Professor Tara Renton OBE brings four generations of dental history — and a career built on curiosity rather than ambition — to her conversation with Payman.
From navigating undiagnosed dyslexia and a father who begged her not to follow him into dentistry, to becoming the first female chair of oral surgery at King's College London, her story is one of serendipity, resilience, and an almost obsessive interest in the patient behind the pain.
She shares remarkable insights into orofacial pain — nerve injuries, psychosocial histories, patients whose chronic pain only begins to shift when someone finally takes the time to ask the right question — and makes a compelling case for multidisciplinary thinking in a profession she feels has been far too siloed for far too long.
Sharp reflections on surgical safety, local anaesthetic technique, and the state of dental education sit alongside something warmer: a life philosophy that's disarmingly simple. Stay curious.
In This Episode
00:02:50 - Four generations of dentists
00:06:05 - Child dental health crisis
00:07:20 - New grandmother
00:10:00 - Choosing dentistry
00:17:05 - Serendipity over ambition
00:37:15 - The juggle: three kids and a PhD
00:41:00 - Bullying and misogyny in surgery
00:44:45 - King's: first chair in oral surgery
00:47:35 - Multidisciplinary pain clinic
00:49:25 - The Iranian patient
00:56:00 - Trust underpins consent
01:00:00 - Classifying orofacial pain
01:07:05 - When grief resolves chronic pain
01:12:15 - Blackbox thinking
01:17:00 - Local anaesthetic tips
01:22:00 - Wrong site surgery
01:25:30 - Dental student selection
01:27:15 - Redesigning the dental course
01:47:50 - Bruxism: rethinking the evidence
01:50:15 - Fantasy dinner party
01:53:45 - Last days and legacy
About Professor Tara Renton OBE
Professor Tara Renton OBE is Emeritus Professor of Oral Surgery at King's College London Dental Institute, where she became the first female chair of oral surgery — and one of the world's leading authorities on orofacial pain and nerve injury. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, she has authored over 250 research papers, completed a PhD centred on morbidity following third molar surgery, established a pioneering multidisciplinary pain clinic at King's, and carried out extensive medico-legal work in surgical safety. She is the co-founder of the patient resource orofacialpain.org.uk.
