If you've walked past 142 Burke Road lately and noticed a new face behind the door — hello, that's me. I'm Dr Sitanshu Arora, though almost everyone calls me Tani, and I recently became the new custodian of Central Park Dental. I've been meaning to properly introduce myself, so this first article felt like the right place to start.
Why this clinic?
When I first stepped into this practice, what struck me wasn't the equipment or the location — it was the guestbook feeling of the place. A single chair. Patient records going back decades. Families where we've seen the grandparents, the parents, and now the children. This clinic has been part of Malvern East since 1983, and you can feel that history in the walls.
I wasn't looking for the biggest practice I could find. I was looking for exactly this: somewhere small enough that I would personally know every patient who walks through the door. In an era of large corporate clinics, that's become rare — and I think it's worth protecting.
A little about me
I've spent more than a decade practising across Melbourne and regional Victoria, in both public and private settings, including caring for patients with special needs and complex medical histories. Along the way I completed a Master of Clinical Dentistry with Distinction in Oral Surgery, and I now serve as an examiner for the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons and was recently elected to the Australian Dental Association's Victorian Branch Council. I also supervise dental students and volunteer with the ADA Dental Health Foundation's Rebuilding Smiles® program.
But honestly, the credential I lean on most in this clinic is a different one: I'm a mum. I know what it's like to sit in a waiting room with a nervous child, to juggle school pick-ups against appointment times, and to want a health professional who explains things properly instead of rushing you out the door. My family and I live locally, and this community — its schools, its parks, its footy ovals and weekend sport — is our community too.
What's staying the same
Everything that made this clinic loved. The unhurried appointments. The single chair — you will always see me, not a rotating roster of clinicians. The relationships that stretch across generations of local families. If you've been coming here for years: your records, your history, and the standard of care you're used to are all safe. I see myself as a custodian of something the previous owners built beautifully, not someone here to reinvent it.
What's new
A few gentle things. I have a particular soft spot for anxious patients and for children's dentistry — helping nervous patients feel calm and in control is genuinely my favourite part of this job, and I've shaped the whole clinic experience around it. We've also refreshed how we communicate: this website, our Instagram, and this "Learn with Dr Tani" page, where I'll be writing a short article every month or two — practical, honest answers to the questions parents and patients actually ask me in the chair. No jargon, no scare tactics.
My approach to dentistry is holistic and conversational. Your mouth doesn't exist in isolation from your sleep, your stress, your diet or the rest of your health, so I take the time to understand the whole picture — and I'll always explain your options in plain language so the decisions stay yours.
Come and say hello
Whether you've been a patient here since the eighties or you've just moved to the area and are looking for a dental home for your family — I'd love to meet you. Drop in, call us on (03) 9885 6999, or send us an email to arrange a visit. The kettle is usually on.
Thank you, Malvern East, for the warm welcome so far. I intend to look after this little clinic — and you — for a very long time.
— Dr Tani
Dr Sitanshu (Tani) Arora is the principal dentist at Central Park Dental, 142 Burke Road, Malvern East. This article is general information only and isn't a substitute for individual dental advice — every mouth is different, so please talk to your dentist about your own situation.