Viva Dental Birkenhead

Meet Our Team

Viva Mike Wu
Lead Dentist

Dr Mike Wu

Dr Mike Wu was an oral surgeon in public hospital in China for five years before came to New Zealand in 1995.

He gained the diploma in dental technology at Wellington (CIT) in 1999, then practised as a dental technician in Christchurch for a year. He moved to Dunedin for his further study in 2001, and graduated from Otago University with Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 2003.

He took over and has been practicing in Viva Dental since 2004, and enjoys performing all forms of dentistry. Dr Mike has a particular interest in oral surgery, crown and bridge and orthodontics. He also…

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Dr Mike Wu was an oral surgeon in public hospital in China for five years before came to New Zealand in 1995.

He gained the diploma in dental technology at Wellington (CIT) in 1999, then practised as a dental technician in Christchurch for a year. He moved to Dunedin for his further study in 2001, and graduated from Otago University with Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 2003.

He took over and has been practicing in Viva Dental since 2004, and enjoys performing all forms of dentistry. Dr Mike has a particular interest in oral surgery, crown and bridge and orthodontics. He also likes designing and making dentures with his strong dental technician back ground.

Dr Mike takes pride and finds enormous joy in taking care of elderly patients - sometimes even getting called out to visit the local rest home. He finds working as a family dentist in local community very rewarding.

Outside work, Dr Mike enjoys spending time with his family, swimming, playing tennis, traveling and just admiring New Zealand's amazing scenery and friendly people.

Viva Ranee Charya
Dentist

Dr Ranee Charya

Dr Ranee Charya graduated in 1996 from the University of Otago. She then started practicing in Wellington in a private practice and part time providing dentistry for low income families at the resource center.

She enjoys performing all forms of general dentistry and providing care for anxious patients and children.

She moved to Auckland in 2003, and has been working for Viva dental for the past 14 years. Her passion is in community and preventive dentistry.

Viva Shelley Paterson
Dentist

Dr Shelley Paterson

Dr Shelley Paterson graduated from Otago in 1990. In the first two years, she worked as a maxillofacial house Surgeon at Hutt Hospital in Wellington.

Shelley then moved to the UK and practised for 10 years. She did all ranges of dentistry in the UK - from National Health, mixed private, to finally settling into a private practise for 6-7 years as the in-house dentist for the multinational corporate bank JPMorgan. She loves doing general dentistry, with an emphasis on cosmetics and helping improve people’s similes.

She has worked for Viva Dental in the past 14 years.

Lemey Thesen Glenfield
Practice Manager

Lemey Thesen

Lemey has been with Lumino since 2018, she understands the patient's view of visiting the dentist and she and her team ensures that each patient that leaves the practice feels that they have been cared for, listened to and are valued.

When she's not busy at the practice she enjoys her photography, good food and spending time with her family.

Debbie Im Long Bay
Oral Health Therapist

Debbie Im

Debbie graduated from Auckland University of Technology with a BHSc Oral Health. (Dental Therapy & Dental Hygiene) in 2012.

She is passionate about Oral Health and has a wide range of experience in all aspects of Oral Health practice.

Also she has a post - graduate certificate in Adult Dental Therapy, Health Professional Education and was an Oral Health clinical educator at AUT University 2016-2018.

She enjoys team work and helping her patients achieve excellent oral health outcomes, which gives her great joy

In her spare time she likes to go for walks, watching comedy and drama. She also enjoys hand crafts.