Dr Rob Slater

Unusually for a specialist orthodontist, Rob began his career as a dental technician, giving him a deep understanding of orthodontic appliances.

Rob was the first clinician in the Midlands to regularly deliver lingual braces, and he is a founding member and former chairman of the British Lingual Orthodontic Society (BLOS), which awarded him a life membership in 2014.

He has been involved in training dentists on the MSc programme in orthodontics at Warwick University (2010-2013). Prior to that time he was a lecturer on the Undergraduate Course at Birmingham University.

He has been an examiner for BLOS accreditation and he has also served in positions of responsibility such as editor of the British Orthodontic Society Newsletter (2011-2014), Director of External Relations for the British Orthodontic Society (2013-2016), referee for the European Journal of Orthodontics (2009-2011) and president of the Midland Orthodontic Society (2007-2008) (2019-2022).

Rob has published research and delivered presentations throughout his career and is recognised as an authority in orthodontics.

He received his diploma in dental technology in 1985 and began training in dentistry the next year at Birmingham University, graduating in 1990.

He then spent two years working in maxillofacial surgery units before studying for three years at Guy’s Hospital in London, which led to a master’s degree at the University of London and a Membership in Orthodontics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.

Rob was a lecturer at Birmingham University for eight years before becoming a visiting academic fellow at Warwick University, a post that lasted for a further seven years. During his tenure at Warwick, he supervised master’s students and also obtained a master’s degree in lingual orthodontics, making him one of the first clinicians in the UK to do so.

Rob is a member of the British Orthodontic Society and the American Association of Orthodontists and a fellow of the faculty of dental surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Outside work Rob is a competitive triathlete, having achieved All-World Athlete status, which is given to the top 10% of competitors in the world at Ironman events.

He has represented Great Britain at the European Championships in his Age Group and won silver medals on two occasions in the National Sprint Relay Championships. He enjoys coaching and giving power boat cover at his triathlon club, open water swimming, coastal path running, and cooking and he is Editor for the Carbon Sessions Podcast.