It’s invaluable to be assisted by orthodontic nurses with an expertise and knowledge of the lingual technique.
The next step in the career progression of an orthodontic nurse is to train as an orthodontic therapist (OT). According to The British Orthodontic Society, more than 400 OTs have been trained and entered into the orthodontic workforce since the role was introduced in 2006. An OT can undertake a limited range of orthodontic procedures such as placing and removing brackets and changing arch wires.
When my head nurse, Francesca, pictured here chatting to a patient, said she wanted to undertake the training, I was delighted for her. I was also honoured that she wanted to nominate me as her trainer.
Then I realised that in order for Francesca to be accepted onto the training course, I would need to be vetted too! As an orthodontist you have to take so many exams, I should really have taken this test in my stride. But this was one challenge that wasn’t about me, it was for Francesca and I found myself feeling nervous.
In the event, I needn’t have worried! We both passed muster and Francesca undertook her training to be an orthodontic therapist at King’s College London. Becoming a trainer to a therapist is not something I have done before. Luckily, Francesa was a great student and our existing, long running work dynamic made things easy. After getting her qualification, she returned to Italy but I was so proud that she got her qualification and to have been part of her training.
