Total Orthodontics Tonbridge

Richard George

MOrth 2000, MSc Lond 2000, FDS Royal College of Surgeons of England 1996, BDS Lond 1992

Richard has a keen interest in treating complex adult multidisciplinary cases and is a Platinum Invisalign Provider. Richard also works at Total Orthodontics Tunbridge Wells.

Richard studied dentistry at King’s College London and qualified in 1992. Following a house officer post, he then spent two years as a senior house officer in oral and maxillofacial surgery at hospitals in Reading and Brighton. During this time, he was awarded the Fellowship in Dental Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Richard then worked in general dental practice in South London before starting his three-year postgraduate orthodontic training course at Guy’s Hospital. He was awarded an MSc degree from the University of London and the Membership in Orthodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons of England in September 2000. This allowed him to be registered as a specialist orthodontist with the General Dental Council. He has worked in specialist orthodontic practice ever since.

Richard was previously a director of Total Orthodontics and has lectured nationally on a variety of orthodontic topics including lingual braces and Invisalign treatment. Richard is a member of the British Dental Association, the British Orthodontic Society, the World Federation of Orthodontists and the British Lingual Orthodontic Society. He has been chairman of the Tunbridge Wells Orthodontic Study Group, membership secretary of the British Lingual Orthodontic Society, editor of British Orthodontic Society and director of external relations at the British Orthodontic Society.

Specialist Orthodontist

Nicola Ely

MOrth Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 2005, MSc Orth Lond 2004, MFDS Royal College of Surgeons of England 2001, BDS Lond 1999

Nicola has worked at Total Orthodontics since 2005. She is a hugely loved member of the team and won the Bupa Dental Care and Total Orthodontics Everyday Hero Award in 2021 for being an ‘extraordinary orthodontist’. 

Nicola studied dentistry at Guy's Hospital in London and graduated in 1999. She then spent two years gaining experience in hospital posts, including oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial surgery and paediatric dentistry. She gained her Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons in 2001, before spending a year in general practice. 

In 2002, Nicola undertook her specialist orthodontic training at Guy's Hospital and The Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton. She was awarded her MSc degree in Orthodontics from the University of London in 2004, followed by her Membership in Orthodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons in 2005.  Nicola is a registered specialist with the General Dental Council. She is a member of the British Orthodontic Society and has presented papers in both national and international journals. 

Orthodontist

John Costello

MOrth Royal College of Surgeons of England 1999, MSc Lond 1998, FDS Royal College of Surgeons of England 1995, BDS Lond 1992

John studied dentistry at Guy’s Hospital, London and graduated in 1992. He then spent three years working in hospital posts in oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics in the South of England.

During this time, John was awarded the Fellowship in Dental Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. After a spell in general dental practice and a six-month period spent travelling, he returned to start a three-year postgraduate orthodontic training programme at the Eastman Dental Institute in London. In 1999, John was awarded an MSc degree and a Membership in Orthodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, allowing him to be registered as a specialist orthodontist with the General Dental Council.

John has published papers in the British Dental Journals and presented research at the British Orthodontic and Dental Research Conferences. He has lectured nationally and internationally on various orthodontic topics. John is a member of the British Orthodontic Society, sat on the Kent Local Dental Committee and is currently on the Kent Managing Clinical Orthodontic Network Group as well as the UK Advisory Board for Invisalign. He is a committee member of the British Orthodontic Society’s Specialist Group, chairing their spring meetings. John won the ‘Against All Odds’ British Orthodontic Society Prize in 2008 and the Total Orthodontics Orthodontist of the Year Award in 2020.

Orthodontist

Sandra Beard

Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy Royal College of Surgeons of England 2009, Transferred from BADN Voluntary Register

Sandra qualified as an orthodontic therapist in 2009. She often states that the best thing about her job is getting to know her patients, and especially seeing the confidence that having a straighter smile provides.

Orthodontic Therapist

Esther Miller

Diploma in Dental Nursing City & Guilds 2012

Esther started her career at Total Orthodontics in 2009 as a trainee dental nurse and qualified in 2012. She went on to qualify in June 2022 as an orthodontic therapist.

Orthodontic Therapist

Courtney Raven

Diploma in Dental Nursing Level 3 QCF City & Guilds 2018

Courtney joined our practice in 2016 as a trainee nurse. Since then, she has gained her qualifications and worked her way up to become lead dental nurse.

Lead Dental Nurse

Helena Dopierala

National Diploma in Dental Nursing NEBDN 2018

Helena has been part of the team since 2020, having previously worked in general dentistry. She finds it a privilege to share our patients’ journeys and to watch their smiles change.

Dental Nurse

Michelle Day

Michelle has been with Total Orthodontics Tonbridge since 2018 as a practice coordinator and became practice manager in October 2020. Michelle takes pride in making sure the day-to-day running of the practice runs smoothly, and that all staff and patients are happy and receive the best possible care.

Practice Manager

Gracie Wallis

Gracie is the newest trainee dental nurse to join our professional team. Gracie is a former patient of ours, and after completing her treatment with Total Orthodontics she was inspired to pursue a career in dental nursing. She loves helping to transform patients' smiles and giving them back their confidence.

Trainee Dental Nurse

Gemma Salt

Gemma joined Total Orthodontics Tonbridge as a receptionist in 2021. She enjoyed her role working on reception, especially helping patients and learning more about orthodontics. Gemma took on the position of treatment coordinator in September 2022. She is enjoying the new role and particularly likes helping private patients and dealing with finance.

Treatment Co-ordinator

Sarah Weller

Sarah is the newest member of the Total Orthodontics Tonbridge team and has successfully settled into working in a busy practice environment. Her enthusiasm for the role and her caring approach makes Sarah a real asset to the team and our patients.

Receptionist

Amy Bush

Amy joined Total Orthodontics Tonbridge in January 2020 as a receptionist. Since then, she has progressed in her career, and has worked her way up to her current role of practice coordinator.

Practice Co-ordinator

Francesca Zecconi

GDC Number: 268763

Diploma in Dental Nursing Level 3 QCF City & Guilds 2016 General

Orthodontic Therapist

Amelia Pearcey

GDC number: 309340

Level 3 Extended Diploma in Dental Nursing City & Guilds 2023

Amelia Pearcey started her journey at Total Orthodontics as a trainee dental nurse in March 2021. She qualified as a dental nurse in April 2023, and enjoys being part of the team and seeing patients overjoyed with their new smiles.

Dental Nurse