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.”
