Our Team

Dr Robert Rutland

MBBS BChD FDSRCSEd MBCAM DipClinDerm FDSRCPSGlas

HEAD DENTIST & PRINCIPAL

GDC No. 68965

Hello, I am Robert Rutland, the Head Dentist and Principal at LifeSmiles Dental. I am a great believer in pain-free, preventative oral healthcare, minimally invasive surgery and a patient-centred approach to dentistry.

I am a dentist as well as a registered medical doctor. At LifeSmiles, your clinical and patient experience teams, puts comfort, safety, and patient experience at the heart of everything we do.

Over the last 20 years our family practice, which is only 3 miles from Newbury, has built a reputation for high standard, caring, pain-free, friendly dentistry. My professional and personal philosophy of patient centred oral healthcare is the bedrock of our practice. Put simply, my philosophy is this: the dentist and his or her dental team, must take every reasonable precaution to prevent dental problems in a patient. However, if all else fails and a treatment is necessary, a drill should not be used unless every alternative treatment option has been exhausted and even then, any treatment must be conservative, minimally invasive and pain free.

We are a state-of-the-art practice, with modern, spacious surgeries. One of our latest cutting edge pieces of  equipment is the MyCrown System, a computerized design and milling technology that has created a bit of a buzz with some of our patients.  Once, during a MyCrown treatment with Kayleigh my dental nurse, the silver spray needed to be shaken for maximum effect; consequently, we gave the silver spray a thorough shake. On hearing the shaking-action, the patient who was in the dental chair asked if we were mixing cocktails! After successful completion of his treatment, the patient returned with a can of Mojito for each of us as a thank you! I hasten to add, we drank them at the end of another rewarding day at the practice!

Robert, Kayleigh, and the well earned Mojitos!

You know as well as anyone, that your smile is one of the most noticeable and memorable features of your face. That is why the whole dental team at the practice works hard to provide you and other patients, with the very best in healthcare. As well as general dentistry, we are able to offer our patients many cosmetic services, such as tooth straightening without extraction, tooth whitening and various methods for filling gaps between teeth. We also offer denture services and facial aesthetics such as lip enhancement, skin improvement, aesthetic medicine and surgical and non-surgical dermatology, in my personal capacity as the practice’s in-house doctor.

I qualified in dentistry from Leeds Dental Hospital in 1993. Prior to this, I qualified as a doctor from Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital London in 1987. I held posts in orthopaedic surgery, general medicine, general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and dermatology. I also worked at the prestigious Sunderland Royal Infirmary (SRI), where I trained in maxillofacial surgery with Professor Leo Stassen. At SRI, I attained the very prestigious award of Fellowship in Dental Surgeon of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. This was the highest academic Diploma in Oral surgery and Oral medicine. Thereafter, I spent two years as a Lecturer at the Russell Group University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where I taught undergraduate dentists and postgraduate doctors.

As you might have gathered by now, my original career pathway was aimed at becoming a Professor of Maxillofacial Surgery, however, as I am often heard to say, “I decided to get a life” instead and became a full time dentist! Thus, I started my career in general dental practice in 1993 with a part-time post in Peterlee, County Durham. Subsequently, I came to the South East and started as an associate at the Broadway Dental Practice with Dr Brian Carter in 1997. Since then, I have become the practice owner and principal dentist of the same practice, now known as Broadway LifeSmiles Dental for the last 20 years.

Over the last 20 years I have carried on intensive continuing professional development (CPD) and subsequently attained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow for “Distinction in Dentistry”. I now examine Dentists for Diploma at the same college.

My Qualifications and Training

As a practising doctor, I also attained the Diploma in Clinical Dermatology and Membership of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine by examination. Additionally, I have the prestigious job of appraising dermatologists and cosmetic doctors, allowing them to retain their General Medical Council (GMC) registrations. I am also a level seven Leadership Coach and Mentor.

My professional qualifications are as follows:

• MBBS 1987 St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London. Medical doctor qualification, UK
• BChD 1993 Leeds Dental Institute. Qualifying degree in Dentistry
• FDSRCSEd 1996 Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Academic Diploma by examination in Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine from Edinburgh
• MBCAM 2008Member of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine by Examination
• DipClinDerm 2010 Queen Mary College, London: Diploma in Clinical Dermatology (Diseases of the skin)
• FDSRCPSGlas 2011: Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Awarded for “Distinction in Dentistry”
• PGCert 2015 (Level 7) in Leadership Coaching & Mentoring
• Dr Rutland is an appraiser of Cosmetic Doctors ensuring they reach the standard required for Revalidation with GMC
• Dr Rutland is an Examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons

Outside of dental work

I enjoy swimming and a few years ago, whilst on holiday in the Greek Island, I swam 6 km (3.7m) a day around different islands. I also enjoy going to the gym. I am an advanced level skier and go to Whistler every year. I enjoy playing the piano and attained my goal of Grade 8 piano for my 50th birthday. I have an eclectic taste in music and I play everything from Meat Loaf and Queen, to Beethoven and Chopin. I also write my own music. When I am allowed to, I play the piano accordion! Finally, I enjoy cars and was one of the youngest people to get the Membership of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the day after my 18th birthday!