After completing its first year in business, a Devon mobile dental hygiene and therapy provider is reporting significant expansion across the South West and preparing for future growth throughout the UK. Increased demand for its services has supported team growth and strengthened the company’s ambitions for wider national coverage.
The Dental Hygenius was founded by former military dental professional Tare Pile and now operates with an eight-member team serving communities across the South West.
The service was launched to improve access to dental care for individuals who face barriers to visiting traditional dental practices. Over the past year, the organisation has expanded from a single mobile operation into a wider service network delivering care directly to patients in homes, educational settings, workplaces and care facilities.
The company’s development comes as access to dental services remains a concern in many parts of the UK. By providing treatment in familiar and convenient environments, the model aligns with a broader movement towards flexible healthcare solutions that bring services closer to communities.
Pile’s military career spanned 27 years across the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, with 20 of those years spent working in dentistry. The inspiration for the business emerged during an overseas deployment.
Reflecting on the moment, she said: “The idea first came to me while I was deployed, literally hanging between HMS Albion and HMS Dragon in the middle of the Mediterranean. It made me think differently about how care could be delivered in more flexible ways.”
Her background in delivering dental support under challenging operational conditions helped shape the concept of a mobile service capable of reaching patients wherever they are.
Speaking about the first year of operations, she said: “The first year has been hugely rewarding. It has shown that there is a genuine need for more accessible dental care and that this model can work in a practical, sustainable way.”
Initially operating from a converted caravan, The Dental Hygenius has evolved into a dedicated mobile healthcare provider offering hygiene and therapy treatments designed around individual patient requirements. Work with care homes and patients with limited mobility has remained a key focus, alongside services delivered in schools and workplaces.
The business is also a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, underlining its support for the armed forces community. This commitment reflects the founder’s service background and the organisation’s wider emphasis on accessible healthcare for all.
Growing demand has led to the recruitment of additional clinicians and support personnel, allowing the company to broaden its coverage throughout the region. Its service model places particular emphasis on prevention, early treatment and creating a more comfortable patient experience.
Observers within the healthcare sector have increasingly pointed to mobile services as one way of improving access to care in areas where provision is under pressure. Although mobile dentistry has existed for many years, combined hygiene and therapy services delivered through a flexible outreach framework remain relatively uncommon.
Future plans include exploring scalable expansion opportunities across the UK. The company is assessing options such as regional operating teams and a franchise-based structure to support growth while maintaining consistency and quality.
Outlining her long-term goals, Pile said: “Over the next five years, I would like to see The Dental Hygenius operating in all corners of the UK. The intention is to grow through a network model that allows locally based teams to deliver care within their communities, while retaining the core focus on accessibility and quality.”
As the organisation begins its second year, The Dental Hygenius is emerging as an example of how dental services can adapt to changing patient expectations, with accessibility, convenience and community-based care becoming increasingly important across the sector.