Specialist Dentist in Fulham – An interview with Dr. Risha Patel

Dr Risha Patel BDS (Lond), MJDF RCS (Eng), MClinDent Endo (Dist), MEndo RCS (Edin)

Dr Risha Patel joined Fulham Road Dental in early 2021 as a Specialist in Endodontics as recognised by the General Dental Council. She qualified from the Guy’s, Kings and St Thomas Dental Institute in 2012, completing her foundation training years in South East London, broadening her experience in the fields of General Dental Practice, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Orthodontics. Alongside these appointments, she also completed her examinations to attain her Membership in the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) of the Royal College of Surgeons (England).

Upon returning to General Dental Practice, she was accepted onto the specialist training programme in Endodontics at King’s College London, where she qualified with distinction, completing research focused on the use of specialised imaging techniques and software in the management of endodontics problems.

As a Dentist in Fulham, Risha currently provides endodontic treatment (non-surgical and surgical) of complex cases on a referral basis.  The complexity of these treatments suits her meticulous nature and eye for attention to detail. She strives to provide consistent, high-quality endodontic treatment in a pain-free and comfortable environment and believes all patients should be involved in their own decision-making process. One of her strengths lies in the treatment of anxious patients, providing a variety of options to help patients manage treatment.

The remainder of her clinical time is spent teaching on the undergraduate and postgraduate endodontic programmes at King’s College London.  Her other active roles within the profession include Director of the South East and South West Division of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) and Council Member of the British Endodontic Society alongside publishing and presenting work nationally and internationally.

Risha describes herself as “a motivated and responsible individual with a strong belief in delivering high-quality patient care and continually striving to reach my own full potential, as well as support those around me to do the same. I value the importance of excellent communication skills and empathy and endeavour to build rapport and trust with all my patients and my fellow team. My confidence in continuing professional development has seen me complete numerous postgraduate courses and I will continue to do so because I truly believe that in order to keep growing, we must never cease to learn”.

Risha specialises in providing the following treatments at Fulham Road Dental. All treatments are completed with the use of an endodontic microscope and CBCT imaging as appropriate

• Specialist consultation
• Root canal treatment
• Re-root canal treatments (including management of missed anatomy, calcified canals, perforations, ledges, blocks, fractured files)
• Apical microsurgery
• Vital pulp therapy
• Pain diagnosis
• Management of cracked teeth
• Management of trauma

Life away from Dentistry

Outside of dentistry, Risha is a keen dancer, performing, competing and training in many disciplines from a young age. She describes herself as being able to “eat, breathe and sleep dance. Dancing is my favourite form of expression”.

Risha is married and prior to COVID-19 she and her husband were on track to travel to 40 countries before reaching the age of 40. When travel restrictions are lifted, they both hope to complete this goal. She is currently exploring the world of photography and digital art and enjoys using these newly developed skills when travelling.

Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), King’s College London, 2012
• Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF), Royal College of Surgeons, England, 2014
• Masters in Clinical Dentistry in Endodontics (MClinDent) (Distinction), King’s College London, 2019
• Membership in Endodontics (MEndo), Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, 2019

Notable Dentistry Achievements

• Nomination for the Maurice Wohl GDP Prize
• Speciality Training and Qualification in Endodontology
• Specialist Clinical Teacher and Lecturer at King’s College London
• Co-author of Amazon’s number one bestseller “Medinterview”
• Interviewer for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Dental BDS and Medical MBBS Entry

Notable Dentistry Publications and Presentations

• The Impact of Different Diagnostic Imaging Modalities on the Evaluation of Root Canal Anatomy and Endodontic Residents’ Stress Levels: A Clinical Study.
  S, Patel. R, Foschi.F, Mannocci.F. Journal of Endodontics, March 2018
• Undergraduate dentistry interview, Second Edition
  Sri H Ravi, Risha Patel, Veena Babu, Simon Cowen Publishing, October 2015
• Evaluation of image quality of CT reconstructed orthopantomogram (OPG) versus traditional OPG in pre-radiotherapy dental assessment
  S, Patel. R, Mellish. V, Andi. K. British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oct 2014.
• Leading the future of our profession: Emerging Leaders in Dentistry. FGDP AGM, April 2018
• 3D Endo: What, when, why? European Society of Endodontology Congress, Brussels, September 2017
• 3D Imaging in Endodontics: 3D Endo and CBCT: PanDental Conference, November 2016

Lockdown Fact

Risha is passionate about connecting people through the written word at times when they may otherwise feel alone. During lockdown, she founded ‘Wishes on Wings’ which aims to connect women giving birth alone due to hospital restrictions with other women who have experienced similar circumstances. Wishes on Wings uses words of encouragement and shared life experiences through letters, quotes and poetry to help “new mothers” to manage through these difficult circumstances and feel less isolated.