Your "TOOTHDOCTORS"

DR GARRET ROBLES has a special interest in paediatric dentistry and indegenous oral health.  He completed his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from the state University of the Philippines and Postgraduate Training in Paediatric Dentistry at the Philippine Children’s Medical Centre in from 1994-2002. He served as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Paediatric and Community Dentistry and hospital staff dentist at both institutions, after placing first in his dental board examinations. 

He also enjoyed a good decade of of starting up and managing his own practice, with visiting paediatric dentist roles to a number of dental centres in Manila before moving to Townsville in 2013 on completion of his Australian Dental Council Certificate as a general dentist.  Dr Garret initially joined 1300SMILES and consulted from Fulham Road in Pimlico, before briefly taking on a lead clinical placement teaching role at James Cook University (JCU) as a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Dentistry in 2015.  

To inspire his dental students, Dr Garret left teaching to establish Project Outback Dental (POD) Pty Ltd – North Qld’s first and only private mobile dental practice servicing North and Northwest Qld in 2016, and later MYTOOTHDOCTOR Townsville Paediatric Dentistry for his outback clients wishing to see him in Townsville. 

With North Queensland's first and only private dental van, the "pod", Project Outback Dental services populations identified by Australia’s National Oral Health Plan 2015–2024 - providing much needed dental services to (1) people who are socially disadvantaged or on low incomes, (2) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, (3) people living in regional and remote Australia, and (4) people with additional and/or specialised health care needs.  

Project Outback Dental (POD) continues to be the outsourced and trusted dental services provider of the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service (TAIHS), and with the support of his wife, Dr Mary Ann Palma (PhD), POD continues to innovate its delivery of oral health services to rural and regional North Queensland communities, schools, and supported accommodations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students.  

For his continued mobile service delivery in rural and remote Queensland, Dr Robles received the North Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) Dentist of the Year Award in 2018.

Dr Robles also maintains credentialling with the Townsville Mater Private Hospital, allowing him to treat children of all ages, and members of the family with special needs under a general anaesthetic. Referrals come from colleague dentists, DTs and OHTs, and allied health and medical professionals locally and from as far as Mt Isa and Mckay, 

He considers himself very blessed to work with specialist Oral and Maxillofacial and ENT Specialist surgeons - on carefully planned and select theatre cases.   He is also able to facilitate teleconsultations and timely referrals to Brisbane based Specialist Paediatric Dentists and Special Needs Dentistry Specialists for the management of more medically complex cases.

Dr Robles is an active member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Dentistry (ANZSPD Qld), the International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT), the Australian Society of Special Care in Dentistry (ASSCID), and the Australian Dental Association (ADAQ).  

KAREN WARD has now joined the MYTOOTHDOCTOR team and we are excited to let families know that we have now completed the fit out of her kids sensory-friendly waitng and dental treatment rooms!

Karen shares these thoughts on kids dentistry, "My first experience as a child visiting the dentist was amazing. Since this experience my goal has been to provide the same experience to my patients. I love supporting patients and their families and especially interacting with children on a daily basis."   With over 30 years experience in the industry as a dental therapist, Karen brings a wealth of experience and expertise working with children of all ages, and kids with special needs or suffering from anxiety.

Karen adds, "I strive to provide the same amazing and enjoyable experience to all children. I love getting to know them and see them as bright and inquisitive souls." "I cherish the trust and faith that they place in me to meet all of their dental needs. Through tiny steps together and lots of patience we can achieve great rewards. I am recognised in Townsville as a caring and knowledgeable health professional in the dental industry and my positive approach and love for working with children enables me to create a happy dental environment. I am married with a family of three boys and blessed to work each day with a great team. I love a chat and a laugh, come visit us soon."

Karen is always open and willing to learn, incorporating new and evidenced based clinical managment techniques that come with years of experience, and by undertaking professional learning on a regular basis. 

She also loves meeting new patients and their families  to ensure a seamless dental experience for them now and for them to carry on into their lifetime. 

In her spare time Karen loves spending time with her family, friends, travelling local and overseas.

DR CRYSTAL JOHN completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the University of Manchester School of Dentistry in 2016. On her first graduate year she worked at a private and NHS dental practice, under a structured work program with formal assessments by the the Oxfordshire Deanery, where she demonstrated a high level of competency in all aspects of General Dentistry including minor oral surgery.In 2018 Dr Crystal moved to Townsville establishing a very loyal base of clients at 1300SMILES on Fulham Road in Pimlico.  Her CV include a page list of 5 star reviews on Google and Facebook from both parents of the kids she has seen and her adult patients.  She is well loved by her former dental team on Fulham Road and have all wished her well in her joining MYTOOTHDOCTOR.

Dr Crystal has a keen interest in endodontics and children's dentistry, with now an extensive exposure to Indigenous Oral Health by having a regular patient list at the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service (TAIHS), and holding mobile dental van clinics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school kids at St Patricks College and the NRL Cowboys House.

Dr Crystal loves the colour blue, and is fluent in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Indonesia, conversational Mandarin, and a little of Hokkien and Cantonese - which comes as a surprise to some of her patients able to speak Chinese.

DR YEE HSIONG KHOO graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, a part of Queen Mary University of London, in 2016. He has worked as a general dentist in London and found his passion for oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) while working as an OMFS senior house officer in various hospitals in the UK. He also completed his medical degree at the University of Queensland College of Medicine in 2023.

Dr Yee joined MYTOOTHDOCTOR and Project Outback Dental (POD) to provide his skills and experience and special interest in minor oral surgery to our ATSI clients at the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service (TAIHS). Dr Yee holds regular surgical days at TAIHS and MYTOOTHDOCTOR to remove wisdom teeth, perform surgical teeth removals and biopsies, and cases that otherwise would have been on a long waitlist in the public system. 

Dr Yee is currently a medical intern at the Townsville University Hospital and hopes to return to the UK to pursue his OMS specialist training.

Outside of dentistry, Yee has lived in 3 continents (Australia, Europe, and Asia). He is a nomad at heart and his journey now brings him here to Australia. Yee enjoys travelling and learning about different cultures. He also enjoys skiing and scuba diving, having done both for more than a decade. Yee speaks English, Mandarin and Bahasa.