Smiles all round as Lincoln orthodontist wins international award

The founder of a Lincoln orthodontic practice has won an international award for smile makeovers – the first Brit to ever take home the accolade.

Dr Matthew Clare, who set up Lincoln Orthodontics in 2005, has been accredited with the prestigious ‘Invisalign Peer Review Award’. This award is presented to only a handful of professionals each year across the world.

Co-founding the award is Align Technology, manufacturers of the clear aligner system called “Invisalign” which has been used by over 5.5 million patients across the world to improve their smile.

Dr Clare was one of only three orthodontists in Europe to gain this award in 2018.

2018’s award, which was also bestowed upon some of the industry’s most esteemed orthodontists in the USA and Asia, is voted for in two competitive rounds of judging. The first round is conducted by Invisalign itself, which selected Dr Clare’s case study as part of its ‘Global Gallery’, highlighting a long list of best practice examples.

The second round was then voted for by the international orthodontic community, rating the case studies within the gallery based on broad criteria including clinical difficulty, result achieved (i.e. transformation) and quality of clinical records.

Dr Clare, who also won the Aesthetic Dentistry Award in 2016 and was nominated in the Smile Awards in 2012, explained why accolades in the profession mean so much to him.

“Being recognised by your peers is just the best feeling. Our industry is so well trained and sees new techniques and treatments researched and released each year, so to be presented with an award celebrating the impact we have had on our patients’ lives is fantastic.

“While this accolade obviously means a great deal to me, it’s just as important to my patients – it means they can know their smile is award-winning. This in turn helps increase their self-confidence and self-esteem, which is what orthodontics is all about.”

Having trained at Guys Hospital in London and then completing his orthodontic specialism in Bristol, Dr Clare chose to relocate to Lincolnshire in 2005 when considering where to raise a family.

He added: “Lincolnshire was top of my list when I finished my training; I love the fields, I love the coastline and I love the relaxed nature of the people who live here. It is a wonderful place to live and work, and with the practice in the heart of the city, seeing patients from across the county, I really wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”