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In case you missed this little blurb of news recently, we were excited to see the U.S. News Report's latest list of Best Jobs for 2018!   We saw great news for dental practitioners and healthcare workers of all types!  The report bases its rankings on many factors including job satisfaction (work-life balance), compensation, and job security.  And the good news?  The report lists "Dentist" as No. 2 overall and "Orthodontist" as No. 5!

So, why are we so excited to share this news with you?  Well, as it turns out, one of the awesome things about being an orthodontist is that we have a chance to meet lots of young people!  As our patients progress through elementary, middle, and high school, they often start to think about what kind of job or career they might like to have, and we hope that we can be one resource for them as they make this extremely exciting decision about the direction of their lives.

In case you're interested in dentistry or orthodontics, here are a few tips to consider:

1. Try to learn as much as you can about a day in the life of a dentist or orthodontist. Usually, our first experiences with these jobs come from being a patient in the office.  If you've been a patient in our office, you've probably started to get a good idea of the type of things an orthodontist does throughout the day, but you likely haven't seen behind the scenes yet!  Outside of the time that the orthodontist is with you at the chair, he or she has a lot of other jobs to do and hats to wear.  We are often found planning treatment, communicating with other dentists and specialists about cases, and doing the myriad jobs that come with owning and operating an office.  Feel free to ask questions or see if you can spend time shadowing!
2. Aim to maintain excellent grades. Even if you're only in high school, keeping your grades up will increase your chances of becoming a dentist or orthodontist.  The process begins with an undergraduate education, and you can focus now on getting into a good college with a great pre-dental program.  If you're already in college, grades become even more important as dental schools will use this data to help decide who will get a spot in their program.  In addition, you can study hard to prepare for the pre-dental entrance exam (DAT), another factor dental schools will use to evaluate your application.
3. Spend some time on extracurricular volunteer work or research. Dental schools love to see that you have interests outside of school too!  When it's time to apply, be sure to share your interests with them - especially if you've been involved in organized extracurricular programs like volunteer work.  Dental schools look for candidates who they believe will become dentists who are contributing members of their communities one day.  And doing research in a science field through your university shows that you are academically capable of more than simply taking tests - you are capable of giving back to the field by producing new information and knowledge!

There are many more ways you can learn about and prepare for a career in dentistry or orthodontics, and we are always happy to answer questions.  Even if you just want to know what it's like to do our job - we're happy to chat!  There are pros and cons as with every job, but overall, we think that a No. 5 spot on the Best Jobs lists is well-justified!  We feel so lucky to do what we do every day and share our passion with our amazing patients!

Keep smiling, friends! :)

Any time we do a consultation for treatment with braces, one of the most common questions we receive is, "How long will I have to wear braces?"  Of course, this is no surprise - we would want to know the same thing!

The answer is complicated!  Your treatment time depends on several things, most importantly, the complexity of your case.  If you have a more severe bite problem than your best friend, odds are that you will wear braces for a longer time frame.  In addition, everyone's teeth move at different speeds.  As with all biological processes, our bodies differ from one another's.  Your teeth will move at a pace dictated by your biology and the amount of force applied.

While you don't have the ability to control these factors, the good news is that there are lots of variables that you can control about the speed of your braces!  Whenever I explain the duration of braces to patients, I tell them that there are three major things they can do to influence the speed of their treatment.  Here are my recommendations for speedy treatment!

1. Show up to your scheduled appointments! When you skip or reschedule appointments, we don't get a chance to do necessary adjustments.  We choose your appointment intervals carefully, and without coming at the necessary time, your braces may reach a plateau during which they aren't continuing to help you make forward progress.  Even worse, if you continue to wear elastics or other appliances without supervision, your treatment could actually take a step backward, adding time to your treatment!
2. Be careful to avoid broken braces and appliances. Any time a brace or other appliance (springs, etc.) come loose, that means the brace or spring isn't doing it's job.  When the appliances aren't doing their job, then your teeth may not be moving the way they're supposed to, or even worse, they could be relapsing back towards where they started, adding time to your treatment.  The best way to avoid breaking appliances is to eat carefully and choose foods that aren't too hard or chewy.  If something does come loose or break, it's a good idea to call the office and find out whether it needs to be replaced right away or if it can wait until your next visit.
3. Always follow at-home directions carefully. What do we mean by this?  It means wear those rubber bands!!  When the doctor asks you to wear rubber bands (elastics), be sure to follow the directions to the letter.  They only work properly if they are attached to the correct teeth and worn for the proper number of hours each day.  If you forget exactly how your rubber bands are supposed to attach, give us a call, and we can guide you.  Don't fall into the trap of just hooking them up the same way your friends do - everyone is asked to wear them in different patterns depending on your teeth!  And most importantly, if you are asked to wear your rubber bands full time, be sure you're getting about 22 hours each day.  Less than full-time wear means your teeth won't be making any progress!

So there you have it!  All the tools you need to speed through treatment with braces!! Good luck :)

Knowing what to expect at your first visit to the orthodontist can go a long way towards calming the anxiety of patients (children and adults) and even parents!  Young patients may not know what an orthodontist is or does.  They have often heard scary stories from friends about braces hurting or being "tightened," and they may be worried that they'll get braces right away and that the process will hurt.  Adult patients are often nervous because they're still not sure what options they'll have, and they're still wondering whether they want to wear braces as an adult.  "Why am I here? Am I really going to go through with this? Is it weird for an adult to wear braces?" (Spoiler alert - it's not!)  And parents are frequently nervous about having sticker shock because of their preconceived ideas about braces being expensive.

Rest assured that most of these concerns aren't worth the anxiety they cause, and I'm  hopeful that learning about the new patient process in our office will help!  When you attend your first orthodontic visit, here's what you can expect:

• You'll be greeted by one of our staff members! One of our staff members will welcome you to the office and give you a tour.  We'll show you everything you need to know to feel comfortable in the office.  Once you've started treatment, often the orthodontist's office can start to feel like home!  Once you've gotten settled, we'll be sure that you have completed all the new patient paperwork necessary.  If you've printed this in advance or filled it out online, you may already be done!
• Our treatment coordinator will take photographs and x-rays of your teeth.  We take a series of photographs of your teeth and face to be used by the doctor during diagnosis and also as a visual aid for you to use when discussing your treatment options.  Sometimes it's much easier for you to see and identify problems with your teeth in pictures when compared to simply viewing them in the mirror.  In addition, we always use a panoramic x-ray (one large view that shows all your teeth).
• One of the doctors will examine your teeth and bite and discuss your treatment options with you. Dr. Bethany or Dr. Liz will sit down with you and discuss your treatment needs, answer questions, and give you options for treatment, explaining the pros and cons of each option and giving you time to decide what's right for you.
• Our treatment coordinator will explain scheduling and financing treatment.  Our treatment coordinator is here to do exactly that - to help you coordinate the details involved in starting treatment!  She will review the total amount of your investment in treatment, help you understand how much your insurance will assist, and give you plenty of payment plan options.  We are extremely flexible when it comes to financing your treatment because we know that everyone's budget is different, and we don't want that to get in between you and the smile of your dreams!!  Next, she'll help you schedule any appointments needed to start your treatment.  Sometimes, if time permits, you may have the option to start your braces the same day!

One of our primary goals is to make your experience with orthodontic treatment comfortable and enjoyable!  We're here for you along the way and we're always available to answer questions.  We're looking forward to your first visit - and we hope you are too!!

I have talked to plenty of patients over the years who have been a little bit confused about the difference between an orthodontist and their general dentist.  In some cases, when the patient's dentist does some orthodontic treatment, they will even tell me, "Well, my dentist is also an orthodontist." And I can see why they're confused!

Dentists are the go-to providers for several types of procedures.  For example, routine maintenance visits with your dental hygienist are nearly always performed at your dentist's office.  The dentist is likely the person who should repair cavities, extract some teeth, and often provides restorations like crowns, bridges, and dentures. While this is the bread and butter of basic dentistry, they are also trained to perform treatment for all types of problems including root canals, minor surgeries like tooth extraction, periodontal treatment, and orthodontics.  Each dentist provides these treatments at their own level of comfort, preference, and expertise, often depending on what type of additional training they have chosen to pursue.

However, there are also specialists for each of these types of treatment who limit their focus to exclusively work in their one area of dentistry.  As a result of their additional training and limited focus, these specialists are generally the best equipped to handle a wide variety of cases from minor to severe.  They will usually have a vast array of treatment options and tools at their disposal because their practices are focused very specifically on addressing the problems of their specialty.

An orthodontist, as well as all other dental specialists, begins their training by completing the four years of dental school.  After dental school, each new doctor can choose to begin practice as a general dentist or to enter a residency program either to enhance their skills as a general dentist or to enter a specialty like the ones I mentioned above.  To become an orthodontist, a dentist must complete a full-time residency of 2-3 years after dental school.  During their residency, they spend time learning theories on tooth movement, becoming familiar with the most up to date tools of the trade, understanding the biomechanics of tooth movement, and most importantly, treating lots of orthodontic cases alongside trained faculty members.  Upon completing residency, these doctors are well-prepared to diagnose and treat almost any type of bite problem and even some facial deformities.  They are also trained to work on teams alongside the patient's general dentist and in some cases surgeons, periodontists, and other specialists when the situation calls for a multi-disciplinary treatment approach.

What does this mean to you as a patient?  If you are interested in tooth movement performed by an orthodontist, whether for esthetics or function, we recommend finding an orthodontist in one of a few ways.  First, consider asking your dentist for a recommendation.  You can also try visiting the American Association of Orthodontists' website, mylifemysmile.org, and search for an AAO member orthodontist in your area.  It doesn't hurt to ask friends for referrals as well or to visit good old Google and check out the reviews for local orthodontists.  When in doubt, call the office and ask any questions - odds are they will be happy to help you learn about their office and guide you through the process.

As always, with any questions, please feel free to contact us by email at info@sciotobraces.com or by phone at 614-363-2525

Good luck beginning your braces journey!!