
Support Team
Irene Torres
Irene is our receptionist. She holds a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and had worked for almost 18 years with Practicing Lawyers in a private law firm in the Philippines. Here in Australia, She has been working as a Receptionist/Admin in the Dental sector for more than two years. She has been with Southland Dental since its inception and has comprehensive knowledge in all admin matters pertaining to the dental business.
She also recently completed her Medical Computing course to enhance her skills and knowledge in the Healthcare sector
Shawanti
Shawanti has been in the dental field for more than 14 years. She moved to Australia in 2016. She commenced working for Southland Dental Surgery in 2017 and enjoys the positive work environment. Currently she is studying Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Radiography). In her spare time, she loves being with her family, travelling and listening to music.
