A TALENTED dentist in Buckinghamshire has won a top industry award second year running.

Dr Rachel Derby, 36, won the prestigious Best Young Dentist Award 2022 for South East at the Private Dentistry Awards only months after taking over the ownership of Chapel Dental in Flackwell Heath with her husband and fellow dentist Dr Neil Evans.

Originally from Northern Ireland, Rachel also bagged the Best Young Dentist for South East at Dentistry Awards in 2021, and she is also the president-elect of the British Association of Private Dentistry, a group born out of the coronavirus pandemic representing private dentistry in the UK.

Rachel commented the win: “It was amazing!

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go to the awards ceremony, because I have a toddler, she’s two, and I just couldn’t get a babysitter for the love or money, and I didn’t want to go there by myself without my husband, who’s also a dentist. So, we made the call to stay at home with her – she comes first more than anything." 

Rachel found out about the win when her phone went wild with congratulatory messages, and a friend at the awards telling her she won.  

“The funniest part was when I told my toddler the next day I had won, and she didn’t care two hoots. That brings you down to earth,” she said.

Rachel was selected from an initial group of 60 semi-finalists and 13 finalists at the awards celebrating dentists, hygienists and practice staff.

She was “hanging on” to the fact she was still classified as young, Rachel laughed.

Rachel and team took over Chapel Dental practice in September 2022, and gave the historic building on Heath End Road a new lease of life after it had been empty for months.

The new owners wanted to keep the old name, to respect the Flackwell Heath community and as a nod the building’s past as a Roman-Catholic chapel.

“We just wanted to keep that history there.  

 “We’re more guardians or current custodians of the building, because it’s been around since the 1800s,” Rachel explained.

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Now Rachel is focusing on building their reputation and client base through a “five start service”, which takes advantage of digital dentistry, better materials, better and more minimal technique developed in the past 10 to 20 years.

“We want to make everybody feel valued and cared for.

She was aware that “everybody hates dentistry”, and no one ever wakes up wanting to go and get a new crown and spend money on that, she said.

“We want to be able to change that experience – make sure they’re listened to, respected, and create a patient centric approach so they’re on the driving seat.”