Give us a smile Paisley, you've earned it

The teenager was born with cerebral palsy which remained undiagnosed by doctors until she was three.

The condition has left her with problems with her balance and walking and in recent years she has had a series of operations to improve her mobility.

But she was also conscious of her "goofy" teeth due to a severe overjet, which meant her upper teeth and jaw protruded over her lower jaw – leaving her the victim of teasing from other youngsters.

Now, following more than three years of painstaking work to reform her jaw and teeth, she can show off her smile for the first time.

The huge change is all the more remarkable as it was achieved as she had major surgery on her legs, which left her in a wheelchair or reliant on crutches to get about. Despite it all, she continued her school work and this summer gained an impressive 12 GCSEs.

Her brave efforts have now been recognised in a national award from the British Orthodontic Society.

Paisley, who lives in York, said her top two front teeth protruded over her lip, making her very self conscious and wary even of smiling.

"I hated my teeth because they were really goofy at the front," she said.

"A few people used to say I had goofy teeth, and I have walking disabilities as well, so it was just something I was aware of. It meant a lot to get it sorted."

She first went to see orthodontist Jonathan Hunter for an initial assessment in 2006.

He found her top front teeth protruded over her bottom teeth by 10 millimetres (two fifths of an inch) – putting it into the most severe category which is funded for treatment by the NHS.

Initially he fitted an appliance which encouraged her lower jaw to grow forwards over 12 months. Then she had braces fitted to change the position of her teeth and straighten them which was completed by May last year.

But her treatment was complicated since she also underwent two operations at Sheffield Children's Hospital to improve her walking.

This included cutting her thigh bones in half, twisting them around and fitting plates which were taken out 18 months later.

Unfortunately an infection took hold in the wound when the plates were removed and it left her once again in a wheelchair until it was treated.

Originally her knees banged together when she walked. This has been corrected but she has now been left with feet which are turning inwards.

She is soon set to have another appointment with experts to find out if any further surgery can be carried out.

There have been no such complications with her teeth although at night she continues to wear gum-shield retainers to hold her teeth in place as the bone in her jaw settles down to the new arrangement.

Paisley said she was delighted with her new look which has given her more confidence. Despite the many months of treatment "every visit was worth it".

"I love my teeth now and my friends and family often comment on how good they look," she said. "I smile all the time."

She is full of praise for Dr Hunter and his team at York Orthodontics, who first saw her when she was 12.

"It feels like Jonathan's worked with magic and I can't thank him and his team enough," she added.

Dr Hunter said the size of the overjet meant her top teeth were much more vulnerable to damage including being chipped or even knocked out and Paisley was also conscious of the way they looked.

Paisley finished her studies at Millthorpe School in York in the summer and this week is beginning her A levels at York College. She hopes to go on to study law.

Her mother Anita said she and her husband Barrie were really proud of their daughter.

"She's a little saint," she said. "She never complains, she never gives up."

SOCIETY MAKES ANNUAL AWARDS

The British Orthodontic Society makes annual awards which recognise the power of treatment to change patients' lives by correcting irregularities of the teeth, bite and jaws.

Judges said choosing Paisley Laws as one of the winners was an easy decision.

One, Sara Wallis, said: "We were so impressed with her bravery and enthusiasm in persevering with orthodontic treatment at a time she was undergoing a number of difficult medical operations."

Nearly one million people a year in the UK have orthodontic treatment for problems including protruding teeth and cross bites.