#322 100 Practices — Deepa Patel

In this episode of Dental Leaders, Payman chats with Deepa Patel, a locum dentist with the unique experience of working inside over 100 different practices. Having held every role from nurse and receptionist to practice manager before qualifying, Deepa shares why the happiest practices aren't always the most high-tech, and why the most profitable dentists aren't always the most skilled.

They touch on her philosophy of treating "dental and mental health" together and discuss how a transformative 10-day silent meditation retreat shifted her focus from perfection to presence. From humming during extractions to her daily gratitude practice, Deepa reveals to Payman why emotional intelligence is just as vital as clinical precision in modern dentistry.

In This Episode

01:20 - Mini smile makeovers and composite work

04:10 - Mindset around colour conversations

05:30 - Lessons from inside 100 practices

08:00 - Adapting to different equipment

10:20 - Respect for nurses and teamwork

12:45 - Why reception is the hardest job

14:35 - Handling difficult patients

17:10 - Dentists who couldn't do nursing

22:30 - Working in corporate versus independent

24:45 - Meeting patients in the waiting room

30:15 - Teeth colour and ageing

33:20 - Humming to keep patients calm

37:30 - Ethical treatment planning

39:20 - Disagreeing with treatment plans

42:05 - Motherhood and work-life balance

47:50 - The silent meditation retreat experience

50:15 - Living in the moment

54:15 - Treating dental and mental health together

56:35 - Blackbox thinking

01:00:50 - Manager power in corporates

01:09:25 - Courses as an investment

01:10:10 - Writing ten gratitudes every morning

About Deepa Patel

Deepa Patel qualified as a dentist in India before moving to the UK, where she worked as a hygienist, dental nurse, receptionist, and practice manager whilst completing her ORE exams. She now works two days a week at a Bupa practice and spends the rest of her time as a locum dentist, having gained experience in over 100 different practices across the UK. Deepa completed a transformative 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat and practices daily gratitude, writing ten things she's grateful for every morning. She lives in Derbyshire with her husband and two children, aged 16 and 4.