Leighton Buzzard surgeon invents 'UK’s first instant gel' for sensitive teeth

Dr Niall Kent, 37, works in Barnett Hospital specialising in neck and facial surgery – helping patients to fight cancer, and repairing broken jaws and eye sockets.

But his talent doesn't end there, as his dentistry knowledge has enabled him to craft OZEN, which he says is "the UK’s first instantly acting on-the-go gel for sensitive teeth".

It's about to hit the High Street – and claims to give immediate relief to "searing pain".

Dr Kent said: "The reaction has been beyond what I could have hoped for. People can eat or drink things that they haven't before – ice cream, cocktails, hot teas and coffees – some people even had a problem breathing in cold air.

"Unlike older sensitive toothpastes, which just mask the problem, OZEN is a permanent fix with regular use.

"It should be on the shelves of Boots Leighton Buzzard very soon – please go and try it.

"Thank you to everyone who has been involved with OZEN and to my family. I know my mum, Collette, is very proud."

Dr Kent's story starts in Leighton Buzzard, with a young Niall attending Pulford's Lower School, Leighton Middle School, and Vandyke Upper School.

Recalling his days behind a desk, Dr Kent said: "My favourite school was Leighton Middle. You don't really appreciate it when you are there. It's a unique school, the grounds are quite old."

Meanwhile, his love for science was encouraged by Vandyke chemistry teacher, Mr Colvin.

"He used to call me 'a good egg'", laughed Dr Kent.

After leaving school, his journey was one of hard graft, studying Pharmacology in Portsmouth (2007 – 2010), Medicine at Warwick University Medical School (2015 – 2019) and Dentistry at King's College London (2021 – 2025).

"I had to train as a dentist because you have to have their kind of skills to do the surgery," he explained.

Dr Kent has previously worked at Stoke Mandeville and John Radcliffe hospitals, describing surgery as "a fun job", having been "drawn to helping people".

He said: "It's a mix between intense and calm, but enjoyable – meeting lots of different people and figuring out what's best for them. Every operation is different. It's challenging, rewarding.

"The reaction from patients is mixed – some of them are going through the initial cancer treatment, hoping to be cured. The surgery can be quite disfiguring, affecting speaking, eating, the way they look. It can have quite a big impact.

"You can't get too fixated on the operation; if you think too much about the individual as a person, then it makes it difficult, you worry."

But away from the pressure of the operating room, Dr Kent began beavering away in the science lab when his brother, Frank – a student at the Royal College of Art – approached him with an unusual request.

Dr Kent was completing a PhD about bone grafts, creating a 'scaffold' for bone to grow on.

He said: "I moved to the University College of London for about 18 months and my brother, Frank, lived close by.

"He was telling me about aerogels – the least dense material known to man – which were quite cool looking. He wanted me to make him a sculpture, and I realised it was similar to bone graft material.

"You could turn aerogel into bone graft, tailoring the density of the aerogel to how quickly you wanted it to remodel. I was aware of tooth sensitivity as a problem, and realised the reaction was much faster than existing sensitivity technologies.”

Dr Kent patented his new invention, calling it AeroGraft™ – a low density material containing calcium and phosphate.

He said: "OZEN's gel is formulated with AeroGraft™, which reacts with saliva to help seal exposed dentinal tubules, the tiny channels in the tooth linked to sensitivity. It releases calcium and phosphate ions to form a protective mineral layer over the tooth surface."

OZEN is available from the company website, Boots and Amazon. It comes as an oral gel (for on-the-go) or a toothpaste.

Visit the OZEN website for more information.