Tag Archives: invisalign teen

Digital treatment for patients in the face of Covid 19

MODERN technology is proving invaluable to us here at St Michael’s Orthodontics as we seek to continue our patients’ treatment remotely as part of Coronavirus restrictions.

Dental-Monitoring

As orthodontic treatment is progressive and often fast moving, patients are normally seen every eight weeks to review and adjust aligners and braces to help achieve the best result. However, prevented from treating our patients in person, we have turned to digital technology to help bridge the gap.

Thanks to digital dental monitoring, emailed photographs and video calls we are able to be in constant contact with patients and continue progressing their treatment.

Although relatively new, dental monitoring whereby patients take a weekly scan of their teeth and send it in to us, is invaluable in the treatment of people with aligners. Through these scans we are able to gauge the patient’s progress and, if required, send out new aligners to enable them to move on with their treatment.

We have been able to do something similar with patients just embarking on their treatment, posting out aligners and giving them instruction over Facetime on the fitting and wearing of them. Likewise, we are able to offer free virtual consultations with our specialist orthodontists via a link on our website for those considering having treatment.

For those just beginning to wear their aligners use of this technology is helping to reduce delays in treatment ensuring when we are next able to see them in person, they are already a month or so down the road to a perfect smile. While for potential patients it is providing a head start on treatment enabling us to use submitted photographs to review dental and gum health and prepare a provisional treatment plan ready for when they are able to attend the practice.

Patients with fixed braces and elastics are sending in photographs and thanks to video calls we can also take a closer look and advise accordingly.

While I miss meeting and treating our patients in person as well as the daily social interaction with the SMOL team, thankfully modern technology is coming to the rescue to a certain extent. It is ensuring we are able to continue treating our patients and provide reassurance where needed. It is even, thanks to a regular ‘virtual cup of tea’ with the team every couple of days, enabling us to keep in contact with colleagues and support each other through this very different way of working.

Yorkshire orthodontist launches global education scheme

Catherine McCanny was one of the first UK orthodontists to see the potential in a life – changing treatment when it was launched in the UK over 12 years ago.  She has been so successful in integrating it into her practice, that she was invited to launch a European learning initiative.  Catherine explains how it has changed her career and the lives of 100s of patients and how digital technology is helping her create a positive experience for both her and her patients.

INSPIRED to become an orthodontist because of her own childhood with mis-aligned teeth, Catherine McCanny, was always on the lookout for ways to improve patient treatment.  When invisible braces were launched over 12 years ago, she was an early adopter.  

One of only a small number of UK specialist orthodontists willing to try them, she could see how they would improve patient experience and results for people who struggled with uncomfortable and unsightly metal braces. 

“Many people would abandon metal braces because you couldn’t take them out to clean properly or they were just too uncomfortable,” she said.  “Invisalign changed all that, but in the early days it was quite limited in what it could do.

 But Catherine’s patience was rewarded as the US company, which developed them, has constantly innovated to improve their use and she can now treat much more complex cases with aligners. Recently she was asked to be the UK representative, alongside 4 other European orthodontists to co-author the Invisalign practice development cookbook, sharing recipes of success in how to grow an Invisalign practice. 

Catherine, who founded St Michaels Orthodontic Practice in Wakefield, spent a weekend during the winter months filming a video to support the ‘cook-book’, sharing hints and tips of how to integrate Invisalign and digital technology into an orthodontic practice.

To launch the practice development initiative, Catherine was asked to do a webinar to the top 50 Invisalign speakers in Europe, The Middle East and Africa. She is presenting the ‘cookbook’ to a UK audience and the Invisalign team next week at a Masterclass in Birmingham, held at the Invisalign Headquarters.

 CAtherine McCanny Hendron lecturing

“I was invited to take part in this project as I had grown from a very low provider of Invisalign treatments to one of the top providers in the UK. I feel I can genuinely share my concerns and experiences (good and bad) and give confidence to other orthodontists to take the leap of faith into digital orthodontics. Digital technology is moving at such a rapid rate, I felt that if I didn’t get on board with it, that I would be left behind.”

“It seemed a bit surreal that I was sitting in at a computer in my practice in Wakefield sharing my ideas with orthodontists in different parts of the world-again highlighting how technology has changed our lives.”

The practice development book and videos cover five key subjects including; The patient journey from phone call to completion of treatment; Going Digital; Integrating Staff; Pricing and Framing Treatment Choice and Patient Communication.

“The US company knows that it has developed a lot of clinical support to help orthodontists but they felt that they were not always giving the practical support needed to introduce aligners into an orthodontic practice. 

“Many who have spent decades using metal braces are nervous about trying something different.  The challenge is to overcome their fears. For me, it was a no brainer in that could give the same or better results with Invisalign than with fixed braces but with a whole better patient experience,” she added. 

“The product has improved so much since I first started using it due to the innovative nature of the company. Every year they introduce something new and better and are constantly looking at ways to improve the outcome for practitioners.  An i-Tero scanner offers patients a more comfortable experience that taking impressions. The fact that the patients can see how their teeth can look at the end of their treatment, at the touch of a button,  is exciting for the patient but also allows the orthodontist to manage patient expectations and explain in more detail the outcome they are trying to achieve. 

For Catherine invisible braces have made a massive difference to her own practice. I have seen a massive growth in the demand for invisible aligners, particularly in the teen market. I feel this is largely due the popularity of ‘selfies’ but also that young people nowadays have such hectic lives whether it be sports or playing musical instruments, aligners just fit into their lifestyles better and the whole experience is such a positive one. 

“ We have additional digital technology coming to St Michaels which will allow patients to scan their teeth every week in the comfort of their home and the orthodontist can give advice on when to change their aligners etc. This will reduce the amount of time having to attend appointments, which as a very busy person myself can only be a huge advantage”

 

About St Michaels Orthodontics:

 

  • St Michael’s Orthodontics – a team of skilled orthodontists led by Catherine McCanny – is based on Dewsbury Road, Wakefield.
  • Dr Catherine McCanny has achieved Invisalign Platinum Elite Standard for both the quality of her work and the number of treatments she has performed
  • 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.
  • In 2015 St Michaels Orthodontics won three awards at the Aesthetic Dentistry Awards including ‘Best Team’.
  • 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.  For further information, please contact Carmel Hall on 07714 708 271. Alternatively, emailcarmel@carmelharrisonpr.com

 

Finally… All smiles for teenager after A-Levels!

WHEN a once in a lifetime trip knocked a Wakefield teenager to the bottom of an NHS waiting list her parents stepped in to help give her the smile she had always craved.  In National Smile Month they are hoping her A levels will give her reason to show off her new smile.

MAISIE Sharp didn’t make too much fuss about her slightly crooked teeth until she was 14.  Becoming increasingly self-conscious the bright Ossett student persuaded her dentist to refer her for NHS orthodontic treatment.

But her hopes were dashed when her appointment came through while she was on once in a lifetime family holiday Down Under and she was knocked to the back of the queue. 

“That was life changing,” said Emma Sharp, Maisie’s mum.  “Maisie had pinned so much on the appointment and then when she missed it because we were away it really made Maisie lose her confidence.  She started to worry that her teeth would never look as she wanted them.” 

“The dentist had just completed treatment with invisible braces herself and suggested Maisie seek treatment down that route.

Determined, Maisie and her mum headed to Dr Catherine McCanny who as one of the UK’s top orthodontists has performed almost 1000 invisible brace treatments and is an international speaker on the subject.

Having worked with invisible braces since their introduction 20 years ago Dr McCanny reassured Maisie and her mum that the treatments were developing all the time and with proper care at home would help straighten her teeth and give her the smile she craved without having to wear conventional train track braces..

Recently appointed to the UK Invisalign Advisory Board and the UK representative of the Invisalign Practice Development Cookbook, Catherine has plenty of experience working with very complex cases and realised early on that Maisie’s teeth could be helped.

“Invisalign Teen is a popular treatment choice, particularly for older teens and has been designed to adapt to the needs of teenagers who are sporty or play music and so need to be flexible in the approach,” she said.

For Maisie it was a no-brainer.  “The invisible braces didn’t show up and were so easy to use.  You can take them out to eat or have hot drinks which makes them easy to keep clean,” said Maisie.

 “I never realised until I looked back on her Prom photographs how embarrassed about her teeth she was,” said mum, Emma.  She looked beautiful her dress was gorgeous and she looked really happy, but unlike her friends her smiles were all through a closed mouth because she was embarrassed about her teeth. 

“Maisie completes her ‘A’ Levels this summer and hopes to go to Durham University to study psychology.  Having the confidence to smile and show off her teeth will mean everything to her.”

“We all take our smiles for granted unless we have misaligned teeth,” said Dr McCanny. 

“Maisie was determined to persevere with the treatment, now she can look forward to showing them off.”

 Maisie Sharp

 

Invisalign Teen – Braces that won’t hold you back!

invisalign teen poster

Invisalign is a leading innovator in clear aligner braces. The Invisalign Teen product is suitable for teenagers who want a perfect smile without the inconvenience of wearing fixed braces that can affect your lifestyle. You are free to enjoy the things that make this the best time of your life.

Advantages of Invisalign Teen

• Virtually invisible

• Very comfortable

• Removable so you can remove to play sports or an instrument

• Easier to keep clean as food will not get caught on any fixed wires or brackets since it is removable and wire-free

• Reduced number of appointments with your orthodontist

The teen product incorporates a compliance indicator which fades from blue to clear as a gauge of the approximate wear time so that you can ensure the child’s compliance easily. The aligners are worn 20-22 hours daily and changed every 7-10 days resulting in shorter treatment times for patients.

Invisalign teen

 

We now have the latest Itero 3D scanner which negates the need to take impressions. This allows us to show you the predicted outcome of your treatment right from the beginning and allows progress of treatment to be monitored closely.

Our orthodontist Catherine is a Platinum Elite provider which means she is very experienced in the use of the Invisalign system.

Elite provider

 

For a limited time only we are offering £400 off our Invisalign Teen treatment (offer subject to suitability for treatment)

Contact the team today for your free no obligation assessment on 01924 380680 or e-mail orthodontictc@gmail.com

Inv teen