Orthodontics

Existing patient?

The Orthodontic Department has resumed normal service. All patients currently under treatment should be back in the system for regular appointments. However, if you are waiting for an appointment to be arranged and have not heard from the Orthodontic Secretaries, please call us on 01342 414161, 01342 414419, 01342 414142 or 01342 414304.

New patient?

There is currently a delay in new patient consultations and treatment waiting lists whilst we manage referrals postponed due to the pandemic. We will contact you as soon as we are able to.

Please note we no longer have a ‘walk-in’ emergency service.  However, if you are receiving orthodontic treatment with us and are experiencing pain, discomfort or bleeding, please call the department on the contact numbers mentioned below and an emergency appointment will be arranged for you. 

Under 18’s can be accompanied to their appointment by a parent or guardian. All follow-up appointments should be booked at the orthodontic appointments window before leaving the department.

Please use the hand sanitiser when entering the building and wear a face covering, unless you are exempt.

About our orthodontic service

Our specialist orthodontic team advises and treats children and adults with complex orthodontic problems such as facial deformity and anomaly, hypodontia, malalignment of the jaws and positional problems of the teeth.

The orthodontic consultants also provide specialist care for patients requiring orthodontics and jaw surgery; cleft lip and palate care; hypodontia (care for patients with missing multiple teeth); buried/impacted teeth; and sleep apnoea (care for patients with sleep disordered breathing).

How to contact us: If you have any concerns or questions, please contact the Maxillofacial and Orthodontics Unit (Main Outpatients) on 01342 414161, 01342 414419, 01342 414142 or 01342 414304. We are open for appointments Monday to Friday 9am–5pm. The department is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Page last updated: 2 January 2024.

Mr Alex Cash

Specialist interests: Management of adult and child routine and complex orthodontics cases with super specialist interest in cleft lip and palate and jaw disproportion.

Mr Cash is the clinical director of the orthodontic service at the Queen Victoria Hospital and the lead orthodontic consultant for cleft care in South East England. He works both at QVH and in London at St. Thomas’, the central hub for the South Thames Cleft Service.

He took his first posts in paediatric dentistry, orthodontics and oral and maxillofacial surgery after graduating from Guy’s Dental Hospital in 1993. Before specialising in orthodontics, he continued his general professional training and postgraduate education with further experience in a busy London dental practice and gained excellent surgical experience at the Royal Berkshire hospital in Reading and St. George’s Hospital in London.

Alex completed his specialist orthodontic training in the centres at Guy’s, Kingston and QVH, presenting a biomaterials thesis as part of his Masters in 2000. Alex was appointed consultant orthodontist at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ and QVH in 2003 where he enjoys clinical work, leadership and the teaching of both postgraduates and undergraduates.

Alex is a past chairman of the South East Regional Orthodontic and the South Thames Cleft Lip and Palate Audit and Outcome Groups. He continues to be involved with the British Orthodontic Society and he is a past chairman of the Training Grades Group. Alex has also been the Secretary General of the Federation of European Orthodontists for the past eight years. Alex is a Royal College of Surgeons and King’s College London examiner on the post graduate program and has spent much time teaching and supervising many postgraduate MSc theses and several PhD theses as well.

Alex is a past chairman of the South East Regional Orthodontic and the South Thames Cleft Lip and Palate Outcome and Audit Groups and represented his peers when chairman of the Training Grades Group of the British Orthodontic Society. He works for his specialist society and sits on British Orthodontic Society committees.

Alex’s areas of specialist clinical interest are in the management of both routine orthodontic cases as well as more complex facial concerns including cleft lip and palate and jaw disproportion. He works closely with his maxillofacial and plastic surgery colleagues and also with local general and specialist practitioners in all areas of paediatric and adult orthodontics. Alex enjoys placing the patient at the centre of their care to enable the best possible clinical outcome.

Miss Sofia Ahmad

Specialist interests: Children’s Orthodontics, Hypodontia (Treatment for Developmentally absent teeth), Orthognathic (Jaw Surgery Treatment), and Sleep Apnoea.

Miss Sofia Ahmad graduated from King’s College Dental Hospital London, with distinctions in orthodontics and paediatric dentistry. She went on to gain an MSc in orthodontics with distinction from the University of London and Membership in Orthodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Miss Ahmad has completed the Intercollegiate Specialty Fellowship Examination in Orthodontics.

At Queen Victoria Hospital she leads the hypodontia (developmentally absent / missing teeth) multidisciplinary service and at Guy’s and St Thomas’ in London is a member of the Hypodontia Team, leading on the development and running of Hypodontia Courses for specialty trainees. She works closely with Consultants in Restorative Dentistry to plan the treatment for patients with hypodontia.

Miss Ahmad is also involved in multidisciplinary care of patients requiring orthodontics and orthognathic (jaw surgery) and leads the QVH Jaw Surgery patient information evenings for patients considering jaw surgery treatment.

She has an interest in shared decision making and has been involved in research and audit looking at patient information resources.

Miss Ahmad is currently the Clinical Director for Clinical Governance at the Queen Victoria Hospital, and has an interest in human factors.

Miss Ahmad is passionate about teaching and training and has co-authored an Orthodontic textbook Clinical Cases in Orthodontics. She continues to be involved in dental education and has examined previously for the MJDF and is currently an appointed Examiner for the Membership in Orthodontics for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Her publications includes:

Sobie Akram, Spyridon N Papageorgiou, Patricia A K Set, Martyn T Cobourne , Sofia Ahmad, A questionnaire-based survey exploring attitudes to human factors within the orthodontic team, British Dental Journal  2023 May;234(10):736. doi: 10.1038/s41415-023-5888-4.

Akram, N. Shah, S. Ahmad, Patient Information – Is It Ever Enough? A prospective Audit of Information Provision for Orthognathic Treatment at The Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH), East Grinstead, British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2020.

Catt SL, Ahmad S, Collyer J, Hardwick L, Shah N, Winchester L. Quality of life and communication in orthognathic treatment. J Orthod. 2018 Jun;45(2):65-70. doi: 10.1080/14653125.2018.1458949. Epub 2018 Apr 11. PMID: 29638192.

Bhamrah G, Ahmad S, NiMhurchadha S. Internet discussion forums, an information and support resource for orthognathic patients. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2015 Jan;147(1):89-96. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2014.08.020. PMID: 25533076.

Miss Ahmad receives consistently high praise from her patients for the quality of their care and treatment. Her patient feedback, January-March 2020 (13 cases):

Happy with the results: 100%
Took longer than expected: 15%
Satisfied/completely satisfied: 100%
Sufficient information: 93%.

Qualifications: BSc BDS MSc (Lond) MOrth FDSOrth RCS (Eng)

Miss Lauren Hardwick

Specialist interests: Management of adult and child routine and complex orthodontics cases including jaw deformity, sleep apnoea and missing teeth.

Miss Hardwick graduated in dentistry from the University of Sheffield. She gained a wide range of experience including General Dental Practice; Oral, Maxillofacial Surgery, and Orthodontics. She carried out her Orthodontic registrar training at Kings College London and Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup, where she obtained her MOrth and MSc in Orthodontics with distinction. Furthermore, she was awarded and selected for a short clinical attachment in the Orthodontic department in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

Miss Hardwick carried out her consultant training here at the QVH and Guy’s Hospital. She has a keen interest in teaching and consistently receives high praise for her care and treatment.

Miss Hardwick provides advice and treatment for all cases from simple to complex Orthodontic patients, jaw deformity and missing teeth.

Page last updated: 31 January 2024.

Dr Lindsay Winchester

Specialist interests: Jaw deformity; adult and children’s orthodontics; snoring and sleep apnoea

Dr Winchester qualified with honours in dentistry, paediatrics and orthodontics from Guy’s Hospital Dental School in 1981. After qualifying she spent several years obtaining a broad postgraduate education in many areas of surgery including maxillofacial surgery, oral medicine, restorative dentistry, children’s dentistry and orthodontics.

She has held posts of Regional Advisor in Orthodontics for the Royal College of Surgeons, Chair of the Specialty Training Committee in Orthodontics for South Thames and examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons in Orthodontics. She is actively involved in teaching and lecturing in this country and internationally.

Dr Winchester has been the previous clinical lead for the orthodontic department at QVH for over 20 years and her hospital role includes providing advice and treatment of all cases including the full range of orthodontic treatment for adults and children. She remains the Clinical Lead for orthognathic treatment (jaw deformity).

She has recently been awarded the Ballard Medal for Services to Orthodontics by the British Orthodontic Society.

Her patients are delighted with the results, and recent feedback showed that 100% are glad they had their treatment.

Lindsay’s patient feedback (30 patients)
Satisfied/completely satisfied: 100%
Explaining your condition and treatment: 100%

Her special interests include:

Jaw deformity: Lindsay has a particular interest in the management of jaw and facial deformity and works closely with the maxillofacial surgeons in the management of complex cases.

Children’s orthodontics: The management of all children with a variety of different orthodontic problems, including the early management of jaw deformity.

Adult patients: Lindsay has a vast experience in treating adults patients and is often asked for second opinions on management of complex cases.

Snoring and sleep apnoea: She works closely with the sleep disorder centre in the management of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring, using mandibular advancement splints.

Page last updated: 5 February 2024.

Miss Lisa Rennie

Specialist interests: managing impacted (buried) teeth, orthognathic surgery (jaw surgery), and sleep apnoea.

Miss Rennie graduated with honours from King’s College London. Following her Bachelor of Dental Surgery qualification, she spent several years broadening her skills in secondary care dentistry and maxillofacial surgery.

Miss Rennie undertook specialist orthodontic training at Queen Victoria Hospital in 2017. She was awarded the J K Williams Gold Medal for her outstanding performance in the Membership in Orthodontics Exam. Her senior registrar training took place at Queen Victoria Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in 2020 before she began her consultant post at Queen Victoria Hospital.

Miss Rennie offers specialist opinions and management for all orthodontic cases, ranging from routine to complex.

Page updated: 24 April 2024