“After moving to Cambridge, I began a search for a dentist who was capable of seeing the bigger picture rather than just ‘fixing teeth’. When I was a child, ideas of good oral hygiene education were very different (my dentist rewarded me for attending with a bag of sweets, which resulted in a steady successsion of fillings); and there was also misalignment which had niggled away at my self-esteem. In short, I just didn’t feel good about my teeth.
An advert which emphasised Dr Harrison’s holistic approach caught my eye. At my first consultation we agreed that establishing an excellent hygiene regime was paramount, and regular hygienist visits soon increased my knowledge of how to care for my teeth.
I then returned to Helen to discuss options for addressing the misalignment of my front teeth. Because of my line of work, the cost of the treatment was less of an issue than the visibility of the appliance, and we decided that the Invisalign® system (a series of custom-moulded clear aligners) represented the best way forward. And they certainly lived up to their ‘invisible’ billing – the day after getting them, I went to a tango class and not even my dance partner noticed I was wearing them!
After 9 months’ of Invisalign therapy, we were ready to take the next step, which was the fitting of veneers to my four front teeth at the top and two at the bottom. When Helen handed me the mirror at the end of the final appointment, I burst into tears: after 56 years of teeth that were (at best) OK, I finally had teeth to be proud of. And my feelings were confirmed by my friends’ reactions when I told them: a big ‘thumbs up’ from one, and a comment from another that he’d noticed I was smiling a lot more.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing. My front teeth require nightly use of a retainer to maintain their position, but the first set had a minor inaccuracy which resulted in a small relapse of the tooth positions. However, when we realised what was happening, Helen prepared a new retainer at no extra cost, and my front teeth are now stable.
To bring my story up-to-date, I am currently exploring my options for preserving my back teeth: either a continuing repair programme as problems arise; or a more ambitious reconstruction which offers a more predictable outcome, but at a considerably higher cost ... There are complex issues involved but Helen’s collaborative and informative approach means I can be confident of both the support offered during the decision-making process, and the ultimate suitability of the treatment for my specific needs.”