Meet the Team

Dentists

Dr Thomas Olivelle

BDS (London, Eng) 1999

GDC Number: 76550

 

Dr Olivelle qualified at Guys Hospital, London and worked part-time as a Clinical Assistant in the Oral Maxillofacial department at St John’s Hospital, Chelmsford whilst establishing his own practice in St Albans. In 2005 he moved to Devon and joined the Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice.
Dr Olivelle takes the utmost pride in his work and adopts a professional and caring manner. He is dedicated to providing the very best quality of dental care and treatment and has a keen interest in Oral Surgery, in particular all aspects surrounding the placement of dental implants, including perio-surgery (the gums), and oral enhancement/reconstruction.
Dr. Olivelle has been placing implants since 2002 and over the years, he has attended several national and international courses, building on his skills in advanced implant techniques, bone augmentation and soft tissue procedures.
He gained his diploma in implant dentistry in 2015 from the University of Warwick and is also a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantology (FICOI).
Dr Olivelle strives to provide the very best patient care and satisfaction.

 

Dr Peter Gyoker

DMD (Debrecen, Hungary) 2005

GDC Number: 164125

Peter qualified in Debrecen, Hungary in 2005. From 2009 he worked in Chard as a general practitioner in NHS practices. In 2017 he joined our team and has been working here ever since.

Peter provides all aspects of dentistry including general restorative work, full mouth rehabilitation and minimal invasive surgical procedures. In 2012 he gained his Post-graduate Certificate in Implant Dentistry at the University of Warwick. He deals with both fixed and removable implant retained prosthesis. Since 2015 he has been successfully treating patients with mild to moderate orthodontic problems. He started with Six Month Smiles, which uses aesthetic components that are bonded to the teeth. He recently also started to offer recently popular clear aligners (SureSmile).

Peter believes in thorough treatment planning, in order to future proof teeth and any restorations that a patient might need. He likes his patients to be involved in treatment planning and makes a great effort to explain everything. He is a great believer in minimally invasive dentistry. Peter is also expanding his knowledge on digital dentistry: from scanning teeth instead of taking impressions, through tracking teeth movements in his orthodontic cases to designing restorations. Peter is very friendly, cheerful and approachable and will make you feel at ease as soon as you meet him. He is very gentle and always puts his patients’ needs  first.

When not at work, he loves playing with his daughter and son and taking their dog for long walks in the nearby woodlands. Peter is a keen DIYer, he especially loves working with wood and is always on the lookout for a new project.  

Dr Agnieszka Zachacz

BDS (Plymouth, Eng) 2015

GDC Number: 258406

Aga qualified from Peninsula Dental School in 2015. She spent three years working as general dental practitioner in Exeter as well as delivering emergency treatment to phobic patients in Dental Access Centre, Plymouth before joining our practice in 2019.

Aga has a gentle and caring approach and aims to deliver patient centered dentistry. Aga offers all aspects of dental care and her working philosophy is tooth preservation and minimal invasive dentistry. She has special interest in root canal treatment and she is currently studying for Postgraduate Diploma in Endodontics in King’s College, London.

Aga is trained in the Bioclear method, in which white composite material is wrapped around a tooth using special, technologically advanced mylar matrices. Composite is heated to properly form a fully functional, beautiful tooth. She is also a certified Invisalign provider and facial aesthetics (wrinkle treatment) provider.

Before turning to dentistry, Aga obtained a Masters Degree in Laboratory Medicine and worked as scientist at the National Institute for Medical Research, London. Outside of work Aga is a busy mum of two young children. She loves spending time with her family, exploring the beautiful Devon countryside. She always has a project on the go, furniture restoration, sofa reupholstering or crocheting to name a few.

Hygienists

Elliott Dearsly

BSc DHDT (Birmingham, Eng) 2018

GDC Number: 277786

Elliott qualified as a Dental Hygiene Therapist from the University of Birmingham in 2018. He has since moved back to Devon and has worked in both NHS and private practices, undertaking work within his full scope of practice. Elliott joined Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice in 2021. Elliott can undertake both routine restorative dentistry in adults and children, along with periodontal treatment, which involves the treatment of gum diseases. Elliott has recently attended courses which allow him to provide dental whitening treatment and to prescribe dental radiographs for the diagnosis of dental disease. Elliott particularly enjoys educating patients in the importance of good oral health as in the long term it can prevent future dental disease from occurring.

In his spare time Elliott enjoys painting with oil paints he also whitewater kayaks around the UK and Europe.

Management

Carly Bull

NC (NEBDN) 2006

Practice Manager & Head Dental Nurse
GDC Number: 132957

Carly started dentistry in 2004, qualifying via NEBDN as a Dental Nurse in Jan 2006.

Since then, Carly has gain post grad qualifications to take impressions, infection control lead and an Oxbridge University course in Dental Practice Management. Carly Joined Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice in 2021 as Head nurse and took over as Practice Manager in October 2022. You will always see her around the practice nursing, talking to patients and anything else inbetween!

In her spare time Carly loves spending time with her partner and 10 yr old daughter and likes to socialise with her friends, go to the beach. Carly also has a passion for fashion and loves an escape room.

Dental Nurses

Kate Procter

Verified experience in Dental Nursing

GDC Number: 113445

Kate started working here at Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice in 1991, so has seen many changes in dentistry over the years!

When not at work or being taxi for her son, Kate enjoys walking with her partner and rescue dog. Kate enjoys spending time with friends and family, loves to cook and enjoys the odd glass of wine. 

Julie Priest

NC (NEBDN) 2008

GDC Number: 165079

Julie has been a Dental Nurse for 17 years within the NHS and joined the Budleigh Salterton team in March 2023. She enjoys being challenged and belonging to a team helping people with their smiles.

Julie lives in a small village near Seaton with her partner and their dog. She has been known to dabble in upholstery in her spare time and she’s a keen cider and gin connoisseur!
Jaz

Jazmyn Preece

Dip DN (NEBDN) 2023

GDC Number: 307805

Jaz began her journey as a dental nurse in March 2021 and became qualified in February 2023. She joined our practice in July 2024 and has been a valuable asset to the team. In her free time, Jaz likes to go for walks, spend time with her family, partner, and friends, and enjoy sunny holidays with a mandatory cocktail. Additionally, she is an enthusiastic skier and has had the opportunity to enjoy many snowy holidays!  
Ellie Walters

Ellie Walters

Trainee Dental Nursing

Ellie joined us here at Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice in Feb 2025 as a Trainee Nurse. Ellie is exploring her role as a dental nurse and is loving learning all things dentistry and interacting with our patients!

In her free time, Ellie loves nothing more then to be soaking up the sun be that here on our lovely local beaches or on a summer holiday! She enjoys going on walks with family and friends and any dog that joins along the way!

On Saturdays Ellie spends her time teaching children to swim which she finds very rewarding and then relaxes at her local listening to live music.

Front of House

Sue Wickens

Head Receptionist

Sue loves her job and helping people! She started at Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice in May 2021. Despite not coming from a dental background, she has always worked within customer services and with the public.

Sue is now the Head Receptionist here, but her main role is still to make people feel welcome and at ease when they come for their appointments, answering the phones, and helping all our patients and clinicians with any queries they may have. If you have not met Sue before or you haven’t noticed, she also loves to chat. You will always see her with a smile on her face and willing to help!  

Victoria Clarke

Receptionist

Vicky previously worked for 25 years as a Dental Nurse before moving to reception for around 10 years. She then left dentistry for a while to work on reception at a GP practice, but has returned to dentistry, joining Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice as a receptionist. Vicky is enjoying being part of an amazing team and giving patients the best possible journey that they can have.

Vicky’s personal interests include spending time with her husband, Dave and son, Harry. She also enjoys socialising with friends and holidays with her family.

Jo Matthews

Joanne Matthews

Receptionist

 

Jo has returned to dental reception work after spending many years in the education sector. She is passionate about helping people and delivering excellent service, bringing a naturally kind and welcoming manner to everything she does.

Outside of work, Jo has a strong love for nature and the natural world.