Here at the Cosmetic Dental Group we treat a wide range of tooth straightening and alignment cases at any given time. If you’re looking to have dental braces in Jersey, we recommend that you book to see us for a consultation so that we can assess your mouth and present you with options. Orthodontics is not limited to children or younger adults; it can also help older patients who have problems with their bite, alignment of teeth or positioning of certain teeth.

Over years of extensive training by our team members, and thanks to many happy patients, our practice has established a good reputation of helping patients to get straight teeth in Jersey.

It gives us great pleasure from time to time to showcase some of our success stories, documenting how we straighten and align teeth with orthodontic treatment. Dr Jonathan Woods is a practice partner and clinical director, and oversees all orthodontic cases at the practice. He is highly skilled and proficient in a type of treatment called orthopaedic orthodontics. This entails using individually prescribed appliances that gently widen the dental arches, before closing the gaps and straightening the teeth, giving patients a fuller and more rounded arch with two rows of teeth that fit beautifully around one another.

Here is one successful case of dental braces in Jersey that was managed by Jonathan:

Case description

Describe the patient’s teeth before treatment?

Jonathan Woods: The patient came to us at age 10 because her parents had a few concerns about the appearance of her teeth. The upper front teeth were crowded and overlapped the lower lip when smiling. Her teeth were different lengths and were chipped due to the upper and lower teeth not making proper contact. The lower jaw was short, giving her an underbite. She also had technical issues with adult teeth which were overlayed with other adult teeth. Surgery had been recommended to her as the only way to rectify the problem.

What goals did you want to achieve with the treatment?

Jonathan Woods: To achieve straight teeth, a good bite, and to have both rows matching teeth fitting properly on top of each other without needing to extract any adult teeth in the process.

Explain the treatment plan

Jonathan Woods: A detailed treatment plan provided at start which outlined all the aspects of the treatment and the expected timeframes. The treatment, which took just over two years from start to finish, was divided into two phases:

• The goal of phase 1 was to develop the arches to make enough space for teeth. There wasn’t enough space for one of the top adult teeth to come in, and while the patient was young, this problem would not have corrected itself over time without intervention.Orthopedic orthodontics was used to apply a light force light to increase space in mouth. These were lingual braces which means there were no wires showing at the front of the teeth. In the top arch, the device was removable and fitted snugly over the palate. The bottom device was fixed to the teeth in two places. Once the first phase was complete by creating enough space in the jaws, phase two could start.

• The goal of phase 2 was to straighten and align the teeth within the wider jaw space, making sure the bite was level. Smaller orthodontic brackets were used with a light wire running through them.

Once treatment was complete, white gold alloy chain was bonded to the back of the lower six teeth, as well as the upper incisors as a measure to keep teeth in place while the patient’s mouth continues to grow in her teenage years.

How successful was the treatment in achieving the set goals?

Jonathan Woods: Everything went according to plan and within the approximate time frame. The result was the patient had straight rows of teeth, a broad smile, a bite that fits together and centre lines that are aligned between the top and bottom jaws.

What are you most happy with in this particular case’s end result?

I never finish a case until I‘m happy or the patient is delighted. In this case, I was very pleased that surgery was not needed; the space opened up when the jaw expanded and it allowed the tooth to simply slot into place.

Parental viewpoint

What were your main concerns as a parent before your daughter started the treatment:

My daughter had a baby tooth stuck between two adult and her adult tooth wanting to replace the baby one was stuck high in her gums. Prior to seeing Jonathan, we had been to our local hospital dental department who had been monitoring this tooth without any action. The team there wanted to remove two of her healthy teeth to make room for this baby tooth to come out and to help the overcrowding. I was unsure about the removal of healthy teeth so asked Jonathan Wood for a second opinion. He stated that she had a very narrow smile and just by widening her smile the baby tooth would release and straighten her smile as well as resolve the overcrowding without the need to remove teeth. He expanded her top jaw to give her a normal bite function.

What was it like to support your child through long-term orthodontic treatment?

She was very good at looking after her braces and on the occasions where her oral hygiene slipped slightly, Katie the hygienist was always on hand to show her which parts she was missing. I had so much support from Jonathan and Katie because they really engaged with my daughter and explained everything to her in great detail. It was very easy for her to be compliant as she understood that the treatment was benefiting her. The only thing I had to do was remind her to use her interdental brushes and to see if she needed any wax.

Do you have any advice for parents whose children are about to undergo similar treatment?

Do it and trust your gut! If I had not of gotten a second opinion, my daugther would have lovely straight teeth but would be missing two and would still have a narrow smile not the beautiful normal healthy smile she has now. I can see that she smiles a lot more and seems more confident when talking and smiling.

Are you happy with the end result?

I am amazed by the end result and she often gets compliments about her smile these days!

Patient viewpoint

How did you feel about your teeth before treatment?

They were wonky and you could see all my teeth right to the back when I smiled.

How did you find the treatment?

It was ok. Sometimes was hard at first when they were a little uncomfortable, but then I got used to having them.

What advice would you give anyone who is thinking about having this type of treatment?

Do it, I have a nice smile now which I wouldn’t have if I didn’t have the braces with Jonathan.

If you are interested to learn more about orthopaedic orthodontics and dental braces in Jersey, please contact the practice for more information. To find out more how to get straight teeth in Jersey, book a consultation with Dr Jonathan Wood to assess your teeth or your child’s teeth.