Awards confidential – Dental Rooms

Leanna Ellis speaks to Dev Patel and Angela Auluck from Dental Rooms about their vision for the practice, how they realised it and how it feels to see their efforts rewarded through awards.

Almost 20 years ago, Dev and Angela turned a chance opportunity into a celebrated Wimbledon dental practice. At the time, they were handed the keys to a tired two-surgery clinic by retiring dentist Clive Moyes. The transaction was sealed not through agents but over a cup of tea in the garden. What they inherited was far from glamorous: an ageing practice with no patient base, dated equipment, and the challenge of juggling business ownership with starting a family.

To make it work, the couple moved into the flat beneath the practice, just as the previous owner had. Their bedroom eventually became a surgery, their garden doubled as a playground for their young children and their commute was simply a walk upstairs. The set-up blurred the lines between home and work – patients were as likely to be seen in the local shops as in the surgery – but it also offered rare flexibility as they raised their children.

A decade later, the practice was thriving, and they took the bold step of expanding. A striking glass extension transformed the Victorian property into a five-surgery clinic, complete with seminar and staff spaces. The design also embodied their philosophy of biophilic design – bringing the outdoors in – creating a serene, light-filled environment to reduce patient anxiety and improve staff wellbeing.

‘Patients love sitting in the glass box before their appointments,’ Angela explains in the interview. ‘It makes them feel calm.’

Recognition and reward

From the outset, Dev and Angela’s vision was to create a specialist-led, multidisciplinary ‘one-stop shop’, where patients could receive comprehensive care under one roof. Inspired by their training at the Eastman, they wanted to replicate the collaborative model they had experienced there. Angela adds that she wanted the practice to be ‘the Harrods of dentistry’ – a high-end, spa-like environment with uncompromising service standards.

Recognition soon followed. In 2019, Dental Rooms was named UK Practice of the Year at the Private Dentistry Awards, a milestone the couple describe as ‘one of the best days of our lives’. Far from chasing trophies, they say the awards process sharpened their focus and gave their team a powerful sense of shared achievement. Angela has since returned to the awards as a judge, giving her a new appreciation for the effort and dedication behind every entry.

Today, Dental Rooms has grown to nine surgeries, more than 40 staff, and a reputation as one of the country’s leading practices. The couple have restructured management to empower their team, splitting responsibilities between clinical and business managers and allowing staff to take ownership of recruitment. Their philosophy is simple: lead from the bottom, not the top.

Looking ahead, they plan to harness digital dentistry, AI, and 3D printing to deliver ever more advanced care. But the ethos remains unchanged: a patient-centred, specialist-driven practice, built on teamwork and trust. What began as a family home with a swing in the garden is now an award-winning practice, but Dev and Angela still see it as more than a workplace.

‘We’ve had parties here, we got married here,’ Angela reflects. ‘It’s always been part of our lives.’

Hear more about their journey in the video above.

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