My week as an orthodontic therapist

Chrystal Sharp, 36, is a self-employed, award-winning orthodontic therapist based in London.

About Chrystal

Before she became an orthodontic therapist, Chrystal was a qualified dental nurse working in orthodontics. She completed a Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy from Warwick University in 2012 and an Advanced Certification in Facial Aesthetics in 2024. She has been married to Rhys, from Tasmania, Australia, for five years this December.

Chrystal's day

I come from Daventry, a small market town in West Northamptonshire but I currently live in Putney in South West London. On Mondays and Tuesdays I start work at around 10 am so I wake around 7 am and leave the house at 8.40 am. Wednesdays and Fridays are an 8 am start so I wake around 6 am and leave at 6.50 am.

Before I go, I make a green juice using Free Soul powder mixed with water and a ginger shot.

I always buy an oat latte on my commute from The Drop by Dropshot coffee shop at East Putney Station. If I do eat breakfast, which is not daily, at present it will be a rolled omelette, spinach and tomato, from Pure.

On Mondays and Tuesdays I work at Teeth by Teki in Islington from 10 am until 6 pm, providing clear aligner treatment prior to composite bonding alongside Dr Teki Sowdani. It takes me around an hour to get there. Wednesdays and Fridays I'm at ODL Dental Clinic in Moorgate, a multi award-winning dental clinic providing all orthodontic treatment from fixed braces to clear aligners alongside Dr Alex Seijas, which is about 50 minutes away from home - via the tube and walking.

I work a half day at ODL on a Wednesday and sometimes in the afternoon I locum at a private orthodontic clinic in Kensington from 2.30-8.30 pm.

Thursday is my day off for admin and personal development and I work some Saturdays at ODL by arrangement, 9 am until 3 pm, once or twice a month.

Clinical duties

Teeth by Teki is a cosmetic dentistry clinic and we use clear aligners to align patients' teeth mostly prior to composite bonding, using Dental Monitoring (an Artificial Intelligence [AI] device) to closely monitor and track patients' tooth movement and dental health.

The clinical day starts with a morning huddle just before 10 am to ensure the day runs efficiently. The appointment bookings range between 20-60 minutes long depending on the procedure carried out, consisting of consultations for aligner treatment, records, fitting of aligners and attachments, review of aligner treatment with possible scan for additional aligners, removal of attachments and placement of fixed retainers/removable retainers.

We have lunch around 1.20-2.20 pm. I usually spend mine alone to switch off, whether that be in my surgery or going for a walk. I find working in this profession we constantly adapt to people's energy, whether that be staff members or patients. Lunch is the perfect opportunity to refocus on my own energy. I love listening to the Calm app in this time.

The day ends with a 30-minute slot for administration around 5.30 pm. This is needed for the clinical session to ensure that all necessary aligner/retainer orders are made, notes are written and any clinical questions on the Dental Monitoring dashboard are answered.

During the latter part of my week at ODL Dental Clinic I treat patients under the prescription of Dr Alex Seijas, using both fixed braces and Invisalign clear aligners with aligner treatment being remotely monitored using virtual care (AI app by Invisalign).

The appointments vary from consultations for any brace system, records, fitting fixed braces or Invisalign aligners/attachments, adjusting fixed braces, reviewing aligner treatment, removal of fixed braces or attachments, placement of fixed retainers or removable retainers. Appointments are 20-60 minutes long.

There is a huge contrast in size between the two clinics where I work. Islington is a boutique cosmetic clinic focusing on the Align Bleach and Bond concept, with a small dental team, whereas ODL is a ten-surgery clinic with a multidisciplinary dental team and services with over 80 members.

Dentistry and orthodontics

At school I had a keen interest in art and history. After completing my A-levels at college, I applied for a summer position at a local dental clinic to earn an income. The position was to work on reception with the opportunity to progress to dental nursing. Having worked weekends in hospitality I easily felt capable of holding a reception role for the summer - but it turned out to be so much more than this.

Early into the reception position a dental nurse had resigned and I was approached by management to embark on the NVQ Level 3 for dental nursing to help with the staff shortage and save recruiting someone new. Whilst training to become a dental nurse working with the general dentists at the clinic, I fortunately was given the opportunity to assist the specialist orthodontist who would work at the clinic four days a month. I looked forward to each session, being given additional duties on top of my dental nursing qualification to carry out orthodontic records.

Not long after qualifying as a dental nurse, the first cohort for orthodontic therapy was released and this is when I knew I wanted to be an orthodontic therapist. However, with the orthodontist only being at the clinic four days a month I wouldn't meet the criteria to study this course. Realising that I needed to work within a specialist orthodontic clinic, I decided to move to London as would have more options of clinics to apply to work within, having orthodontic therapy as my end goal.

The orthodontic therapist role in the UK is still very niche with only around 1,024 orthodontic therapists in the UK according to recent GDC registration data. Each university course only has around 12 spaces per year so securing a space is highly competitive.

The application process was fairly straightforward although the interview was difficult to prepare for as the questioning is a mixture of clinical knowledge with an understanding of the scope of practice of an orthodontic therapist and scenario-based questions.

I secured an interview in 2011 for the orthodontic therapy course at both Leeds University Dental Hospital and Warwick University. I was made unconditional offers for both and decided to accept the offer at Warwick University due to being able to stay at my family home whilst attending.

Post graduation

After qualifying as an orthodontic therapist in 2012 I continued to develop professionally and attend multiple certification courses for lingual fixed appliances, Damon self-ligating fixed appliances and Invisalign clear aligners, allowing me to work with any orthodontic appliance.

I was awarded best Orthodontic Therapist 2022 at the Clinical Dentistry Awards.

I feel fortunate to enjoy the job I do alongside delivering a service which truly matters.

For me, orthodontic therapy has become a passion that not only allows me to enhance a patient's orthodontic journey but be a pivotal part of providing happiness for a patient when the treatment is completed. I feel fortunate to enjoy the job I do alongside delivering a service which truly matters.

The most challenging part of my job is the diary management as it requires a team effort and managerial structure, although I'm fortunate in both of my positions to have full autonomy over my clinical diary along with the procedures and times allocated.

There is a huge contrast in size between the two clinics where I work. Islington is a boutique cosmetic clinic focusing on the Align Bleach and Bond concept, with a small dental team, whereas ODL is a ten-surgery clinic with a multidisciplinary dental team and services with over 80 members.

I am currently completing my facial aesthetics portfolio and further skin training to offer services such as polynucleotides. I would love to see further diplomas developed that orthodontic therapists could undertake.

Coming up

Dr Teki and I have co-created and developed a course called ‘Aligner workflow LIVE'. This is aimed at both general dentists and orthodontic therapists, allowing participants a unique opportunity for developing hands-on skills alongside exposure to practical training on live patients for attachment placement and bonded retainers. This enables general dentists to refine their aligner workflow, maximising the efficiency and profitability when implementing clear aligner treatment within their practice, along with highlighting the use of a fully digital workflow integrating Artificial Intelligence. It is the first course of its kind to be non-aligner brand specific, allowing the focus to be on creating a workflow that will enhance participants' clinical practice. To book a space email livealignerflow@gmail.com.

The Aligner Workflow LIVE debuts this August with more dates to follow and I have some other exciting educational projects coming up later this year. I would love to get a holiday in but haven't booked one yet.

The dental profession is competitive; if you have a passion, stay focused on that, be prepared to put the hours in behind the scenes to achieve your goals and they will happen.

I would absolutely recommend my career to others. It's important to realise this profession is mentally challenging but can be extremely rewarding. The dental profession is competitive; if you have a passion, stay focused on that, be prepared to put the hours in behind the scenes to achieve your goals and they will happen. It would be great to see the number of orthodontic therapists increase and our community become larger. The diploma is intense but if you can align yourself with the right clinic and orthodontist this career is both professionally and financially rewarding. Follow Chrystal: @imchrystalsharp_ot Interview by Kate Quinlan