Our Team
Daniel Thio
Principal Dentist
MB BCh BAO BDS MRCS (RCSEd) DOHNS (RCSEng) PG Dip Endodontology (Chester) PG Cert BA (Durham)
GDC No. 265056 GMC No. 5202573
Daniel took over Nunnery Lane Dental Practice in 2020 with the vision to build on the practice’s already strong reputation in providing high quality family dentistry in a friendly and personal setting, and to expand the practice offerings.
Daniel qualified in Medicine in 1999, and after attaining his postgraduate surgical qualifications, went on to train in Head and Neck Surgery as a Higher Surgical Trainee in Ear Nose and Throat surgery. Whilst he enjoyed his time learning and performing complex operations in the head and neck region, he left the NHS in 2011 as a senior registrar to be able to spend more time with his young family, and embarked on a career in dentistry.
After qualifying in 2015 from the University of Bristol, he completed his dental foundation training and then worked in a practice on the outskirts of York before the opportunity to take over Nunnery Lane Dental Practice arose. He has undertaken extensive postgraduate education since qualifying and has attained a Postgraduate Diploma in Endodontics (Root Canal Treatment).
He lives in the centre of York with his wife and two children, and currently divides his working week between the practice of Medicine and Dentistry. Outside of work he enjoys cycling, tennis and all things Jazz.
Andrew Dickens
Dentist
BDS University of Newcastle upon Tyne
GDC No. 64331
Andrew graduated in Dentistry from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1989. After a year of vocational training in Gateshead, he moved to York to work as a dental associate in Huntington, and then in 1999 took over at Nunnery Lane Dental Practice, where he was the owner until January 2020. Andrew sold the practice to Daniel to plan a staged retirement, and to focus on his dentistry without the need to worry too much about the ins and outs of running a practice. Andrew continues to work 4 days a week at the practice and takes care of our NHS patients as well as his loyal following of private patients.
He is married with two grown up children, and in his spare time enjoys mountain biking and bird-watching, sometimes both at the same time!
Stefan Whaley
Dentist
BDS University of Newcastle upon Tyne
GDC No. 271342
Stefan joined the practice in August 2022. He spent two years working down in Cambridgeshire before moving up to North Yorkshire, with his now wife, in 2019.
Stefan enjoys all aspect of general dentistry. He has undertaken a number of post-graduate courses to further develop his skills, endeavouring to provide his patients with the best treatment possible. Stefan is meticulous in his attention to detail and achieves fantastic clinical and cosmetic results for this patients.
Outside of work Stefan enjoys running; he is regularly found at a Park Run on Saturday mornings, whilst he has completed multiple half marathons for charity in the past. He has recently taken up golf and is also an avid football fan.
Samarth Shetty
Dentist
BDS Queen Mary University of London MFDS RCPS (Glasg)
GDC No. 284615
We are very pleased to welcome Samarth to the practice from September 2023. Samarth graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2019. He has gone one to work in both Hospital and Dental Practice settings to gain valuable experience in a broad range of dentistry. He is passionate about learning and enjoys all aspects of dentistry, and has a particular interest in fixed prosthodontics and endodontics. Samarth is a member of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh and a fully certified Invisalign provider.
When he is not in the practice, Samarth enjoys a friendly game of 5-a side football and spending time with his family and friends. He has a Level 1 Basketball coaching qualification from Basketball England and has enjoyed coaching students in his local community in the past.
Maria Cobo
Dentist and Implantologist
BDS Uni. Alfonso X Sabio (Madrid) PGDip Implantology (UClan), MSc Implantology (Madrid)and Periodontology (UK and Spain)
GDC No. 284615
Maria qualified in Madrid in 2009, and has worked as a dental surgeon in the UK since 2010. Since then, she has invested heavily in training in laser dentistry, oral surgery and dental implantology. She has completed both a postgraduate diploma in Implantology in the UK as well as an MSc in Implantology in Madrid and has a depth of experience in performing more complex implant and oral surgery work as well as advanced surgical periodontal treatments. Maria has a passion for achieving both fantastic cosmetic and functional outcomes for her patients which shows through her unwavering attention to detail. Outside of work, Maria lives in York with her husband and 2 daughters, and is a keen golfer and skier. She has a passion for helping in countries with limited resources . This has seen her volunteering her skills and spending time in Honduras, Nicaragua and Africa helping those who are less fortunate.
Robert Finch
Implant Dentist
GDC No. -------
We welcome Rob to Nunnery Lane Dental practice as our resident Implant dentist. Rob studied Dentistry at Leeds University and qualified in 2001.
Rob holds both a Diploma in Restorative Dentistry from the Royal College of Surgeons in England, and following a year of research, an MSc with distinction in Restorative Dentistry from Leeds University. These qualifications are designed to recognise a very high standard of dentistry and give him the skills and knowledge to provide the highest level of dental care.
Rob has also undertaken further postgraduate training in Dental Implantology and started placing implants in 2012. Over the last 2 years, he has also taken referrals from other dentists for implant provision.
Rob is also well qualified to provide more complex treatment to restore teeth in situations where the bite has changed, or where there is extensive wear and shortening of the teeth. He is also an Invisalign provider. Invisalign is a clear aligner system which is used to help straighten teeth. This is sometimes needed as part of more complex treatment to restore the dentition, or can be used on its own to improve the smile.
Rob is married to Carlie who is also a dentist and has a daughter, Pixie, and son, Aubrey. They live in York and enjoy sport, food and music. Rob is a keen sportsman and trumpeter, enjoying Crossfit, Rugby (vicariously these days through Aubrey!) and trumpeting in a local jazz band.
With his kind and empathetic demeanour, Rob has an ability to put patients at ease while his knowledge and experience ensures that high quality appropriate treatment is always delivered with the interest of patients at the forefront of everything he does.
Purna Patel
Dental Hygienist
BDS Marathwada University
GDC No. 284662
Purna is the hygienist at our practice, and she is also a fully qualified dentist, having trained at Marathwada University in India and graduating in 2004. After a few years working as a dentist, her family moved to England due to her husband’s job as a hospital consultant. Purna took a career break at that point to ensure the family settled in well, and gained accreditation in the UK as a dental hygienist when she went back to work. She is a font of knowledge and has a gentle, caring demeanour with patients, making them feel at ease and relaxed during their visits.
When not at work, Purna enjoys spending time with her family. She enjoys exploring new cultures and cooking.
Tessa Notarantonio-Smith
Dental Nurse
GDC No. 253564
Tessa gained her diploma in dental nursing in 2014. She joined the Nunnery Lane Dental team in October 2017 and has fitted right in with other team members.
Tessa particularly enjoys working with and helping our younger patients to build their confidence when coming to the practice for dental treatment. Her gentle, caring approach helps to put all our more anxious patients at ease and to make experience a positive one.
Outside of work Tess enjoys spending time with her family, going on holidays and watching the latest box sets on TV!
Tracey Parnaby
Reception and Practice Manager
Tracey is one of the longest-serving members of the team and has been with us for 20 years. She is most definitely known as the voice and face of the practice. Tracey is very friendly, caring and loves meeting and talking to people. She looks after our patients and will always go that extra mile to help someone out. She also keeps the practice running smoothly behind the scenes and is a much-valued member of the team. Away from work Tracey loves nothing more than spending time with her son Riley and her cat Thunder.
Tracey also loves wine and gin, which definitely help with her other love – talking! Tracey and Riley both love the sunshine and always look forward to nice holidays where they can play on the beach and swim in the sea.