Meet Our Team

Rob gained his BDS at Otago University and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Restorative Dentistry. After extensive travel and work experience overseas, he joined the Proudmouth group in 2002 and is currently our Clinical Director, which means he advises on the clinical requirements and direction of our practice.

Rob's areas of expertise are cosmetic dentistry and complex dental cases, including the surgical placement and restoration of dental implants.

Proudmouth are very proud to have a CT scanner which allows Rob direct access in giving his patients an immediate answer to whether an implant can be placed and the costs associated with it. Also, Rob is one of a small group of dentists that are trained to put in immediate molar implants which are designed to make treatments quicker and more cost effective for patients.

“Much of my time is spent on complex cases, because I’ve got a postgraduate diploma in restorative dentistry. It’s really about mouth rehabilitation – crowns, bridges and implants. Even if a patient can’t afford full restoration after an extraction, we can do socket preservation so that it’s possible to do an implant later on.”

“One of the big problems that we’re up against right now is the sugar in sports and energy drinks. People from all walks of life are drinking these and it destroys their teeth eventually. Most of the drinks don’t have any fluoride either. Fluoride needs to wash all over your teeth the whole time - avoiding tap water isn’t good for your teeth.”

Werner graduated from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 1981. He completed two compulsory years in the SA Army, as a dentist, before moving to the United Kingdom for three years.

In 1986, Werner and his wife answered the call of the ocean and set off to sail around the world. Their adventure lasted six years; when roots inevitably had to be planted, they chose New Zealand. At Proudmouth, Werner is renowned for his compassion, knowledge and expertise, especially when it comes to mouths that haven’t seen a dentist for a long time.

“The open lifestyle and opportunities for a young family convinced my wife and I to stay in New Zealand. I’ve been with Proudmouth for many years now and have built up a loyal and diverse patient base. Proudmouth is the ideal environment for building knowledge and expertise. We’re all devoted to improving our patients’ dental health

After graduating from Otago in 1996, Erving completed a stint in the military before joining the Proudmouth team in 1998. In 2005 he took some time to travel and work in the UK. Erving returned in 2007 to rejoin the practice.

Erving believes in providing quality dentistry with a gentle touch and is committed to helping patients keep their teeth for life. His special interests include endodontics and preventative dentistry.

"My patients often say that the treatment hurt a lot less than they thought it would. I try to make their experience as pleasant as possible."

"Cost can be a real obstacle to dental health. But regular maintenance can cost you a lot less than waiting for treatment. If you leave a small cavity to progress into a large cavity, it's going to cost more."

"At Proudmouth you can get input and ideas from different dentists. That's better for the patient. There's a power of knowledge in the group."

After graduating from the Otago Dental School in 1993, Janet has split the last 20 years of private practice between Wellington and central London. She took advantage of her time in the UK and attended numerous courses and lectures with world class speakers, and incorporated the best of these ideas into her work for the benefit of her patients.

Janet has returned home to New Zealand with her husband and baby daughter, and we are thrilled to have her on the Proudmouth team.

She thoroughly enjoys providing all forms of dentistry and has a special interest in cosmetic dentistry, removing old metal fillings and providing life like tooth coloured restorations.

“I take before and after photos of all my restorations. When I have finished rather than hearing “what a great looking filling”, I like my patients to be able to say “what a great looking tooth”.”

“For me, the best outcome for my patients is for the work I do to be invisible!”

Prevention is the best form of dentistry; attending for regular checkups is the best way to avoid unwanted surprises.

"Understanding and respect are the first things I give my patients. It's important to me to forge a relationship so patients will trust what I'm saying and follow my advice. The best dentistry is no dentistry"

After graduating from Otago University in 1973, Michael poured his energy into building a loyal patient base with a winning combination of expert advice and treatment.

His vast experience, gathered both in London and New Zealand, contributes to his belief that the combination of a motivated patient and a good clinician guarantees the achievement of life-long dental health.

Michael is a registered surgical and restorative provider for ACC dental implants and is dedicated to providing the best possible outcome every time.

“The advantage of working at Proudmouth is that your standards stay high. Your work is constantly being viewed by your colleagues and you can consult another dentist about a case whenever you want a second opinion.

“I believe the biggest problem with dental health is probably the same problem that's causing diabetes, obesity and heart disease. It's called diet. We've moved away from being hunter gatherers, which means eating whole food groups and only eating sparingly. Now we're shopping at a supermarket and eating for pleasure, rather than necessity.”

Michael began his implant journey when dental implants first became available in 1987. Dr Peter Clarke (oral surgeon) and a group of interested dental surgeons completed a week long course at Sydney University as an introduction to this new solution to replacing dentures with a fixed teeth. Working in close association with Dr Peter Clarke completing the surgical aspects and Michael designing and fitting the replacement teeth. Solutions were found for many patients who had lost their teeth and who were struggling with their dentures.

In 1995 the first general dentists were taken into training programs as implant solutions moved from “all teeth missing” to replacement of just a few teeth. Michael was trained, by Nobel Biocare, in the surgical aspects of implant placement in 1995 in Perth Australia.
Certificate.

With the passage of time placement of dental implants for failing or missing teeth became “clinical best practice” and ACC came on board with this concept as it provided the best long term solution for the general public. Michael has been a registered surgical and restorative provider for ACC from the beginning of this service.

From the 1987 beginnings to current time, our understanding of this process has refined and improved. I’m proud to say all those early implants which met surgical criteria are all still functioning well.

Modern day implant surgery has become an everyday clinical practice and wonderful bonus for patients who need this service. In the appropriate circumstances it is now the best and longest lasting treatment solution we can provide.

Like all surgical provisions, dental implants are not appropriate for all cases but when correctly assessed will provide long term solutions.

The advent of 3-d radiography has meant case selection can be accurately made before treatment thus making solutions predictable and choices easy for each patient.

As a graduate at the University of Otago Natalie worked at the Dunedin Hospital as a Maxillofacial house surgeon. This has brought with it great experience in emergency care as well as skills in oral surgery. After spending some time working in Hamilton Natalie was keen to return back to a much loved Auckland, a home to many of her friends and family.

Patients' trust and commitment is of great value to Natalie and she believes in conservative and gentle approach where time is spent with patients to educate and to enable them to reach the best treatment option together . She aims to build long term relationships to provide for a wide range of ages and needs.

Natalie also has experience in Intravenous Sedation to delivery stress and anxiety free dental treatment to her patients, be it wisdom tooth extraction or any other restorative dental work. Natalie enjoys all aspects of dentistry with particular interest in cosmetic dentistry, oral surgery and endodontics (root canal treatment). A member of NZ Dental Association, NZ Society of Endodontics, NZ Society of Sedation in Dentistry Natalie is a keen learner and dedicates a lot of time to continuing education through attending workshops, classes and conferences both in NZ and abroad.

Outside of work Natalie enjoys the outdoors, endurance sports, tennis and spending time with her family and friends.

Adrian graduated from the University of Otago in 1994 with a BDS. His current area of clinical focus is surgical dentistry (wisdom teeth and implant dentistry), and CAD/CAM dentistry, with a strong interest in reconstructive/rehabilitive dentistry. He is a mentor for the New Zealand Dental Association, and enjoys meeting and guiding new graduate dentists at the start of their careers. He is also a Key Opinion Leader for CAD/CAM dentistry for Henry Schein and Planmeca, helping teach and demonstrate the latest in Planmeca's suite od 3D and CAD/CAM instruments.

Dr Adrian likes meeting lots of people and maintaining long-term relationships with his patients. He also likes setting a high standard of clinical excellence in practice and truly believes that working with like-minded dentists at Lumino help achieve this.

He is married to fellow dentist, Dr Sienna Pat, and despite being in the same field, they manage to not talk much dentistry at all at home!

An avid pianist, he also used to play jazz piano at a number of bars and clubs in Dunedin and Auckland in his early twenties, but now restricts his audience to his children, who fortunately, have a very short attention spans and love “The Wheels On The Bus” - an easy audience, you may surmise, but surprisingly very discerning and frown upon variations to the main theme.

The family has a fluff ball Shih Tzu that thinks that it rules the home.

Hygienist Annetjie joined Proudmouth when she and her family moved to New Zealand from South Africa. It was a change designed to ensure the long term health and happiness of the family, and the van den Bergs have adapted easily to the Kiwi way of life.

Annetjie loves dealing with people of all ages and cultures. In her opinion, it’s never too late to start looking after your oral health – she’s seen it all and she’s ready to help.

“Ideally you should see a hygienist twice a year - about every six months. We can prevent a lot of problems and teach you how to brush and floss effectively. It’s good for your oral health and your health generally.

“Because there’s a big team at Proudmouth, there’s always someone available if you want advice. Everyone has their specialties here – we all learn a lot from each other."

Manel was born and educated in Sri Lanka. In 2000 she moved to New Zealand with her husband and two children, joining Proudmouth as a hygienist soon after.

With more than 20 years of dentistry experience, Manel is supremely qualified to educate and motivate her patients to improve their dental health. Her eye for detail makes her a great hygienist, and it also comes in handy for her hobbies - she enjoys cooking, embroidery and Sudoku.

“If you haven't been to a hygienist before, I'm very careful to work gently. I always explain what it will feel like, because it's important that my patients trust me. As your gums get healthier, I can my work a step further and it won't be uncomfortable.

“When you're going to be getting some cosmetic or restorative work done, good healthy gums are especially important. I do my part, they do their part - and that's how you get a good looking mouth.”