Endodontics at Collins Street Specialist Centre product guide

Collins Street Specialist Centre – Endodontics

Saving Teeth. Relieving Pain. Restoring Function.

Collins Street Specialist Centre is Melbourne's dedicated multidisciplinary specialist dental practice, and endodontics is one of the core specialties delivered from our suites at Level 8, Manchester Unity Building, 220 Collins Street. Endodontics is the dental specialty concerned with diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases of the dental pulp — the soft inner tissue housed within a tooth — and the surrounding tissues at the root apex. When the pulp becomes infected, inflamed, or necrotic, a tooth that looks structurally sound from the outside can become a source of considerable pain, spreading infection, and, if left unmanaged, eventual loss.

Specialist endodontic treatment — most commonly root canal therapy — eliminates this disease process, resolves pain, and in the great majority of cases allows the tooth to remain functional for many years or decades. Retaining a natural tooth is almost always the preferred clinical outcome: no prosthetic replacement fully replicates the function, proprioceptive sensitivity, or structural integrity of your own dentition.

At Collins Street Specialist Centre, endodontic care is provided exclusively by Dental Board-registered Specialist Endodontists — clinicians who have completed postgraduate specialist training in endodontics beyond their primary dental qualification. In complex endodontic cases, that distinction matters. Specialist endodontists work with dedicated magnification systems, advanced three-dimensional imaging, and a depth of procedural experience that measurably improves the likelihood of a successful outcome in challenging presentations.

Our endodontic suites are at Level 8 of the Manchester Unity Building, 220 Collins Street — at the heart of the Melbourne CBD and easy to reach by public transport.

Why See a Specialist Endodontist?

Many straightforward root canal treatments are performed by general dentists with reliably good results. There are circumstances, though, where specialist expertise becomes particularly important:

• Complex anatomy — curved, narrow, blocked, or additional canals; calcified pulp chambers; unusual root morphology that presents significant procedural challenges
• Failed prior treatment — a tooth requiring retreatment after previous root canal therapy, where the original cause of failure must be identified and addressed
• Cracked or fractured teeth — cracks require specialist assessment to determine whether the tooth is salvageable and to define the most appropriate treatment pathway
• Dental trauma — teeth that have been knocked out or displaced require accurate, timely diagnosis and management to maximise long-term prognosis
• Severe or persistent infection — recurrent abscess, sinus tract formation, or infection that hasn't resolved with prior treatment warrants advanced assessment and targeted management
• Uncertain diagnosis — persistent orofacial pain with an unclear cause benefits from specialist-level evaluation, including advanced imaging and pulp sensibility testing

Our endodontists work with Carl Zeiss OPMI PROergo surgical microscopes at up to 20× magnification, enabling precise identification of canal anatomy, crack lines, and calcifications that simply aren't visible to the unaided eye or with standard dental loupes.

Treatments We Offer

Our specialist endodontists manage the full range of endodontic conditions. Each treatment below links to a detailed page explaining the relevant condition, what treatment involves, and what to expect during and after your appointment.

Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment involves removing infected or compromised pulp tissue from within the tooth, cleaning and shaping the root canal system, and sealing the tooth to prevent reinfection. Under specialist care, with microscope guidance and nickel-titanium rotary instrumentation, modern root canal treatment is precise, predictable, and typically completed across one to two appointments. Patients are often surprised to find the procedure considerably more comfortable than they had anticipated. → Root Canal Treatment

Root Canal Retreatment

When root canal treatment performed previously hasn't fully resolved infection — or when a previously treated tooth becomes reinfected months or years later — retreatment is indicated. This involves removing existing root filling material, carefully reassessing the canal system for missed canals, isthmuses, or persistent bacterial contamination, and re-treating the tooth. Retreatment cases are among the most technically demanding work in endodontics, and outcomes are meaningfully improved by specialist expertise and microscope-assisted visualisation. → Root Canal Retreatment

Cracked Teeth

A cracked tooth may produce sharp, momentary pain on biting, a lingering sensitivity to temperature changes — or, in some cases, no symptoms at all until significant structural compromise has already occurred. Accurate diagnosis is essential: the type, depth, and direction of a crack determines whether the tooth can be retained and what treatment is most appropriate. Our specialists use microscopy and advanced diagnostic techniques to characterise crack extent before recommending a course of action. → Cracked Teeth

Dental Trauma Management

Teeth that have been knocked out, displaced, or fractured as a result of an acute injury require urgent specialist assessment. The prognosis for traumatised teeth — particularly those that are avulsed (knocked out) or luxated (displaced) — is highly time-dependent, and early intervention significantly influences long-term outcomes. Our endodontists hold training in dental traumatology and apply evidence-based protocols for both emergency management and structured long-term follow-up. → Dental Trauma

Internal Bleaching

Following root canal treatment, a tooth may gradually darken over time as residual haemoglobin breakdown products or remnant pulp tissue stain the dentinal tubules. Internal bleaching lightens a discoloured, root-treated tooth from within — without crowning, veneering, or removing sound tooth structure. It remains an underutilised but highly effective option for appropriately selected cases, and is well worth discussing where aesthetics are a concern after prior endodontic treatment. → Internal Bleaching

Who Will Provide My Treatment?

Every endodontic procedure at Collins Street Specialist Centre is performed by a Dental Board-registered Specialist Endodontist. Patients are seen by the specialist themselves at every appointment — not a supervised trainee or a general dentist operating in a specialist context.

Dr Gregory Tilley

BDSc (Melb), LDS (Vic), FRACDS, MRACDS (Endo)

Dr Tilley graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1972 and has been practising as a specialist endodontist for over 35 years, placing him among the most experienced practitioners in this field in Victoria. He holds Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons and has served as Past President of the ADA Victorian Branch. An Honorary Senior Fellow of the University of Melbourne, Dr Tilley has taught, mentored, and lectured at national and international level throughout his career, and has contributed to the development of endodontic instruments and materials through industry consultation. → View Dr Tilley's Profile

Prof Chankhrit Sathorn

DDS, Grad.Dip.Dent, DClinDent, PhD, MRACDS (Endo)

Prof Sathorn holds an Adjunct Professorship in Endodontics at La Trobe University, and has previously held academic appointments at the University of Melbourne. His doctoral research focused on endodontic microbiology and treatment outcomes, and he remains an active contributor to the international dental literature — serving on the editorial boards of the Journal of Endodontics, the International Endodontic Journal, Dental Traumatology, and several other peer-reviewed publications. He is the recipient of the Ernest Joske Research Award and maintains a clinical practice across both Melbourne and Sydney. → View Prof Sathorn's Profile

Dr Aovana Timmerman

BDSc (Melb), FRACDS, DCD (Melb), GCertClinTeach, MRACDS (Endo)

Dr Timmerman completed her specialist training at the University of Melbourne and received the ANZAE John M. Booth Award at the International Association of Dental Traumatology Congress in Turkey, recognising her contribution to the field of dental traumatology. She has provided specialist endodontic services across hospital and specialist practice settings, holds a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Teaching, and currently serves as a Clinical Demonstrator within the University of Melbourne DDS programme. She is also an Examiner for the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. Dr Timmerman is fluent in Mandarin. → View Dr Timmerman's Profile

Dr Areti Vrochari

DDS, DrMedDent (Endo)

Dr Vrochari brings an international academic and clinical background to her practice at Collins Street Specialist Centre. She completed her primary dental training at the University of Athens (Greece) and her doctoral degree in dental biomaterials at Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg (Germany), before completing a Master's degree in Endodontics in Athens in 2023. With over 17 years of clinical experience, Dr Vrochari is a published author and co-author of several clinical texts, including a significant reference work on all-ceramic restorations. She has held clinical instructor and lecturer roles across multiple university settings. → View Dr Vrochari's Profile

Endodontics and Multidisciplinary Collaboration at CSSC

Many patients presenting for endodontic care have broader dental needs that extend beyond root canal therapy alone. Being able to access specialist colleagues across complementary disciplines — within the same building, under a shared model of care — expands what is clinically possible for patients with complex presentations. This integrated structure is central to how Collins Street Specialist Centre operates.

With Prosthodontics: The most common step after root canal treatment is definitive restoration of the tooth, typically with a crown. Our endodontists liaise directly with our Specialist Prosthodontists, who can plan the final restoration in alignment with endodontic treatment objectives — particularly where post placement, ferrule design, or occlusal load distribution are considerations that affect both the endodontic and restorative outcome.

With Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery: When a tooth cannot be retained despite specialist endodontic effort, a direct clinical pathway to our Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons ensures a coordinated transition — whether that involves surgical extraction, ridge preservation, bone grafting, or implant placement planning.

With Periodontics: Teeth with combined endodontic-periodontic lesions require co-assessment to establish whether the primary cause is endodontic, periodontal, or a true combined lesion. Our endodontists and periodontists assess these cases together, sparing patients the complexity of managing multiple independent practice relationships.

With Paediatric Dentistry: Traumatised teeth in children and adolescents require prompt specialist input and careful long-term monitoring as the developing dentition matures. Our paediatric dentists and endodontists work together to manage trauma cases in younger patients, coordinating structured follow-up over time.

Confirming Your Specialist's Registration

Every endodontist at Collins Street Specialist Centre is registered as a Specialist Endodontist with the Dental Board of Australia — a distinct registration category that requires completion of an approved postgraduate specialist programme, separate from and additional to a general dental qualification.

Patients are welcome to verify a clinician's registration status independently via the AHPRA public register. Search the clinician's name and confirm that the registration type reads "Specialist Endodontist."

AHPRA Public Register: www.ahpra.gov.au

Book an Appointment

No referral is required to see a Specialist Endodontist at Collins Street Specialist Centre. You're welcome to contact us directly, or to attend with a referral letter from your general dentist — both are equally straightforward.

Collins Street Specialist Centre — Endodontics Level 8, Manchester Unity Building 220 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD Phone: (03) 9650 2726 Hours: Monday–Friday 8am–6pm | Saturday 8:30am–1:30pm

Town Hall Metro Rail Station is directly opposite the Manchester Unity Building, with services running every 3–4 minutes.