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.
Don’t Forget the Second Molars“There is no excuse for failing to address the second molars in our treatment planning, especially considering the wealth of information available to the practicing orthodontist today. It is up to us to apply the therapeutic concepts that have already been developed for dealing with these challenging teeth, so that we can achieve the best possible long-term results for our patients.”
Back to Clinical Orthodontics, I would like to talk about the issue of including the second molars in fixed appliance treatment. The case for habitual bonding of the second permanent molars in orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances has been made on many occasions in orthodontic literature. however, it seems that -to date- many of us still overlook this vital step and do not perform it on a regular and consistent basis, thus loosing the potential benefits of such a measure. I, for one, have been guilty of this on many occasions in the past. Continue reading “The 2nd Permanent Molars in Orthodontics: To Bond or Not to Bond?”
“Knowledge is a process of piling up facts. Wisdom lies in their simplification.” ~ Martin Fischer
Retouching on the idea of productive simplicity in orthodontic treatment, I have decided to present in this post some examples of what I believe to be unnecessary over-complication of orthodontic appliances in treating certain types of orthodontic problems. Such cases often present at one’s practice seeking second opinions about their “lengthy” or “traumatic” experience with fixed appliance treatment in particular. Usually, at the first look inside the mouth, you clearly realize the problem; there are so many different attachments, elastics and wires of different sizes and designs inside the oral cavity that not only is it a playground for various complex contradictory mechanics and force vectors, but can also present a serious hazard to the patient’s safety and oral hygiene.
Continue reading “Simplicity vs Complexity in Orthodontic Mechanics”
“Remember that all is opinion.” – Marcus Aurelius
The topic of orthodontic treatment using clear aligners has long been subject to heated debate. It remains so to this day. (Warning: this will be a long post!)
On the one hand, a number of clinicians regularly claim achieving what they describe as “excellent” results using such appliances, claiming a reduction in chair side time and even overall treatment time, while many others do not really subscribe to the idea that they are an effective nor efficient method of treatment. Unfortunately, the research surrounding the efficacy and efficiency of clear aligner treatment is still very much lacking to date. A search for the term “clear aligner” on PubMed merely brings up a couple of pages of various case reports, editorials, and only a handful of trials that cannot be considered by any means as comprehensive nor conclusive. As such, the debate rages on and probably will continue for a long time, and at the moment, only clinical experience can be sought upon in an attempt to reach a meaningful conclusion, however prone to personal bias that may prove to be.
Continue reading “Thoughts on Orthodontic Treatment with Clear Aligners”
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”– Gandhi
Patience is a rare commodity these days. A lost art. Everything has become an unnecessarily hasty venture, with little time to stop and think about what we are doing before we actually do it!
In Orthodontics, as in life, patience is a great virtue. We, as orthodontists, have always prided ourselves on our vision, foresight and “long-term thinking”. After all, these are important skills in our profession. However, many of us may often fail to live by our own “assumptions”. I, for one, have been guilty of this myself on many occasions. But the fact of the matter is that there is no substitute for patience if we want to perform at our very best and provide the best results for our patients. This actually starts from the very first consultation visit, through actual active treatment and all the way to post-treatment follow-ups. Patience and just “slowing down” provides us with the time necessary to focus, think, plan, and reiterate, until we can produce better results with maximum efficiency. After all, “If not Excellence, What? If not excellence Now, When?” as Tom Peters states in his interesting book “The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence.”
The Orthodontic Notefile 