One of the biggest problems with removable functional appliances like Twin Blocks, is that patients may “forget” to wear them and make no progress at all. To get around this problem, we now offer patients the option of a fixed Herbst appliance instead.

1. Research at
Stevenage Orthodontics
Stevenage Orthodontics is delighted to have recently received ethical approval from NHS
Hertfordshire to participate in a multi-centre, randomised clinical trial co-ordinated by
the Academic Unit of Oral Health & Development, School of Dentistry, University of
Sheffield. The study is entitled: “Resin-modified glass ionomer or composite for orthodontic
bonding?”. Patient recruitment to the trial at Stevenage Orthodontics has begun and a
number of patients have already agreed to participate. We will keep you updated on our
progress in future newsletters.
Practice News
A Picture is Worth
a Thousand Words
We aim to make all of our patients happy
with their treatment result and their experience
at our practice. Patients and parents have
graciously given us permission to feature their
testimonials in our practice and on our website at
www.stevenageorthodontics.com
FS 540901
beware of retainer thieves!
A top reason* for replacing
retainers: ‘My dog ate it!’
Replacement
retainers cost £60!
Now that’s a very
expensive dog treat!
*Shrimpton A (2009) An audit of damaged
and lost vacuum formed retainers in a busy specialist
orthodontic practice. British Orthodontic Society
Clinical Effectiveness Bulletin 23:19.
Razzle’s “Top
Tip” About
Retainers
Razzle, our practice principal’s
four-year-old female boxer dog, was
enlisted to help alert patients to the
fact that dogs seem to love retainers!
According to a paper in the British
Orthodontic Society Clinical Effectiveness
Bulletin*, one of the top reasons for
patients having to pay for a replacement
retainer is that the dog ate it! Razzle’s
“top tip” is posted prominently in our
practice and on our website.
*(Shrimpton A. An audit of damaged and lost
vacuum formed retainers in a busy specialist
orthodontic practice. 2009; 23:19.)
January 2012 • Number 2
November 2011
PARENT INFORMATION SHEET
Resin-modified glass ionomer or composite for orthodontic bonding?
A multi-centre, randomised, single blinded clinical trial.
Project Leaders: Dr P.E.Benson, Prof D Millett
Co-ordinating Centre: Academic Unit of Oral Health & Development, School of Clinical Dentistry
Phone: 0114 271 7885 Fax: 0114 271 7843
When your child came to the clinic wanting treatment we asked for your permission for him/her to
help with our research.
At that time we explained that there are two main types of materials used to attach braces to teeth.
We do not know if one of these materials is “better” than the other. The aim of this research is to
look at these two materials.
What is the purpose of the new study?
This research will help us to find out which type of material is “best” for future patients.
Why has your child been chosen?
Your child is going to have the type of brace which is fixed to the teeth (‘train track brace’).
Does your child have to take part?
No, he/she does not have to take part if you do not want him/her to. If your child does not take part
there will be no difference in any care or treatment he/she receives.
What will happen to your child if he/she takes part?
Your child will be randomly allocated to have one of the two materials to attach the brace to their
teeth – neither you, your child or your orthodontist can choose which material will be used; this will
be done by the study centre. We will then follow the treatment from start to finish by looking at
things such as; how long it takes to attach the brace on at the start and take the brace off at the
end of treatment; whether there are more breakages of the brace with one material compared with
the other; and we will also look at photographs of the teeth before and after treatment to see if
there are any differences. We also want to find out what your child thinks of their teeth at the
start and end of treatment.
One of the biggest problems with
removable functional appliances like
Twin Blocks, is that patients may “forget”
to wear them and make no progress
at all. To get around this problem, we
now offer patients the option of a fixed
Herbst appliance instead (pictured).
Twin Blocks and Herbst appliances are
equally effective but for “forgetful”
patients, the fixed Herbst appliance
cannot be removed and so these patients
consequently make excellent progress.
Herbst Appliances for Patients who
“Forget” to Wear Their Twin Blocks

2. Your dentist has referred you to our practice and we will be in
contact with you shortly. In the meantime, please visit the
“New Patients” web-page at www.stevenageorthodontics.com for
current information about your first visit.
Patient Referral Form
Jonathan Alexander-Abt
BDS (Lond) FDS RCS (Eng)
Registered Specialist in Orthodontics
By Post: 17 Park Place Stevenage Herts SG1 1DU
By Fax: 01438 765 395
By E-mail: office@stevenageorthodontics.com
Patient Details:
First Name
Last Name
Male
Female
Date of Birth
Observations/Requests (optional)
Parent/Guardian Details for Correspondence:
Title
Initial
Last Name
Relationship
Address for correspondence
Postcode
Tel (home)
Tel (work)
Mobile
Email
Referring Practitioner’s Declaration Stamp and Signature:
Please see the above patient for orthodontic assessment, advice and treatment (if required).
Practitioner’s Signature
Date
Please tick this box for additional referral packs
or phone 01438 765 390.
Green - Stevenage Orthodontics Copy
Blue - Referring Dentist Copy
Patient Referral Form
Jonathan Alexander-Abt
BDS (Lond) FDS RCS (Eng)
Registered Specialist in Orthodontics
By Post: 17 Park Place Stevenage Herts SG1 1DU
By Fax: 01438 765 395
By E-mail: office@stevenageorthodontics.com
Patient Details:
First Name
Last Name
Male
Female
Date of Birth
Observations/Requests (optional)
Parent/Guardian Details for Correspondence:
Title
Initial
Last Name
Relationship
Address for correspondence
Postcode
Tel (home)
Tel (work)
Mobile
Email
Referring Practitioner’s Declaration Stamp and Signature:
Please see the above patient for orthodontic assessment, advice and treatment (if required).
Practitioner’s Signature
Date
Please tick this box for additional referral packs
or phone 01438 765 390.
Green - Stevenage Orthodontics Copy
Blue - Referring Dentist Copy
Mr J Alexander-Abt, BDS(Lond) FDS RCS(Eng) Registered Specialist in Orthodontics Stevenage Orthodontics 17 Park Place Stevenage Herts SG1 1DU
Tel: 01438 765 390 Fax: 01438 765 395 Website: www.stevenageorthodontics.com Email: office@stevenageort­­
hodontics.com
4 Weeks From Referral To First Appointment
We are now seeing patients within four weeks of referral. Our customized referral pads continue
to be welcomed by referring practitioners and patients alike. These include carbonized duplicate
referral forms so that a copy of the referral can be retained for each patient’s records and a
Patient Information Leaflet which can be handed to the patient at the time of the referral.
NHS Patient Satisfaction Data
We have been publishing our
vital signs patient satisfaction
data on our website
www.stevenageorthodontics.com.
To date, an average of 98.1% of our
patients surveyed by the NHS were
satisfied with the treatment they
received at Stevenage Orthodontics
compared to a national average
of 94.5% - with a 100% result
achieved twice in a row!
Orthodontic mini-screws are proving to be a more predictable and
patient-friendly alternative to headgear and really come into their
own in complex malocclusions, like the open-bite case illustrated,
which would normally require orthognathic maxillary surgery. This
fourteen year old female patient, being treated on the NHS by
Stevenage Orthodontics, could only occlude on her molars. We placed
orthodontic mini-screws between the roots of the upper canines and
pre-molars and used nitinol wires to intrude the upper molars into
the maxilla. The intrusion effect is appreciated by noticing the
obvious reduction in the distance between the brackets and the
mini-screws. In this case, the patient’s anterior open bite closed in
less than five months!
Patients who have these mini-screws placed routinely tell us how
much easier it is than they had initially thought it would be. Stevenage
Orthodontics participates in the British Orthodontic Society National
Audit of Mini-Screws and we log every mini-screw that we place and
remove on its national database.
88%
90%
92%
94%
96%
98%
100%
Jun-­‐09 Sep-­‐09 Dec-­‐09 Mar-­‐10 Jun-­‐10 Sep-­‐10 Dec-­‐10 Mar-­‐11 Jun-­‐11 Sep-­‐11
NHS Vital Signs: Pa/ent Sa/sfac/on Data
Stevenage Orthodon=cs England
Lunchtime
Verifiable CPD
for Your Team
We are piloting a one-hour, lunch-time
verifiable CPD course for your team which
will cover NHS eligibility for treatment
based on the patients’ Index of Treatment
Need (IOTN) score followed by a general
question and answer session about
orthodontics. The course will be lead by
one of our DCPs who has the Certificate in
Orthodontic Nursing and who will arrange
to come on-site to your practice.
Please email us at
office@stevenageorthodontics.com
if you would like us to arrange a
complimentary session.
Orthodontic Mini-Screws
Fourteen year old female NHS patient at Stevenage Orthodontics with an anterior open bite
due to her only being able to occlude on her molars.
The same patient five months later. The intrusion effect can be best appreciated by noticing
the obvious reduction in the distance between the brackets and the mini-screws, thereby
obviating the need for orthognathic maxillary surgery.
NHS Vital Signs: Patient Satisfaction Data