Starting your dental journey at a new clinic can feel like a big step—but at Helens Bay Dental, we make sure it’s a welcoming, informative, and high-tech experience from the very first visit.

Whether you’re seeking long-term dental care, cosmetic improvements, or just curious about what’s possible with today’s digital dentistry, your first appointment sets the stage for everything to come. Here’s exactly what to expect when you book a New Patient Assessment at our Digital Clinic in Bangor.

Step 1: A Warm Welcome and Digital Consultation

Your first visit isn’t with a dentist—it’s with one of our friendly Treatment Coordinators. This appointment is designed to be relaxed and all about you.

What happens:

•  State-of-the-Art Digital Scans
  We use advanced intraoral scanners and high-resolution digital photography to take a complete 3D record of your smile. This gives us an incredibly accurate foundation for assessing your dental health and planning future treatment.
• Informal Chat About Your Goals
  Whether you’re looking to brighten your smile, straighten teeth, restore function, or simply stay on top of your oral health, we want to know what matters most to you. This conversation helps us tailor every step to your needs.
• Review & Preview
  We’ll show you the scans and photos we’ve taken, explain what they reveal, and explore the possibilities together. No pressure, just guidance.

Step 2: Clinical Assessment with Dr Gareth Small

Your second visit is where we bring together everything we’ve learned—and you’ll be seen personally by Dr Gareth Small, our Principal Dentist and Owner, who brings over 30 years of clinical experience to every assessment.

What to expect:

•  Thorough Oral Health Examination
  Dr Small will carry out a full clinical exam of your teeth, gums, soft tissues, and bite, using the digital data from your first visit to ensure every detail is accounted for.
• Tailored Treatment Planning
  Whether it’s routine care or advanced treatment like Invisalign, composite bonding, or smile makeovers, Dr Small’s decades of hands-on experience mean your treatment plan is built on solid clinical judgement and aesthetic insight.
• Transparency and Clarity
  You’ll receive a detailed breakdown of any recommended treatments, including costs and timelines. You’ll also have the opportunity to revisit everything with your Treatment Coordinator and ask as many questions as you like.

Cost of the New Patient Assessment

•  £95 – Covers both visits:
  1️. Your digital scan & consultation
  2️. Clinical assessment with Dr Gareth Small

Ready to Take the First Step?

At Helens Bay Dental, we combine cutting-edge technology with the reassurance of decades of clinical experience—so you can feel confident about your smile from day one.

Call us on 028 9185 3304 or visit helensbaydental.co.uk to book your new patient assessment today.

For over 30 years, Helen’s Bay Dental has proudly served the local community as a family-run practice built on trust, care, and continuity. Today, we blend that tradition with the latest in digital dental technology—providing all your dental services under one roof with personalised care and modern convenience.

• All-in-One Dental Care: From general check-ups and hygiene to implants, Invisalign, and cosmetic dentistry—all services are delivered in-house.
• Family-Operated with Heart: We treat our patients like family because we are a family. Our close-knit team has been looking after smiles across generations.
• Private Membership Programme: Enjoy routine care with ease—exams, hygiene appointments, x-rays, and exclusive member benefits for a simple monthly fee.
• Digital Dentistry: We use 3D scanners, digital x-rays, and same-day restorations to deliver precise, comfortable care, faster than ever before.
• Tailored for All Ages: Our practice is designed for families, professionals, and everyone in between—making dental care easy, accessible, and stress-free.

Join our Helen’s Bay Dental family today. Explore our Private Membership Programme or book your first appointment and experience the difference personalised, digital dentistry makes.

Helens Bay Dental newsletter

Welcome Back to Helen’s Bay Dental’s Latest Newsletter!

We’re excited to connect with you again and keep you up-to-date on the latest happenings at Helen’s Bay Dental. Whether you’re due for a dental health check or just want to stay informed about our services, we’ve got plenty of helpful information to share with you in this issue. Read on to learn about exciting updates from our team.

Meet Holly

Meet the Newest Member of Our Dental Nurse Team – Holly!

We are thrilled to introduce Holly, the newest addition to our dental nurse team! Holly comes to us with a passion for patient care . Her positive attitude, attention to detail, and friendly nature make her the perfect fit for our practice.

Outside of work, Holly enjoys meeting friends for a coffee and exploring new places. We are excited to have her on board and look forward to the excellent care she’ll be providing to our patients.

Please join us in welcoming Holly to the team!

Louise passed!

A massive congratulations to our Treatment coordinator Louise who passed her dental radiography exam. This is a difficult exam that required a lot of hard work which Louise certainly put in!
We believe in investing in our teams growth and development, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to provide only the best dental care to our patients.

Gareth and Edward attend a study day in London

We’re thrilled to share that our talented dentists, Gareth and Edward, recently attended an insightful study day in London, focused on innovative approaches to patient care and implant dentistry.

The event brought together experts in the field, allowing them to expand their knowledge on the latest advancements and best practices. By delving into the intricacies of patient care, they gained valuable insights that will help enhance the way we approach every patient’s individual needs. Additionally, they learned about cutting-edge techniques in dental implants, ensuring that our clinic continues to provide top-quality treatment for patients seeking long-term dental solutions.

Gareth and Edward are excited to bring this fresh knowledge and expertise back to the practice, making sure you receive the highest standard of care possible. We’re always striving to stay at the forefront of dental advancements, and this study day was an incredible opportunity for both personal and professional growth.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to invest in the latest dental techniques to keep you smiling bright and healthy!

Dreaming of your perfect smile?

What a fantastic before & after transformation!

Check out this stunning smile makeover! Our patient came to us looking for a more confident, radiant smile, and with the help of custom veneers, we delivered just that!

Before: chipped, misaligned teeth

After: Beautiful, even and natural-looking veneers!

Veneers can make a world of difference in creating the smile you’ve always dreamed of. Ready to transform your smile? Call us today for a consultation.

Always welcoming new patients

Helen’s Bay Dental Practice is always happy to welcome new private patients, if you know any friends or family that are looking for a practice we would love to hear from them! We take pride in providing personalised, high-quality care in a relaxed and friendly environment. Whether you’re looking for routine dental checks , advanced treatments, or cosmetic procedures, our dedicated team is here to ensure your dental experience is comfortable and tailored to your needs. Join our family of patients and experience exceptional care at Helen’s Bay Dental Practice!

First sign of spring in Helens Bay

Welcome back to our latest newsletter! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and new year. As usual there has been a lot going on in Helen’s Bay and we love to keep all our patients updated… our fabulous nurse Helena brought in this beautiful bunch of flowers for us and brightened up a wet January morning!

Our New state of the art 3D Facial Scanner

As you all know we like to keep up to date with our the latest technology here in Helen’s Bay! We recently purchased a new 3-D face scanner, this state of the art technology allows clinicians to capture detailed and accurate facial information to help with clinical diagnosis..how amazing is that! Here is our colleague Luke helping us test it out.

Team training

Some of the team spent a day at the beautiful Grand Central Hotel in Belfast. The course was on Reception mastery, focusing on the heart of our practice… YOU our patients! what an exciting way to start off the new year and the ladies came back feeling excited and inspired!

Welcoming new patients

Do you know anyone that needs an amazing new dentist? We are pleased to be in the position to welcome your friends and family to our practice. All new patients at Helens Bay Dental are initially assessed by Dr Gareth Small. We offer the gold standard in dentistry and patient care and with our highly qualified team as well as state of the art technology. You know they will be in good hands.Our welcome team are on hand to take their call and help them start their journey. Below is a couple of recent images of amazing before and afters we have taken for some very happy patients!

This photo shows a patient who came to us after orthodontic braces at his old practice but felt after he was finished this treatment he was left with black triangles which are spaces at the top between each tooth that can appear after this treatment is finished and can look unsightly. We suggested that he consider composite build ups to close these spaces, Sarah organised a digital smile design ‘road test’ for the patient to allow him to visualise exactly how the teeth would look after the build ups. The patient was really happy with the design and couldn’t wait to go ahead! What a result he had! Cosmetic bonding is an amazing treatment and can be done in only one appointment, if you would like any more information on this treatment just get in touch with our treatment coordinators on 02891853304

This before and after photo is a lovely lady who was unhappy with her teeth for a while. She then had a bad fall which resulted in a injury to her mouth and loose and fractured crowns! She was given a partial denture by her previous dentist but was unable to get used to it. She made the decision to get in touch with us as she wanted a fixed option. We were able to achieve this amazing transformation using “All on X” dental implants, this is one of our favorite before & afters and I am sure you can see why! Dental implants are the closest thing you can get to the look, feel and function of a natural tooth and allow permanent replacement of missing teeth If you have any spacing in your mouth that you would like to consider an implant for just get in touch with Glenda or Shelley to find out more 02891853304

Team member of the month

We get very regular reviews and recognition from patients for the dentists and team and we love it!

We also recognise team excellence once a month in house! Well done to Shelley who was voted by her colleagues for team member of the month!

And as always thank you to all the team for the on going hard work and dedication … we appreciate every one of you!

Welcome back to our July newsletter! We hope you all have been keeping well and enjoying this beautiful weather. As you know we like to keep you up to date with what is going on in our practice so we have a few things to talk to you about today…

Hannah attended our practice as she had been considering cosmetic dental work for some time but was always worried she wouldn’t be able to achieve her desired result. On Hannah’s first appointment we took a digital 3D scan and we were able to look at this along with Hannah and discuss what changes she would like to make. In Hannah’s lovely words she “felt in excellent hands with Glenda and Sarah as their professional manner put me at ease and they kept me informed at each step of the way, they also gave me all the options available and went through what each would mean”. Hannah then decided to go ahead with composite bonding on her upper front teeth.

“I can only say that the attention to detail was more than present, and I am overjoyed with my new smile! This has totally uplifted my confidence, I am no longer self-conscious and covering my mouth to laugh or smile, I’m proud of my big grin and amazing new teeth and the compliments from friends and family who are stunned by the difference and how natural my smile looks. I cannot give enough thanks to Sarah and the team for all their hard work”. We have added Hannah’s before and after photos. What a difference this has made! Sarah has achieved a whiter, brighter and more even appearance.

Did you know we offer Invisalign clear braces here in Helens Bay Dental? If your teeth are crowded, unevenly spaced or have shifted since you were younger Invisalign braces can help you attain that natural, arresting smile that only straightened teeth can give.

Invisalign braces are the invisible alternative to traditional orthodontics, using a series of clear aligners invisible braces comfortably adjust your teeth without your mouth being poked by metal wires and brackets.

Unlike their traditional metal counterparts Invisalign braces removable, these remarkably invisible braces which are available at our practice can be taken out when you eat, floss or clean your teeth.

3D computer imaging technology is used to design and plan your smile. A series of custom made clear aligners are then manufactured ready for fitting! The individual aligners move your teeth little by little and are generally worn for 2 weeks each, by the time you are wearing your final aligner your teeth will be in the desired position.

And at last but certainly not least one of our front of house team Victoria welcomed a beautiful baby boy at the end of May…. welcome to the team Milo! Big congratulations to Victoria from all at Helens Bay Dental.

A patient recently brought this newspaper picture in to the practice. We all laughed and it made me think about how Dentistry has changed in general and at Helens Bay in particular. I have been in practice here for 23 years in October and love the changes we can offer patients and the tools at our disposal.

The rate of change has quickened in the last 5 years as the digital revolution gathers pace.

For the last 10 years we have been able to image a tooth and construct a crown in a few hours allowing smiles to be restored in a single visit.

This years latest technology has advanced to imaging multiple teeth to make bridges, crowns, veneers and crowns for implants. More same day solutions to resolve smile issues.

We don’t need sticky impressions for this work! Accurate digital images capture all the information we need.

To allow placement of implants with greater accuracy we can make a virtual guide, digitally imaged and manufactured in-house.

For patients undergoing orthodontic treatment no impressions are necessary the camera captures all the information we need with accuracy and clarity.

Last week, a patient was referred to me with both upper front teeth damaged beyond repair to see what his options were. The good news for him was that because of our imaging technology his options are much superior to this time last year in terms of speed of outcome.

We removed the broken teeth and then placed an implant into each tooth socket.

We digitally scanned the implants and designed two crowns on the computer screen and milled them.

When ready and polished we screwed them onto the implants and in 3 hours we gave him back his smile. I was almost as delighted as the patient.

When I started in Helens bay I couldn’t have foreseen what my daily workflow was going to be but it fills me with enthusiasm for the future anticipating what I may be doing next.

1. Gareth Small and Sarah Lochhead have a combined 34 years of providing dental solutions at Helens Bay
2. We offer the latest Digital solutions in Dentistry across all treatments- faster treatment, beautiful predictable results and smiles that last! We have provided 3800 same day crowns in the last 10 years
3. We have an in house Implant team who have placed 1800 implants in Helens Bay
4. We have an in house Short term straightening team who have improved smiles for 200 people so far. Digital techniques at the practice can eliminate the need for sticky impressions!
5. We have a dedicated, caring Nursing and Reception team who will book you in with your own treatment provider for all your visits because they know what you like.
6. We are accepting new patients! If this sounds like the service you would like for you and your family call in and see us!
7. Our hygiene care is lead by Lorraine Dunlop, Dental Therapist and we call her our Children’s treatment champion

The recent advances in Digital Dentistry have been developed by technicians, observed by many dentists and adopted by few. I embraced the technical revolution and have been offering digital imaging and Same Day Crowns for 12 years. Not because my patients were asking for it but because I was interested and the techniques were challenging and gave wonderful predictable outcomes ie crowns!

Now in 2017 we are being sought out because we offer these techniques.

Busy people want single visit results and not temporary solutions.
‘I can only get out of work once next week I cant make multiple appointments”

Nervous patients who fear multiple injections and gagging with impression trays want to sit back and let the camera do the work.
‘ I would highly recommend the surgery for anyone that has gagging issues or feels uncomfortable with objects in their mouth”

Existing patients expect the latest technology and a fast reliable guaranteed outcome…
” I have a wedding next week will you be able to fix my tooth by then?”

The world of Dental development is driven by big companies and slowly adopted by Dentists in practice but now that patients are seeking us out based on our ability to provide the treatments we are confidently moving onto the next level!

Watch this space for news!

Many of the Helens Bay patients will already know that my daughter Emily is currently studying Dental Therapy at Queen Mary University of London.

Like many students of the practice we are able to continue to provide dental care at a distance however when Emily called me to say that her wisdom tooth was starting to give pain I was only able to offer advice.

The advantage of training in a dental school was that she was able see a dentist and the recommendation was to have the tooth removed.

This was going to be Emily’s first experience of dentistry apart from orthodontics.

The wisdom tooth was difficult to remove but Emily was brave and was glad to see it gone now we just had to deal the aftermath!

The pain was building as evening approached, Emily was finding it very challenging and the phone lines were red hot. It was at 9.30pm that it struck me that following multiple implant placement and difficult surgical procedures we normally provide a Tens device for patients to manage their discomfort.

One slight problem…the Tens devices were in Helens Bay and Emily was in East London.

A lightening bolt of inspiration struck…

Are Tens devices on Amazon ?

A quick search on my iPhone yielded good news! And for an extra £5 they could be delivered within the hour.

Thoughts of a drone flying into Emily’s flat were conjured up.

Device ordered at 9.40pm, in Emily’s hand at10.09pm and on her face at 10.10pm!

Delivery time 29 minutes which was amazing and within 10 minutes Emily was feeling the benefit and got a good nights sleep.

So a combination of technology and first class delivery service from Amazon gave us a happy outcome and a smooth recovery for our extra special patient. We like to think we go the extra mile for all our patients but this was a first in delivering the extra care to a different city.