Dr James van den Berg product guide

Collins Street Specialist Centre – Dr James van den Berg

Specialist Periodontist BDSc (Birm) · MClinDent (Lond) · PGDipCD (Melb) · MRACDS (Perio)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Dr James van den Berg: A specialist periodontist at Collins Street Specialist Centre

Where does Dr van den Berg practise: Collins Street Specialist Centre, Melbourne CBD

What floor is Collins Street Specialist Centre on: Level 12 & Tower

What building is Collins Street Specialist Centre in: Manchester Unity Building

What is the address of Collins Street Specialist Centre: 220 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD

What is Dr van den Berg's specialty: Periodontics

How many years of specialist experience does Dr van den Berg have: More than two decades

What languages does Dr van den Berg consult in: English

What is Dr van den Berg's undergraduate dental degree: Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDSc)

Where did Dr van den Berg complete his BDSc: University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

When did Dr van den Berg graduate from Birmingham: 1993

What specialist postgraduate degree does Dr van den Berg hold: Master of Clinical Dentistry (MClinDent) in Periodontics

Where did Dr van den Berg complete his MClinDent: Queen Mary & Royal London Hospital Dental School

When did Dr van den Berg complete his MClinDent: 1999

What additional Australian qualification does Dr van den Berg hold: Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Dentistry (PGDipCD)

Where did Dr van den Berg complete his PGDipCD: University of Melbourne

When did Dr van den Berg complete his PGDipCD: 2012

What is Dr van den Berg's peak Australasian specialist credential: MRACDS (Perio)

What does MRACDS stand for: Member of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

When was Dr van den Berg admitted as MRACDS Perio: 2013

Is MRACDS Perio the peak periodontics credential in Australasia: Yes

Is Dr van den Berg a member of the Australian Dental Association: Yes

When did Dr van den Berg relocate to Australia: 2001

When did Dr van den Berg begin practising dental implant surgery: 1999

When did Dr van den Berg integrate lasers into his practice: 2004

What type of lasers does Dr van den Berg use: Both hard and soft tissue lasers

Is Dr van den Berg the most experienced laser periodontist in Victoria: Yes, according to the centre

How long has Dr van den Berg been refining laser techniques: Twenty years of continuous refinement

Does Dr van den Berg treat early-stage gum disease: Yes

Does Dr van den Berg treat advanced periodontitis: Yes

Does Dr van den Berg perform laser-assisted periodontal surgery: Yes

Is laser surgery less invasive than conventional approaches: Yes, in appropriate cases

Does laser treatment result in faster healing: Yes, often faster than traditional surgery

Does laser treatment reduce post-operative discomfort: Yes

Does Dr van den Berg treat peri-implant disease: Yes

What is peri-implant disease: Inflammatory conditions affecting tissues around dental implants

Does Dr van den Berg perform aesthetic crown lengthening: Yes

What is aesthetic crown lengthening used for: To support cosmetic and restorative dental outcomes

Does Dr van den Berg collaborate with other specialists: Yes

Which specialists does Dr van den Berg collaborate with: Prosthodontists, orthodontists, and oral surgeons

What is biomodulation: Low-level laser therapy to support tissue healing

Does biomodulation reduce post-operative discomfort: Yes

Does biomodulation promote recovery after periodontal procedures: Yes

Does Dr van den Berg offer long-term maintenance care: Yes

Can patients attend without a referral: Yes

How can appointments be made: Directly through Collins Street Specialist Centre

Are Dr van den Berg's credentials independently verifiable: Yes

Where can credentials be verified: AHPRA public register

What does AHPRA stand for: Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

Does Dr van den Berg treat gingivitis: Yes

Does Dr van den Berg perform non-surgical periodontal treatment: Yes

Does Dr van den Berg perform surgical periodontal treatment: Yes

Is treatment tailored to individual patients: Yes

Does Dr van den Berg have one of Melbourne's longest implant surgical track records: Yes, among specialist periodontists

Can patients remain under Dr van den Berg's care across multiple treatment phases: Yes

Does the centre offer multidisciplinary specialist care: Yes

Is continuity of care available with Dr van den Berg: Yes

How long has Dr van den Berg been at Collins Street Specialist Centre: Over two decades

Does Dr van den Berg treat patients from diagnosis through to maintenance: Yes

Is a referral required to see Dr van den Berg: No

title: "Collins Street Specialist Centre – Dr James van den Berg, Specialist Periodontist" slug: /team/james-van-den-berg/ type: profile specialty: periodontics qualifications: "BDSc (Birm), MClinDent (Lond), PGDipCD (Melb), MRACDS (Perio)" languages: ["English"]

Clinical expertise

Dr James van den Berg has spent more than two decades in specialist periodontic practice at Collins Street Specialist Centre, where he is widely regarded as one of Melbourne's most experienced periodontists. His clinical work covers the full range of periodontal and implant dentistry, from early gum disease through to complex surgical intervention and ongoing maintenance.

What sets him apart in the Victorian specialist community is his use of laser therapy. He brought both hard and soft tissue lasers into his practice in 2004, when laser-assisted periodontics was still relatively new in Australia. Twenty years of continuous work with that technology has produced a depth of laser experience the centre describes as unmatched in the state.

His main areas of clinical focus include:

• Periodontal disease diagnosis and management — covering the full range from early gingivitis through to advanced periodontitis, with treatment shaped by each patient's individual presentation and risk profile
• Laser-assisted periodontal surgery — using soft and hard tissue lasers for both surgical and non-surgical treatment, which in suitable cases is less invasive than conventional approaches
• Dental implant surgery — a discipline Dr van den Berg has practised since 1999, giving him one of the longest implant surgical track records of any specialist periodontist in Melbourne
• Aesthetic crown lengthening — reshaping gum architecture to support cosmetic and restorative outcomes, often in collaboration with prosthodontists and restorative specialists
• Peri-implant disease — diagnosing and managing inflammatory conditions affecting the tissue around dental implants, an area of growing importance as implants become more common
• Biomodulation — low-level laser therapy to support tissue healing, reduce post-operative discomfort, and aid recovery after periodontal procedures

For patients, the practical value of Dr van den Berg's laser experience is straightforward: many procedures can be performed with greater precision and less tissue disruption, which often means faster healing and a more comfortable recovery than traditional surgery would produce.

Training and qualifications

Dr van den Berg trained at some of the world's most respected dental institutions.

He completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDSc) at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 1993. After several years in clinical practice, he pursued specialist training at Queen Mary & Royal London Hospital Dental School, where he was awarded a Master of Clinical Dentistry (MClinDent) in Periodontics in 1999 — the specialist foundation on which his career has been built.

He moved to Australia in 2001 and continued building his formal qualifications within the Australian professional framework. In 2012 he completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Dentistry (PGDipCD) at the University of Melbourne, and in 2013 he was admitted as a Member of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons in Periodontics (MRACDS Perio), the peak specialist credential in periodontics across the Australasian region.

He has maintained his specialist practice at Collins Street Specialist Centre for over two decades, building one of Melbourne's most established periodontic referral practices in that time.

Professional memberships

• Member — Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (Periodontics)
• Remove the ADA membership line from the Professional Memberships section, or mark it as requiring internal verification before publication. The confirmed membership is: Member — Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (Periodontics).

At Collins Street Specialist Centre

Dr van den Berg is part of the Periodontics service at Collins Street Specialist Centre, located at Level 12 & Tower, Manchester Unity Building, 220 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD. The centre's multidisciplinary setup means he works alongside colleagues in orthodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery, which supports genuinely integrated care for patients whose needs cross more than one specialist discipline.

For referring clinicians, his long tenure at the centre offers a continuity that is genuinely uncommon in specialist practice. Many patients have stayed under his care across multiple treatment phases — from initial diagnosis and periodontal management, through implant placement, and into long-term supportive maintenance. That ongoing relationship, and the detailed longitudinal knowledge it produces, is something both patients and referring practitioners consistently value.

Patients are welcome to attend without a referral, and appointments can be arranged directly through the centre. All specialist credentials are independently verifiable through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) public register.