Dr. Raj
Owner and Lead Dentist at Southland Dental
Dr. Raj is the Owner and Lead Dentist at Southland Dental and has worked in Medicine Hat for most of his career.
With over 15 years of clinical care behind him, dentistry has become a labour of love for Dr. Raj. Growing up in a family as involved in medicine, as it was in art; from an early age, Raj sought the platform in which he could feed his desire to combine both science and creativity.
Raj was born in Edmonton and raised in British Columbia. As a young adult, Dr. Raj studied the sciences at the University of Toronto, where a chance encounter with a Pathology professor who happened to be a practicing dentist, led him to a career in Dentistry.
“I really didn’t know much about dentistry at the time, but it became clear to me that it was an excellent opportunity to combine science with the humanities, not to mention psychology and engineering. It really encompasses a little bit of everything”.
education & early career
Dr. Raj completed his Dental Education at the esteemed New York University in New York City. Following this, he completed a hospital-based General Practice residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. During his service there, he dedicated a significant amount of time to treating medically complex cases for hospital patients, under the tutelage of a variety of the state’s best general dentists and specialists.
Dr. Raj spent the next 6 years as the owner and operator of a rural Dental Practice in Provost, Alberta. He attributes his growth as a practitioner to the time he spent there.
“I think in the eyes of most people, great dentistry exists at the junction of form and function, but it truly boils down to listening to my patients. My goal is to provide pain-free, evidence-based treatment, but also spending a significant time asking and answering questions to get the best understanding of my patients’ expectations.”
clinical interests
Clinically, Dr. Raj has a specific interest in extractions, root canals, dental implants, cosmetics and patients with complex medical and dental needs. He also enjoys treating pediatric patients!
outside the clinic
Outside of his work, Dr. Raj enjoys traveling, spending time with his family and friends, listening to music and reading books, podcasts, being near the ocean and the mountains, and of course, watching the Edmonton Oilers perennially disappoint him (but maybe not this year).
