Published on 1st February 2026

Two friends who first met at Millais School are writing a new chapter in the history of The Denture Shop in Station Road, Horsham. Following the retirement of co-founder Nigel Boult, the business is now owned by his daughter Ehlana Boult, herself a qualified Clinical Dental Technician (CDT), with support from clinic manager Hannah Knipe.

Hannah joined the clinic, on the corner of Depot and Station Road, last July. Her experience in administration and customer service allows Ehlana to focus on the challenge of fitting and repairing a range of modern dentures. Hannah said: ‘We have been close friends since secondary school, where we bonded over our shared love of English and History. Back then, we imagined pursuing those subjects as a career, yet here we are running a denture shop! 

‘When the time came for Elhana to officially take over the business, she needed someone to take on the management aspects, so that she could focus on dentures. I really enjoy my role, especially helping our patients by giving them dental hygiene advice or liaising with their regular dentist. There are many misconceptions about dentures, the most common being that they need to be placed in a glass of water at night. That’s not the case, although they do need lightly cleaning each day. This is the kind of information that I can pass on, as often you can see highly-qualified clinical technicians or dentists who are too busy to talk at length to patients. 

FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS

The business was founded by Nigel and his close friend (and Ehlana’s godfather) Andrew McLean in 1990. They set up a laboratory in Redhill, making and repairing dentures that were fitted by established dental practices. 

Dentures must be fitted by qualified dentists or Clinical Dental Technicians, and with no CDT courses available in the UK at that time, the co-founders spent two years in Canada, studying at the renowned George Brown College, leaving with qualifications that met the requirements of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. After returning to the UK, they established their first denture shop in Redhill, going on to open further branches in Horley, Worthing, Hove and Horsham in 2016. 

Upon Andrew’s retirement two years ago, the original Redhill branch was bought by the adjoining dental clinic. The Horley and Hove sites both closed at the end of tenancy agreements, leaving just Horsham and Worthing. Ehlana joined the business in 2016 and along with Hannah, divides her time between the two locations. However, she was not always destined to follow in her father’s footsteps… 

‘I studied at Collyer’s College and planned to pursue a career in nursing. I was offered a differed placement at Edge Hill University, but I didn’t want to sit around doing nothing for six months until the course started, so helped dad at the Horsham shop. I enjoyed it, even gaining a diploma as a dental technician during that period. I immersed myself in the role and as someone who loves crafting things, appreciated the detailed work involved in making dentures in the lab. My dad had wanted to retire a little sooner, but he waited until I was a fully qualified Clinical Dental Technician (CDT), meaning that I can fit dentures too, before handing over the reins. I have now achieved this goal, with my graduation taking place at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.’ 

PRICE OF A SMILE

As is evident from its name, The Denture Shop focuses solely on dentures. While a dentist can fit dentures (whereas a CDT cannot carry out dentistry treatments such as extractions and fillings), dental surgeries often work with denture specialists, not only to alleviate their workload but also because of the high level of expertise CDT’s possess in this one area of dental care.

As a one-stop shop, The Denture Shop is also able to offer a fast service, with patient consultations, scans, fabrications and repairs all carried out under one roof. While the advancement of dental implants mean that dentures are not the only option for those looking to replace missing teeth, there are reasons why someone would choose to wear them, says Ehlana…

‘One of the primary advantages of dentures is the price. We can fit an entire set of dentures for £1599, about the price of a single implant. So, the more teeth that need replacing, the more affordable dentures become. However, if you’re able to afford £40,000 for a full set of implants, that’s understandable, so we cater to a different market. 

‘Also, not everyone is able to have implants fitted. With age, bone density decreases and a successful implant relies on strong bones for the insertion of titanium screws into the jawbone. This process is followed by a six-month wait for the gums and jawbone to heal before you even discuss the crown attachment. For many, it’s not a pleasant experience, as patients are kept awake (under local anaesthetic) throughout surgery for implants. One of the main advantages of implants is longevity, but denture technology has improved too, with some lasting up to 10 years. Advancements in scanning techniques also help us to create more precise, comfortable fits.’

DIGITAL AGE

While studying for her Masters, Ehlana used an Intra-oral scanner, a hand-held device that captures real-time 3D digital images or impressions of a patient’s teeth, gums and oral structure. She has now introduced this state-of-the-art technology to The Denture Shop. 

She said: ‘With our new Trios 3 wireless scanner, we can take a detailed picture of the patient’s mouth and record it digitally. When using such devices at university, I found that dentures based on digital scans fitted phenomenally well, when compared with those made entirely by traditional techniques, as the scans build a detailed picture and capture the individual characteristics of the mouth and teeth. Even if you are making a single set of dentures (just the top or bottom row of teeth), we still record a picture of the whole mouth and these images are stored on the computer, so if you need another denture at a later date, we can easily find the scans again. 

‘We also invested in a 3-D printer, which gives us the best impressions that we can possibly take. It helps to reduce the margin of error, as alginate (the fast-setting, putty-like material traditionally used for dental impressions) can shift slightly, and plaster expands as it dries too. The tiniest imperfections can feel enormous to the patient, yet this process largely negates that. Of course, it makes the job of a dental technician partially redundant, but there will always be a need for a skilled hand to carry out repairs to dentures.’

As well as scanning technology, there have been advancements in denture materials too. The Denture Shop offers five different kinds of acrylic dentures, with each available as a single set or a complete set. These vary both in terms of the detail and shaping of the artificial teeth, ranging from the Essential set (a full set costs £1,599) to the Enigma (£3,899).

In addition to acrylic sets, the shop offers chrome casting. Whereas the base of acrylic dentures is 2-3mm thick, chrome casts are about 0.3mm, making them more comfortable. These are fabricated by a chrome specialist (the only part of the process not carried out in-house) and can include partial castings designed to cover only certain areas, meaning patients can continue to feel the base or roof of their mouth.  

Hannah said: ‘We begin with a consultation, to understand exactly what a patient wants. Some require the most affordable option, some are happy to pay for the best dentures, while others find something in the middle. The Enigma is like the Ferrari of dentures, as they look so realistic. Natural teeth have a translucency and graining that captures light in a certain way, while over time their shape and form takes on its own characteristics. The best dentures recreate that natural look, but they’re not for everyone. Some people want a bleached look – like Rylan Clark’s shiny veneers! We initially fit a wax model of your dentures, so a client can see their shape, colour and position before we make the final set. That gives customers much more confidence!’

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright