Meet The Team
Uzma Ahmed
Clinical Director and Principal Dentist | GDC: 81118
Uzma qualified from King’s College London in 2002 and was a House Officer both at King’s and in Guy’s Hospital, working in Oral Medicine, Special Care dentistry dealing with phobic patients and Restorative Dentistry.
Having completed her MFDS with the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2005 she was in general practice in the south of London and Kent from 2003-2014 and also provided emergency dental care for the Croydon Primary Care Trust for 9 years. She took over Merrygate Dental Practice as principal dentist and practice owner in 2014, relocating to Brockenhurst with her family. Uzma achieved her Masters in Clinical Dentistry with King’s College, fixed and removable prosthodontics with distinction in 2018. This was a degree in advanced dental care, cosmetic dentistry, crowns, bridges, dentures and implants and care of the elderly and dental phobic and nervous Patients. In 2021 she re-qualified in intravenous sedation for adults with dental phobias and is currently completing her diploma in endodontics (root canals).
Most recently Dr Ahmed has been appointed clinical tutor by King’s College and works on their behalf teaching final year dental students in a broad spectrum of clinical dentistry in Portsmouth University Dental Academy, where she supports them throughout their most challenging year upto their graduation.
Uzma has a strong academic background, combined with over 20 years of clinical experience in which she prides herself in approaching her practice with empathy and pain-free dentistry. Uzma is interested in providing excellent quality dentistry for her patients in a comfortable environment.
Rafae Ahmed
Non-Clinical Director
Rafae is a qualified lawyer from Pakistan and completed a law conversion in the UK through the University of London. With an international background advising major hotel groups across Pakistan, Dubai and England, Rafae brings a strong foundation in governance, compliance and customer experience to the practice. Rafae became co-owner in 2014 and has since played a key role in shaping how the practice operates behind the scenes.
As Non-Clinical Director, Rafae is responsible for ensuring the practice runs smoothly, safely and in line with all regulatory requirements. This includes oversight of compliance, policies and procedures, complaints handling, HR, staff training frameworks, and business operations. Rafae also leads on marketing, branding and digital presence, helping to ensure the practice communicates clearly and honestly with patients while maintaining a strong local reputation.
A major focus of Rafae’s role is improving the overall patient journey—from first contact and appointment booking through to feedback and follow‑up care—making sure systems, processes and communication support the excellent clinical care delivered by the dental team. Rafae is always happy to speak with patients about suggestions, concerns or ideas on how the practice can continue to improve.
Outside the practice, summer months are usually spent on the cricket field playing with friends for the Brockenhurst Cricket Team, or enthusiastically supporting a daughter’s involvement in All Stars Cricket—proof that teamwork and community matter just as much off the pitch as they do in the practice.
Dominic Clark-Roberton
Associate Dentist
Dr Dominic Clark-Roberton graduated from The University of Bristol in 2021 with a Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery, having previously completed a Biomedical Sciences degree at The University of Southampton.
Dominic enjoys all aspects of dentistry, with experience providing restorative dentistry and emergency dental care to rural communities in North Wales. He prides himself on delivering a high standard of care in a relaxed environment and has undertaken further training in root canal treatment in order to help patients who would like to preserve teeth, which would otherwise be lost.
Outside of work, Dominic is a keen sailor, passionate about travel and food and in 2026 is most excited about travelling to the remote region of Ladakh in North East India to provide charity dental care. Dominic awaits your food and travel recommendations, particularly hidden gems in the New Forest National Park, which is now on his doorstep.
Karina Winderam
Associate Dentist
Dr Karina Winderam is an award-winning dentist who graduated from Kings College with Honours. Upon completion of her degree in dentistry (her second degree, having previously attained a BSc in biomedical sciences) she was ranked 2nd in the country out of the 1053 dental students graduating that year.
Karina grew up in Milford-on-Sea and her studies have taken her overseas to Singapore and Vietnam. She has a passion for general dentistry and particularly enjoys looking after people of all ages. Karina especially enjoys treating children and has a warm, friendly demeanour.
Karina hopes returning to the New Forest will start the beginning of a long and successful career in general practice here at Merrygate Dental. She has already expressed interest in further developing her root canal filling skills and enjoys practising all aspects of general practice.
Outside of dentistry Karina is an avid sportswoman, playing tennis to a high level and coaching in Bournemouth in the past and also enjoys running. She has completed several half marathons and is currently training for a full one.
Zaneta Plichta
Oral Surgeon
Dr Zaneta Plichta is an experienced dental surgeon with over 20 years of clinical practice. Qualified in 2001, Dr Plichta has spent the past 19 years providing high‑quality private dental care in the UK.
Dr Plichta holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Dentistry in Implantology and has a special interest in restorative and aesthetic dentistry, implant dentistry and oral surgery.
Known for a calm and caring approach, Dr Plichta is particularly skilled at helping nervous patients feel relaxed and confident and is available at the practice to carry out extractions and oral surgery.
Jessica Grove
Dental Hygienist
Jessica graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a BSc (Hons) degree in Dental Hygiene, where she developed strong clinical and interpersonal skills. Jessica has over 10 years of experience as a dental nurse and completed a Level 4 Oral Health Practitioner apprenticeship with Thames Valley and Wessex. This sparked her passion for preventive care and patient education, leading her to pursue dental hygiene.
Jessica is known for her gentle and approachable manner and enjoys helping patients feel relaxed and confident about their oral health.
Outside of the clinical setting, she loves spending time outdoors with her miniature schnauzer, Ada, and horse riding through the New Forest.
Jessica is looking forwards to welcoming you into the practice for your dental hygiene visits.
Michelle Mercado
Dental Hygienist
Known for her gentle and kind approach, Michelle is available to provide hygiene services at the practice on Mondays. She is particularly good with phobic patients and likes to build her patients’ confidence as she carries out treatment and gives advice to optimise oral health. She has a calm and gentle nature, and her aim is to ensure patients have a positive experience within the dental environment leaving patients feeling comfortable and relaxed during treatment.
Originally from the Philippines, Michelle is a qualified dentist and has worked for many years in Hampshire as a dental care professional before starting her hygienist career.
Michelle lives locally with her husband and three children and enjoys cooking.
Lee Taylor
Lead Receptionist
Lee was a dental nurse 25 years ago and joined our team as a dental receptionist in 2015. Lee is available several days a week and is happy to help you with any queries you may have regarding your treatment. Having been at the practice for many years, she is a warm and familiar face and knows many of the patients as she has often been an important part of their dental journey. She is very good at gauging whether a patient is feeling anxious and is always careful, not only to put their minds at ease, but to make sure the rest of the team is on hand to make your journey a comfortable one.
In her spare time, she decorates wonderful cakes and enjoys long walks with her dog, Milo.
She is always happy to co-ordinate your appointments or pop the kettle on if you would like to come in and have a chat with one of our clinical staff.
Emma Palmer
Head Dental Nurse
Emma is the Head Dental Nurse at Merrygate Dental Practice and has been a valued member of the team since joining in 2024. She takes great pride in leading a friendly and dedicated nursing team, helping to ensure every patient receives high-quality, patient-centred care in a calm and welcoming environment.
In her role, Emma oversees the day-to-day running of the nursing team and helps manage the practice’s dental compliance, keeping everything running smoothly and in line with the highest standards.
She supports clinicians across a wide range of procedures while maintaining a safe, organised, and efficient clinical environment. Whether she is at reception or chairside Emma brings joy and confidence to all the team.
Camille Jackson
Dental Nurse
Camille (Milly) qualified as a dental nurse in 2009. She has previously worked in both the UK and Australia. She has many years of treatment coordination experience as well as surgical nursing experience. Milly is a qualified sedation nurse which ensures she is confident when working with nervous and phobic patients.
She has completed her oral health advisory qualification and is available to see patients and discuss their oral hygiene routine and give bespoke advice and tips they may need to optimise their oral health. Milly also has fluoride application clinics for children.
She has two young children with her partner and a big bouncy Ridgeback dog at home. The whole family live on the forest and enjoy walks, bike rides and exploring different areas together.
Natasha Chant
Dental Nurse
Natasha qualified as a dental nurse in 2010 with the NEBDN national diploma level 3 in a local practice. She worked at Merrygate for several years before taking a hiatus in 2013 to concentrate on her family. She is a local girl and has returned to the practice in early 2024, where she has the flexibility to continue to look after her 3 children and also work in a practice she is very familiar with.
Natasha is a softly-spoken, very caring and gentle nurse and we look forwards to her building up her days here at the practice in the future.
Natasha enjoys a range of fitness activities including; swimming, cycling and working out at the gym.
Lily Corea
Trainee Dental Nurse
Lily Corea has had the unique experience of having been a patient at Merrygate Dental since she was a child, so she literally knows the practice inside out! We are very happy to have Lily in our team with her reassuring smile and her caring personality.
Whether at the front desk or in the clinic, she will be there to help put you at ease.
Ibraheem Ghafoor
Assistant to Non-Clinical Director
Ibraheem lives locally and is studying Medicine in Southampton University. He helps with admin work, including updating the practice policies, filing documents, and making a cup of tea for anyone that wants one!
Ibraheem has always had a passion for reading, and his favourite books include the works of Virginia Woolf and Sartre. He grew up in South London and moved to Dubai at the age of 9, learning multiple languages there in addition to his schoolwork, including Mandarin and Arabic! Ibraheem has a special interest in dementia and wrote a paper on the challenges with diagnosis and hopes in the future to make a real impact in this field.
His travels have given him a kind, tolerant, and understanding personality, and he is particularly good with children who fear the dentist
