Our dental teams are made up of dentists, therapists, hygienists, dental nurses and receptionists who work together in clinics across Somerset and Dorset.

We are committed to delivering high quality care for the people we treat and our multidisciplinary team of dental professionals are registered and governed by the General Dental Council. This makes sure each professional has appropriate training and that the individual professional keeps up to date with current guidelines and practice.

Here more information on each of our roles:

Dentist

All of our dentists have particular experience of looking after people with additional needs.Some of our dentists are specialists in either special care dentistry (care for adults) or paediatric dentistry (care for children). These specialists are registered on the specialist lists at the General Dental Council and have undertaken extensive training in their specialist area of dentistry.

Dental therapist

Dental therapists are able to carry out routine dental treatment, after a dentist has assessed your dental needs and written a prescription for these. They can carry out treatments such as fillings, extraction of baby teeth, pulp treatment in baby teeth, fissure sealants and treatment and prevention of gum disease. They also administer local anaesthetic and take X-rays. With additional training, dental therapists can provide inhalation sedation, removal of sutures and bleach non-vital teeth.

Dental nurse

The role of the dental nurse is to support and help you during your appointment, and assist the dentist in carrying out dental procedures.  Dental nurses have an important role in making sure clinics and instruments are clean and free from infection. Many of our dental nurses have extra qualifications, allowing them to take X-rays at the dentist’s request, provide dental health education, and assist in certain sedation and oral surgery sessions.

Dental receptionist

Our friendly and helpful team of receptionists carry out a wide range of duties. They are often the first member of the team that you will meet when you arrive at the clinic and will be able to make or change appointments, give you information while you are waiting for your appointment and accept payments for dental treatment.

Single Point of Access team (SPA)

In addition to our clinic teams we also have an office-based team of staff who carry out the administrative tasks that allow our clinic teams to function effectively. The SPA team processes all referrals to our service across Somerset and Dorset and they arrange the first appointment for people to attend one of our clinics. They are able to advise on the current waiting times for each clinic and help answer any questions about the service.