Love takes dentist on transatlantic voyage from Birmingham to Abington
Dr. Mona Patel made up her mind to become a dentist very early in life, and she stuck with it.
She didn’t know yet that it would take her on a journey from her native Britain to America.
“I always felt like I needed to do dentistry. I chose that career at age 13, and that was my goal,” she said.
Patel comes from a long line of family members who work in health care. Her father is a physician, as was her grandfather. Patel’s uncles, too, are doctors, so she wanted to branch out a little, but stick with the sciences.
Her heritage has taught her many things that she applies to her life and her practice.
“If you do the right thing for patients, you can never go wrong. I am genuinely interested in my patients,” she said.
In her soft British cadence, she explained that she is carrying on family traditions while building on them.
“My family is from the midlands, and I lived in Birmingham and went to the University of Birmingham at the age of 17,” she said.
Then she was introduced to her husband by her family, as is the custom for many Indians in Britain, she said.
“It was an introduced marriage, not an arranged marriage,” Patel said.
He lived in America, and she had just graduated from dental school in England.
“We hit it off and talked for a year and got married,” she said.
So, she moved to the Philadelphia area and enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania PASS program for graduates
of foreign dental schools. She started practicing in the area in 1995.
Before opening her own practice, Patel worked in three other offices to get a feel for what she wanted her own business to be.
Another thing she always knew she would do is be a mother, Patel said.
On spending time at the office versus time with family, Patel said she doesn’t usually feel pulled in too many directions.
“It’s a balancing act, but I’ve managed over the years,” she said.
With motherhood in mind, she structured her dental practice around the life she wanted.
“When I bought the practice, I changed things a little bit. I do what I call “mom hours” — so what that means is I start early in the morning and finish at about 2:30 and head home and be mom,” she said.
Patients seems to really enjoy the morning hours, she said, because they too have to get off to work or school and don’t want to be bothered with making appointments during the day. She does see patients one evening a week to accommodate children and other people who prefer evening appointments.
She also bases her practice policies on some of her own pet peeves. As a mom, she makes trips to the pediatrician and other doctors’ offices.
“I don’t like to go to the medical doctor and the front desk hardly ever looks up. You write your name on a form and wait half an hour before anyone ever acknowledges you. I don’t think that’s caring for a person,” Patel said.
At her office, new patients are greeted warmly and regular patients are welcomed on a first-name basis.
Receptionists always know who’s in the office, Patel said, because they take patients’ photos so they can remember their names.
Patel continues to bring in new technology and advances in dentistry with the help of her husband, who is somewhat of a techie.
“He’s great and he really helps a lot. We’ve integrated digital technology, and we use wireless charts,” she said.
The technology helps her to practice in a more efficient manner, which also allows her to spend more time with each patient.
“I will actually sit down and explain things and show you where you need to work harder with the tools that I have with technology and interoral cameras,” Patel said.
That education for patients is important, she said, to prevent future problems with dental health. She is currently building a new, educational Web site. E-mail Patel at monadmd@comcast.net.
For more information, call 215-884-3477 or stop by Mona M. Patel, DMD, office at 1919 Sesquanna Road in Abington.
