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Search the Public Notice PortalCHARD will be getting a new NHS dentist from December, and just hours after this announcement, the practice put a pause on new patients registering their interest due to 'high demand'.
One Smile Dental will be opening at Unit 21 on Leach Road, providing NHS services to the wider community – including general and family dentistry by an "experienced dental team".
A spokesperson for Smile Dental wrote: “We’re excited to announce that your new NHS Dental Practice, One Smile Dental - Chard, will be opening in December 2025.
"Expressions of interest are currently paused further to high demand this morning. We expect to reopen the portal for expressions of interest in coming days."
They added: "Please note that we are not able to register your interest at the premises at this time. All new patient registrations must be completed online via this website.
"We look forward to welcoming you soon."
READ MORE: Wellington dentist to offer more NHS appointments by Christmas
The NHS Somerset integrated care board (ICB) has been striving to increase NHS appointments within 'dental deserts' - that is, areas within the county where relatively few people can access an NHS dentist, forcing them to go private or go without treatment.
In October, NHS Somerset confirmed that, alongside the Wellington Clinic, which opened earlier this year, two additional dental practices were set to open in Somerset by early 2026 - one in Chard, the other in Crewkerne.
Unlike GP surgeries, people needing dental treatment are not registered to a specific practice or treatment centre - a change which came in with the much-maligned dental contracts agreed by the previous Labour government in 2006.
While GP surgeries have specific catchment areas, anyone in the UK can make an appointment with a Somerset dentist, with many residents often having to travel outside of the county to receive treatment.
The exact date and time of the opening is still to be confirmed by the NHS new practice.
When approached for comment, Adam Dance MP of South Somerset and Yeovil said: “It is very good news for Chard that a new NHS dental practice is now opening in the town.
"For too long, people here have struggled to access NHS dental care, and this has caused real worry for families. I have raised this repeatedly in Parliament and with NHS Somerset, so I am pleased to see progress at last.
"This new practice will not fix the wider dental crisis across Somerset or the country, but it is an important and positive step for our community. I will keep pushing for further improvements so that everyone in South Somerset can get the care they need.”
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