Meet your dental team
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Dr Anna Lai
DDS (Melb)
Dr. Anna Lai is a Melbourne native who obtained her Doctor of Dentistry degree from the University of Melbourne. After completing her studies, she gained valuable experience by working in private practices in regional Victoria before joining the esteemed team at Smile Connections.
Throughout her career, Anna has dedicated herself to expanding her dental knowledge and skills, undertaking extensive courses across the country. Recently, she successfully completed her mini masters in Orthodontics.
Anna is proficient in all aspects of dentistry, but she particularly enjoys collaborating with her patients to understand their dental health and help them achieve their dream smile. She takes immense pride in building strong relationships with her patients and strives to create a relaxed and comfortable environment during their visits.
Beyond dentistry, Dr. Anna cherishes quality time with her loved ones and friends. She has a passion for exploring new places and is a self-proclaimed food enthusiast. If you have any food recommendations, she would be delighted to hear them!
Dr Wei Jiang
B-BMed (Melb), DDS (Melb)
Dr Wei grew up in Melbourne and received his Bachelor of Biomedicine and Doctor of Dental Surgery, both from the University of Melbourne.
Dr Wei has extensive experience in general dentistry after working for a number of years in South Gippsland, Mornington and South Yarra, where he developed a passion for preventative dentistry and Oral Surgery.
Dr Wei enjoys working with patients of all ages. He strives to make the dental experience as comfortable as possible, and practices under a comprehensive and conservative philosophy. Dr Wei is also fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
Outside of dentistry, he loves to travel and document it through his photography. His favourite destinations so far have been South America and Switzerland. If you’ve been somewhere amazing, he would love to hear it!
Stylianos Papadopoulos
BOHSc (LTU)
Stylianos is an Oral Health Therapist, graduated from La Trobe University with a Bachelor of Oral Health.
He is passionate about Oral Hygiene and has a special interest in Paediatric Dentistry. Stylianos's enthusiasm for his job is infectious and his gentle manner will make you feel very comfortable in the chair.
He takes his role as a dental professional very seriously, keeping up to date with the latest research, technology and treatments in Dentistry.
In his spare time, he enjoys travelling and keeping fit. Stylianos grew up in Ivanhoe and continues to live locally. In addition to speaking English, Stylianos is fluent in Greek.
Karin
Front Office Coordinator
Karin has been a Smile Connections team member for seven years.
Multi-talented, you will meet her either in the surgery or at our reception desk. Karin has over 20 years experience dental assisting.
In her spare time, Karin enjoys tending to her garden, catching up with friends and spending time with her adult daughter. She is currently putting the finishing touches to her newly renovated kitchen.
Veronica
Dental Nurse
Veronica started her traineeship at Smile Connections in late 2021 and completed her Certificate III in Dental Assisting in May 2023.
Veronica spends her spare time with close friends, family and partner Matt going camping and enjoying Australia's beautiful landscape. Be sure to ask about her latest adventures in the countryside.
She also enjoys some time out on her motorbike when the weather permits. She has a senior dog named Jazz that she absolutely adores.
Rihannon
Dental Nurse
Rihannon comes to Smile Connections with 25 years of experience in the dental industry, with most of those years in the local area. She enjoys chats with patients and making them feel at ease, especially the younger ones in the practice.
Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family, partner Chris and 3-year-old daughter Cara, who definitely keeps her busy. She also enjoys trying new local eateries and a coffee every morning from her local café Bambino.
Eve
Dental Nurse
Evie started her traineeship at Smile Connections at the beginning of 2024, and will soon be going into her formal training in dental assisting with RMIT.
She enjoys Muay-Thai, working out and sports cars. She has 2 baby dogs named Coco and Millie that she absolutely adores. In the near future, Evie hopes to pursue a career as an Oral Health Therapist.
Ashley (Maternity Leave)
Dental Nurse
Ashley completed her certificate in dental nursing with Smile Connections in 2012, she has enjoyed working with the team ever since!
In her spare time Ashley enjoys watching movies, some of her favourites movies are The Lion King and Jurassic Park.
Ashley loves to stop for coffee on the weekends and take walks through Healesville, particularly Badger Weir.
Ashley has two little Shihtzu's, Wally and Kenzi, they keep her very busy, not to mention her cheeky cat Marshall!
