TIMING AND OPTIONS
Re-Evaluation
Your initial orthodontic examination has provided insight into your dental development. Timing of various orthodontic procedures is important to take advantage of available treatment options. Your complimentary re-evaluation appointments are aimed at monitoring jaw growth and development, dental eruption and tooth positioning. Your orthodontist will determine the most appropriate timing and best treatment option for you.
Multi-Phase Treatment
WHY: Space creation for permanent teeth
Address imbalanced jaw development
Take advantage of most rapid growth period
WHEN: Mixed Dental Development
WHAT: Growth modification with fixed or removable appliances
Full braces or Invisalign treatment for final tooth positioning and correction of bite relationship
Making Your New Smile Achievable
Your orthodontic treatment is an investment that lasts a lifetime. Understanding your dental benefits is essential as insurance policies and health spending accounts vary dramatically. Our experienced administrative team will assist you to determine your eligibility for orthodontic treatment coverage.
We offer:
- Flexible, interest-free payment options
- Direct billing to most dental benefit plans
Interceptive Treatment
WHY: Correction of tooth position & habits
WHEN: Early Dental Development
WHAT: Eruption guidance and space management
Crossbite correction
Habit Control (thumb/finger habit, tongue function)
Full Treatment
WHY: Tooth alignment and correction of
bite relationship
WHEN: Complete Dental Development
WHAT: Mini-metal brackets
Ceramic brackets
Invisalign®
Interdisciplinary Care
WHY: Impacted or missing teeth
Imbalanced jaw coordination
Gum tissue and bone support
WHEN: Mixed Dental Development
Complete Dental Development
WHAT: Orthodontic treatment with
appliances, Braces or Invisalign®
along with:
- Surgical tooth exposure
- Surgical jaw correction
- Surgical implant placement
- Periodontal (gum & bone loss) management
YOUR ORTHODONTIST
Dr. Karen Hesse
Read Bio
Dr. Karen Hesse
BSc, DDS, MSD, FRCD(C)
Upon my return to Alberta in 1995, Dr. Paul Major and I opened a new practice in Sherwood Park. I was able to expand my practice to the Millwoods area in 1998 where Dr. Brian Nebbe (retired) joined us and Align Orthodontics was created. Over the next 5 years, I continued to be involved at the University of Alberta as a clinical associate professor teaching orthodontics to both undergraduate and graduate students. Presently, I focus my time on balancing private practice in Sherwood Park and Millwoods.
On a personal note, my family and I are members of the Sherwood Park community. My husband and I enjoy pursuing an active life with our son and daughter through hockey, swimming, arts & crafts, travel, diving and cottage life. I understand the challenges of balancing work, family life and orthodontic appointments and am committed to creating a positive experience. I am grateful for the opportunity to transform your smiles!
Dr. Raisa Catunda
Read BioDr. Raisa Catunda
DDS, MSc, PhD, FRCDC
Dr. Paul Major
Read BioDr. Paul Major
DDS, MSc, FRCD(C)
Over his years of practice, Dr. Major has witnessed that orthodontic treatment provides a very positive experience for patients as they gain confidence and self-esteem. He has developed a passion for enhancing the health and overall wellbeing of his own patients as well as addressing the needs of society. He is actively engaged in leading university and professional community initiatives directed towards providing oral health care to underserviced and vulnerable children.
Dr. Harsimrat Kaur
Read BioDr. Harsimrat Kaur
BDS, MSc, PhD, FRCDc
Driven by a commitment to excellence in patient care and research, Dr. Kaur went on to earn her PhD in Orthodontics from the University of Alberta. Her doctoral training included three years of intensive clinical experience, during which she treated a wide variety of orthodontic cases and refined her expertise in creating healthy, functional, and aesthetically pleasing smiles.
Dr. Kaur is proud to serve the Spruce Grove community and looks forward to helping patients of all ages achieve smiles they can be proud of for years to come.
Dr. Sherif Elkordy
Read BioDr. Sherif Elkordy
BDS, MSc, PhD, FDS RCSEdinburgh
His passion for Orthodontics began at a young age, inspired by witnessing the profound impact orthodontic treatment can have on patients’ self-esteem and quality of life. Throughout his orthodontic training, Dr. Elkordy developed a comprehensive clinical foundation through managing patients in university hospital setting and private practice. This equipped him with expertise in diagnosing and treating a broad spectrum of malocclusions, ranging from routine orthodontic cases to complex conditions requiring advanced treatment approaches. He values close collaboration with general dentists, specialists, and oral surgeons to deliver the highest standard of evidence-based patient care.
After relocating to Canada, Dr. Elkordy completed the Dental Equivalency Process, becoming a licensed dentist in Canada. He subsequently joined the Dental Specialty Advanced Training Program in Orthodontics at the University of Alberta to complete his specialty certification. He is an active member of the College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta (CDSA), the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO), Canadian Association of Orthodontists (CAO), the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) as well as a fellow of the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO) and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Alongside his clinical career, Dr. Elkordy has been heavily involved in teaching, clinical supervision and research since 2012. He served as an Associate Professor of Orthodontics at Cairo University and as Orthodontic Program Director at New Giza University in Egypt. During this time, he participated in numerous scientific publications and lectured at multiple national and international meetings. In 2022, he received the David L. Turpin Award for Evidence-Based Research from the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. Dr. Elkordy is committed to lifelong learning and continuously updates his clinical skills through continuing education and self directed study. He firmly believes that professional growth is an ongoing process and that every interaction presents an opportunity to learn and refine one’s experience.
Outside of dentistry, Dr. Elkordy enjoys spending time with his family; his wife, twin young boys, and teenage daughter who keep him quite busy. He is an avid world traveler who enjoys exploring new countries, engaging with locals and diving into various cultures. He has been always fond of learning languages and speaks English, Arabic, French, and German. Known for his outgoing personality and extroverted nature, Dr. Elkordy enjoys social interaction and takes pride in creating smiles wherever he goes.
WHY AN ORTHODONTIST?
There’s More To Your Smile
If you Have:
- Crooked, misaligned or overcrowded teeth
- Upper and lower jaws that have not grown in coordination with one another
Your orthodontist will evaluate the alignment of your teeth and jaws, review and discuss your treatment needs and provide you with treatment options.
Get The Specialized Treatment You Desire
At Align Orthodontics we understand the importance of a beautiful smile and a healthy, functional bite. After receiving their dental degrees our orthodontists pursued an additional 2-4 years of specialized orthodontic education. Armed with expertise, diagnostics tools (photographs, x-rays and scans or models) and their experience they recommend the treatment options that take your unique needs and personal goals into consideration.
You trust your heart to a cardiologist; your joints to an orthopedist and your skin to a dermatologist. TRUST YOUR SMILE TO YOUR ORTHODONTIST!
Your Smile Is A Work Of Art
Trust your orthodontist to evaluate and diagnose and create:
- The best aesthetic and functional relationship for your teeth
- Establish the best possible relationship between your jaws and supporting bone and gums