StraightSmile Solutions®

Orthodontics can be an extremely profitable addition to any General Dental practice, but in order to maximize your profit, it’s important to manage your chair time efficiently.

With the advent of new and more efficient plastics and metals, and the incorporation of Accelerated Orthodontics (AO) auxiliary systems like Propel®, Ortho Pulse® and AcceleDent®, the utilization of Indirect Bonding Systems (IDB) like 6MS® and eXceed®, chair time overhead can often be significantly reduced by managing your patients remotely and eliminating unnecessary office visits.

The patient’s smart phone is transformed to a remote monitoring and scanning device for just $10-$15 a month.

The following are key patient benefits of Dental Monitoring®:

1. Safety:
Patients are monitored at the frequency the doctor prescribes, often 5 to 10 times more than a regular office visit. Movement is tracked and quantified and reports are generated to the provider’s dashboard.

2. Comfort:
You can enjoy virtual office appointments that only take a few minutes from the comfort of your home and as a result the frequency of office appointments is decreased.

3. Compliance:
The doctor can send encouragement to the patient regarding aligner or elastic wear, emergencies, or treatment progress and hygiene.

4. Overhead Reduction
Unnecessary office visits are eliminated by the utilization of tele-dentistry for the majority of the treatment. The patient is scheduled for office visits only when prescribed by the doctor.

5. Increased Patient Satisfaction
Patients are overwhelmingly satisfied by the reduced office visits and increased communication with the doctor and team, this leads to new patient referrals.
StraightSmile Solutions® is the comprehensive choice for dentists seeking an orthodontic coaching solution. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com and click on the services page to subscribe at https://www.straightsmilesolutions.com/services/. StraightSmile Solutions® is the future of orthodontic coaching, offering the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert.

Here’s the latest stats, last I heard, on the future of orthodontics in the US:

52% of all orthodontic cases are being completed by GP’s.

82% of GP’s and Pediatric Dentists are offering orthodontic solutions.

Access to care is here, and patients are thrilled to have more convenient, local orthodontic options.

2017 brings upon the expiration of some of Align®’s patents, so now there are literally dozens of aligner, IDB (Indirect Bonding) and Pediatric Phase I Functional Appliance Solutions available in the US alone.

Lab fees are dropping and technology is becoming more simple and affordable. Every General Dentist should be offering BOTH an aligner and an IDB solution in their office.

Why both?

Patient preference- Options are a great practice-builder.
Patient compliance- Not all patients will be compliant with a removable appliance.
Better outcomes- Not all bio-mechanical movements are optimized with one solution alone.
What about kids? Does your Phase I Orthodontic solutions address habits? How do you, address habits in kids? Positive reinforcement? Negative reinforcement? Wait until the 6’s come in and make an appliance?

There are a myriad of different habits that can disrupt the outcome of a seemingly simple orthodontic case: digit-sucking, thumb-sucking, lip-sucking, mouth-breathing, abnormal-tongue resting position, tongue-thrust, reverse tongue-thrust and backwards-swallow, just to name a few.

It’s important to incorporate a habit solution into all your orthodontic cases to ensure optimal outcomes.
StraightSmile Solutions® is the comprehensive choice for dentists seeking an orthodontic coaching solution. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com and click on the services page to subscribe at https://www.straightsmilesolutions.com/services/. StraightSmile Solutions® is the future of orthodontic coaching, offering the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert. We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. We are filling the gap in the market for quality and insightful coaching by providing valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.

Does your Phase I Orthodontic solutions address habits? How do you, address habits in kids? Positive reinforcement? Negative reinforcement? Wait until the 6’s come in and make an appliance?

There are a myriad of different habits that can disrupt the outcome of a seemingly simple orthodontic case: digit-sucking, thumb-sucking, lip-sucking, mouth-breathing, abnormal-tongue resting position, tongue-thrust, reverse tongue-thrust and backwards-swallow, just to name a few.

It’s important to incorporate a habit solution into all your orthodontic cases to ensure optimal outcomes.

StraightSmile Solutions® is the comprehensive choice for dentists seeking an orthodontic coaching solution. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com and click on the services page or schedule a complimentary coaching session. StraightSmile Solutions® is the future of orthodontic coaching, offering the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert. We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. We are filling the gap in the market for quality and insightful coaching by providing valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.

There are so many opportunities now upon graduation from Dental School. The decision to go DSO, DSO Hybrid or Private Practice is complicated and shouldn’t be taken lightly. I always recommend to my new-grad clients to first consider the following questions:

1. Where do you want to live and work? How saturated is the market in your area? What is the projected growth?

Many markets, especially on the left and right coasts, are completely saturated with dentists and the opportunity of growth is minimal. Unless you have a family member who has an established practice for you to buy into, I would not opt for private practice. High overheads also are not favorable. However, in smaller towns and fly-over America, there is still adequate opportunity. To succeed in private practice means that you need to integrate within the community. Do you have the right personality to do this and are you willing to commit to the chosen geographic location for the long haul?

2. What is your current debt to asset ratio? If you’ve taken out large student loans (200K+) for undergrad or dental school, do not go into private practice.

Don’t do it. You are setting yourself up for failure. Disregard all the hype and pitches from salesmen and banks.

3. Have you taken a recent Myers Briggs and EQ test?

I’ll bet you weren’t anticipating this question! Over the years, I’ve noticed that my classmates who have succeeded in private practice have certain traits that are favorable for success. This doesn’t always correlate with those who achieved good grades and honors in school. You also need the emotional stability to handle a private practice and manage staff. Not everyone is cut from the right cloth to do this.

The great news is that there are many hybrid DSO models that let you get your feet wet and incorporate some components of the private practice philosophy and model.

Make sure you check out the Glassdoor reviews from previous employee dentists. In my experience I’ve found that the reviews are very accurate.

StraightSmile Solutions® is the comprehensive choice for dentists seeking an orthodontic coaching solution. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com and click on the services page or schedule a complimentary coaching session. StraightSmile Solutions® is the future of orthodontic coaching, offering the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert. We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. We are filling the gap in the market for quality and insightful coaching by providing valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.

It’s that time of year again! Mazels and congratulations all around! Hooray for the dental grads of 2021. It seems like just yesterday that myself and my classmates were graduating from UCSF. We were on top of the world! Dentistry has clearly evolved since 2001 and if I were a new grad today, I am not sure that I would make the same choices that I made almost two decades ago.

Often, dental students ask me to advise them on whether to specialize or not. My response often hinges upon their expectations and goals. If you are looking to make more income, the answer is a definitive “no”. General dentists often make more income now, and they also don’t have the burden of incurring additional educational debt and delayed income opportunities. If you are passionate about a certain area of dentistry and can attend a specialty program without incurring any additional educational debt, I believe that to be a good opportunity.

Honestly, 80% of my 3-year ortho residency program at the University of Connecticut was a complete waste of time. I understand that the research/indentured servitude that residents provide helps to fund the university, but if I had to do it over again, I would only attend an entirely clinical program. I did appreciate the opportunity to work with numerous skilled faculty members, and to have had the advantage of finishing hundreds of cases from start to finish. I also obtained a strong, fundamental, biomechanical foundation. We did not incur any additional educational debt as long as we completed our master’s thesis.

If you love orthodontics like I do, and want to incorporate it into your practice, there’s an easier way now. StraightSmile Solutions® is the comprehensive choice for dentists seeking an orthodontic coaching solution. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com and click on the services page or schedule a complimentary coaching session. StraightSmile Solutions® is the future of orthodontic coaching, offering the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert. We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. We are filling the gap in the market for quality and insightful coaching by providing valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.

If you’ve been in the dental community for some time, you’ve probably heard of Healthy Start®, the hybrid sleep-orthodontic system. The history of the evolution of Healthy Start® is as interesting as the founder, Dr. Earl Bergersen. It rebranded from Orthotain® to Healthy Start® in the 1970’s. Dr. Bergersen tells a compelling story about how he started noticing a fascinating correlation amongst young patients who wore his Orthotain® dental positioner: an improvement in sleep-disordered breathing symptoms (a.k.a. kids sleep apnea), bed-wetting, overall academic performance and focus.

Obviously, tonsils, adenoids, nasal obstruction and orthodontic habits like mouth breathing and thumb sucking can all contribute to sleep-disordered breathing so a plastic mouthpiece isn’t a cure-all for every child. However research and testimonies support that for many kids and families, it really is a life-changing orthodontic appliance.

I initially became interested in Healthy Start® because one of my StraightSmile Solutions® clients admired the system and recommended I review the research. Initially skeptical, I took the two-day certification class to learn more about it. The class was jammed-packed with Pediatric Dentists, General Dentists, Orthodontists and staff. Unlike other classes I’ve attended, this one had energy, music, friendship and collaboration. What we all had in common is that we loved kids and we were present to learn and help.

Over the next two days a variety of speakers presented, which brought fresh focus to the class. We heard from Orthodontists, GP’s, parents and local children. We even got to examine and screen real, prospective patients.

The evenings were not forgotten. The collaboration continued, as the Healthy Start Team® hosted the out-of-towers at a social get-together. We left the Healthy Start® course with a new found appreciation for a quiet orthodontic system that changes both lives and smiles. There’s not a lot of procedures in dentistry that can create raving fans, but Healthy Start® does! It’s a fun, interactive orthodontic system, when prescribed precisely, simply changes lives.

As a provider, not only will you be listed on their provider network, but the Healthy Start Team® will also support you, as they work with you to help you screen ideal patients. Your success is their success. They use innovative, mainstream, social-media to reach out to prospective patients in your area and direct them to your office. Within the provider portal is a myriad of provider education and support opportunities.

For more information about the Healthy Start® system, visit www.thehealthystart.com. To more successfully integrate orthodontics into your practice, visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com.

One of the biggest challenges and controversies in orthodontics is how and when to manage mixed-dentition, pediatric patients. Orthodontic trends are cyclic and Phase I is “out; it’s become fashionable again to delay treatment until the late-mixed dentition.

I often look back on my clinical orthodontic days and wish I could hit a rewind button to change my historical practice philosophy. I never saw kids under age 7. I refused. I told the front desk to reschedule. The AAO recommended no treatment before age 7, so I didn’t either. In hindsight, that was a mistake.

I wish I had knowledge of a fun and comfortable way to treat habits and malocclusion in younger pediatric patients. Correcting Class III and open-bites in the late mixed-dentition with the pubertal growth clock ticking is a nightmare for practitioner, patient and parent alike. Luckily, there is now a better, healthier and more efficient way. Why not treat an at risk patient to PREVENT a problem before it starts?

The OrthoTain Healthy Start® system is designed for children as young as 2, to slowly and comfortably correct habits and guide tongue position in children at risk so that resultant malocclusion doesn’t even form. Yes, you will not only treat the malocclusion, but you’ll also you’ll prevent it in at-risk patients, if you start early enough. Open-bites, cross bites, narrow maxillas, retrognathic mandibles and resultant malocclusions are often associated with sleep-disordered breathing. It’s critical for a young child’s brain to obtain the right amount of sleep quality and quantity. It’s a proven fact that sleep disturbances in children lead to subsequent cognitive and behavioral challenges. I was unaware that all of this was tied together and that I, as a dentist, had the ability to improve the quality of life in a young child and a family.

The OrthoTain Healthy Start® system can be used by General Dentists, Pediatric Dentists and Orthodontists. For more information on how to integrate this system into your practice visit the HealthyStart website at https://www.thehealthystart.com/ or contact me at the StraightSmile Solutions® team for more information.

StraightSmile Solutions is the future of orthodontic coaching. We are the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert, in order to enhance information sharing and efficiency in problem solving. We hope to revolutionize orthodontic coaching. As compared to other orthodontic coaching service providers, StraightSmile Solutions is a full-time business. We are independent and not run alongside a clinical practice. We commit our full energy to coaching, and YOU reap the benefits! We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. StraightSmile Solutions is time and cost-efficient. Our services are available exclusively online. Of the over 128,000 general dentists in the U.S., most have little to no formal educational training in orthodontics. Those who do seek training often have to resort to expensive and time-consuming weekend services. You learn on the job through trial and error, but those errors can be expensive and unfortunate for both patients and doctors. We aim to fill the gap in the market for quality and efficient coaching to provide valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.

I know this post is going to initially raise more than a few eyebrows in the dental community, but please do me a favor, have patience and read through the entire post before jumping to a conclusion about what I am or am not supposedly implying and whose team I am on today. I don’t pick teams. Simply said, my posts are created to educate a profession and create awareness. Orthodontics is changing….change with it, or become obsolete. Ultimately, my passion is to help the average American to have access a beautiful smile. If my posts help to encourage one more dentist to screen for ortho in every patient, then a little controversy with the world’s largest orthodontic company was worth the drama.

So, why not verbalize the proverbial question on every new Invisalign Provider’s mind. Why is my first ClinCheck® so crappy?! We all know that their technicians are gifted, skilled and talented. But I had to ask what my clients are always asking with my own spin: “I wanted chicken salad….why did I get chicken $^&*?!”

Simply said, the policy for Align Technology® is to give you a generic, no frills, treatment plan. There’s no bite correction, just straight teeth. It’s like a plain vanilla ice cream. You need to add your own topping to make it your own. Some doctors may want a hot fudge sundae. Some doctors might like caramel and nuts. If you want the right toppings, you need to know how to ask for it. You are the licensed doctor and Align Technology® is a service that helps doctors create beautiful smiles.

Align® is a global company working with millions of dentists around the world, all with a different fundamental training and treatment philosophy. Like a cherry on top, if you want ideal, you need to learn how to ask for it.

For me, ideal is a hot fudge sundae with nuts and a cherry. I want it all: cross-bite corrections, torque, vertical correction, A-P correction, ideal alignment to the 7’s…you name it! I know how to ask for the right elastics, auxillaries, bite tabs and IPR to get it ideal, the first time. Align Technology® never gives me plain vanilla ice cream (or chicken S^&* for that matter)! I get my ideal, perfect sundae every time because I’ve learned how to utilize all the exclusive features that only Align Technology® can offer both a doctor and a consumer.
They have an expansive menu of toppings, but you need to connect with your Territory Manager and visit the education tab within the Align Portal®. Only Align® has a local Territory Manager in every almost every major industrialized city in the world. On the portal, there are hundreds of webinars and advanced courses that are free for certified providers. Certification is only $1995 but you get you first three cases at almost a 50% lab fee discount, so in essence, you actually net money on the initial course through your lab fee discounts.

StraightSmile Solutions® is an excellent pairing for a new Align Technology General Dentist provider. We will not only teach you to make your perfect sundae but also to eat it too! StraightSmile Solutions® is the future of orthodontic coaching. We are the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert, in order to enhance information sharing and efficiency in problem solving. Compared to other orthodontic coaching service providers, StraightSmile Solutions® is a full-time business. We are independent and not run alongside a clinical practice. We commit our full energy to coaching, and YOU reap the benefits! We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. StraightSmile Solutions® is time and cost-efficient. Our services are available exclusively online. Of the over 128,000 general dentists in the U.S., most have little to no formal educational training in orthodontics. Those who do seek training often have to resort to expensive and time-consuming weekend services. You learn on the job through trial and error, but those errors can be expensive and unfortunate for both patients and doctors. We aim to fill the gap in the market for quality and efficient coaching to provide valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.
If you are interested in becoming a StraightSmile Solutions® client, visit our website at www.straightsmilesolutions.com to schedule a complimentary consultation.

The scanning market is evolving quicker than Darwin’s tortoises on the Galapagos Islands. I’ve been hesitating to write this piece because I know the content will instantly be usurped by more current information. Simply said, if you’re a dentist, you need a scanner. The price-point is so low now that it’s readily affordable for every dentist.

To pick the right scanner, as yourself three primary questions:

1. Is portability important?

Check the unit weight specs on your scanner. They range from just a few ounces to up to 55 pounds. If you have multiple offices or if you’ll be moving it from room to room, portability is key. With some you can just plug and play.

2. Is grip important?

Buying a scanner is like buying a car. They cost about the same and although you may be able to trade-up in the future, there’s likelihood that that scanner will be a major part of you and your team’s lives for a few years. Take it for a test drive. For the ultimate test, head to the local, major, dental trade show. Some scanners let you swap out the grips and the wand weight and shape is equally important.

3. Are you doing ortho only or are you a GP?

If you are going to be doing more than just ortho, you’ll want to consider a system that easily lets you toggle through different platforms for implants or restorative treatment. If you are only doing ortho, an ortho simulation platform is key.

4. Is the system totally open?

Will you have to pay per scan or is the system totally open as an STL file that you can upload or send? As new labs open up with lower price-points, you don’t want to have to pay to play in the future.

If you’re looking to integrate scanning into your practice, StraightSmile Solutions® is available to support. StraightSmile Solutions is the future of orthodontic coaching. We are the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert, in order to enhance information sharing and efficiency in problem solving. I hope to revolutionize orthodontic coaching. As compared to other orthodontic coaching service providers, StraightSmile Solutions is a full-time business. We are independent and not run alongside a clinical practice. We commit our full energy to coaching, and YOU reap the benefits! We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. StraightSmile Solutions is time and cost-efficient. Our services are available exclusively online. Of the over 128,000 general dentists in the U.S., most have little to no formal educational training in orthodontics. Those who do seek training often have to resort to expensive and time-consuming weekend services. You learn on the job through trial and error, but those errors can be expensive and unfortunate for both patients and doctors. We aim to fill the gap in the market for quality and efficient coaching to provide valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.

2016 is ringing-out with a bang, especially for StraightSmile Solutions®. The aligner and short-term orthodontics markets are rapidly evolving and we are seeing more clients and prospective patients than ever requesting alternative aligner products.

Invisalign® is the fluffy and fabulous “Kleenex®” of the orthodontic industry, but it’s not for everyone. There’s a lot of pushback, especially relating to their latest pricing increase this past summer. Also, doctors are increasingly frustrated with the poor communication and customer support from the outsourced and off-shored Provider Customer Service Team. An increasing number of doctors and patients alike, are also frustrated that the Invisalign® product as a whole, is no longer made in the USA.

Invisalign® is recognized as THE expert-branded, high-value aligner product, but this is often an undesirable feature for many consumers and practitioners. They are simply looking for the best facial tissue. I often recommend the Clear-Correct® product as an alternative solution. It’s a simple, straight-forward, aligner product that’s fully fabricated and supported in the United States. The technicians are personable and easy to communicate with. Their aligners all come with retainers, so there is no additional lab fee accessed at the end of the case. With the Unlimited product, there are actually no hidden fees at all for lost aligners, revisions or additional aligners.

With a comprehensive savings at around $600-700 a case, once you factor in the free retainers, this is an enormous savings overtime. Their digital technology is similar to Invisalign®, but Align Technology® does have more efficient attachments and can more effectively, efficiently and ideally move the more complex extraction or malocclusion cases.

Given that most GP’s refer-out their orthognathic and complex comprehensive cases, most General Dentists should be able to ideally treat the bulk of their in-house patients with the ClearCorrect® system. The integration of a coaching system, like StraightSmile Solutions®, can ensure General Dentists with making the best selection for each patient and are able to obtain ideal outcomes on each case.

StraightSmile Solutions® is the future of orthodontic coaching. We are the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GP’s and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert, in order to enhance information sharing and efficiency in problem solving. I hope to revolutionize orthodontic coaching. As compared to other orthodontic coaching service providers, StraightSmile Solutions® is a full-time business. We are independent and not run alongside a clinical practice. We commit our full energy to coaching, and YOU reap the benefits! We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. StraightSmile Solutions® is time and cost-efficient. Our services are available exclusively online. Of the over 128,000 general dentists in the U.S., most have little to no formal educational training in orthodontics. Those who do seek training often have to resort to expensive and time-consuming weekend services. You learn on the job through trial and error, but those errors can be expensive and unfortunate for both patients and doctors. We aim to fill the gap in the market for quality and efficient coaching to provide valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.