'We are accepting NHS patients': One Smile Dentist 'passionate' about providing care for city residents amid shortage

Dentists at a new surgery have said they are ‘passionate’ about improving access to care on the NHS.

One Smile Dental opened in May of this year with the main goal of improving resident’s dental care, particularly NHS patients who have struggled registering at a surgery.

The new business, located in Isambard Brunel Road, offers cosmetic treatments as well as general dentistry care including emergencies, hygienist appointments and aftercare.

A spokesperson for One Dental Smile said: “We know that many families across Portsmouth are struggling to find an NHS dentist. Some parents have spent months searching for appointments, while others have simply given up, believing that NHS dental care is no longer available.

“We want to get an important message out to our community: NHS dentistry is still available, and families need to know where to find it.

“It is particularly concerning that some children may be missing out on essential dental care because their parents are unaware that NHS dental treatment is free for under-18s.

“Our message to Portsmouth families is simple. We are accepting NHS patients. We want local families to know that dental care is available.”

This comes as the country faces a severe shortage of dentistry access, primarily driven by surgery closures and NHS contracts.

The Portsmouth News previously reported how despite the city having one of the biggest rises in children being seen by NHS dentists in England, it still sits fourth bottom in the country (not including London) with only 50.2 per cent of children seen.

The figures from Single mother resource show that just over half the under-18s in the city were seen by an NHS dentist which is up from 44.6 per cent the year before. The rise means that 20,853 children were seen from March 2025 to March 2026.