OK, so what’s the speed of “Dark”? ~ Steven Wright
Today’s guest blog post is by colleague Dr. Samer Mheissen, currently in private practice in Damascus, Syria, and is the Section Editor for the International Journal of Contemporary Orthodontics (See short C.V. at the bottom of the post). He shares with us some of his thoughts and opinion regarding the topic of Surgical Orthodontic Tooth Acceleration.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu
In this blog post, I’d like to share some thoughts regarding an important – and still debatable – aspect of self-ligation treatment, relating to claims of “faster” treatment and shorter overall treatment times, and clarify why I personally do NOT use Self-ligation primarily for “faster” treatment, but for other clinically-relevant reasons.
Continue reading “Why I’m not using Self-Ligation for “Faster” Treatment”
“The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” ~ Josh Kauffman
As mentioned in the previous blog post, and in the spirit of my intention to position The Orthodontic Notefile as an Orthodontic Success Philosophy blog, I’m honored to be starting the blog posts this month with an interview I’ve had both the pleasure and honor to be asked to do by fellow Orthodontist/Blogger colleague Dr. Alexandre Veiga Jardim from Brazil, for his orthodontic blog Ortodontia Descomplicada .
Continue reading “Keys to Orthodontic Excellence :: An Interview on “Ortodontia Descomplicada” Blog”
“Checklists turn out.. to be among the basic tools of the quality and productivity revolution in aviation, engineering, construction – in virtually every field combining high risk and complexity. Checklists seem lowly and simplistic, but they help fill in for the gaps in our brains and between our brains.” – Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
In a previous blog post last year, I talked about what I believe to be an important driver for clinical excellence; the use of systematized checklists. In that post, I highlighted the main idea behind checklists and how they can help in the systematic and consistent application of clinical workflows in a precise and reproducible manner, ultimately increasing clinical efficiency and improving the quality of patient care.
That post generated many requests and inquiries from colleagues around the world asking for a follow-up post with further examples of checklists. In today’s blog post, I would like to introduce a few more checklist examples I personally implement in my practice for different parts of my clinical workflow, while explaining my rationale behind them.
Continue reading “Checklists in Clinical Practice; Revisited”
In this post, I would like to share my brief opinion regarding what I view as the dilemma of choice between true mastery versus the trend of relentless adoption of new technologies in Orthodontics and Dentistry in general.
“Plowing through complexities without first mastering the basics is a trap even the most intelligent can fall into. “
Continue reading “To Master or Not to Master?.. That is the Dilemma!”
In my first blog post in 2016, I will be presenting a brief case report demonstrating the effectiveness of the proper use of a passive self-ligating system (Damon Q) in camouflage treatment of an adult with a malocclusion of considerable skeletal discrepancy, namely; Class III malocclusion in this particular case.
“Order And Simplicity Are The First Steps Towards Mastery Of A Subject. ” – Thomas Mann
As the saying goes: “Good is the new Average.”
In this age of high public demand for beautiful, natural-looking smiles and ever- increasing self-confidence, as well as the need for more rigorous scientific-based standards of care, there should be really no place for mediocrity.
Continue reading “The 4 Keys to Mastery of Orthodontic Finishing; A Free New Orthodontic eBook”
“A doctor, like anyone else who has to deal with human beings … cannot be just a scientist; he is either, like the surgeon, a craftsman, or, like the physician and the psychologist, an artist. This means that in order to be a good doctor a man must also have a good character, that is to say, whatever weaknesses and foibles he may have, he must love his fellow human beings in the concrete sense and desire their good before his own.”
“With the evolution from a paternalistic to an autonomous (self-rule) perspective of health care delivery, many patients no longer unconditionally accept a doctor’s expert authority to dictate therapy without considering options. The doctor’s communication style must therefore convey an appreciation of the patient’s concerns and complaints, as well as verbal skills that involve the patient in the decision-making process—all in an empathetic, personalized manner.”
– Peter Greco (The Salient Skill. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2015;147:301)
The Orthodontic Notefile 