Rachael Hartley walks us through a day in the life of an orthodontic therapist.

As an orthodontic therapist, I love to learn new skills and increase my competence whenever possible. Since qualifying in 2011, I have continued my personal and professional development by undertaking several courses. I passed the NEBDN in Dental Radiography in 2012, a Dental Impression Taking Certificate in 2012, a Foundation Degree Post Qualifying Dental Nursing in 2015, a BSC in Health Professional Studies in 2017, a Level three Award in Education and Training in 2017, NEBDN Orthodontic Dental Nursing in 2018, a Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy in 2019 and the Align Technology course for Orthodontic Therapists in 2022. All these qualifications have given me greater knowledge and even greater confidence to perform my role to the highest level.

My day-to-day role as a qualified orthodontic therapist includes:

  • Taking intra/extra oral photographs.
  • Taking impressions.
  • Dental X-rays (Orthopantomography and Cephlametric).
  • Dental scanning with the 3Shape scanner.
  • Fitting functional/removable braces (twinblocks, medium opening activators, upper removable appliances) activated by the Orthodontist.
  • Fitting fixed braces (MBT, Self-Ligating, Ceramic, Lingual, Iconix).
  • Fitting Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME’s).
  • Fitting trans palatal arch (TPA) and quad helix’s.
  • Adjusting the brackets.
  • Fitting bands.
  • Changing arch wires.
  • Preparing and placing auxiliaries.
  • Fitting separators.
  • Fitting Invisalign attachments.
  • Taking Invisalign photographs and scans.
  • Debonding attachments.
  • Debonding braces.
  • Delivering oral hygiene instructions verbally and in writing.
  • Fitting vacuum formed retainers and Hawley retainers.
  • Fitting bonded retainers.
  • Referring to other health care professionals if required.
  • Carrying out the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) screening.
  • Giving the patients appropriate advice.

I always follow the General Dental Councils (GDC) nine principles. The GDC sets out my Scope of Practice as an orthodontic therapist and I can perform treatments under prescription that I am trained, competent and indemnified to do.

I pride myself in my ability to put patients at ease. I do my best to always to calm and support them throughout their journey. My favourite part of treatment is the debond appointment, mainly because I love using the handpiece to remove the Transbond but also to see the patients faces when they see their results for the first time. The team I am most fortunate to work with are fantastic, and we wouldn’t be able to provide the service we do without great teamwork. We work in a polyclinic setting with a multidisciplinary approach, using three dental chairs in one surgery, as well as two other separate dental surgeries. Working together in a team maximises individual strengths and skills to ensure the clinic runs productively and appointment waiting times are minimal.

I thoroughly enjoy teaching our dental nurse’s new skills such as scanning, and helping them to perfect intra/extra oral photographs. I am there to support them in learning extended duties to gain confidence and so the clinic runs efficiently.

Our team includes:

  • Rachel, our practice manager.
  • Sue and Sam, our receptionists.
  • Jo, our treatment co-ordinator.
  • Nikki, Kristina, Charlie, Juliette, Laura, Eva, Kim, Ellie, Louise, Marie, and Amie, who are our dental nurses and Harriet who is our trainee dental nurse.
  • Myself, Hayley and Debbie, our orthodontic therapists.
  • Dr Rodrigo Gutierrez and Dr Sally Alwan.

We see a mixture of NHS and Private patients. Over the last year I have found the demand for Invisalign has sharply increased. I am enjoying seeing what this treatment can achieve and the patient’s results are always amazing. Since qualifying as an orthodontic therapist, I continue to grow and learn as I am exposed to a wide range of complex malocclusions. I enjoy fitting RME’S. The ‘before and after’ photographs for these cases are so most rewarding to behold.

I have started a new course at the Open University on understanding autism. This will increase my knowledge and help me on a day-to-day basis to support patients who are autistic. I like to set goals to maximise my true potential within my role. {my}dentist academy allows me to continue my continuous professional development so I can keep up to date with the latest legislations. In the future, I would love to be involved in teaching trainee orthodontic therapists.

I have recently been nominated and shortlisted for three different awards including the Dentistry Awards 2022, the Private Dentistry awards 2022 and the {my}dentist Excellence awards.
I was honoured to be awarded Highly Commended at the Dentistry Awards 2022 in the Therapist of the Year category.I am extremely passionate about my role as I love straightening teeth. I think this stems from my own experiences during my teenage years before I eventually had my own orthodontic treatment. To know that I am responsible for enabling someone to smile with confidence gives me the greatest job satisfaction with the knowledge that each day will be different and challenging, so bring it on!

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