In the dental clinics of South Delhi, where patients sought not only straight teeth and healthy gums but also careful, ethical care, Dr. Siddhartha Mehta built a practice rooted in skill and quiet humanitarian service. A specialist in orthodontics and dental surgery (BDS, MDS), he founded the Dr Mehta Clinic in the late 1970s. Over the decades the clinic grew into a multi-speciality dental centre offering comprehensive care across every branch of dentistry, known as much for its technical excellence as for its ethical standards and willingness to help those who could least afford treatment.

Patients and colleagues remember a doctor who took time to explain procedures, who treated every case with the same attention whether the patient was a child needing braces or an elderly person requiring complex restorative work. “A smile is more than teeth,” he would often say. “It is confidence, dignity and the ability to face the world.” Through free or subsidised treatment for the underprivileged and regular community outreach, the clinic became a place where professional competence met genuine compassion.

In recognition of his long service to dentistry and his contribution to public oral health, the Government of India conferred the Padma Shri upon him in 2004. The honour acknowledged not only clinical expertise but also a career spent making quality dental care more accessible and trustworthy in the capital.

From a young specialist establishing a modest practice in South Delhi to a respected senior orthodontist whose clinic continues to serve patients with integrity, Siddhartha Mehta’s journey remains a quiet story of professional dedication, ethical practice and the belief that good dentistry can improve both health and self-respect.