StraightSmile Solutions®

Why any History of Facial Trauma should be a red flag on an Ortho or Invisalign Case
Today, we’ll look at some of the reasons why any orthodontist should be cautious with cases that have a history of oral face trauma, automotive trauma, or trauma from a bike or skateboard accident.
As an orthodontist, I keep an eye out for unusual bites or patients who discuss things like how they had braces on before getting into a car accident. Some patients report that they were in a skating or skiing accident and their bite was never the same again. Patients who report such cases should be treated with caution.
I wish to promote awareness among general dentists, pediatric dentists, and dental specialists. When a patient arrives, the standard procedure is used to examine for the PDL, laminadura, and root absorption. Any injured teeth are more likely to experience root resorption, root blending, and pupal necrosis after orthodontic therapy. It’s in every single one of them. If I noticed anything unusual in the x-ray, I would refer them to an endo before proceeding with the case. They do this occasionally, but not always.
Whatever decision endo makes is what you as an orthodontist should go with. Sometimes endo can clear it or they can tell you to follow up with frequent x-rays. Even if you didn’t notice anything funny in the x-ray or even if I didn’t send the teeth to endo, I would still flag those teeth. I would put up a popup every few months to remind me to be cautious with such a case.
You should also let the patient know that you will be monitoring their teeth every once in a while. Let the patient know that frequent x-rays will be part of the standard treatment plan if they want to proceed.
Let’s talk about bones. If an orthodontists notices that a panel has a bunch of pleats and screws, that’s a dead giveaway. The orthodontist should probably not take that patient. Such a case might require the services of a jaw surgeon. I don’t recommend that any GP take a former trauma case or a former jaw surgery case. So many things can happen and once the orthodontist starts it, they will have to finish it and they will have to manage everything that comes up. If you notice pleats and screws, it’s a no go.
Even if you don’t see plates and screws but you have heard a history of trauma and you see a funny bite or the patient mentions a bite has which has shifted, get a CBCT scan of the jaws by a company like beam readers. There are plenty of other radiology companies that do great work as well and are affordable and if you are one, I get no compensation from referring to them. If you are a good Radiology company, I would like to talk to you.
A company like beam readers would take the CBCT and charge you for the reading. You should know how you can build this extra cost into your pricing. If you go ahead and take CBCT, there is going to be an extra cost. If there is any scar tissue or a minro fracture that the patient didn’t know about. Sometimes, you get into trauma and there is a minor fracture and it doesn’t need to be set, you don’t need plates and screws as it will just heal itself. In the process of healing itself, it creates a bump or lineage or demarcation and the joint where it heals is not seamsless. Teeth don’t move predictably in that area.
Teeth don’t move well in an area of scar tissue so I would want the beam readers or a similar company to read that CBCT of the maxilla and the mandible together and look for any issues in the bone of pathology that might affect the movement of teeth.
CBCT scans are costly, but they are worthwhile. If you start moving teeth in an area where there has been trauma, it will absorb that tooth and you will be accountable. You’d be upset if I rushed into your situation as a patient. At the very least, counsel the patient. Even if there was a trauma area, you could always choose not to move that tooth. You may advise, “Don’t move tooth number 19, just lock it,” especially if you’re using invisalign or clear liner. You can still achieve a good result without moving the teeth.

When it comes to your orthodontics cases, ensuring you’ve chosen the right type of jackscrew size can make a massive impact in terms of your patients’ satisfaction and success rates. However, if you’ve been unsure about choosing the right jackscrew size, don’t worry; our experts here at Straight Smile Solutions are on hand to help you find out more.
The General Approach for Orthodontics Labs
Most often, your orthodontics lab will be the one choosing the size of the jackscrew. In this scenario, it’s not uncommon for ortho labs to opt for the largest possible jackscrew size that will fit into the patient’s palette/arch.
11mm is usually the standard jackscrew size for the majority of orthodontics cases. However, some jackscrews can also come in sizes of 7mm or 13mm, and this is well worth keeping in mind. After all, the jackscrew size is the limit that you can turn, and so choosing the wrong size jackscrew can massively limit the success of a case. But, of course, the larger the jackscrew, the greater the expansion potential will be.
When Sequential Expansion is Needed
Sequential expansion may be the preferred orthodontics treatment in some cases, especially for patients with an incredibly narrow arch. After all, a jackscrew simply might not be enough to help resolve the issue. After all, there’s a limit as to the amount of expansion that’s possible.
Get Professional Support
If you need professional support to help find the optimal strategy for your orthodontics cases, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Straight Smile Solutions today. We’re proud to provide all manner of ortho consulting services, helping providers choose the ideal strategies for their patients’ unique cases.

If you have a Hawley retainer, labial bows can be incredibly useful. Labial bows and Hawley retainers are the way that orthodontists made minor adjustments to teeth before aligners were created. Because of their utility and perceived outdatedness, using a Hawley retainer is a very economical and effective way of doing minor tooth movements. The lab fees on a basic Hawley retainer can range from just $75-125, which is preferable to the cost of most aligners.

In this article, we will discuss how to adjust a labial bow in a Hawley retainer and one of the most common mistakes providers make with Hawleys.

How to Adjust a Labial Bow in a Hawley, Close a Space, Retract Overjet

A labial bow must be tightened when the bow is not touching the incisors for retracting. To tighten a labial bow, you will need two types of pliers to adjust it. You will need a three-prong plier and a bird beak plier to properly adjust the labial bow in a Hawley retainer. With the three-prong plier, you should locate the U-loops on the bow, put the double teeth on the top and single on the bottom, and slightly squeeze.

Another way to tighten the U-loops is by taking the bird beak pliers and horizontally applying them to the loop and giving them a small squeeze. Every movement you will make on the labial bow should be very delicate. Always use minor movements and pressure when adjusting anything in a Hawley retainer to avoid overtightening or damaging the Hawley retainer.

Remember that you can only retract top teeth with a Hawley if there is an overjet. Trying to retract teeth on the top when there is no overjet is one of the most common mistakes people make when using a Hawley retainer.

When you first begin with bracket placement, indirect bonding is a cost-effective solution available from a variety of vendors. If you do them freehand, you will get them horribly wrong and will have to learn the hard way. The same thing happens in orthodontics during residency, where they make a lot of mistakes with bracket placement and gradually learn how to do it correctly. It’s extremely difficult to learn how to do bracket placements because many dentists believe there is an instrument that can be used to accurately freehand brackets, but you wouldn’t like this as it doesn’t turn out very well because every set of teeth is unique.
I recommend that all general dentists utilize indirect bonding, but there will be instances when a bracket will break and you won’t have a template and don’t want to wait for another one to be created and you don’t want to rescan, so you’ll have to freehand. This post will walk you through the procedure.
I don’t use an instrument to put brackets, and I’ve seen a lot of examples where one was used and it failed to work properly. Instruments are ineffective since people’s tooth anatomy differs and it only works with normal sized teeth. If you rely on an instrument for bracket placement, there are numerous variables that will affect the position of the brackets.
If you have to place brackets freehand, pick a recent panel, hold it up in front of you, and shift your attention back and forth. Don’t do the entire mouth at once, just an arch. I would suggest working on a quadrant and an arch at a time. When you get faster, you can do the entire mouth at once.
The important issue is to reflect the suitable teeth to each other, for example, 6 must be mirrored to 11. Make sure the four front teeth are mirror images of each other. You must know what you intend to perform, such as align the gum lines and then repair the gum lines. That is why indirect bonding is the ideal choice because it allows you to see everything before making changes.
Draw a long axis of each tooth on the panel and bisect it to identify the center of each tooth. This is the location for your bracket. In many cases, the front teeth are slightly longer than the rest of the teeth, thus the brackets must be placed in the middle of the clinical crown to align them.

Have you ever thought about trying an accelerated Invisalign program? Many people look to use a faster course to help reduce Invisalign costs or fees, often by downgrading to a cheaper package. However, it can also be done in cases where the patient wants their Invisalign course to be finished by a certain time.
In any scenario, knowing how to accelerate the program is important – but it’s worth considering that, in reality, this probably won’t reduce Invisalign fees or costs.
Can I Do Accelerated Invisalign?
Accelerating your Invisalign
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been looking to accelerate a patient’s progress with Invisalign, adding more aligners can make a substantial amount of difference. However, this likely won’t reduce Invisalign fees and costs; unfortunately, cutting corners by reducing the number of aligners will only result in more rapid and potentially painful changes for your patient.

Have you ever thought about going for orthodontic training only to find yourself feeling unsure about where to turn? If this is something you’ve been considering, we here at Straight Smile Solutions understand the struggle; we were there once ourselves, after all. As such, we’ve outlined some of the key things you need to know about preparing for orthodontic training as follows as a female dental student.
Key Things to Consider as a Female Dental Student
If you’re a female dental student just starting out with orthodontic training or courses, don’t worry. The following pointers might be just what you need to make this experience a little easier:
1. Don’t overspend – Try to minimize your loans as much as possible, especially if they’re above 3% interest. These might be less of a worry now, but they’ll be a huge expense down the line.
2. Look for flexibility – Not all orthodontic courses and training options necessarily work for all state dental boards. So, when choosing your course provider, try to look for one that offers flexibility in terms of where you can work.
3. Plan around your future family – In many cases, planning your training and future careers around your potential family is important. If you’re planning to have kids, try to make sure you have made plans around this based on how your life looks.
4. Specialize – When training, make sure you’ve chosen your specialty (e.g., hygienist) to help make you more employable down the line. Find your key skill and hone it!
5. Get guidance – If you’re unsure about whether this is the right path for your needs, make sure you get guidance, support, and thoughts from other professionals to help you choose the right path.
Find Your Dream Orthodontic Courses and Training
Orthodontic training can be a hugely exciting opportunity. So, don’t let anything hold you back from achieving your dreams; if you’ve got the passion and determination, you have every opportunity to make it onto your ideal orthodontic courses and take your training to the next level.

After the onset of covid-19, a lot of dentists wanted to find new ideas to create passive income streams. Some ideas include writing an e-book and or becoming an affiliate marketer. Dentists with some free time on their hands can set up several revenue streams that wouldn’t require more effort to generate more revenue.
One passive income idea for dentists is creating social media content for other dentists. In this revenue generation idea, you can produce social media content targeting consumers instead of other dentists. Social media is full of content which is created by people who aren’t necessarily dentists or don’t have the right qualifications to offer this information. Visit dentist offices and offer to produce social media content for them for the first month and charge them for the preceding months.
I started using social media and now have 30,000 Instagram followers and 10,000 TikTok followers. Because there are more consumers who can buy your goods, your social media presence as a dentist can grow stronger in the B2C market. I vet my following and only connect with other dentists who can easily understand technical terms.
You can develop your own material or outsource it to Fivver, who will engage a graphic designer and video editor to help you. You can learn from other dentists and adapt what has worked for them in your own practice by following them. You will need patience with social networking, but the benefits are limitless.
Another smart option to generate passive income is to become an affiliate of dentistry items on sites such as Amazon. You can register with Amazon and receive product links. Before accepting you into their affiliate marketing network, Amazon will have to evaluate you to determine your degree of professionalism. If you have used dentist items before, you can write reviews or share your experience with them. Amazon will give you a modest commission on any sales made through your affiliate channel. If you put in the effort, you may be rewarded handsomely at the end of each month.

If you have been looking to start a Phase 1 treatment plan for your patients, we here at Straight Smile Solutions can help. With this thought in mind, we’re looking at how you can potentially integrate the different types of Phase 1 retainers and how these might work for your unique needs.
Why You Might Need to Do a Phase 1 Treatment Plan
One of the first things you should keep in mind is why you might want to do a Phase 1 treatment plan in the first case. When ortho starts, Phase 1 can be useful for cases such as fixing bites, crowding, straightening the front teeth, and cosmetic purposes, to name a few. With these treatment plans, though, it is crucial to keep in mind that this is only a short-term solution to prepare patients for Phase 2 treatments.
Types of Phase 1 Retainers for When Ortho Starts
Once you’ve determined that a patient needs Phase 1 retainers, you’ll want to choose the correct type of retainer. Some of our favorites here at Straight Smile Solutions (based on the amazing designs offered by ODL) include:
– Theroux Phase 1 Retainer (thicker than many regular retainers – covers the front ¾ teeth with a hollowed area to allow teeth to come in and out)
– Lingual Retainer (used with permanent teeth, can be customized with mesh pads on each tooth to help prevent moving the teeth)
– EG Appliances (expensive but offer incredibly versatile Phase 1 retainers)
– Myofunctional Retainer (highly affordable retainers, ideal for bite point or maintaining transverse cases and the like)
One important point to note here is that Invisalign isn’t necessarily offering Phase 1 retention after the Phase 1 treatment itself. It’s also worth noting that some retainers can be modified before ortho starts, with some lab work to create Phase 1 retainers for a much more affordable price.
It’s worthwhile to see Phase 1 patients every few months after ortho starts to ensure that things are progressing as normal and that your patients are wearing their retainer properly.
Final Thoughts
If you have been looking to create an orthodontics treatment plan for your patients using Phase 1 retainers, but you’re struggling to see which might be the best fit, don’t hesitate to contact our experts here at Straight Smile Solutions for further advice. Our personalized consulting solutions are designed with your unique requirements in mind!

When it comes to orthodontics, it’s critical to understand when you will need multiple expanders – and this is always important to recognize and mention for your patients during initial consultations when ortho starts. After all, you want to create the optimal treatment plan for your patients – but it’s critical to know which type of expansion you’ll need to focus on successfully finishing cases.
How Serial and Sequential Expansion Apply to Interceptive Orthodontics
When it comes to orthodontics, it’s crucial to consider whether the patient will need to have several expanders. This issue may be seen in patients with a small maxilla or a vaulted palette, to name just a few potential causes.
Often, this may be based on the lab’s choice of jack screw diameter. Ideally, the lab should use a slim design to allow a flush fit to the roof of the mouth. However, as the size increases, the appliance will begin to sit lower in the mouth, and this can cause potential issues in more severe cases.
Once you have exhausted all of the possible turns for an expander in a patient, you may need to remove the expander, rescan, and create a new appliance. Make sure you keep the expander fitted while waiting for the new expander to arrive to prevent a relapse before finishing cases.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been looking to create a suitable treatment plan for your patients, letting them know at the outset when ortho starts about how things are likely to progress is vital. This is a crucial part of many patients’ treatment plans, especially when dealing with tricky cases.

Marketing Your Dentist Consultation Services with Lemon8

It’s all well and good to master the basics of orthodontics – but without clients, you’ll never be able to establish a strong and lasting dental clinic. Fortunately, though, there are plenty of simple marketing options for your dentist consultation services – and Lemon8 is one of the fastest growing platforms to market your orthodontics.
What is Lemon8?
Lemon8 is one of the newest social media platforms on the market, and while it’s not necessarily as flashy as many of the other sites, there’s a certain charm to its model that’s taking the world by storm.
Lemon8 is a sister site to TikTok, but its service is very different. While there is the opportunity to upload videos to posts, for example, this isn’t the core focus of the site; instead, Lemon8 focuses primarily on very short-form text-based content. The platform is heavily focused on hashtags, in particular, helping make it a useful resource for marketing in particular.
Is Lemon8 Worth It for Dentist Consultation Providers?
It’s hard to say whether Lemon8 will be a big hit for orthodontics providers, but as a brand new platform, there’s a brilliant opportunity right now to really embrace a new, exciting, and innovative platform. After all, while standing out from the crowd can be hard on other platforms, this is pretty easy still with Lemon8 due to the relatively lower numbers of people on the platform so far. What better time to get involved?
Setting up is incredibly easy, and getting started only takes an hour or so (including networking); as such, it’s well worth signing up to see whether this could boost your results.
Find Out More About Growing your Orthodontics Business
If you’ve been looking for ways to expand your dentist consultation business, there’s a lot you’ll need to keep in mind – and utilizing platforms such as Lemon8 can definitely be a big boost.
With this thought in mind, make sure you have given the platform a try if you need to expand you’re reach. After all, Lemon8 is rapidly growing as one of TikTok’s biggest sister platforms, and while the same company owns it, it offers all new opportunities as a result.