A NEW NHS dental practice in Wellington has been officially opened by MP Gideon Amos.

Wellington Dental Care, run by Dentistry For You, began treating patients in October and received more than 4,000 patients expressing interest in NHS dental care.

The practice, located on Lowmoor Industrial Estate, was officially opened on Friday (December 5) with Liberal Democrat MP Gideon Amos and NHS Somerset chief executive Jonathan Higman attending.

The practice will offer NHS and private dentistry but is currently not accepting new expressions of interest.

Dentistry For You hopes to shortly reopen its online portal so more patients can access NHS care.

The opening is a ‘sigh of relief’ for locals as Wellington was previously a ‘dental desert’.

Heather Bubb, aged 78, from West Buckland, said: “I previously had to pay for dental treatment and my last bill was about £600 so I am very happy to now receive NHS treatment.”

Wellington Dental Care is the first NHS dentist to open in Somerset in 10 years.

NHS Somerset chief medical officer Dr Bernie Marden said: “It is really exciting to be here in Wellington to be opening this new dental practice.

“We know there is a huge unmet need for dental care and this is just the start.

“There is plenty more work to be done.

“We are also hearing from the public that there are difficulties in reaching urgent dental care and we are doing our best to increase the number of appointments so they can get the care they need when they need it.

“This new practice is an oasis within the current dental desert in Wellington.”

The new practice has created about a dozen jobs.

Mr Amos said: “It is fantastic to be doing the official opening of the first NHS dentist to open in the whole of Somerset for over a decade.

“In a survey conducted last year of 2,000 people, only 34 per cent of children have an NHS dentist in Taunton and Wellington.

“This new dental practice is a really positive step to see some investment in our NHS here in Wellington.”

More than half of the 4,000 patients receiving care from the practice were from the town or surrounding villages.

A second NHS Somerset dental practice was opened this week in Chard, and another is planned to begin seeing patients in Crewkerne next spring.

Between the three practices, up to 20,000 more people per year are expected to receive NHS dental care.

Dentistry For You group manager Elizabeth Fernandez said: “We are pleased to have been working with NHS Somerset to be able to offer the people of Wellington quality NHS care and to have an opportunity to meet our patients and be part of the Wellington community.

“Since opening in mid-October we have already been able to accept expressions of interest for NHS dental care from over 4,000 patients.

“As soon as we can, we will be reopening our online portal again, so that thousands more patients will be able to access NHS care”.