Meet our Young Dentist of the Year

Amit Patel joined {my}dentist Bognor Regis five years ago and is one of the best-known and best-loved dentists in the {my}dentist network. Not only is he endlessly positive, a master in building positive patient relationships, and a technically excellent dentist, he is an innovator and ambassador for the industry too. He’s supported his practice, patients and wider community through Covid-19 and we think he is a deserved winner of our Young Dentist of the Year award.

Amit’s major success at Bognor Regis is his adoption of the therapy model. He identified that by referring to a therapist he could open up access for patients, and improve their journey through shorter waiting lists, while giving himself more time to focus on complicated cases and a growing private treatment list. He now refers around 1500 UDAs to his therapist annually, as well as approx. £70k of private hygiene treatment which they have grown from a base of near zero!

Positive patient reviews

We have never known a dentist like Amit who receives so many positive reviews. Not only are patients inspired to leave them onthe practice Google and NHS choices listing, they tell us how much they appreciate Amit’s care via our head office too.

When Amit joined the Bognor Regis practice it faced several challenges: despite having an outstanding team, the practice had a poor reputation, with an average one-star review on Google, and was not financially viable. However, Amit wasn’t perturbed. By focusing on patient relationships, as well as creating greater access behind the scenes by volunteering to see patients in the evenings and Saturdays, and through his belief in the therapy model, the practice is now thriving and, alongside a new PM, he can take plenty of credit

Striving for positive change Amit is a clinical mentor and supports the development of his therapists and dental nurses. He will happily train nurses from the basics to enhanced skills such as taking dental impressions or radiography.

He has presented at peer reviews on how to create a more harmonious patient journey and on topics such as antibiotic prescribing, UDA claiming, working more effectively and how to communicate more effectively to patients. During lockdown, {my}dentist appealed to its clinicians to film tips videos to help people manage their oral health at home. Amit was first to film a series of videos providing advice to prevent future problems after lockdown. These were used in national promotions by {my}dentist.

He has also appeared on BBC Radio Sussex and BBC Asian Network to give oral health advice in lockdown. In 2019, Amit set up his Instagram page Amit.TheDentist, with a campaign called “Let’s Get West Sussex Smiling” where he uses social media to engage with the local community giving much needed dental advice. Additionally, he attends schools, care homes and community centres giving personal oral hygiene talks.

Charity links

In 2018 Amit travelled to Tanzania with the charity Bridge2Aid to care for patients and support the training of rural healthworkers in dentistry skills, to leave a sustainable legacy of accessible emergency care. The trip had a profound effect on him and he kept a video diary of his time there.

From this experience, Amit was asked to be a Communications Ambassador for Bridge2Aid. He regularly writes articles and attends talks promoting the charity.

Closer to home, Amit supports local West Sussex Charities, focusing on the homeless and women’s refuges by donating toothbrushes and toothpaste.

We can’t begin to express how proud we are of Amit’s hard work, dedication and achievements over the last 5 years with {my}dentist. Thank you, Amit, you truly are an inspiration!

If you’re interested in finding out more about Amit’s work or how you could get involved in charity or community work through {my}dentist please email [email protected]