Meet the Team

Margarita Monque-Venturoli, Principal Dentist (BDS Caracas, 2001)

Margarita was born in Southampton, England and brought up in Caracas, Venezuela where she qualified from Santa Maria University in 2001 as a BDS. After qualifying as a dentist, Margarita ran her own practice. In 2004 she completed her postgraduate degree in Oral Surgery in General Dentistry from the Venezuelan College of Dentists.

Because of ongoing socio-political unrest in Venezuela, Margarita moved to Edinburgh in 2004 and started a family here in Scotland. Townsend Dental Practice kindly opened their doors to her while Margarita was studying for her UK dental qualifications. At Townsend she learned a great deal about the culture and practice of dentistry in the UK, and the team at the dental practice helped encourage Margarita to further her career in dentistry in Scotland. During her time at Townsend, Margarita continued to study for the General Dental Council (GDC) equivalence exam and successfully passed her Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) in November 2010.

She has worked in several practices in Edinburgh and Musselburgh, and has worked for the past 9 years as an Associate Dentist. In 2019 Margarita returned to Townsend Dental as principal dentist. She enjoys all aspects of dentistry especially aesthetic, cosmetic and restorative dentistry. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children and their family dog, Daisy. She divides her time between school runs, family and friends.

Margarita is fluent in Spanish and English, and understands a bit of Italian and Portuguese.

Ruth Phelan (BDS Edinburgh, 1994)

Ruth has worked as a dentist at Townsend Dental Practice for over 20 years. She enjoys getting to know and treating the local community. She is committed to providing high quality NHS work and aesthetic dentistry within a supportive and caring practice environment.

“As a team we take great pride in our work and place great importance on a preventative and caring approach when working with our patients.”

Kirsten Townsend (BDS Edinburgh, 1976)

Kirsten worked alongside her Father and took over the practice once he retired. She has worked in General Dentistry for over 40 years.

She enjoys travelling, cooking and eating out.

Patrizia Tardugno (BDS Caracas, 2014)

Patrizia studied dentistry in Caracas, Venezuela, where she graduated from Central University of Venezuela in 2014. After moving to the UK, she joined Townsend Dental Practice in September of 2021. Patrizia’s warm and caring nature makes her patients feel at ease as soon as they walk in the consultation room.

She is passionate about all aspects of dentistry but has a particular interest in Restorative dental work. Patrizia also enjoys keeping up to date with the latest developments in the field and regularly attends courses to learn new techniques and procedures. At the moment she is completing a postgraduate certificate in Restorative Dentistry at Tipton training.

In her spare time, she enjoys running, cycling, going for long walks around the city, as well as cooking and supporting her favourite football team. Patrizia is fluent in Spanish and English.

Leticia Domper Dejuan (BDS Madrid 2012)

Miss Leticia Domper Dejuan graduated from the University Alfonso X el Sabio in Madrid 2012. Before becoming a dentist Leti also graduated as a Dental Technician and a Hygienist and this gave her a vast and robust knowledge of dentistry. After completing her dentistry degree, she worked in Spain for over a year and then moved to Scotland in 2013.

She is committed to providing general family dentistry on the NHS and on a Private basis as well as cosmetic treatments.

Leti’s friendly and cheerful nature helps put patients at ease. She strives to make sure every patient has a tailored treatment plan that meets his or her every need. She likes to take the time to make sure patients understand the treatment they need and establish good preventative practices to make sure their oral health remains excellent.

Leti has a very friendly, caring and professional manner. She enjoys keeping her knowledge and skills up to date and this allows her to provide treatment to the highest of standards.

Shirley Jack-Thomson (Practice Manager/Nurse)

Shirley joined Townsend Dental Practice in 2017. Shirley was a dental nurse for 12 years when she first left school and then decided to have a career change working as a travel agent/manager for 17 years. She then returned to dentistry as a practice manager/nurse. Her role involves working in surgery as well as keeping the practice running smoothly.

In her spare time she loves to travel abroad, shopping and spending time with her husband Michael, sons Sebastian and Kristian and her miniature schnauzer - Kuro.

Shirley also loves flower arranging and can be kept busy at the weekends doing weddings and other events.

Sarah Ellis (Dental nurse)

Sarah is a Dental Nurse within the practice with a strong work ethic. She is a hardworking, compassionate, bubbly member of the team. Sarah has been a member of the practice since 2013, right after she qualified as a dental nurse.

Before joining our practice, she worked in an office for over 13 years, but after having her son she decided to have a change in career and it has been the best move she has ever made. Sarah loves her job as she is a people person, she loves meeting new people and patients on a regular basis and making them feel comfortable and relaxed.

Sarah would like to further her studies and is particularly interested in Childsmile and dental implants. She is a very busy mum of two but in her spare time she enjoys swimming, walking, reading and shopping. She also loves to socialise with friends, family and work colleagues.