Category: Thoughts & Reflections

Truth… or Dare?

~ Shadi Samawi ~ 1 Comment

“If Truth is Your Enemy, Then You Have a Major Marketing Problem!”

~ Prof. William Proffit

Interesting news this week, where dentistrytoday.com reported that OrthoAccel Technologies – the company manufacturing and marketing Acceledent; its product that the company “claims” speeds up orthodontic tooth movement by up to %50 – has been found to be pushing out “misleading marketing” to the public, as ruled by The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the United Kingdom, after reviewing available evidence.

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JAWS – Dr. Proffit and Dr. Ackerman Review a “Sensationalist” Book!

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~ Shadi Samawi ~ Leave a comment

“Science, my boy, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which are useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth.”
― Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth

It’s been a while since I last posted on the blog due to work and family time constraints, but we’re back this time with a review of a review!

As the title suggests, this post is about a review posted by Prof. William Proffit, James Ackerman and Tate Jackson on the blog The Orthodontics Professors. It is a review of a new book by Dr. Sandra Kahn and Paul R. Ehrlich entitled; Jaws: The Story of A Hidden Epidemic. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018 (Apr.

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There’s Something About MDP (Mobile Dental Photography)!..

~ Shadi Samawi ~ 3 Comments

“Every photograph is a battle of form versus content.” ~ Garry Winogrand

As many of you probably know, Mobile Dental Photography (MDP) has been gaining track in recent years as smartphone technology advances in terms of sensor quality, resolution, and lens sophistication, leading to much improved image quality over the last few years. MDP has also caught on mainly due to smartphones being relatively smaller and lighter than a Digital SLR camera and so many clinicians prefer the “lighthearted” nature of it.

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What happens during Orthodontic Tooth Acceleration? Surgical Procedures for Accelerating Orthodontic Treatment

~ Shadi Samawi ~ 2 Comments

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.

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Why I’m not using Self-Ligation for “Faster” Treatment

~ Shadi Samawi ~ Leave a comment

“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.

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Keys to Orthodontic Excellence :: An Interview on “Ortodontia Descomplicada” Blog

~ Shadi Samawi ~ 2 Comments

“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 .

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The Orthodontic Notefile’s Top Posts of 2016

~ Shadi Samawi ~ Leave a comment

Learning is not compulsory, but neither is survival.

~ W. Edwards Demi

Another year has passed, and it is time to reflect back on The Orthodontic Notefile’s top posts of 2016. These are the most informative and influential blog posts that made the biggest difference for the readers of The Orthodontic Notefile, in its third year of existence!

Take a look and get started on making 2017 your – and hopefully this blog’s – best year yet!
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Your Opinion Matters.

~ Shadi Samawi ~ Leave a comment

Your Opinion Matters

As part of my philosophy of getting readers of The Orthodontic Notefile engaged first-hand in choosing which topics they would like to read more often on the blog, I’m holding this poll for our readers in order to have a better sense of what many of you may prefer in that regard.

I’d highly appreciate it if you would please take one minute to answer the poll below and share it online wherever you may feel is appropriate, and help The Orthodontic Notefile get better and better.

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