StraightSmile Solutions®

Class 3 Serial Cephalometric Xrays

Have you ever wondered what serial cephalometric xrays are and how they work? In many cases, this is something that people fail to embrace fully in their own cases – but this shouldn’t have to be the case. Luckily, we’ve outlined some of the key things that cephalometric xrays can offer as follows for Class 3 patients.
What are Serial Cephalometric Xrays?
First, we need to consider what serial cephalometric xrays are. Simply put, these are when you take more than one cephalometric xray at a time; this could be a month later, a year later, or any other short time interval as necessary. Generally speaking, the xrays will be following up on previous scans.
When tackling any Class 3 orthodontics case, one of the key questions we here at Straight Smile Solutions recommend considering is: will it get any worse? Well, this may be hard to say, but a serial cephalometric xray allows you to check that the patient’s jaw is no longer growing.
Get Professional Support from Our Experts at Straight Smile Solutions
If you see stability and continuity in the numbers, you can generally feel a little more comfortable overall. However, every case is unique; make sure to contact our experts here at Straight Smile Solutions for further guidance. After all, nothing’s worse than having a patient outgrow a treatment plan – and this can cost your business significantly, too!

Incisor Extraction vs IPR

Have you ever wondered about the different techniques you should be using for crowding cases? There are several options you could consider for crowding cases that may help you find the optimal solutions for your patients’ orthodontics needs. After all, there’s no single approach to crowding cases, and while some scenarios may need a procline treatment plan, others may need lower incisor extraction or even IPR.
How to Choose the Right Crowding Treatment Plan for Orthodontics Patients
Choosing the right crowding treatment plan is difficult. And, with three options to choose between (lower incisor extraction, IPR, and proclination), the right approach may be hard to find.
If you’re going for an extraction, it’s worth checking whether there are any teeth that are more obviously displaced, which may be the best candidates for removal.
IPR, meanwhile, may be a good option for around 0.5mm reductions in space between all of the teeth. This allows around 5mm more space in the mouth in total, although you will end up losing some of the patient’s enamel while doing so.
Finally, proclination may work best in cases where a fuller side profile may be better suited. The simple method of working out whether proclination could help is to take a side profile of the patient’s face, then draw a line from the tip of the nose to the chin. If the lips sit well behind the line without touching it at all, proclination may be a good option.
Get Professional Support for your Cases
If you find yourself facing a difficult ortho case and don’t know where to turn, coming up with an effective treatment plan alone can seem tough. Fortunately, our experts here at Straight Smile Solutions can help you work out the most effective crowding technique to use for your orthodontics patients. Doing so should help you get great results with fewer refinements that’ll thrill your patients, as often as possible.

Introducing Invisalign Smile Architect

When it comes to Invisalign, knowing about all of the amazing features on offer can be hugely valuable – but this is something that many people miss out on. With this thought in mind, today, we’re taking a quick look at one of the exciting new features of the Invisalign Clincheck platform: Invisalign Smile Architect.
What is Invisalign Smile Architect?
What is Invisalign Smile Architect? Smile Architect is an exciting new feature that allows general practitioners and orthodontists to see a virtual example of how cases might look. To open the Smile Architect, head into Invisalign ClinCheck 6.0, then load up the Help section. Open “Example Cases” then select “Invisalign Smile Architect NA and EMEA” to bring up the full tool.
Smile Architect allows you to play around with a virtual example of your restoration cases. As such, the tool offers an incredibly valuable resource, especially for educating clients and patients too.
Final Thoughts
In many cases, Invisalign’s new Smile Architect platform looks like it’s going to offer a brilliant resource for GPs and potentially for orthodontists. Indeed, this handy resource is making it easier than ever for general practitioners in interdisciplinary work to optimize their approach, giving a simple way to improve results overall.

Have you been looking for support with your own Invisalign cases? It’s not uncommon to find yourself feeling a little overwhelmed by the options when it comes to Invisalign consulting, knowing who can assist is often hugely helpful. To this end, considering the key features of the Invisalign assist feature, the DSP might be useful to help in developing an easy orthodontics treatment plan.
What is the Invisalign DSP?
Invisalign rolled out a new subscription program for orthodontics experts last year, the Invisalign DSP, designed to assist orthos in creating the most effective treatment plan for a patient. However, it’s not always clear what the program offers.
Simply put, the Invisalign DSP plan is open for one year, and enrollments are available from the start of each month. Units are purchased in advance, with each being an aligner or retainer. Interestingly, the program is also available for non-Invisalign patients to be listed on the system, meaning any braces patient can be funneled into the system.
Generally speaking, it appears that Invisalign’s DSP assist program is competing with white label workflow. Depending on the amount you use, the cost can be around $23 per unit with high-volume orthodontics. Overall, the delivery and turnaround times are also incredibly quick and convenient.
Perhaps the biggest drawback is that you don’t get advantage points with the Invisalign DSP assist program; however, the versatility and saved money on delivery fees (which are free for DSP users) will often make this a far more affordable platform overall. However, with 1200 units as the minimum, it’s generally best suited to orthodontists providing numerous services rather than just the odd case.
Find Out More and Develop the Optimal Treatment Plan for your Dental Coaching
If you’d like to find out more about easy orthodontics and making the most of your treatment plans, make sure you get in touch with our friendly experts here at Straight Smile Solutions to learn more. Our dental coaching support is available on either a subscription service or as a one-off solution, depending on what you need.

Have you ever wondered if there is a way to tell from static images if there is a CRCO shift? Well, in some situations, you might presume that there may be a CRCO shift involved in patients that are Class 3. These presumptions come from red flags that are able to clue you into the occurrence of a shift.

In this article, we will discuss the signs and red flags that there is a Class 3 CRCO functional shift in a mixed dentition case.

Signs There is a Class 3 CRCO Functional Shift in Mixed Dentition

Discovering what the red flags are for certain conditions can be a great timesaver when reviewing your cases. A red flag goes off, especially if the case involves children with mixed dentition and there are two different things in place. These two things are a unilateral crossbite and a misaligned lower midline which can be seen from a static image.

So, why are these cases red flags for CRCO shifts? First off, a full or functional unilateral crossbite is very rare. These crossbites can be great indicators for CRCO shifts, and they are typically associated with a CRCO shift.

Secondly, the lower midline being off can also be an indicator. You can tell that this lower midline is off by visualizing the face of the patient from a static image. If it appears like an adjustment to the jaw might correct the midline, then it’s possible that a CRCO shift is present.

In addition to these red flags, you can also try to see if the front teeth are retroclined with an x-ray or a CBCT slice. These teeth being retroclined can also be a red flag for a CRCO shift, but they are harder to tell just from a static image.

3 Key Causes of Revisions and Refinement You Need to Know

Have you ever found yourself struggling with more cases of revisions and refinement than you might normally expect? There are countless different causes for a patient to need further support, of course; however, knowing – and avoiding – the three most common is vital to improve the results of your cases the first time around.
3 Key Causes of Revisions and Refinement You Need to Know
Ever wondered why you’re getting so many revisions and refinement cases? The following three scenarios are among the most common causes.
#1 Treatment Plan Quality
One of the most common reasons patients experience revisions and refinement is simply that the treatment plan isn’t quite a high enough quality. You should always make sure you refine each case based on the patient’s needs and requirements.
#2 Compliance Loop Failures
Did you know that another frequent cause of revisions is compliance loop failures? Many orthos fail to keep a close eye on patients and their progress; as such, make sure your clients know exactly what they should be doing and when, and try to give them as many checks as possible to ensure any problems are noticed and amended before they need a full revision.
#3 IPR
As a third common cause, it’s also worth keeping in mind that IPR can be one of the biggest struggles with aligners. IPR, or interproximal reduction, can be incredibly frustrating in many cases, but it’s a necessity if there’s too much space between the teeth.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to your orthodontics cases, revisions and refinement can eat into your business’s margins and client satisfaction significantly. As such, the importance of preventing revisions and refinement when ortho starts by avoiding common mistakes is crucial. Luckily, keeping today’s three cases in mind could help significantly.

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Interproximal reduction (IPR) is a technique widely used in orthodontic treatment to create space between the teeth, allowing for proper alignment of the teeth. This technique involves removing a small amount of enamel from the sides of the teeth, which can help reduce crowding and improve the smile’s overall appearance. An IPR webinar will provide valuable insights into this technique and its role in orthodontic treatment.

An IPR can be an effective way to address minor crowding issues in the teeth, particularly in cases where the patient’s teeth are slightly overlapping.

One of the benefits of IPR is that it is a minimally invasive procedure that can be completed quickly and easily. The key to successful IPR is to use the right tools and techniques to remove the enamel evenly and safely. Using specialized dental burs and polishing disks can help achieve a smooth and uniform result while minimizing the risk of damage to the tooth structure.

Proper case selection and treatment planning are important when using IPR. While IPR can be an effective way to address minor crowding issues, it is not suitable for all patients. Factors such as the amount of crowding, the shape of the teeth, and the overall health of the teeth and gums must be considered when deciding whether to use IPR in a particular case.

Dr. Amanda from Straight Smile Solutions has announced a free webinar with CE units sponsored by Garrison Dental, covering IPR techniques and their importance. The webinar will be held in five and a half months, and interested individuals can sign up through Dr. Amanda’s website. The webinar will last an hour and will include a live demo, but attendees will not receive a kit in the mail. Dr. Amanda will discuss the importance of doing IPR on crooked teeth at step one, and attendees will learn how to put their patients on virtual check-ins after attachments and IPR.

Have you ever wondered about when you need anchorage with class 3 extraction cases? Here at Straight Smile LLC, we understand better than most just how critical it is for dental consultants to have the optimal treatment plan in place before starting with class 3 extractions. As such, we’ve summarized some of the key things you need to know about anchorage in these scenarios as follows to help.
Class 3 Extraction Patterns and Anchorage
If you have got a class 3 extraction case, you’ll need to consider carefully when you need anchorage. This will usually be for adults who have refused surgery and for whom extraction can be done successfully; keep in mind that a severe class 3 case won’t be suitable for extraction. Don’t take on an extraction case if it’s going to complicate matters for the patient.
A lingual arch is generally a good option for many lower 4 cases. Upper 5 lower 4 cases will also benefit from lingual arch anchorage often.
Of course, every case is unique. So, if you need further support, contact our experts here at Straight Smile LLC for help with developing the most effective treatment plan.
Don’t Rush Into Extractions!
By now, we’ve clarified that you might need a lingual arch. However, it’s important to remember that you should never rush into an extraction case. Instead, make sure you’ve done a CEPH before getting started to make sure that an extraction is the right approach.
Final Thoughts
Planning a class 3 extraction comes with several possible caveats. As such, if you have been looking to make a treatment plan for class 3 extractions, make sure you have considered today’s key pointer to help with anchorage.

Deciding which system to use can help set you up for success when starting with clear aligners. But how do you choose? Well, you can decide based on information from unbiased experts on aligners. Straight Smile Solutions offers free education on aligner cases and everything you need to know about aligner brands and companies based on experience from an unbiased perspective.

In this article, we will discuss which aligner system is best for beginner providers of clear aligners.

Clear Aligner Education 101: Which System is Best?

First and foremost, when we break down cases into categories, you can more easily decide which aligners to use for certain cases. “Green Light” cases include Class 1 molar and canine, no missing or impacted teeth except 3rd molars, no history of present or past periodontal disease, mild to moderate crowding or spacing, overbite, no open bite, and no crossbite.

You can choose any aligner company you want for these Green Light cases. These cases are simple enough that the aligner system shouldn’t provide you with any issues during treatment and are straightforward.

More advanced or trickier cases should proceed with more caution. However, the more complicated your cases are, the more you will need from an aligner company, which will narrow the aligner companies you want to choose from.

Regarding companies to consider avoiding, we are noticing that the doctors we work with struggle to finish their SureSmile cases. Doctors struggle with navigating the portal and have expressed frustration with the system. This is our opinion based on feedback and what we’ve noticed from interacting with the system and its interface.

For favorites, Invisalign, ClearCorrect, and Spark are solid recommendations from our personal experiences and feedback from the doctors that we work with. They are better options for treatment planning, diversity of cases, and learning for beginners.

Which Retainers to Use for Patients at Risk of Caries

When it comes to your patients, ensuring you’ve chosen the most effective type of retainer is crucial as part of any dentist consultation. Indeed, finishing cases successfully is often difficult if you’ve started with the wrong type – and such can be the case for patients at risk of dental caries. With this thought in mind, we’re looking at some of the key things you should consider when choosing retainers for patients risking dental caries.
What are Caries?
Dental caries is a term that refers to tooth decay, which is becoming increasingly prevalent in our modern society. There are numerous potential reasons for tooth decay to occur, such as consuming a high-sugar diet or eating with retainers on (and not cleaning the teeth and retainers subsequently).
What Retainers to Suggest for Dental Caries Patients
If a patient is at high risk of dental caries, usually due to poor dental hygiene, it’s important to find the right type of retainer. Generally speaking, it’s worth considering that a bonded retainer won’t be suited to a dental caries patient. Similarly, Essex retainers may also be a poor choice.
A traditional Hawley retainer is a good option for a cost-effective retainer that could work with a caries patient. They also allow the bite to fully seat, which can be helpful – though they need to be worn full-time. A custom-made positioner can also be a good option potentially; they’re generally less popular, but they don’t need to be worn all the time.
Always Check a Patient’s Caries Risk During Their Dentist Consultation
Before you begin working with a patient, make sure you’ve considered their dental caries risk during the initial dentist consultation. This simple check can help ensure that your patients have the best chance of finishing cases easily without the hassle or needing multiple revisions.