Meet our team
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Catherine McCanny
Specialist Orthodontist
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Jonathan Shelswell
Specialist Orthodontist
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Karen Louise Townend
Orthodontic Therapist
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Louise Dobson
Orthodontic Dental Nurse
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Gail Ward
Orthodontic Dental Nurse
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Kim Miller
Dental Nurse
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Carol Walter
Practice Manager
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Dawn Rimmington
Treatment Coordinator
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Molly
Receptionist
Catherine graduated from Dental School at Queen’s University Belfast in 1988. She commenced her specialist training in Orthodontics at Leeds Dental Institute in 1993. After this she teamed up with her partner, now husband, Joe, to build and develop St. Michael’s Dental Practice and St. Michael’s Orthodontics Ltd. which opened in 1998. The practice was acquired by the PortmanDentex group in 2021.
Catherine gained her specialist qualification in 1996 and is currently registered on the specialist list for Orthodontists at the General Dental Council. Catherine is also a member of the British Orthodontic Society.
Catherine has been a clinical speaker and a member of the Invisalign® Adboard since 2017. She has treated over 1,000 Invisalign® cases, including over 350 teen cases. She has also developed a keen interest in treating younger children with Invisalign First®.
Catherine was delighted to win three awards in the Aesthetic Dentistry Awards including winning the ultimate accolade of ‘Best Aesthetic Dentist 2013’. This success was repeated in the Aesthetic Dentistry Awards 2015 where they picked up a further three awards including ‘Best Team’ and again in 2018 when she was the winner of the Best Child/Teenager Fixed appliance case and the best Invisalign case.
In her spare time, she enjoys Pilates & HIIT and loves a bit of retail therapy with her two daughters.
Jonty qualified as a dentist in 2016 from Newcastle University. After gaining experience in general and community dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery and restorative dentistry, he started his three-year orthodontic specialty training in 2021. Based at the Leeds Dental Institute and Pinderfields Hospital, he passed the Membership in Orthodontics Examination in 2024 from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. During this time, he was awarded a Master of Science (MSc) by Research with distinction from the University of Leeds.
Jonty is delighted to join the fantastic team at St Michael’s Orthodontics, providing private orthodontic treatment using Invisalign®, clear and metal fixed braces. Alongside this, he will continue his part-time training to become a consultant in orthodontics.
Outside of work, Jonty enjoys spending time with his wife and two young daughters.
Karen has worked in orthodontics since 1999. She really enjoys working as part of a team, watching patients’ confidence grow alongside their smiles.
In her spare time, Karen loves being outdoors, DIY and reading a good book.
Louise has been in dentistry since 2004, working in general dentistry for 12 years before moving into Orthodontics in 2016. She has been with St Michael’s Orthodontics since 2019, working with the specialist orthodontists and running the nurse-lead clinic.
Louise enjoys going to watch Wakefield Trinty rugby league on weekends, she also likes outdoor swimming, going to the gym and finding the best Sunday lunch spots to eat.
Gail joined the St Michael’s Orthodontics team in May 2017. Before that, she spent many years in Australia where she gained her nursing qualification, returning to the UK in 2016. Gail gained her radiography qualification in 2020 and her oral health education in 2022.
Gail loves running, keeping fit at the gym and going for long walks. Her favourite pastime is baking cakes.
Kim joined St Michael’s Orthodontics in September 2023. After many years of working in general dentistry, she is now embracing her new role within the orthodontics team.
In her spare time, Kim enjoys walking, gardening and dancing. Plus, studying and practising holistic therapies.
Carol has worked in dentistry for over 30 years. She moved from general practice to orthodontics in 1995 first as a dental nurse and then later accepting a promotion to manager. She has always enjoyed staying up to date with new products and particularly likes the development of digital technology in dentistry. She works hard to ensure that clinical standards in safety and quality at the practice are met. Carol holds the City & Guilds Certificate in Computerised Accounts, BTEC Level 3 in Management and is a CQC Registered Manager (ID 1-153032466).
Carol likes to spend time outdoors as much as possible. She enjoys gardening, wild swimming and hiking with her family and springer spaniel, Maisie. She loves spending time with her two grandsons who keep her on her toes!
Dawn joined St. Michael’s Orthodontic Practice in January 2000 as a full time dental nurse. In 2007, she passed all the relevant exams to register with the General Dental Council.
She has been the practice Treatment Coordinator since 2010, a role which provides patients with additional support and information throughout their treatment journey. Outside of work, Dawn enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Molly joined the practice in 2023. She enjoys managing Dental Monitoring, the system that enables patients to have their treatment progress monitored remotely, getting to know patients and seeing their smile at the end of treatment.
In her spare time Molly likes to socialise with her friends.