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.