Chris Roberts

Alongside my clinical leadership responsibilities, I am ultimately accountable for our clinical facilities and equipment, updating as required, and our clinical governance processes, ensuring that we remain fully compliant with national regulations. I am deeply involved with clinical service improvement and patient pathways to care, including referral services, and Care Quality Commission (CQC) readiness also falls within my brief.

Externally I am a Fitness to Practice panellist for the General Dental Council (GCD) and a CQC Inspector for dentistry, both UK-wide appointments which I continue to deliver alongside my Clinical Director role with Smile Together.

The most fun part of my role here is getting out and about, visiting our practices across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and spending time with the teams in each location. Ultimately, I’ll be delivering urgent dental care too, working alongside my clinical colleagues in treating those patients who need us most.

The biggest hurdle in this role is being agile enough to improve services, facilities and governance processes against a backdrop of external estates management and clinical recruitment challenges.

I had a very different entry pathway to dentistry than many, having been a postman for 7 years in North Wales upon leaving school! However, I always knew this was a stop-gap whilst I considered my longer-term career options and, once I settled on dentistry and whilst working, I completed a twelve-month ‘Access to Science and Technology Course’ at technical college. I applied to a number of dental schools, initially unsuccessfully, but was accepted by the University of Bangor to study chemistry so began my degree studies there until Cardiff University accepted my dental application the following year and I transferred from Bangor to study dentistry over the next five years.

After graduating, my Vocational Training (VT) year was spent in a North Wales practice where, post-qualification, I remained for a further two years in general practice until becoming a civilian dentist in the military, moving to Germany with my family. I practiced there for the next 10 years, followed by two years in Brunei before returning to Germany, eventually leaving the military to take up a clinical leadership role with PCH Dental in Cornwall, which ultimately transitioned into Smile Together Dental CIC.

I thoroughly enjoyed that role but left in 2017 to undertake military locum dentist work in Plymouth alongside becoming a GDC Fitness to Practice panellist and a CQC Inspector. Whilst retaining those two roles, I then joined the University of Plymouth Peninsula Dental School as a Clinical Supervisor for dentist and dental therapy students in Plymouth and Truro, going on to become Associate Clinical Professor until coming full circle back to Smile Together in 2023 as Clinical Director.

In my view Smile Together is truly unique. One of the few dental companies where you get to experience the whole range of dentistry in a challenging yet interesting, varied and rewarding clinical environment. I would encourage anyone to consider joining us, at whatever stage of your dental career, as the opportunities are boundless.

Outside of work I like to make the most of this beautiful county in which I live and work, and especially enjoy walking the coastal footpath, watersports and off-road cycling. I like watching rugby, including in Cardiff, and am currently fitting out a VW campervan in readiness for more UK-wide travel. On top of all this I try to keep track of my 3 children, 2 step-children and 4 grandchildren!