Octagon Dental Centre

Specialist Orthodontist. Patricia was born and brought up in Bristol, and studied dentistry at the University of Newcastle of Tyne, qualifying as a dentist in 1980. She then worked for 9 years in general practice, firstly as an associate and then in her own practice in Devon, before emigrating to Germany in 1989, where she developed her interest in Orthodontics.She studied orthodontics and dental orthopaedics in Germany, the UK and the USA and opened her own practice which quickly became a successful enterprise specialising in non-extraction orthodontics. Patricia is a registered Specialist Orthodontist with the General Dental Council and is a member of the British Dental Association, the British Orthodontic Society and the European Orthodontic Society.In 2004 she returned to the UK working in Nottingham until in October 2005 she opened her own practice “Smilemakers” in Bitterne Southampton.Patricia is involved in all aspects of orthodontics, including the treatment of adults with either fixed or “invisible” braces. Her particular field of interest and expertise is orthopaedics, which involves the treatment of the younger growing child, and minimises the risk of extracting healthy permanent teeth in later life. These techniques are becoming increasingly popular with both parents and dentists.In her private life, Patricia is married with two student daughters, one of whom is currently studying at the University of Southampton, and is greatly enjoying discovering the pleasures of living on the South Coast.

We are delighted to welcome Klaudia our Dental Therapist to Smilemakers Orthodontics, one of the rarest members of the dental team, with only approximately 560 on the Dental Roll.Klaudia started her career in dentistry in 1999 as a trainee dental nurse and qualified in 2000. Klaudia has developed a huge interest in dentistry and worked for two years in a very busy General Dental Practice and an Orthodontic Practice in London. These practices devoted their broad spectrum of services to both NHS and private patients. This allowed Klaudia to gain vast experience in two very different areas of dentistry.After moving to Southampton in 2001 Klaudia continued to work in Winchester for two years and then applied to Portsmouth University to be one of the first students to study for the BSc in Dental Hygiene and Therapy. She qualified in May 2007 and joined Smilemakers shortly after.

Our Clinical Manager and Orthodontic Nurse, qualified as a dental nurse in 2000 having worked in general practice for 2 years before gaining her National Examining Board for Dental Nurses Certificate. In March 2002, she moved into the field of Orthodontics, having developed an interest in this aspect of dentistry. Within a year she had completed a dental radiography course at Nottingham Queens Medical Centre and the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary and a year later, gained the Certificate in Orthodontic Nursing at Manchester Dental Hospital. In January 2006, she moved to Southampton to help establish Smilemakers Orthodontics and is hoping to study for the Royal College of Surgeons Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy in the future.

Ranj qualified as a dentist in 1993 from the University of Sheffield. He was awarded Master of Science in Periodontology (gum disease) in 1998 from the Royal London Hospital, where he was trained in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the gums. He has been a member of the British Society of Periodontology since 1996. Ranj was the principal dentist in a busy south London practice for five years He enjoys all aspects of dentistry with a special interest in Periodontology. He attends many courses including some in America at the IDEA Institute in San Francisco. He believes one is continually learning and that Dentistry has become a fast moving field with constant advancements in technology and materials. The responsibility to keep up to date falls on the shoulders of the clinical dentist, so that they can provide a better level of care for their patients.