About Neela R. Patel, DDS
I am passionate about education and caring for my patients, but improving the lives of my patients is at the core of why I became a dentist. From a very young age, my dream was to be a doctor. My father who had a passion for learning, especially about the human body and how it works, was a great influence on me. Two other mentors that influenced me were my physician, and dentist in Arkansas. The family physician had a passion for caring about his patients, and he strived to make sure they were educated about how to be healthy. My dentist had just bought a retiring dentist’s practice in our small town, and he truly loved what he did. It showed in his relationships with his patients, and how excited he was about dentistry. I would go to his practice during the summer and help him with different procedures. He showed me many procedures, but he also showed me what was truly important, the patients in his practice. This upbringing in a small town, has shaped my vision for my practice. My practice is a relationship-based boutique practice with a small-town feel where we get to know our patients on a personal level, so we can help them achieve their dental goals. A lifetime of happy, healthy, and beautiful smiles is what I envision for each person who has entrusted me with their care. Each member of my team shares these same goals and values. We are dedicated to treating each patient with honesty, consideration, and in a manner in which we would want to be treated. We take pride in doing our best work for the betterment of the lives of our patients. We are also passionate about continuing our education to improve our level of patient care. I was born in rural Lancashire, England, and my family immigrated to the United States when I was ten years old. We settled in a small town called Crossett, Arkansas where I went to middle school and high school. It is in Crossett, where I met the love of my life, my husband Randy, as well as found my passion for dentistry. Randy and I were married in 1994, the same year that I graduated from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, TX. I attended a postgraduate general practice residency at the VA Medical Center in Houston after completing dental school to further my knowledge and experience. After this, I moved to Arizona where I practiced in a large group practice in Scottsdale for 4 years. I moved back to Houston in 1999, and I bought a retiring dentist’s practice that had been in the Heights for over 40 years. I have continued my growth as a dentist by completing a graduate program at The L.D. Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education as well as attending the Dawson Academy and achieving my Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD). I am also a member of several postgraduate organizations for education for dentists including Spear Education, and the Acorn West study club. I enjoy learning about all of the new advancements in dentistry, and as a result of that, I accumulate over a hundred hours of continuing education annually. In addition to continuing education, Dr. Patel serves as a Board Member of the Greater Houston Dental Society. I am the daughter of immigrants from India. I am one of the first females in my family to go to college, and a doctoral program. My family helped shaped my values. My husband, who is a third-generation Arkansan, and I live in the Spring Branch area. He has owned his own private business in the fitness industry since 1994. We have one daughter Jenna who currently is in high school at Second Baptist School. Jenna has been at Second Baptist School since Pre-Kindergarten. She has enjoyed playing sports especially basketball. We also attend church there. We are all extremely blessed to have my mother living with us, too. My mom has been a tremendous help in raising Jenna, and for that, we are all eternally grateful. As a family, we enjoy spending time together with family and friends, and we enjoy giving back to our community. One of our favorite places to spend family time together is in Port O’ Connor, Texas where we can be outdoors on the Texas coast while fishing or duck hunting.
