Meet the team

Howard qualified in 1983 from the University of Leeds. Having qualified, Howard left Leeds to join our practice, initially at our former location in Cambridge Street and then moving to our present location at Charles Street in 1987.

With well over 25 years of experience in General Dental practice, Howard has worked in most fields of Dentistry, but in more recent years he has tended to concentrate on his main interest of Restorative Dentistry.

Always keen to keep up to date with the ever changing face of Dentistry and learn new techniques, Howard attends many postgraduate courses and seminars both locally and further a field. He says the day he loses the enthusiasm for further education will be the day he retires.

Howard aims to provide high quality dental care in a friendly, informal and relaxed atmosphere and never forgetting that he is treating a person and not just a mouth.

Dr Robert Bolt is a Clinical Lecturer and registered Specialist in Oral Surgery. He is both Medically and Dentally qualified and is a Director of the University of Sheffield's "One-to-One" dental implantology course. Dr Bolt completed a PhD relating to the role of micro environment in the management of HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma in 2015, and continues to work in both clinical and in-vitro fields of research. After qualifying as a Specialist, he completed a period of extended training in Oral Surgery which included complex surgery relating to dental implantology, and has been awarded FDS in Oral Surgery by the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr Bolt is able to offer the full range of implant treatments at Portman Dental & Implant Clinic, and is happy to meet with you for a consultation to see how implants may help you to replace your missing teeth.

In 2002 he purchased his first microscope and increased his referral caseload to 2 days per week while continuing in the enjoyable role of a general practitioner. In 2005 Bill limited his practice to endodontics, performing around 60% re-treatment cases. He works with the microscope for 100% of each case and has a keen interest in photography through the microscope. Bill joined the British Endodontic Society in 1992 and since that time has attended over 20 BES meetings. He was a Council Member from 2002 -2009 and Treasurer from 2004-2009. He is actively involved in internet discussion sites such as Roots and TDO, where he regularly presents cases for discussion and education. Bill has taught at The Eastman CPD centre, and lectures worldwide on Endodontics and Microscopes. He also regularly lectures and presents hands-on courses at major events such as The Dentistry Show and Dental Showcase, and is a Key Opinion Leader for Kavo Kerr, where he is involved in teaching Endodontists how best to run their own courses, and also in product development.

Outside work he enjoys spending time with his wife Jaana and their 3 children. He is a keen golfer, loves skiing and scuba diving.

Rachael graduated from Newcastle University in 2014. She has also completed postgraduate training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and passed examinations to become a member of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Rachael strives to provide high quality general dental care, focusing on prevention and minimally invasive dentistry. She is very friendly and will quickly make you feel at ease. She is committed to continuing professional development and regularly attends lectures and courses to further develop her skills.

Rachael also has a keen interest in facial aesthetics, providing anti-wrinkle injections and dermal filler to help reverse signs of the aging process, and is currently completing a diploma in this field. Her ethos is to provide safe and natural results.

Outside of dentistry Rachael enjoys spending time outdoors and keeping active, and loves long walks in the countryside with her dog Millie.

Fahad's main goal is to improve the patients smile and their confidence as a result.

He takes great pride in providing cosmetic treatments such as tooth whitening, veneers and transparent braces. Fahad has undertaken advanced training and can enhance lips and ageing areas of the face with dermal fillers, to change the shape of the nose, tear troughs, cheeks, lips and deep facial lines for a more youthful appearance.

Fahad continues to develop his skillset via courses nationally and internationally, and is also an active member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Fahad enjoys performing amalgam (metal filling) replacements and creating aesthetic tooth coloured fillings that appear just like normal teeth. He also uses these skills to change the shape of the teeth on display, making them more symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing, to create the perfect smile.

Patient education is a particular area of interest for Fahad who is always happy to explain treatments to patient and can take highly detailed before and after pictures of treatments. This work has lead to Fahad being awarded the prize for best young dentist in the North East of England in 2018.

Outside of dentistry Fahad enjoys adventure travel, cars and mens fashion.

Dr Joe Norris qualified as a Dental Surgeon from Newcastle University in 2014 and is the latest addition to our growing team.

Dr Joe has a special interest in cosmetic dentistry and holds a postgraduate certificate in Cosmetic Dentistry and Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry amongst other postgraduate accolades.

Dr Joe is particularly skilled in the art of smile design, and has the ability to completely transform teeth in ways that can often be life changing for his happy patients. Dr Joe takes great pride and enjoyment in using the most cutting edge techniques, combining treatments such as tooth whitening, cosmetic bonding, veneers and crowns to completely transform smiles.

Dr Joe also takes great passion in the art of improving the appearance of crooked teeth using cosmetic tooth straightening systems such as:

• 6 Month smiles fixed tooth-coloured braces
• Invisalign clear tooth aligners
• The Inman aligner (for minor misalignment)

Knowing that there is more to a stunning smile than just the teeth, Dr Joe has undertaken comprehensive training in facial aesthetics treatments such as:

• Anti-wrinkle injections (using Botoulinum Toxin)
• Subtle lip enhancement techniques using dermal filler injections.

Dr Joe offers free consultations to those who wish to learn more about how their smile can be transformed using any or all of the above techniques.