About

Reef Dental Centre

Our dental philosophy is built around a series of different elements, each of which we believe is integral to the patient experience and contributes significantly to dental health outcomes. One of the main reasons we opened The Reef was so that we could do things differently — namely, so that we could focus on the quality of the patient experience, instead of patient quantity, which is unfortunately often the focus of many dental clinics.

Why choose us?

At The Reef, we make a conscious choice to treat every patient as though they are a member of our own family, and we want everyone who walks through our door to feel at home.

When you choose to invest in your family’s dental health with us, we repay that investment by taking the time to get to know each and every member of your family — we even love hearing about your pets!

Knowing more about you makes it possible for us to tailor our service to your specific needs, and the more you feel you can trust us, the better your overall experience and treatment outcomes will be.

Health care professionals

We are a hygiene-focused practice. This means we prioritise prevention and maintenance. Many dentists inadvertently focus their practice on intervention, and while repairing teeth is obviously something we are passionate about, we place extra emphasis on doing everything we can in conjunction with the patient to ensure their teeth remain healthy and don’t get to the stage where they need to be repaired.

When you come in at regular intervals for continuing care, you’ll always be seen to by your health professional who will check your teeth, make sure you are doing the right thing at home, and provide education where it’s needed. We make sure our patients understand that optimal oral health is dependent upon a series of positive habits repeated daily, monthly and annually.

At The Reef, we believe everyone deserves a great and healthy smile that they aren’t self-conscious about.

Our aim is always to provide the guidance and support that you need to take control of your dental health, and we want your visits to us to be a positive experience, which we try to cultivate through a range of things — from building relationships with our patients, to installing a TV on the ceiling so patients can chill out with Netflix while they’re having their dental work done.

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Meet Our Team

Principal Dentist

Dr David Plichta

Having grown up along Perth’s northern beaches, Dr Plichta is a true local. From a young age, Dr Plichta watched as his father, a master carpenter, perfected every job he took on with focus, perseverance and attention to detail. His father’s approach to the craft of carpentry had a profound impact on how Dr Plichta approaches the craft of dentistry and also fostered an early interest in making things, which is a key part of his job as a dentist.

But dentistry wasn’t always on the cards for Dr Plichta. During his younger years, he was most passionate about AFL. Although he still enjoys the footy and remains a staunch West Coast Eagles supporter, he eventually discovered his true calling in the dental industry, where he gets to combine his love of science and the enjoyment he gets from making things.

He graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2009 to become the first Indigenous dentist in Western Australia (his heritage originates in an area south of Darwin).

Just as some people enjoy and take great satisfaction from rebuilding and refurbishing an old house, Dr Plichta takes great pleasure in perfectly reconstructing and restoring teeth and, ultimately, helping people to feel great about their smile.

Keisha

While growing up I wanted to try every single career that a person can try; librarian, zookeeper, join the circus maybe?

However, once I started my career in the dental field I have never looked back. Being able to put people at ease and make going to the dentist a positive experience for all of our patients is something that is very important to me.

In the future I wish to further my studies and become a dentist myself as I would love to make a bigger impact and help as many people as I can!

I worked with children for 4 years, so it is always a pleasure to look after your little ones while you are visiting us. In my spare time I love reading and collecting books, shopping and spending time with my little brother Jon, we enjoy playing video games and eating snacks together.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all!

Sam

My name is Sam aka Lil Sammy. I’ve been a dental nurse for over 16 years. I’ve been a part of the team at The Reef Dental Centre since December 2017.

My favourite part of dentistry is the cosmetic side. Dentistry has come a long way since I first started in the industry. It’s really good with all the new advanced technology we can now offer our patients. It really does make a huge difference in someone’s life. I enjoy being a part of making patients happy about their teeth and giving them a reason to smile again. I’ve really enjoyed seeing dentistry evolve over the years.

Embarrassing Story:

I was about to leave for a 4-week holiday to Europe in 2011, when I chipped a front tooth. I honestly can’t even remember how it happened. It was a really big noticeable chip but I was getting ready to leave for the airport. I didn’t have any time to see a dentist before I had to fly out. So, I had to go to Europe with a chipped front tooth for 4 weeks! I made sure there were not a lot of close-up photos and when we did, I didn’t show any teeth. I did eventually forget about the chipped tooth after about three weeks!

The tooth did eventually get fixed. The tooth did get a happy ending.

General Dentist

Dr Yasmita Haripersad

BSc, DMD (Distinction) (UWA)

Yasmita studied dentistry at The University of Western Australia and then gained a wide range of experience across all aspects of dentistry working rurally prior to returning to Perth. She joined The Reef Dental Centre mid-2020 and treats all age groups. She loves treating families and seeing children for their first dental visit, making it enjoyable and encouraging a lifetime of good dental habits. Patients often say Yasmita is very gentle during their treatment and this helps them feel at ease.

“I enjoy helping people overcome their fear of dentists by taking the time to talk to them, understand their individual patient needs and explaining everything beforehand. I am focused on delivering quality, non-judgmental dental treatment and making each appointment a pleasant one.

I’m passionate about helping spread smiles and laughter, and I believe a healthy smile can really change a person’s confidence to express themselves.”

Oral Health Therapist

Kellie

I recently graduated from Curtin University in 2021 completing a Bachelor of Oral Health Therapy. Starting as dental assistant with Dr Dave and then becoming an Oral health Therapist.

I have loved meeting all our amazing patients and getting to know them. I look forward to seeing you all every six months! I particularly enjoy working with patients who have dental phobias and anxiety, to gain their trust and help them feel comfortable with gentle cleans. My goal is to ensure you’re happy coming to The Reef Dental Centre regularly and create a genuine connection. The transformation in my patients’ oral health and general wellbeing is why I love my job. Many of you ask why I do this or “clean teeth for a living” and in all honestly, I just love it!

When I’m not at work you’ll find me at the gym, running on the coast or eating my way through all the restaurants in Perth. I also love travelling especially hitting the snow to go boarding!