The Orthodontic Department at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is a part-time department with clinical alliances with York Hospital.
Referral
Orthodontic treatment is provided on referral from your dentist, and can be conducted either at a ‘high street’ Orthodontist (Primary Care) or within the hospital Orthodontic Department (Secondary Care), if your needs are more complex.
What to expect
When you are referred to the Orthodontic Department at Harrogate District Hospital, you will undergo a full examination of your teeth. During this process, you may need to have an X-ray, and if treatment is indicated you will be booked onto the records clinic to have moulds (impressions) of your teeth taken, and clinical photographs. This helps develop a treatment plan which will be fully discussed with you, usually at a separate appointment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, you may need to see other members of the team, such as the Restorative or Oral Surgery Departments, to help with your treatment.
The length of treatment will vary depending on the severity of the original problem, and can take anything from a few months to a few years.
Appliances
We use a variety of appliances to straighten and move teeth. These appliances can be roughly divided into three categories:
Removeable: a plate that can be taken out for cleaning purposes. It is held in place with clasps around the teeth and uses wire and springs to move the teeth with gentle pressure.
Functional: appliances that are similar to removeable appliances, but use muscle forces to move teeth rather than wires or springs.
Fixed Appliances: these appliances are used on teeth that require accurate movement. Brackets are applied to the teeth and flexible wires are used to join them and move the teeth.
Fixed braces are usually made of metal as they are the most efficient way to move teeth. Plastic and ceramic can be used, especially for adults, as they look more discreet than traditional metal brackets. Aligners are another type of removeable brace that again look more discreet. Such types of ‘aesthetic’ appliances are not generally available on the NHS.
Caring for your Teeth and Brace
Our Oral Health Educators, who work in the Orthodontic Department, will advise you on the best ways to care for your teeth and appliances while undergoing treatment. You will be told which foods to avoid and which products can be beneficial when considering oral hygiene and care.
Any dental problems need to be cared for by your regular dentist, so it is essential that you continue to attend your general dental check-ups throughout your treatment.
Retention
After active treatment is complete, it is necessary to hold the teeth with retainers in their final position, to prevent them from slipping back towards their original position. This type of unwanted tooth movement is called ‘relapse’. We recommend long-term retainer wear to prevent relapse, as teeth can move even a long time after active orthodontic treatment has finished. The retainers can be either fixed or removeable, depending on the original problem.
We monitor your retainers for 1 year after active treatment, before discharging you from the Orthodontic Department back to your own dentist. At that point, any replacement retainers will need to be provided by them, and there is usually a fee for this.
Even following retention, it is normal for minor tooth movement to occur. These movements do not usually require further treatment.
Contact us
Phone 01423 555408
Email: [email protected]
Location
The Orthodontic Department is located on the ground floor of Harrogate District Hospital. Continue straight down the main corridor after coming in through the front hospital entrance; we are located on the right side of the corridor at C014 and are signposted as the ‘Maxillo-Facial Department’.
Opening hours
The Department is open from 8.30am – 5pm, Monday-Friday.
Orthodontic clinics run on Monday and Thursday only.
Our Team
Dr Jennifer Rae – Consultant Orthodontist
Dr Alan Casson – Senior Dental Officer
Rebecca Spence – Orthodontic Therapist
Tom Harrison – Senior Dental Nurse
Jessica Verity – Dental Nurse
Helen Dodds – Dental Nurse
Janet Barrott – Dental Nurse