Dr. Norvishie Arkutu

BDS (University of Bristol), MFDS RCPS (Glasgow), MSc. Health Services Research (University of Nottingham), MOrth RCS (Eng), FDS Orth RCS (Eng), Masters in Medical Education (University of Warwick), FGCS(Gh) Norvishie Arkutu was born in Ghana and started her schooling at Ridge Church. She left after Class 2 and travelled extensively with her family completing the majority of her schooling in Kenya and Zimbabwe. She then transferred to London for her sixth form and remained in the UK until May of 2013, some 23 years!! She qualified in dentistry in 1998 from Bristol University (UK) and underwent diverse and complete post graduate training, grabbing every opportunity that she came across to learn and gain experience leading to a wide breadth of knowledge including dealing with cleft patients, facial injuries in road traffic accidents, cancers of the head and neck region, treatment of patients with learning difficulties, dental phobic and aesthetic dentistry. She specialised and completed her orthodontic (braces) training and Masters Degree at Birmingham Dental Hospital -a three year full time course, and then spent a further two years of higher training in the treatment of multidisciplinary cases i.e. cleft lip and palate, cranio – facial, severe hypodontia (missing teeth), trauma and the management of patients with severe learning difficulties. At a consultant level (the highest possible level in the UK); she also lectured and contributed to the postgraduate orthodontic programme at both Birmingham and Manchester Dental Schools. She was jointly awarded UK’s Aesthetic Dentistry Orthodontic Smile Award in 2009 and was again nominated in 2010 (the dental equivalent of the Oscars!). This was a pivotal moment in her career since it established that her extensive theoretical knowledge could be put into practice at a level to be applauded and held in high esteem by her peers. Dr. Arkutu cleverly mixed her love for travelling and experiencing new cultures with sharing her knowledge by doing extensive amount of lecturing in places near as Nigeria and as far as Oman (Middle East), India, France and Morocco. She has over 12 publications in peer review journals. Dr. Arkutu returned permanently to Ghana in June 2013 to run her own Practice - Platinum Orthodontic and Dental Services www.platinum-dental.com. Platinum is the epitome and testament of all that Dr. Arkutu is. From its unique architectural beauty to it being technologically more advanced than 95% of practices in the UK and USA. However, she still maintains that what makes the absolute difference is the way the client is made to feel. She recognises that “people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care”, especially in something as personal as dentistry. This is reflected in the practice motto “Every patient counts, getting it right first time and every time”. She recognises that whilst a lot of practices here deal with dental disease as does Platinum, there is a rising awareness of cosmetic procedures in dentistry i.e. people seeking to improve the way their teeth and faces look. This is seen in the volume of tooth whitening procedures done in Platinum, which she jokingly calls Ghana’s favourite dental procedure as well the rise in clients opting for invisible ways of aligning their teeth (Invisalign and Lingual braces) so no one can see the brace; to Botox and Dermal Fillers to reverse the signs of ageing facially. All this keeps her working days highly varied. Dr Arkutu is supported in attaining her goals by a team of abled professionals, a troop of mentors and coaches who she values to death and who keep pushing her to the next level. Norvishie was listed as one of Ghana’s 100 most outstanding women entrepreneurs in November of 2017. And in 2018, Dr Arkutu was present at the African Dental summit held in London and returned with two distinguished awards for her practice: Runner Up – Africa Dental Summit (Excellence in Service Provision) 2018 for the customer care and the Runner Up award for Best Hospital Care Pathway for patients undergoing implant care. Platinum was winner of the West African Clinical Alliance Awards (Most Outstanding Dental Clinic of the Year) in the same year. Her other passion is food and she confesses to being a real ‘foodie’. Very high up on her ‘bucket list’ is a three-month cooking course in Italy when time allows!! Indeed, the last exam she did was a practical exam in wine tasting. When asked about the challenges of it all, Dr. Arkutu says she loves being back home right now, being close to her family and enjoying the interactions that this allows. ‘It is simply the best’!