Medically reviewed by Dr. Saurabh Shrivastava, BDS MDS Prosthodontist, Certified Digital Smile Designer (DSD) (DCI: A-04860). Last updated: May 2026.

Finding the right dentist in Bhopal comes down to five practical checks — verified DCI registration, specialist training, modern technology with proper sterilisation, transparent communication, and a location you can return to easily — all of which patients from Kolar Road and across Bhopal find at Smile Gallery Dental Wellness Centre, where Dr. Saurabh Shrivastava, BDS MDS Prosthodontist (DCI: A-04860), Certified Digital Smile Designer, leads clinical care. Reliable dental treatment begins with the right team: even routine work like a root canal, with its 95% success rate over 10 years, depends on accurate diagnosis and clean technique.

Verify DCI Registration First

Every practising dentist in India must hold a Dental Council of India registration number. This number is the simplest, most reliable filter you can apply. At Smile Gallery, Dr. Saurabh holds DCI A-04860 and Dr. Kirti Shrivastava holds DCI A-01281; both are verifiable on the DCI register. Avoid any clinic that hesitates to share registration details.

Look for Specialist Training, Not Just Years

Years of practice matter, but specialist qualifications matter more for complex work. A general BDS dentist is trained for routine care; an MDS prosthodontist, orthodontist, or endodontist has additional postgraduate training in a specific area. For implants and full-mouth rehabilitation, a prosthodontist with digital smile design training is well placed. For braces and aligners, an MDS in orthodontics is the relevant qualification — Dr. Kirti Shrivastava, BDS MDS PhD, leads orthodontic care at Smile Gallery.

Assess the Technology and Sterilisation

Walk through the clinic before booking a major procedure. Look for autoclave sterilisation of every instrument, single-use disposables (gloves, suction tips, cups), barrier protection on chairs and switches, and digital X-ray equipment. CBCT imaging, intra-oral cameras, and digital impression scanners are useful indicators of a clinic that invests in current standards. Older film X-rays and unwrapped instruments are warning signs.

"A good dentist is not the one who starts treatment fastest — it is the one who examines you carefully, takes the X-rays that are actually needed, and then shows you the treatment plan in writing before asking you to agree to anything. Time spent in that first conversation saves you from surprises later."

Dr. Saurabh Shrivastava · BDS, MDS Prosthodontist, DCI A-04860

Evaluate Communication and Treatment Planning

A trustworthy dentist will examine you carefully, take photographs and X-rays where indicated, and walk you through findings before recommending any treatment. You should leave the first consultation with a written or digital treatment plan, an explanation of priority versus optional procedures, and clear answers to your questions. Pressure to start the same day for non-emergency work is a warning sign; patients deserve time to consider options.

Choose a Convenient Location for Follow-Ups

Dental care is rarely complete in one visit. Crowns, implants, braces, and even simple fillings benefit from follow-up. A clinic close to home, work, or your child’s school makes those visits realistic. Smile Gallery is located at E4-205, 10 Number Market, Arera Colony, with parking available and clinic hours Monday to Saturday 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 9pm. The clinic is closed on Sunday.

Match the Clinic to the Treatment You Need

Different cases need different settings. Routine cleaning, fillings, and check-ups can be done at most general clinics. For implants, full-mouth rehabilitation, complex root canals, or smile design, choose a clinic that handles these regularly and shows before-and-after work from its own patients. Smile Gallery offers all of these in-house, which means coordinated planning across specialities for the same patient.

Names and identifying details changed for privacy.

Illustration for patient privacy — identifying details altered.
The clinical case and outcome are from Dr. Saurabh Shrivastava's practice.

Rajesh walked in on a Thursday evening in September, a senior officer from a government department in TT Nagar, 44 years old, carrying the scepticism of someone who had been to 3 different clinics in the past year and left each time without a clear answer.

"Every clinic tells me something different," he said, setting his briefcase down. "One says I need implants. One says a bridge is fine. The third quoted me a number I could not understand because no one explained the treatment plan."

I understood the frustration. He had a missing lower left first molar — extracted 18 months ago — and was now caught between conflicting opinions with no framework to evaluate them. His remaining teeth were in good condition: mild tartar on the lower anteriors, 2 old composite fillings that were intact, and healthy gums with no pocketing beyond 3 mm at any site. The bone at the extraction site showed adequate volume on the OPG — 9 mm of vertical bone height, enough for a standard-length implant.

I walked him through both options in plain terms. "A bridge is faster — 2 to 3 visits, and the adjacent teeth anchor the replacement. The trade-off is that those anchor teeth are prepared — trimmed permanently — to hold the bridge. An implant preserves the adjacent teeth entirely, functions like a natural root, and with proper care lasts 15 to 20 years. It requires 4 to 5 months because bone has to integrate with the titanium implant."

I handed him a printed treatment plan before he left the consultation — both options listed with visit counts, timelines, and cost ranges. No pressure to decide that day.

He called back the following week and chose the implant. We placed it in 1 surgical visit of about 40 minutes under local anaesthesia. He returned at 10 days for suture removal, and at 4 months for the crown loading once integration was confirmed on X-ray. The ceramic crown was fitted at his fifth visit. Total time from placement to final dentist in bhopal review: 5 months.

At his 12-month check-up, the implant was stable with no marginal bone loss and the crown was undamaged. He had also brought his 16-year-old daughter for an orthodontic evaluation — she needed braces for crowding, which Dr. Kirti Shrivastava took over from that point.

"I should have come here first," he said. "It was the written plan that made the difference. I finally understood what I was agreeing to."

— Dr. Saurabh Shrivastava
BDS, MDS Prosthodontist · DCI A-04860 · Smile Gallery, Bhopal