Category Archives: Patient feedback

ALL SMILES FOR COUPLE’S BIG DAY  

 

Vicki and Sam Shute Colin Powel (1)

ONE Yorkshire couple had more reason than many to smile on their big day as they showed off their dazzling new smiles, having had Invisalign treatment to straighten their teeth.  

Sam and Vicki Shute were both patients at St Michaels Orthodontics, Wakefield, when they decided to take the plunge and have orthodontic treatment.

But rather than Vicki persuading Sam to have treatment, he was first to book his consultation with  Dr Catherine McCanny, after seeing photos of himself at his brother’s wedding and deciding enough was enough.

“I was always aware that my teeth weren’t straight but seeing how pointed they were at the front on my brother’s wedding photos made me decide to do something about it,” said the business development manager from Sandal.

“Dr McCanny fitted Invisalign braces, which are almost invisible so I wasn’t conscious while I was having treatment and no one commented.”

Sam had almost completed his treatment and the pair were engaged when Vicki noticed how her teeth were moving.

“I was about 24 and my teeth had always been fairly straight but then my wisdom teeth came through and severely impacted the alignment of my bottom teeth.  There wasn’t enough room and they started to collapse in.  Being a teacher, I was more conscious of it in front of the pupils so I decided to get treatment.”

Dr McCanny of St Michael’s Orthodontic Ltd has treated nearly 500 patients with Invisalign since it launched 20 years ago but was delighted to treat a couple who were planning their big day. ‘It was a great feeling to be able to give this lovely young couple a fantastic new smile for their wedding day and be part of the whole plan. We were all so excited to see their wedding photographs’.

“Increasingly men are aware of their looks and how it affects their careers and confidence so I wasn’t surprised that Sam came along but it was really special to be treating his fiancée at the same time.  The tricky part was timing the treatment so that the aligners came off for the big day.  Sam’s treatment was finished while Vicki need some refinements after the wedding that were easy to schedule in,” said Dr McCanny.

“I’m just so delighted that we could do the treatment in time so they were both able to smile with confidence on their big day.  Congratulations!”

Photography by Colin Powel

 

Editors’ Notes:

About St Michaels Orthodontics: 

  • St Michael’s Orthodontics – a team of skilled orthodontists led by Catherine McCanny – is based on Dewsbury Road, Wakefield.
  • Having graduated from Dental School at Queen’s University, Belfast in 1988, Catherine commenced her specialist training in Orthodontics at Leeds Dental Institute in 1993. She then teamed up with her now-husband, Joe, to build and develop St Michael’s Dental Practice and St Michael’s Orthodontics Ltd, which opened in 1998.
  • More recently, Catherine – a member of the British Orthodontic Society – was delighted to win three awards in the Aesthetic Dentistry Awards, including the ultimate accolade of Best Aesthetic Dentist 2013. This success was repeated in 2015, when the practice picked up a further three awards, including ‘Best Team’.
  • Catherine McCanny is an Invisalign Elite Platinum Provider.
  • For more information about St Michael’s Orthodontics, please go to http://www.stmichaelsorthodontics.co.uk
  • Press Contact
  • Press release issued by: Carmel Harrison PR, Unity Works, Wakefield. For further information, please contact Carmel Harrison on 01924 831114 or 07714 708 271. Alternatively, email Carmel at carmel@carmelharrisonpr.com

 

 

 

 

 

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Equality, Diversity and Ethnicity

Equality BLOG

We gave patients a questionnaire to fill in whilst waiting for their appointments. The results are from forms that were completed correctly.  

We used a selection of questions, each designed to ensure that anyone using the service feels that they are given the same opportunities, treated fairly and their needs are being met. Each question had the option ‘prefer not to answer’

  1. What is your sex?
  1. What was your age on your last birthday?

The results showed a fairly even cross section in gender, the largest percentage attending the practice were under 18 (72%).

  1. What language do you prefer to speak in?
  1. Do you need an interpreter or help to communicate?

96% of patients preferred language to communicate was English, of the 4% that selected another language as their preferred no one required the use of an interpreter. SMOL has a Translation Policy in place if required.

  1.  Do you regard yourself as belonging to any particular religion?
  1. To which of the following groups do you consider you belong?

Some patients (24%) preferred not to answer the question, of those giving a response 72% answered Christian, Church of England and the remaining 28% said Muslim.

  1. Did you have any difficulty accessing the Dental Practice today?

No patients had problems accessing the service.

  1. Are your day-to-day activities limited because of a health problem or disability which has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months?
  1.  Do you have any of the following conditions lasting (or expected to last) 12 months or more?
  1. Deafness or severe hearing impairment
  2. Blindness or severe vision impairment
  3. A condition that limits one or more basic physical activities (such as walking climbing stairs, lifting or carrying)
  4. A learning difficulty (such as Down’s syndrome)
  5. A learning difficulty (such as dyslexia)
  6. A mental health condition (such as depression or schizophrenia)
  7. A chronic disease (such as cancer, HIV, diabetes, heart disease or epilepsy)
  8. No
  9. Other please tell us
  10. Prefer not to answer
  11. Asthma 

The majority of patients answered no to this question (92%). Those answering yes selected depression (4%) and asthma (4%) as ongoing health problems. The practice updates medical history forms every 6 months for routine patients, this ensures we have the latest health information available to the clinical staff providing care.

  1. Feedback – Please use this space to tell use any areas in which improvement can be made

‘Friendly welcoming staff, gave me an appointment while I was here’

‘Staff very polite. Tea/coffee machine, water dispenser’

‘Great practice’

‘Fabulous service’

After reviewing the answers given in the questionnaire no patients reported having any concerns about the way they were treated at the practice and no patients had problems with access. We do not feel any changes are required at the present time but we will continue to listen to patients’ feedback and make any changes should they become necessary. We will continue to work hard to ensure all patients and visitors to the practice feel their rights are being respected and their needs are being met.

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Regulation 10: Dignity and respect

dignity

At St Michael’s Orthodontics Ltd we work hard to ensure all we treat our patients with dignity and respect.

The results from our previous audit showed that, from the four statements listed on the questionnaire, 100% of patients that took part either agreed or strongly agreed that they were treat with dignity and respect during their visit to the practice.

The results collected from this audit have again given positive feedback to the practice, in which all patients that completed the questionnaire have agreed with the statements.

Results – Dignity and respect April 2017 results

 

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A perfect smile for a beautiful bride!

If you still aren’t convinced that Invisalign is the right solution for you before your big day, read Katy’s blog and then decide! I think you’ll agree with us that she looks stunning!

KP2

I’ve never been particularly vain, but after a recent holiday I was appalled to notice how much my teeth had moved over the last year without me really being aware. One tooth in particular seemed to be twisting and heading towards the back of my head on some mystery exploration known only to him. And then my other half popped the question and my paranoia increased ten fold. A year before the wedding I finally approached my dentist for advice and I was referred to St Michael’s Orthodontics and I found myself having a consultation with the lovely staff there. Being 28, I wasn’t keen on having “tram tracks” which I still associate with teenagers, and being in a customer focused job, I didn’t want more attention bringing to my wandering teeth, so I went with Invisalign. I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive after hearing stories of other adults having braces and being in agony but the calm reassurance of the team at St Michael’s soon put me at ease.

At first, braces feel weird and do take some getting used to. You do need to be a little organised too with regards to carrying floss and mouthwash when eating away from home. The ability to take them out for a rest was a god send and meant that they weren’t too painful; just a little bit tight. As a bride, the braces were brilliant for the pre-wedding diet; you have to leave the braces in for 22 hours out of every 24, and whilst wearing them you can only consume water and if you can avoid binging in the two hours you’re not wearing them, slimming down is a doddle. Win!

Although you may be conscious of wearing braces, no one else can tell and I have some brutally honest friends who I tried this out on! People were shocked when I admitted to wearing braces; they really were that invisible. The other big benefit is that for my hen do, the lovely team took off my attachments (the little cement blobs put on your teeth to make the braces work) so that I was brace free. My teeth weren’t completely finished by my wedding (they were beautiful but not perfect and the St Michael’s team are perfectionists!) so the team left me without braces until after my honeymoon before doing some final adjustments. This flexibility meant I did not panic about having to wear braces on my big day.

I was amazed at how quickly my teeth straightened and how easy and pain free it was. My photographer kept making great comments about my smile and I have never felt more confident that my smile really was dazzling. I am so glad that I got braces, my photos looked amazing and it was such a simple procedure to go through. I have a number of friends now asking questions about Invisalign and considering it for themselves as they have been that impressed by my results. The St Michael’s Team have been amazing and supportive throughout, and their facilities are brilliant. They have provided reassurance and expert advise throughout and I always felt well looked after. If you’re in any doubt please book a consultation and get some advice; I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed by the results they’ll get!

KP1 Photos courtesy of David Webb Wedding Photographer

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Patient care feedback

Patient care questionnaire results

At St Michaels Orthodontics all team members are given regular training in all areas of patient care. We try to ensure that all patients/patients guardians are given all the information relevant to them to enable them to make an informed decision. Periodically we carry out questionnaires to see if we are fulfilling this, and if necessary identify areas where more training is required.

We questioned 40 patients after attending the practice for their 1st assessment appointment. All patients strongly agreed or agreed that they were treated with dignity and respect during their visit and that they were provided with enough information about their treatment. Following on from previous questionnaires the question regarding fees was amended to include a ‘Not applicable’ option. Some patients attending for their first assessment would qualify for NHS treatment any fees for private treatment would not have been discussed in any great detail. All 40 patients would recommend the practice to others. The results of this questionnaire are very positive and no additional training is considered necessary at this time.

We invited patients to leave additional feedback about their first visit:

‘Everybody was really nice and friendly’

‘Slow and didn’t do much than talk’

‘Everything was explained well, made to feel comfortable’

‘Made my 9 year old feel at ease and explained everything in detail’

‘Everyone was very kind & friendly & nice surroundings’

‘Friendly and efficient as usual’

Results from feedback

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