August 10, 2026
This year we made a deliberate decision to put language support front and centre across all our clinics. It sounds like a small thing. It isn't. When patients can speak to someone in a language they actually feel comfortable in, the whole experience of coming to the dentist changes, and not just in terms of how relaxed they feel. More on that in a moment.
Between our clinicians and support staff, we cover quite a range of languages. Here's who speaks what.
Languages Supported at Complete Smiles
Most of our dentists and support staff speak at least one language beyond English, and a good number speak two or three.
Tamil, Norwegian
Norwegian was the language I was raised in. Tamil came later, through my parents. Dr Jenisha shares a similar background and speaks both fluently. Thanushan, our multisite coordinator, grew up in South Asia speaking Tamil and it remains his strongest language.
Portuguese, Spanish, French, Polish
Dr Pedro, our lead implantologist, speaks Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Polish, all to a high level. Dr Sofia also speaks Portuguese, and Dr Ouiam speaks French.
Gujarati, Hindi
Shirin, one of our receptionists, and Pooja are both originally from northern India. Between them they cover Gujarati and Hindi fluently. Shivani grew up speaking Hindi. Krishan handles practice coordination in Bournemouth and Hindi is the language he grew up with.
Arabic
Dr Sara and Dr Mahmoud both speak Arabic well. If you would rather be seen in Arabic, either of them is a good choice.
Nepali
Aarati and Astha are two of our dental nurses who speak Nepali to a very high standard.
Russian
Russian is the language Dr Anta was raised in. She has seen patients from various countries over the years and takes real satisfaction in being able to communicate with them properly.
Farsi/Dari (Afghan Persian)
Musa, our sales lead, was raised speaking Afghan Farsi. It is not something he has to think about; it simply comes naturally in conversation. South Asian patients who speak Farsi tend to find him easy to talk to. He makes the same effort for patients from the Middle East, though he will be straightforward if dialectal differences become a barrier.
Sinhala
Yohan, our practice coordinator in Stafford, is from Sri Lanka and is well placed to help any Sinhala-speaking patients who come through our doors.
How to Book a Consultation in Your Language
A web enquiry is the most reliable way to start. Tell us which language you need and we will get the right person back to you. Calling works too, though our call centre runs in English and may not connect you with language support straight away. Either way, a request for a dentist who speaks your language will get through and will be followed up.
Why Language Support Matters to Us
Complete Smiles started in Harrow, one of the most linguistically diverse boroughs in the country. That was never coincidental to how we built the practice. The thinking from the start was to recruit people who genuinely reflect the communities we serve, not just clinically, but in terms of background and how they actually communicate.
The team we have now speaks a lot of languages. Patients notice. Many who come through our doors no longer face the quietly exhausting work of managing a clinical appointment in a language they are not fully at ease in. That is a bigger shift than it might sound.
A Note on Older Patients
One group this affects more than most tends to get left out of the conversation entirely. Older residents who came to the UK decades ago, who have spoken confident, fluent English throughout their working lives, can find that confidence unexpectedly slipping once they are in the dental chair.
Pain is specific. Describing it accurately takes words you have to reach for. Following a clinical explanation when you are already tense takes concentration. Asking a question about a treatment you are unsure about requires a kind of ease that anxiety tends to take away. We see frequently what changes when a patient can stop translating in their head and just speak.
This Is a Clinical Matter, Not Just a Comfort One
The research backs this up. A study in the British Journal of General Practice found that language barriers between patients and healthcare professionals contribute directly to poorer care and worse outcomes. Other British research has pointed to language as one of the most significant factors keeping people from minority ethnic communities away from the dentist altogether, not as a one-off but as a pattern.
A multilingual team is one of the most practical things a practice can do about that. We built Complete Smiles because we wanted to do dentistry differently. Part of what that looks like is making sure no patient has to guess what their dentist is saying or struggle to explain where it hurts. If language has ever been the reason you put off coming in, we hope this changes that.
Dr. Malavi Sivakanesan (292322)
Dr. Malavi Sivakanesan is the principal dentist and co-founder at Complete Smiles in Harrow, Greater London. She is responsible for establishing the Complete Smiles brand throughout the United Kingdom and Europe and has 5 successful practices under her strong leadership.