National Dental Care

South Terrace

I was born and raised in the Adelaide Hills, and graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2011 with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery. Since then, I have furthered my studies by taking various Continuing Professional Development Courses, including training in Invisalign. For the first 18 months of my career I worked at Mount Barker Dental Care and moved to South Terrace Dental Care after this, where I have been ever since. I have wanted to be a dentist since I was seven. I was interested in working with my hands, with people and in a constantly challenging and developing industry which allowed flexibility throughout life.

I enjoy both the artistic and scientific/medical aspects of dentistry and have always been excited by the opportunity to travel with work and to use my skills for volunteer work. I enjoy working in Endodontics, doing root canals—it is satisfying to be able to relieve people of large amounts of pain. I also find my work with Invisalign very enjoyable, and like to work with kids.

I enjoy the people I work with and the respect and support I have always received here. We are lucky to have a whole lot of lovely patients as well. I work hard to minimise pain and maximise perfection wherever possible. The patient’s goals and comfort are my chief concern. In my spare time, I like to travel, to keep active and to spend time with my wonderful family and friends.

I speak some French and was fluent in Auslan (Australian sign language)—although both of these skills are now in need of further attention! I work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service at least once a year to provide dental care to remote South Australian locations with some students from the University of Adelaide BDS program. I am also a mentor for an indigenous medical/dental students group (FAIMM). I am a member of the Recent Graduates Committee for the Australian Dental Association, South Australian branch and am also an ADA mentor for other students in the BDS program here in Adelaide.

Elizabeth Sajatovic graduated in 2005 with a Diploma of Dental Hygiene, and since then have undertaken a whitening course to further improve her dental education. Liz enjoys working with children to start them off with good education and dental experiences so they enjoy coming back.

When not working Liz loves dance/ballet and Pilates, and enjoying gardening, home renovations and reading murder mysteries and thrillers.

Dr Emma Burgess completed a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the University of Birmingham in 1993. Emma has been practicing for 28 years and has a wealth of experience in UK, Europe and Australia as a general practitioner.

Emma has greatly honed her skills as a practicing dentist in Adelaide by working at highly reputable dental practices such as Jetty Road Dental Clinic, Beachside Dental Studio and National Dental Care. Dr Burgess excels in all facets of dentistry from prevention to complex restorative procedures.

Emma strives to ensure her patients are as comfortable as possible while maintaining a high level of care. She believes that in order to achieve best possible results, one must attentively listen to the needs of the client and design a viable solution accordingly.

I obtained an Advanced Diploma of Oral Health in 2009 from the Gilles Plains College of TAFE, and have since obtained a Certificate VI in Dental Radiography, and Certificate III in Dental Assisting. I was presented with the Dental Hygienists’ Association of Australia (SA) Outstanding Performance in the Advanced Diploma of Oral Health (Dental Hygiene) and the Inaugural Jane Chalmers Award (Special Needs Dentistry). I have worked in the Special Needs Unit of the Adelaide Dental Hospital, with Andrew Hayes and Associates, and with the Colgate Australian Clinical Dental Research Centre for the Adelaide University. I have been part of the National Dental Care team at South Terrace Dental Care since 2011.

I became involved in dentistry in order to help educate people on the importance of oral health and its impact on general health. I wanted to raise awareness of the importance of prevention and early minimal intervention in maintaining good oral health. I enjoy working with periodontal compromised patients, patients with special needs, children and the elderly.

I love working in a team that is respectful and focused on patient comfort, individualised treatment and oral health maintenance. I also enjoy working with the latest technology, equipment and techniques to the best outcome for our patients. It is great to be a part of a team that works to ensure a safe and efficient work place for visitors and staff.

I work hard to pay attention to patient comfort, and personally tailor treatment planning for patients to improve and maintain oral health both in the clinic and at home. I try to take an open, honest and ethical approach with all team members and patients. I am continually reviewing best practice methods in all clinical approaches for patient treatment.

In my spare time, I enjoy being with my family, particularly treasuring every moment I can with my 6 year old daughter. I also enjoy construction and renovation of house, bushwalking, traveling, goldmining and discovering Australian antiques.

I am a Member of the Age Care committee of DHAA- SA Branch, and a participant of Common Ground Dental Awareness events and Detention Centre Dental Awareness visits. I take part in Dental Rescue Day’s for the Dental Rescue Foundation. I also have professional memberships to the Dental Hygienist’s Association of South Australia, the Seattle Study Club (Adelaide Branch), the Australian Society of Periodontology, and am a member of the DHAA SA Branch executive committee, having been the State Treasurer and Membership Officer and the National President from 2012-2013.

I graduated from TAFE SA Gilles Plains College in 2003 with a Diploma of Dental Hygiene, and have since upgraded my skillset to align with current graduates, making my qualification an Advanced Diploma of Oral Health (Dental Hygiene). I have undertaken continued professional development in many clinical areas including periodontics and paediatric management as well as developing patient management skills through communication and risk management workshops.

I have been working at National Dental Care, South Terrace care since graduation, and amongst this worked with Stephen Langford in Orthodontics part time for two years. I am also a clinical tutor and lecturer at TAFE SA for Advanced Diploma of Oral Health students. I devote time to Colgate—as a SA State professional educator—lecturing to undergraduates in ADOH, BOH and BDS programs. My career direction was to be a fashion designer but an opportunity at a young age to work in a country dental practice shaped my career direction into the health stream and inspired me to further my skills into dental hygiene and tertiary education. Working in a general practice enables me to utilise all of my hygiene skills and get to know a broad range of patients and personalities.

My current place of work has a diverse client base of mostly long-term loyal clients. Developing and maintaining rapport with clients is important to me as part of managing each patient holistically, not just treating them as a set of teeth. My continued professional development in many areas of the industry as well as my role in education has enabled me to stay at the forefront of dental hygiene and provide a holistic and preventive management plan for every patient, based on individual general health and lifestyle.

In my spare time I enjoy cooking, shopping, and family time. I have previously been involved in Dental Rescue Days, and was a past committee member during the development of the program.

I joined National Dental Care in 2021. I obtained an Associate Diploma in Dental Hygiene at Tafe SA in 1992.

My favourite part about being a Dental Hygienist is developing relationships with my patients and being able to teach the importance of good oral health.

When I'm not at the practice I am studying a Bachelor in Education and spending time with my son.

Dr Marcio Maia has over 16 years of experience as a dentist, but is also interested in research and teaching. He haa always found myself immersed in an academic environment; interested in the latest technologies in our field. Therefore, lives in a continuous learning mode, never leaving the university benches.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Dentistry, Marcio did two other extensive post-graduate courses in Endodontics and Implant Dentistry (Latu Sensu), earning the title of specialist for both specialities in Brazil. He also continues his education doing a Master’s degree in Dentistry (Estacio de Sa University - Brazil), which lead him to start lecturing as a Professor of Implant Dentistry in 2014. Dr Maia served as an associate Professor in the Implant Dentistry specialisation for over 4 years in the University of Redentor’s post-graduation program (Juiz de Fora- Brazil). He had the honour of lecturing in many dental conferences in Brazil including the international dental congress of Sao Paulo (CIOSP), the second-largest dental conference in the world.

Marcio is very passionate about God above all, my wife and my two amazing boys. He loves surfing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chess, Jazz and Bossa Nova.

Dr Marcio Maia is originally from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and loves Australia and its great people. He Speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish, and is currently looking forward to learning French.

Melinda Guidolin completed her Advanced Diploma in Oral Health in 2010 at Gilles Plains, Adelaide becoming a registered Dental Hygienist and the recipient of the Oral B Outstanding Achievement Award.

With over 30 years‘ experience in the industry from Dental Assisting in each specialist field of Dentistry, Practice Management, Hygiene, Sales Product Specialist, travelling for outreach programs overseas with Rotary, along with volunteer work with the Community outreach program in Adelaide University. Melinda has branched her vast experiences and continues to gain valuable knowledge to best educate and treat her valued patient base.

With her ongoing passion for professional teeth whitening and as the industry continues to grow and patient expectations and education moves forward with increasing momentum, Melinda’s focus has been on providing patients with the best whitening experience possible.

I completed my Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2008. Since then, I have furthered my studies by taking various Continuing Professional Development Courses, including training in Resin bonding veneers, Anti-wrinkle injections and Dermal Fillers.

I worked in a general dental practice in Melbourne, Victoria before moving to Adelaide. During this time, I have had the opportunity to work with a wide range of patients with an extensive range of oral health care needs. I enjoy all areas of general dentistry with preventative and minimally invasive approach to help patients achieve and maintain their oral health. I find Resin bonding veneers smile make over very enjoyable. My aim is to listen to my patient’s concerns carefully and offer them all possible options to achieve their goals.

Furthermore, my interest in cosmetic facial procedures led to further training within the field of non-surgical cosmetic injectables and dermal fillers. I love achieving results that appear natural. I am a member of Australian Dental Association (ADA) and Australasian Academy of Dento-Facial Aesthetics (AADFA) trained dentist.

Outside of dentistry, I enjoy reading, cycling, travelling, painting, playing violin, fashion, styling and spending time with my family and friends. Coming from my Persian background, I speak Farsi fluently.

Dr Peter George graduated in 1980 with a degree in Bachelor of Dental Surgery and also have a degree in Biophysics. He was the principal and lead dentist at Hallett Cove Dental Surgery for 40 years, until 2021 where he joined National Dental Care - South Terrace.

Dr George's passion is restorative dentistry and restoring people’s teeth back to being fully functional, he also enjoys cosmetic dentistry. His main goal is helping patients overcome fear and anxiety of dentistry and trying to help have a pain free dental experience.

I graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1972 with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery, and since then have furthered my education by taking various other educational courses in dentistry. From 1972-1975, I gained experience in Goodwood and Glenside, before pursuing work in Maidenhead, England. I returned to Australia in 1978, where I worked again at Goodwood until moving to South Terrace Dental in 1992, where I have worked ever since.

I have always been interested in science, and originally applied to study Agricultural Science, however as fate would have it I was offered a place in Dentistry, which I accepted. I most enjoy working in reconstructive and rehabilitative dentistry. It involves a multi-disciplinary approach and the patients appreciate the careful planning and rebuilding of their smiles. I thoroughly enjoy the people with whom I work with and the people for whom I care. I work hard to be an empathetic dentist and supportive provider of care. The majority of my patients are referrals from other patients and have been with for many, many years.

Currently, I am a member of the International College of Dentistry and the Australian Dental Association, Director of the Seattle Study Club, and Australasian Chairperson and International Trustee of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. I am the first dental graduate to begin their education at correspondence school (for remote students), and I am heavily involved in Postgraduate education in many forms.

In my spare time, I pursue my interests of farming, golfing, and I attend events with my 6 children and 5 grandchildren. I also devote time to my farm, where I raise prime lambs. I devote time to being a member of the Dental Outreach program for the homeless, Chair of a new body to fund a charity clinic in Adelaide, mentoring Indigenous Health Science students and was the past Chair of Parkside Primary School in Adelaide, which I still keep tabs on.