A leading orthodontic specialist, Dr Neil Counihan has over thirty years’ experience in transforming the smiles and confidence of young people and adults.
Neil graduated from King’s College Hospital, London and went on to study at the prestigious New York University in the US. He has worked in the UK, Australia and the US and brings a wealth of expertise to all his patients.
Neil is passionate about early intervention orthodontics, and focuses on delivering a diagnosis and treatment plan that’s right for the individual. As a thought leader in ‘the art of orthodontics’, he takes into account the growing face of a child or teen. He specialises in treatment plans that avoid tooth extractions and help create healthy teeth for life. This has earned him the reputation as the person dentists send their children to.
Neil has founded/co-founded two orthodontic clinics in his career, and is currently operating across two settings. He is specialist orthodontist at Canon House Clinic in Buckinghamshire. And in 2022, returned to London as clinical director at Twoth.
His positive energy, warmth and commitment to brilliant results make him one of the UK’s most in-demand orthodontists.
– Neil Counihan
Neil confesses to an insatiable appetite for adventure and regularly tests his mental and physical strength on gruelling experiences. He is the only dentist to have made it to both the North and South Poles.
Neil’s Polar adventures began in 2018 when he walked to the North Pole to raise funds for new research into the causes of premature birth for Borne. He traversed the Arctic Ocean, one of the most inhospitable regions on the planet, with extreme cold, unstable ice conditions and unpredictable weather. The team walked for eight hours a day across moving sea ice, pulled 60 kg sledges packed with survival essentials and burned through a whopping 6,000 calories in just 24 hours. Neil’s dental skills proved handy when some of his team mates’ teeth ‘exploded’ thanks to the extreme temperatures.
In 2020 Neil tackled the South Pole for The Lewis Moody Foundation. An impressive line up of team mates included Polar adventurer and former Marine Commando Alan Chambers MBE, highly decorated former Officer in the UK Special Forces Wayne Hoyle, and former England Rugby Captain Lewis Moody MBE. Funds were donated to the Tessa-Jowell Brain-Matrix, a clinical trial to enable doctors to treat brain tumours with more targeted drugs. The journey included a 69 mile trek to reach the most southerly point on Earth and the most remote part of Antarctica, with temperatures dropping to –40°C, severe wind chill and storms.
In 2024 Neil is set to return to the South Pole following knee replacement surgery with Mr Sam Rajaratnam at the Schoen Clinic. He describes his surgery as a new beginning and is keen to inspire others to leave behind pain and get back to doing what they love.
Throughout his career, Neil has enjoyed a wide range of leadership experiences – from founding highly successful orthodontic clinics, to tackling Polar adventures, training up and coming orthodontists, speaking on topics including resilience and wellbeing and writing health and safety guidelines for orthodontic clinics during the Covid19 pandemic.
In 2020 Neil became Non-Executive Director of Extreme Leaders Group. The organisation delivers leadership through experience, focussing on life-changing expeditions, training and special projects in extreme environments. Its programmes build confidence and strengthen the resilience of individuals, teams and organisations, many of whom are high profile.
Each business leader has their individual, organisational and personal challenges mapped out, and from that a tailor-made programme is developed to help address their challenges and develop the mental, emotional and physical agility, resilience and strength to become even stronger leaders.
He describes his own leadership style as dynamic, engaging, positive and collaborative. He’s passionate about the power of teams and has seen the amazing outcomes that come from great teamwork delivered under pressure.
I see the incredible possibility of transformation through leadership experiences and how great leaders can in turn inspire and transform others. It’s great to be a part of that journey with others
– Neil Counihan