A dentist who provided new smiles for the England squad has said he feels “proud and privileged” to see his handiwork on display at Euro 2020.
Dr Robbie Hughes is the owner of Dental Excellence UK, a practice based in Liverpool which boasts a host of footballers and celebrities amongst its clientele.
The 36-year-old can see his handiwork in the smiles of England players including Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount, Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and Manchester United man and free school meals campaigner Marcus Rashford.
The success of Dr Hughes’ work has offered him a glamorous lifestyle and seen him party with the stars.
“A few weeks back a couple of the Chelsea boys after they won the Champions League were having a bit of private party in a London restaurant bar,” he said.
“I happened to be there at the time so they invited me down… Nice things like that I’m very, very grateful for.”
Dr Hughes said he has messaged “one or two” of the England players during Euro 2020 and may meet them for a drink when they return.
“But you know, I don’t like to get involved, they’re there to work and do a job, they’ve got to be focused,” he added.
“I’ll congratulate them at the end when they win the trophy.”
Asked how he feels seeing his work on display on the biggest footballing stages, Dr Hughes said: “I’m very proud and privileged to be in that position.
“Most of these guys could probably go anywhere in the world for dentistry and they choose to come and see myself.”
Though he has clinics in London and Dublin, Dr Hughes’ practice is based in his hometown of Liverpool, where local stars such as Liverpool captain Henderson, Mohamed Salah and even manager Jurgen Klopp have received new smiles.
Amongst Dr Hughes’ most memorable clients is Liverpool’s Brazilian star Roberto Firmino, whose bright white teeth quickly became a talking point of the Premier League.
“It was such an extreme transformation, which looks magnificent – he wanted really white teeth and we were able to deliver that for him,” said Dr Hughes.
“Since the awareness of that, we get clients coming in every day asking for Roberto’s colour teeth.”
“The Liverpool boys, especially the foreign ones, their favourite statement is always ‘top Robbie top, top’.”
After an early consultation and overall assessment of mouth health, Dr Hughes’ treatments range from whitening and aligning teeth with invisible braces to porcelain veneers.
He added that there has been a radical shift in dentistry in recent years, fuelled in part by his work and the public’s exposure to footballers and celebrities who have had treatment.
“Clients are more aware of what options they have. A smile makeover to some degree is much more accessible than it used to be,” he said.
“I never imagined that I would be in this position but I am quite a forward-thinking person.
“Even early on in my career, I knew that I wanted to be a cosmetic dentist but not to settle for average.
“It’s hard work and commitment to our trade and what we do. These guys want the best and I believe we represent that.”
