As a dental student, it is important to focus on gaining knowledge and honing clinical skills and keep an eye on the financial aspect of your education. The return on investment (ROI) of your dental degree depends on the quality of education and the financial decisions you make during and after your studies. To maximize your ROI at graduation, you need to start planning and taking action early on.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Create personal and professional social media accounts: Use platforms like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to share your interests, experiences, and knowledge in dentistry. Be consistent with your posts and engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages.
2. Start a YouTube channel: Creating informative and engaging videos about dental topics can help you reach a wider audience and showcase your expertise.
3. Connect with dentists and companies in the industry: Building relationships with other dental professionals and companies can help you learn from their experiences and potentially lead to job opportunities in the future.
4. Create patient FAQs: Anticipating and answering common patient questions can demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in the field and help potential patients feel more comfortable with you as their dentist.
5. Take advantage of resources like Street Smile Solutions: They offer a free support session for every D4 dental student upon graduation within 90 days of graduation in the US or Canada. This can provide valuable guidance and support as you start your career in dentistry.

Spend 10-15 minutes daily growing your brand by creating personal and professional Instagram accounts and connecting with potential patients and people in the community where you want to practice. Straight Smile Solutions offers a free support session for D4 Dental students upon graduation within 90 days of graduation in the US or Canada.

iTero scanners can be incredibly valuable to your practice for starting Invisalign. However, there are multiple options for you to choose from, and each iTero type has different features and pricing. Unfortunately, iTero is somewhat secretive with their pricing, preferring to offer demos when offering quotes for the cost of their machine.

Not quite ready for a demo? We’ve compiled information from various doctors to bring you all you need to know before purchasing an iTero scanner for your office.
How Much Does iTero Cost?

There seems to be at least a couple different factors that can lead to varying quotes given to doctors for iTero scanners. The first factor is location/region, and the second suspected reason is Invisalign rank, and potential number of Invisalign cases handled by your office.

In most offices, an iTero Element Plus or iTero Element 5D will cost around $37,000 to $41,000. Machines with amenities such as larger screens, portable options, etc. will come with price add-ons that you should also be aware of. Additional support fees should also be expected, which can come out to $21,000 for 5 years.

If you already have a scanner, you can expect a discount through a trade-in program if eligible. Trading in can help to reduce costs some. Tips for the scanner are also an additional cost, which are $5 per tip for the iTero Element 5D, which can add up.

For those looking for a scanner only for restorative and aligner work, the iTero Element 2 is a slightly cheaper option at around $21,000 before the support costs. iTero also has a convenient try it to buy it option, which is a 90-day program to try and consider a lower option before upgrading, or vice versa.

Can Associates Use Straight Smile Solutions Dental Consulting?

Here at Straight Smile Solutions, we endeavor to provide professional, reliable, and thorough dental consulting services for all of our orthodontic clients – however, if you’re an associate, you may have wondered whether these services might also be available for your needs. If this is something you’ve been wondering, don’t worry; we’ve outlined some key things you should know about our dental consulting services and availability to help.
Do I Need to Be a Consultant to Use Straight Smile Solutions?
Do you need to be an orthodontic dentist to utilize Straight Smile Solutions dental consulting? No, not at all! No matter the dynamics of your practice or requirements, we’re happy to help out all of our clients with anything they might need – because if you ask us, you deserve the best psosible solutions.
Now, it’s worth considering here that we can offer a free call with all new clients – whether you’re an associate or an orthodontist already – to help you ascertain how our support can help. We also offer various plans and packages depending on your requirements, helping tailor your dental consulting better. Simply head to our Contact Page and schedule your free phone call today!
Final Thoughts
If you’re an associate – especially one looking to start orthodontic services – having someone by your side to help can really help. Luckily, we here at Straight Smile Solutions can help, so if you need dental consulting support, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Whether you’re an associate needing help or an owner-doctor looking to train an associate, there’s a lot to love.
So, don’t face difficult cases alone! Whether you’re looking for a one-off plan or an ongoing subscription, we can help optimize your strategy overall.

Orthodontic treatment has become increasingly popular in recent years, with more people seeking to improve their dental health and the appearance of their smile. For dental practices, offering orthodontic services can be a lucrative business opportunity, but it requires a significant investment of time and money. One of the most common questions dentists have when considering adding orthodontics to their practice is, “How much does it cost to get started?”

Here are some common expenses you may need to consider when getting started with orthodontics:

1. Education and Training
If you are not already trained in orthodontics, you will need to invest in education and training to learn the necessary skills. This includes attending seminars or workshops, taking online courses, or enrolling in a program.
2. Equipment and Supplies
Purchase specialized equipment and supplies for orthodontic treatment, such as braces, wires, elastics, and orthodontic pliers. The cost of this equipment varies depending on the type and quality of the products you choose.
3. Software and Technology
Invest in software and technology to help with diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient communication. This can include imaging software, digital scanners, and communication platforms.
4. Staffing
To offer orthodontic treatment, you must hire additional staff, such as orthodontic assistants, to help with patient care. The cost of staffing will depend on the number of staff members and their level of experience and qualifications.
5. Marketing and Promotion
Invest in marketing and promotion to attract new patients to your orthodontic practice. This can include advertising, social media marketing, and patient referral programs. The cost of marketing and promotion will depend on the strategies you choose to implement.

To ensure that your patients know their options, educate them on the benefits of orthodontic treatment and document these discussions to avoid potential liabilities. Moreover, offering orthodontic treatment in your practice can be a great practice builder and bring in more revenue.
By providing orthodontic treatment to kids, you’re more likely to attract their parents, which can bring vitality to your practice. So, don’t hesitate to offer orthodontic treatment as an option and inform your patients of its benefits.

How to Use YouTube Shorts Effectively for Free Dentist Videos and Marketing

When it comes to orthodontics, ensuring you have the most effective strategies for your marketing needs is highly important. However, in many cases, knowing how to promote your dental and orthodontics services in the modern day can seem difficult; and so, today, we’re looking at how using YouTube Shorts can boost your business.
Are YouTube Shorts Dentist Videos Effective?
Many people wonder about whether YouTube Shorts dentist videos are actually effective. Luckily, the good news is: yes! Absolutely!
Free Marketing Solutions
We all love a freebie – and that’s the case with YouTube Shorts, too. Indeed,the platform is completely free to use; at present, you won’t have to pay a cent to access YouTube Shorts.
Quick Outreach
Getting your name out there quickly is crucial. With this in mind, using YouTube Shorts by adding the #Shorts to your video’s title can help release it in this great new, sub-1-minute structure. In turn, this video may reach far more people overall.
Easy to Integrate
Getting started with your first Shorts post is effortless. Make sure your video file has a suitable square or vertical aspect ratio to reduce the risk of complications and make sure to include the relevant search term (#Shorts) in the topic description somewhere.
Find Out More
if you’d like to find out more about streamlining your dentist videos, make sure you’ve considered today’s key points to help. And, if you need to change something that’s a little more involved – for example, your video’s aspect ratios – don’t worry; there are countless people online who can help with exactly this.

Eruption compensation divots and traditional pontics in Invisalign Teen. These differences are applicable to Invisalign Teen primarily because Invisalign for Adults does not have eruption compensation, divots, or pontics. These features are not available for adult patients, but you might have to choose between them for your teens.

Both eruption compensation shells and pontics are options for teeth that have not yet erupted. But what is the difference between eruption compensation and a pontic in Invisalign ClinCheck 6.0? Let’s discuss it!

Teeth that are not yet fully erupted may need additional care. In some cases, where these teeth have not yet come down, you might need to use something as a bridge to connect the aligner and allow the tooth to come in at the same time. These cases are great for eruptive compensation shells which don’t obstruct the new tooth.

However, other teeth you might be waiting on might need a true pontic. These complicate matters because pontics can prevent teeth from coming down properly and aren’t great for erupting teeth for teens. When treating growing mouths, it’s important not to interfere with these erupting teeth, and pontics have a chance of actually changing how these teeth erupt.

Not all cases where teeth are still erupting are suitable for Invisalign, so you will need to use your judgment on which cases to treat with aligners, versus braces or simply waiting. But when you want to get things moving with aligners, eruptive compensation shells are the preferable choice for erupting teeth. They don’t obstruct the tooth from coming in properly, and are easy to integrate into a treatment plan.

2023 Concierge Membership Update

It’s a new year, so there are some housekeeping updates to the Concierge Membership for 2023! As of April, we are still accepting new doctors for the concierge membership. While we sometimes get full, we happily allow new doctors to sign up and receive support as needed and will let you know on our website if we don’t have space. This limit is put in place so we don’t get too overwhelmed with clients and can help everyone’s needs.

If you’ve been considering taking a break from the Concierge Membership, no problem! Our service plan is flexible, and if you don’t feel that you need to continue with the membership for education, you don’t have to. However, we will mention that your price locks in for auto-renewal, meaning that as fees go up over time, these increases don’t apply to you! But, if you need a month or two off, we understand. Just be sure to let us know before your account auto-renews!

One of the most important updates in 2023 is an update on travel and Zoom availability. For full disclosure, our consulting services started from a need for flexibility and a passion for education, and this year will be where the flexibility aspect plays in. Questions and communications will always be within 24 hours as promised, but due to frequent travel, Zoom meeting availability can be spotty. Transparency is important to us, so it’s important to disclose that travel does impact our ability to have Zoom meetings.

If you’re a big fan of Zoom, these meetings will be mostly unavailable in July. Because of this, we recommend starting either now in April so we have enough time to get started or starting later in the year in August. We want to ensure that you feel satisfied with the help you’re getting. Having enough time to get to know each other before this busy month will give you the best experience.

As always, our FAQs are available on our website to help with questions that come up often. Otherwise, a wide variety of questions are answered through our many YouTube videos, which often come from doctors like yourself! Leave comments, reach out through messages, and always continue asking questions. Education is our biggest priority, whether through our paid mediums or our free ones. Don’t hesitate to keep asking questions and keep learning about the wonderful world of ortho!

When it comes to Invisalign consulting, one of the simplest questions to answer – but also one of the most commonly asked questions among new mixed dentition orthodontists – is when you should make the shift between teen and adult Invisalign. Indeed, if you find that Invisalign doesn’t fit your patient’s teeth, there’s a good chance you’ll need to switch; luckily, there are several simple steps you can take at the outset to reduce the risk of Invisalign not fitting.
When to Give Invisalign Adult vs. Invisalign Teen
Generally speaking, you’ll probably want to consider using Invisalign teen for the majority of patients between the ages of nine and nineteen years of age. Outside of this range, Invisalign Teen is likely to be a less appropriate option. It’s also worth considering that many of the previous free extras that came with teen aligners in the past are now only available as a purchasable extra.
It’s worth noting here that Invisalign Teen may come with more features that can help make them suited to mixed dentition cases; usually, adults won’t still have erupting teeth, for example, and so their requirements are different.
What if my Patient Has All of Their Teeth In?
If your patient already has all of their teeth in, but they are an older teenager themselves, you’ll probably still want to use Teen Invisalign. However, if your patient already has all of their teeth in and is over this age, you may be able to use Invisalign Adult instead.
If you have any further questions about your Invisalign case, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Invisalign consulting team today. We’re here to help and can even offer bespoke one-off sessions to help you with your dental cases.

It’s not always clear how long you should wear your retainers, which can have a massive impact on your overall ability to succeed with retainer use. However, considering this is undeniably important to get the best results from your retainers, our friendly team is on hand today to help you learn more about Invisalign clear aligners.
How Long Should an Invisalign Clear Aligner or Retainer Be Worn?
It’s not always easy to identify how long your clear aligners should be worn. However, in most cases, your patient will likely want to wear their retainers for a few months – 3, 6, or 9 months or full-time – before progressing with a phase down period, where the retainer is just worn at night.
During this transitionary phase, you’ll need to carefully determine how long this should last since every patient is different. Getting this wrong may cause greater numbers of relapses, so care should always be taken here to help. However, the patient may be able to influence this decision based on their experience.
If the retainer doesn’t feel tight after an hour without the retainer, they can begin looking at removing their retainers for a longer period. However, the retainer should never feel uncomfortable when putting it back on after a break.
Take a Case-by-Case Approach
In order to get the best results from your Invisalign clear aligners, you’ll want to take a case-by-case approach. Indeed, this can help you ensure that your patients wear their retainers for the most appropriate duration for their specific case.
Don’t leave this to chance! Contact our experts today to find out more; we’re here to help!

Have you ever wondered about how midline elastics can be used more effectively to help prevent canting from occurring? If so, our friendly experts here at Straight Smile Solutions are on hand to give you a little more guidance and thoughts overall on the right treatment plan to prevent canting.
What are Midline Elastics?
Midline elastics are a process used to help align the teeth in patients where the upper and lower teeth do not match. More specifically, they are used to align the center of the lower and upper tooth arches.
During midline elastics cases, an elastic wire or band is hooked to the upper and lower canines (typically, though not always). In theory, this serves to help gradually align the teeth – however, it can result in canting, which causes asymmetry between the gums and the teeth themselves.
How to Prevent Canting with Midline Elastics Cases
If you get canting in your patients using midline elastics, the problems can often be almost impossible to fix. As such, you should always try to prevent canting from occurring during your treatment plan.
First, it’s important to use heavy stable wires. Ideally, you should also have good spacing in the mouth to reduce the risk of canting overall.
If you’re having difficulty with your midline elastics cases, you may want to try another technique instead, such as differential anchorage or sequential distalization, where the aligners themselves help move the teeth.
Final Thoughts
Finding the optimal strategy for your own midline elastics cases can sometimes seem difficult. However, canting can potentially become an issue in some cases. As such, it’s important to be prepared for this when creating your patient’s treatment plan and take precautionary steps to reduce the risk of canting during your own midline elastics cases.
Need further ideas on how to tackle a particular case? Our experts here at Straight Smile Solutions provide professional dentist consulting solutions to help you find the optimal strategy for every patient.