Our Team
Helen Park
Clinic Manager
Helen has been dental nursing since leaving school in 1980. She first came to the practice, as an agency nurse in 1988. She joined Soundwell Rd, permanently in 2000. Since then she has worked as a dental nurse, receptionist and has now progressed to clinic manager. She is a keen theatre goer, and enjoys spending her spare time with family.
Maria Vinas Portillo
Dentist
Maria qualified as a dentist in Madrid, Spain in 2009. She enjoys all aspects of general dentistry, especially building relationships with her patients and enabling them to improve their overall dental health.
She moved to Cornwall in 2010 where she worked in a general dental practice and then to Bristol in 2012. Through that time Maria has started a family and worked in both NHS and private dental practices.
She has enjoyed the varied treatments, including aesthetic procedures and root canal treatments. She especially enjoys helping patients reduce their anxiety.
In 2016 she did a certificate in Minor Oral Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons which developed her skills in surgical extractions and has since attended several short courses to develop and broaden her skills. She is a member of the British Dental Association. Maria joined Somerford House Dental Practice in May 2023.
Maria enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and visits to her home in Spain.
GDC no 181556
Ken Lawty
Dentist
Kenneth was born in Kent and was educated in Hong Kong, UK and the USA. He served 9 years in the Regular British Army and a further 8 years with the Army reserves as a Combat Medical Technician and Pharmacy Technician within the Royal Army Medical Corp, reaching the rank of Sergeant Major.
He has served in the UK and overseas in Germany, Kenya and Afghanistan. He was sponsored to complete his dental training and qualified from Plymouth University in 2022.
After completing his foundation training in the NHS and moving into private practice, he commissioned at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst obtaining the rank of Captain within the Royal Army Dental Corp.
Ken has a very personable approach to dentistry, striving to communicate comprehensively with patients and building trusting relationships. He has a
conservative and minimally invasive approach to dentistry with an interest in endodontics (Root Canal Treatment).
GDC no 302632
Dr Basma Salem
Dentist
BDS MREs MFDS
Queen’s University, Belfast
Basma graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2020 with her dental degree and in 2018 with a master’s degree in oral cancer research. She has completed postgraduate qualifications and is a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.
Basma moved from Northern Ireland to Bristol for foundation training and has remained in the Southwest since! She has worked in a variety of dental settings including as a Senior House Officer in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at the Royal United Hospitals, Bath. She has also worked as a Dental Officer for the Community Dental Service in Bristol and as an associate/locum dentist in general practice.
Basma is a very friendly and personable dentist and aims to make her patients enjoy their visit! She is accredited as a seditionist in inhalational sedation and has completed courses in anti-wrinkle treatments using Botox. Basma now works in private dental practice in Bristol as well as providing emergency out of hour dental treatment with 247 Dentist and 111.
In her spare time Basma loves travelling and keeping fit using weight training. She is also kept busy by her husky Blue and cat Kush!
GDC no 290951
Neave Haines-Noble
Dental Hygienist
Neave studied dental hygiene in Cardiff and graduated in 2021 after working as a dental nurse in private and NHS practices for five years in Bristol.
Neave wants to create a pleasant experience by reassuring nervous patients and has keen interest in educating her patients about gum disease.
Outside of dentistry, Neave enjoys keeping fit by going to the gym and running. She also enjoys spending time with family, friends and her dog.
GDC no 279053
Amel Ainouz
Qualified Dental Nurse
I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Algiers, and I have practiced dentistry in Algeria for three years before moving to the UK in 2013.
After taking some time to raise my two children and to volunteer for Oxfam, I have decided to reconnect with dentistry, the field that I have always been passionate about.
I love taking care of patients and making their dental visit an enjoyable experience.
During my spare time, I love baking, reading and spending time with my family and friends.
Maddi Forster
Trainee Dental Nurse
Maddi is a trainee dental nurse that started her career in February 2024. Maddi likes a fast paced and challenging work environment; coming from a background working with children in a school.
During her own education, she loved and excelled in science and wanted to reconnect to this area of interest, later in life. Outside of work, Maddi enjoys going to the gym and cooking.
Caroline Forster
Receptionist
Caroline is a receptionist who started her career here at Somerford House in November 2024. Before that she has been employed within the education sector for the past 25 years, working in The Early Years Foundation Stage.
She started her career in an office-based environment, which has now seen her come full circle.
Outside of work she loves spending time with her family and friends, looking after her dog and doing the odd puzzle.