Dentist halts registrations after high demand

The new dental surgery in Chard will open on 2 December

An NHS dentist has paused prospective patients from registering due to "high demand" on the first day of applications.

The new surgery in Chard, Somerset, will open on 2 December on Leach Road and be run by One Smile Dental.

The opening comes only two months after another dental surgery opened in Wellington, and there are also plans for a new service in Crewkerne.

Local MP Adam Dance said the opening in Chard was a "very important step forward for our community".

"For too long, far too many people in Chard have struggled to get NHS dental care," he added.

NHS Somerset's Integrated Care Board (ICB) previously said it had been striving to increase NHS appointments within "dental deserts" - areas with very limited access to NHS dentistry.

The dental surgery is opening in Leach Road

In a brief statement on its website, the Chard dental surgery said it expected to reopen its portal for more patients to register in the coming days.

Mr Dance added: "To make sure this new service goes to the people who need it most, we want new patients to come from the Chard area, where the need has been identified and where access has been so poor."