Born in London, England, Dr. Desai moved to the States at a young age and spent most of her childhood here in Richmond, VA. She considers herself a Richmond native and is proud to call the River City her home!

Dr. Desai attended college at the University of Mary Washington, where she majored in Biology while receiving a well-rounded liberal arts education – her favorite class was Historic Preservation! During her summer semesters in college, Dr. Desai’s love for working with children developed as a tennis camp instructor at UVA, where she was able to coach kids of all ages.

She then went on to receive her dental degree from VCU School of Dentistry. During dental school, she was able to partake in many service programs such as Give Kids a Smile Day – a project committed to providing free dental care to underserved pediatric patients. Her passion for outreach has also taken her globally on a mission trip to Peru, which allowed her to care for children living in the Amazon rainforest with limited access to dental facilities.

Dr. Desai earned her pediatric dentistry specialty certificate at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital here in RVA. During her time in residency, she received extensive training in providing for children with a range of dental needs, including medically complex and special needs patients. In addition, she gained skills in sedation dentistry, allowing her to make sure that her patients are as comfortable as possible. Dr. Desai’s research during residency was also recently published in the British Journal of Dentistry.

Dr. Desai is known for her bubbly personality, and loves expressing it through pediatric dentistry! She tries her very best to make dental visits fun. Her goal is to ease any anxiety a child faces through her gentle nature, and by gaining her patients’ trust. She is excited for the opportunity to build a meaningful relationship with your child, and help them progress towards a lifetime of good oral health.

Outside of the office, Dr. Desai loves exploring the outdoors! You can find her playing tennis, hiking, running the canal walk with her corgi puppy, Roo, or trying new cuisines at RVA food festivals with her husband, Shrineel.

She cannot wait to contribute to the Richmond community as a pediatric dental provider here at RVO. Together with her team, her promise is to love and treat your child as if they were her own family!