About Neal Heaher

Neal qualified from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2006. After finishing his dental degree Neal was keen to experience general dental practice and also undertake further hospital training in Newcastle Dental Hospital and so he managed to get a sought after position in the Northern Deanery’s General Professional Training Scheme. During this 2 year training scheme Neal gained experience of everyday practice in South Tyneside and also many areas of secondary care treating complex cases in a referral setting under the watchful eye of specialists and consultants in their chosen field. It was while performing these complex house office duties that he got a feel for certain areas that interested him. He obtained his core sedation qualification during this time.

As the culmination of all this postgraduate practical and academic training Neal sat exams and became a Member of the Faculty of Dental Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2008. At this point Neal decided to pursue his own pathway and joined the Denticentre where he has spent the last 5 years practicing both NHS and private dentistry.

Keen on complex restorative cases and the difference this can make to his patients’ lives by restoring form and function Neal decided to study cosmetic dentistry and smile design under the guidance of eminent cosmetic dentist Paul Tipton. This one year part-time course was extensive and allowed Neal to feel confident treating much more difficult cases that had an emphasis on improving the function and the appearance of a patient’s teeth therefore making a big difference to their lives on the whole.

He had always enjoyed the surgical aspects of dentistry and after 4 months of surgical experience during his hospital practice Neal decided he should widen his horizons further and combine his surgical skills with the reconstructive dentistry he had concentrated on in the past. And so in 2009 he undertook a multi-system implant course under Professor Ucer at Salford University and Trafford General Hospital. This excellent course taught Neal the skills and knowledge base to perform safe implant treatments for his patients.

In 2010 Neal was awarded a Certificate in Implant Dentistry and started providing implant based treatments in North Tyneside. Along with cosmetic dentistry he found this an extremely rewarding area of dentistry – the ability to start with nothing and end up with new fixed-in teeth and a delighted patient.

Neal is committed to lifelong further training to increase the quality and degree of work that he can provide for his patients and to maintain maximum job satisfaction. Over the past 5 year CPD cycle he did over over 500 hours of verifiable training and is hoping to continue this trend.

In future he hopes to formally consolidate his implant work by undertaking an Msc or Diploma in the hopes of becoming a regional referral dentist.