Dr Kia Pajouhesh is the principal dentist and managing director of Smile Solutions.
Dr Pajouhesh graduated with first class honours in both Science and Dentistry from the University of Melbourne, having been awarded the WJ Tuckfield prize for prosthodontics. It was a traumatic early experience as a dental patient that motivated Kia to make a career of dentistry, pledging that no patient should have to go through what he did. He practised as a general dentist at a private practice before taking the ambitious step of founding his own practice, Smile Solutions. Starting out with just eight patients in 1993, he has since grown this patient base to more than 150,000 clients.
Now with over 25 years’ experience in dentistry, Kia remains dedicated to exemplary patient care and providing the treatments his patients seek. He strongly believes patients should be presented with options for their dental treatments and outcomes and that they should be given a framework within which they can make choices. He has instilled this approach in all of Smile Solutions’ clinicians, so that – despite the ever-burgeoning size of the practice – each and every patient is given individual attention.
An original and creative thinker, Kia has pioneered a range of mould-breaking firsts in the dentistry sector, including setting up the only genuine multidisciplinary specialist centre outside any Australian dental hospital; educating the public in expert oral care and dental costs via bespoke videos and websites; and opening Melbourne’s first orthodontic shopfront, the Invisalign shop in Collins Street.
Kia’s unique business model combines excellence and convenience of patient care and treatment modalities with a sublime aesthetic environment equipped with the most sophisticated technology available. It is this trailblazing formula that has made Smile Solutions the favourite dental practice for tens of thousands of Melbourne residents and visitors, as well as a desirable place to work for the most talented clinicians.
In another first, Kia secured for Smile Solutions “official dentist” status with several prominent sporting organisations, including the Australian Open and the Collingwood Football Club. These agreements, which see his practice providing emergency and normal dental services to players and staff as well as their respective families, are of particular value when in-house specialist services are required and prompt recovery is a key priority.
More from Dr Kia
Kia is dedicated to giving back to areas beyond dentistry. Since relocating his business to the Manchester Unity Building in 2003, he has expended considerable resources on a painstaking restoration of Melbourne’s best-loved art deco edifice, thereby contributing to a preservation of Victoria’s heritage.
He is also a proud supporter of numerous charities, dedicating his business’s time and resources, as well as his own, to the Magpie Nest Foundation and the Ovarian Cancer Council, among other initiatives.
Today, Kia divides his time between focusing on the clinical care aspect of his business, the science and technology of dentistry and the management side of operating a large-scale, multi-award–winning dental practice. This includes leading frequent educational and motivational seminars for his practitioners. He is also involved in various new-graduate talks at the University of Melbourne and mentoring other businesses, coaching principal dentists of some 200 dental practices both locally and internationally. He strives to educate the public and his peers through continually publishing articles on advances in dentistry and practice management.
In recognition of his own personal drive, Kia was nominated for the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards in 2015, while Smile Solutions took out the coveted title of Victorian Telstra Business of the Year in July 2014 due to Kia’s innovative approach to dentistry.
Dr Kia in the Media
Discover Dr Kia’s expert insights, media features, and educational articles.
One man’s mission to deliver smiles
From Melbourne private school beatings to one of the nation’s richest dentists running the biggest private practice in the country, Kia Pajouhesh’s story is impressive.
CEO Magazine: The Practice Of Dreams – Kia Pajouhesh
Learning comes easy to Smile Solutions Managing Director Kia Pajouhesh. So easy, in fact, that he was able to skip three years of high school, finishing before he turned 16. And when he attended the University of Melbourne, it came as no surprise when he graduated with honours in science and dentistry at the unheard of age of 23.
‘Like a set of piano keys’: Why Australians are opting for veneers
Melbourne-based Smile Solutions – the first Australian clinic to introduce same-day veneers – has so far completed over 45,000 porcelain veneers and crowns, and noticed around a 40 per cent uplift each year in inquiries specific to cosmetic dentistry procedures over the past four or five years.
Explosive uplift in Australians tapping into their super for dental treatment
“You have tapped the retirement savings of the most vulnerable for procedures with a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years. Take a good look at yourselves, you
are about to cause the demise of yet another good public health initiative!”
The Great Resignation in the Health Sector
“Practices paying danger money to simply secure your services may struggle to offer another pay rise for a very long time. Apart from negotiating your new pay rate, also negotiate your next pay rise date and the approximate quantum of that rise if you meet reasonable expectations…”
Making Hay While the Sun Shines – The Downside
“In the panic to retain existing, and recruit new, ancillary staff to fuel your growth, did you make ‘battlefield decisions’ to offer staff exorbitant hourly rates that are unsustainable in a weakening economy?”
A cosmetic dentist explains what to expect when getting veneers
Dr Kia Pajouhesh answers your need-to-know questions about the process of getting veneers with Izzy Wright of Fashion Journal.
Same-Day Smiles
Australia’s largest private dental practice, Smile Solutions, is introducing the booming cosmetic dental sector to new markets with an innovative same-day approach to porcelain veneers.
People-managing the “social media generation”
“By its very nature, social media trains users to make rapid, almost instantaneous decisions. In an instant, the individual decides whether they “like” or “dislike” a post. Apps demand that a definitive decision be made instantly, without thought or consideration of extenuating factors…”
Kia Pajouhesh Alumni Winner Speech
Dr Kia Pajouhesh, owner of Smile Solutions and Victorian Business of the Year Winner 2014, speaks at the 2015 Telstra Business Awards.
Interview with Dr Kia Pajouhesh at the 2014 Telstra Business Awards
Sky News Business Show chats to Kia Pajouhesh, owner of Smile Solutions and winner of the 2014 Telstra Business Awards.
Dr Kia Pajouhesh ‘Victorian Business of the Year’ Speech
Dr Kia Pajouhesh of Smile Solutions, accepting the award for ‘Victoria Business of the Year’ at the 2014 Telstra Business Awards in Melbourne.
Dr Kia Pajouhesh ‘Victorian Medium Business Winner’ Speech
Dr Kia Pajouhesh of Smile Solutions accepting the award for ‘Victorian Medium Business’ at the 2014 Telstra Awards in Melbourne.
Australian Dental Association Panel Discussion – Dr Kia Pajouhesh
Australian Dental Association Panel Discussion – 22 August 2014 – Professionalism v Commercialism – Bridged to comments by Dr Kia Pajouhesh.
Patient payment plans: The next big disruption on the dental horizon
Dr Kia Pajouhesh, owner of Smile Solutions discusses the introduction of payment plans in the dental industry.
Labour of Love
Domain talk to Dr Kia Pajouhesh, Managing Director of Smile Solutions about restoring the elegance of the Manchester Unity building.
Smile High
Kia Pajouhesh of Smile Solutions talks to Women’s Health & Fitness about porcelain veneers and other socmrtic dentistry options.
Is dental really different to pharmacy?
Dr Kia Pajouhesh of Smile Solutions discusses the challenges of running a private practice in the dental industry and how it can relate to pharmacies.
Stopping Staff Separation
Dr Kia Pajouhesh, owner of Smile Solutions explains how good staff retention is a critical indicator in the success of his business.
Specialist dental care in Australia – What’s in store?
Kia Pajouhesh talks about the benefits of having both general dental services and specialist dental support, all under one roof.
Record payout to patient for failure of GP’s duty of care to refer to a specialist
Kia Pajouhesh talks about the importance of specialist care in dentistry and medicine.
Australian Dental Association Panel Discussion : Professionalism v Commercialism
Professionalism v Commercialism – Can they be reconciled? Dr Kia Pajouhesh, Managing Director of Smile Solutions discusses this question with the ADAVB panel.
More than healthy teeth
Dr Kia Pajouhesh, Managing Director of Smile Solutions talks to Business World Australia about his unique multidisciplinary approach to dentistry.
Getting to the root of the issue
Josh Jenkins chats to Kia Pajouhesh to find out why a bad early dentistry experience led to him choosing it as a career.
Dentist wins Telstra Business Award
Melbourne dental practice, Smile Solutions wins the Telstra Business Awards. Bite magazine talk to Managing Director, Kia Pajouhesh.
