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Dr. J's Ortho Corner, Kaiserstrasse 36, Landstuhl (2026)

04/02/2020

Happy New Year! 🥳 I can't believe it's already February! It's been busy here at our little Ortho Corner, and we have some great news to share with you. Have you ever been curious about 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀? Maybe you had braces when you were a teenager and it's been years since you wore your retainer and you would like to try to regain some of that alignment back? Maybe you suspect your teeth require just a slight correction but aren't keen on wearing braces and would like to know about other options?

Over the past half year, many patients have asked me about “clear braces”, “Invisalign”, or “aligners”, and now is a great time to talk about clear aligners! "Clear aligner" is a general term to describe thin, clear, plastic shells worn by patients to move their teeth. There are several different companies that manufacture and market clear aligners, some of which are very well known (like "Invisalign"). While packaging and branding are different, all clear aligner appliances are based on the same core orthodontic principles. As scanner and printing technology have advanced, there has been a general movement toward orthodontic clinics fabricating custom clear aligners for patients in house... 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗵𝗹 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆! 😃

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗵?
Traditional braces and clear aligners work in similar ways: both apply directed and controlled pressure to the teeth to guide them to their desired final position. In clear aligner therapy, we design and fabricate a stepwise series of plastic aligners that shift a patient's teeth to their final alignment. Each clear aligner simply moves the tooth within the plastic shell and the elastic nature of the plastic pushes the tooth into position. While the aligner can move teeth to new positions in as little as a day or two, that doesn’t mean that a patient is ready to move to the next aligner! This new position must be held for 7-10 days to allow the bone surrounding the teeth to adapt and transform. Bone is the hardest and strongest material in our bodies and time is needed to reabsorb the bone in the direction of movement and lay down new bone in the tooth’s previous position. The biological machinery that accomplishes this amazing transformation requires both time to warm up and consistent application of force to create lasting change. This is why it is critical for patients to 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 22 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 to achieve optimal results. As each clear aligner’s movement is achieved, the teeth are made ready for the next aligner and set of movements. By the end of treatment, all the teeth will have completed the journey and be in their new desired locations!

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀?
Clear aligners are effective in moving teeth, and many people have opted for this mode of treatment. However, there are limitations to what is possible with clear aligners and not every case can be treated or treated well. Why? The short explanation is that aligners are not actually connected to teeth so some tooth movements are difficult or impossible and require traditional braces to obtain ideal results. Imagine trying to move something round and slippery without a handle! 🤔 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

There are advantages and disadvantages associated with either path that influence my recommendations for treatment. Stay tuned for a follow-up post on pros and cons: 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 vs 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴!

In the meantime, if you have questions about clear aligner therapy, I would be happy to spend time with you during a 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 to provide more information and evaluate if this type of orthodontic treatment is suitable for you!

As always, drop me a line on FB or call us to schedule an appointment. 😃🦷

02/12/2019

Holiday greetings from my Ortho Corner, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! As promised, here's part 2 of my series on ... 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻!

When you finish treatment, we'll make models of your teeth at your "braces-off" appointment. I use these models to make you your own 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿. There are two basic kinds of retainers: 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 and 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. A fixed retainer is actually a wire glued to your teeth that cannot be easily removed from your mouth; so, it stays there until it breaks or until you ask a dentist to remove it. Removable retainers, however, allow you to choose when to wear it--which will hopefully be according to your orthodontist’s directions! (Usually that is "𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 6 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦").

Patients often ask me about “permanent” retainers--so often, in fact, that I've developed a well-practiced talk about them. Here's the short version: I'm happy to glue a wire into your (or your child's) mouth but I want to make sure we're all on the same page in terms of expectations, and I don't think fixed retainers are the best retention option for 3 big reasons: Firstly, "permanent" is a misnomer because these retainers are in no way a permanent solution (I know that nothing I glue into anyone’s mouth is going to last forever! 🤔) Fixed retainers will break eventually, and you may not even be aware of it when they do. Even if I place a fixed retainer, I always recommend that patients opt for a removable retainer as well. Why? Here's the second reason: fixed retainers only stabilize the teeth they are glued to and are usually made to be flexible. This means that the teeth that are not attached to a wire are free to move around over time. I’ve actually seen quite a few cases where patients retained very nice and straight teeth in the front where their wire was glued, but their back teeth moved significantly out of alignment and were a mess. 😱 Finally, fixed retainers are also hard for the patient and hygienist to clean around, and require as much oral hygiene care as braces--or more!

Let's move on to removable retainers: there are two main kinds of removable retainers, the 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘅 and the 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝘆. The Essix retainer is a clear plastic retainer that fits over all your teeth like a shell. It is a vacuum formed clear plastic that can be made in a couple of hours. Because of how easy Essix retainers are to fabricate, they are often the first retainers patients get when their braces come off. Although they are relatively cheaper and faster to produce, they only last a year or so and are not meant to be a long-term retention solution. People who wear Essix retainers (or even patients with clear aligners) may notice that their bite feels "heavy" in the front of their mouth. This is because that plastic shell around the teeth prevent the back teeth from touching when a patient bites down, and this tiny 1-2 mm separation at the fulcrum causes the system to adapt so that those back teeth don't touch even when the retainers are removed ... so, the only place for the teeth to contact each other when a patient bites down is in the front. 😳 The Hawley retainer, on the other hand, is made of thicker acrylic and almost always has wires embedded within the plastic. This retainer requires a skilled laboratory technician (or your good ol' orthodontist 😊) to fabricate, and usually takes a few days or a week to produce. Although they are more expensive, the Hawley can last decades with care and a little maintenance. Importantly, the Hawley does not completely cover the teeth and allows them limited freedom to move and adjust to the conditions of the mouth, giving saliva access to the teeth during sleep (saliva plays an important role in keeping teeth clean and cavity free). This limited freedom allows teeth to settle in and find each other after braces.

In sum, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱, with or without a fixed retainer. This ortho gives it "tooth thumbs up!" 🤣👍🦷

09/11/2019

Several people have been asking privately and publicly about 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀, so I thought I’d drop a post about that topic!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁‘𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲? This is a case that was started by one orthodontist and then finished by another. Most of the time, the patient comes to the receiving orthodontist in braces. This actually happens with some regularity in the general population, and with increased frequency among military families. I'd say about 10-20% of the cases I've seen in Germany are transfer cases; this covers the last three years when I was a military orthodontist stationed in Grafenwoehr and my first few months in private practice here in Landstuhl.

Ideally a patient leaving an orthodontist has accomplished most of the treatment plan and needs just a few more months of movement to achieve their optimal smile. When a patient gets word that they will be PCSing, their orthodontist needs to prepare a 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲. This includes, at the very least, a copy of the 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 and all the 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘀 that were taken. If your family is PCSing and has a general idea of a fly date, please ask your current orthodontist to fill out a transfer form and ask for a personal copy of all of the treatment records, to be ready by the last appointment. Some offices will compress all your files and send them to you by email, some burn them to a disk, and some will just print out paper copies. It's good to have these in hand with your important PCS documents.

Here is a word of 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴! If you're in the States and have been referred for an ortho consultation and you know you are due to PCS within the next 6 months, please be aware of the financial risks of starting treatment without sufficient time to finish the case. In general, minor movement will take 6-12 months and comprehensive cases may take up to 24 months. I have seen a few cases of kids who have come overseas with brand-new braces (bonded 2-4 months prior to their PCS--yikes! 😟) Transferring mid-treatment is not ideal because it is neither cost- nor time-efficient for you: it will almost always increase treatment costs and extend treatment time. Additionally, benefits for ortho are generally good overseas, particularly if your child is command-sponsored in Germany (in which case, their treatment will be subsidized by 50%).

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗦 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆? This is a big question, and I can recall the feelings of anxiety as my wife and I were PCSing, trying to figure out what the best options were for our kids in not just a new city, but a new country! I hope this info helps to alleviate some of your worry: you have options. There are a handful of English-speaking dental clinics in our area with an orthodontist (like American Dentistry!) and there are also German Kieferorthopäden/innen, some of whom speak English. 𝗢𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲, 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗲! 😊👍 We have a great team here at our clinic.

When I consult with an incoming transfer patient, we go over the transfer packet and assess their current progress. We then aim to answer the following questions:

1. What are the patient's/parents’ 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 moving forward?
2. Are any changes needed to the 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 to meet those goals?
3. How much 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 do I think it will take to achieve those goals?
4. What will it 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 if you decide to move forward with me as the new orthodontist?

A receiving orthodontist may or may not remove some or all of the braces and start over. Personally, I don’t replace individual brackets very often--only if their position will compromise treatment goals. To date I have never removed all the brackets and started fresh (I have heard and read about orthodontists removing all brackets just so they can charge a full fee, but none of this is firsthand information). In my practice, we usually treat a transfer case like a simple case and charge about half of the normal fee. But it really all depends on the individual case. If you or your kid's teeth look great and everyone is happy, we can simply take the braces off and begin 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻--where the new goal is to keep those pearly whites in place!

If you have any questions about this topic, please feel free to drop me a line! 🦷

22/10/2019

Today, in the spirit of Halloween, let’s talk about a dark secret of orthodontics ... the one that keeps me and other orthodontists awake at night, and is something far scarier than any clown with a red balloon: 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡!

Did that get your attention? Well, it should. After wearing braces or trays for over a year, it is very important to maintain the changes you’ve made to your teeth. You spent time, money, and energy to achieve your new and beautiful smile … and without 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 following your orthodontic treatment, it can be lost. 😱

𝘊𝘶𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 1 𝘰𝘧 "𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘳. 𝘑'𝘴 𝘖𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘰 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳" 👻
Let’s talk about why your teeth move at all in the first place. I like to think of it as nature’s way of keeping your teeth useful no matter what happens. Your teeth are created in little dark crypts in your jaw, they develop into complex mineralized shapes, and then finally burrow their way out of the bone and into your mouth. All of this is done according to a complicated dance of blueprints and chemical signals, but once your teeth emerge the rules change because now they have work to do, crushing and grinding the food you eat!

Your teeth form a dynamic system, adapting to any changes in your mouth: what if a neighboring tooth is lost, changes shape, or wears down slowly with use? What if the jaws carrying the teeth change because of growth or trauma? This all-star team still has to work together; as their environment (you) changes, your teeth will move to maintain contact with each other and keep the system optimal and you healthy. This happened before you got braces and it will certainly happen long after.

This is why everyone has that friend that says, “I had really straight teeth right after braces, but then I lost my retainer and they got crooked again.” Or, they say, “I needed braces two (or three) times and I really don’t want to go through that again!”

Anyone who tells you that your teeth will stop moving after braces or even after you are done growing isn't telling you the whole story. After braces, your teeth continue these natural shifts over time, responding to changes in your mouth. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲. And while I enjoy all my patients, I hope to see them for only one course of treatment in their lives, so please ... commit to wearing your retainer! 🦷👍

Stay tuned for Part 2 ... and Happy Halloween! 🎃

11/10/2019

A trip to the dentist is often not complete until they take impressions of your teeth! Can you vividly remember the taste of that cold, slimy material and the feel of that bulky tray that barely fits in your mouth? I'm happy to announce that we have a digital 3Shape TRIOS Intraoral Scanner--and we've started to use it as an alternative to those icky alginate impressions! This ortho corner is going 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹!

Orthodontists have been using alginate impressions to make stone models for decades, so why is this such a big deal? I'm glad you asked. Digital orthodontics provides many benefits to the patient and to the practice. We can create digital models more comfortably and show them to you, the patient or family, in full color. If we need to make physical models, we can print them out using a 3D printer as many times as we want, without bringing you back to the office and taking additional impressions of your teeth.

The biggest benefit for us is that we don't have to store stone models. We typically make 2 sets of models for every patient (once at the beginning and again at the end of treatment), and we are required to keep these models for at least 7 years. Over time, this can amount to thousands of tiny boxes that have to be stored and carefully catalogued for easy retrieval. Many orthodontists have to actually rent off-site storage space just for old models and case records! This always makes me think of that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. 😂🦷

07/10/2019

Remember when I said a few posts ago that each bracket is held to the wire with a 𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱? Of course we orthodontists have a unique name for these bands; we call them "𝗢-𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀", "𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀", or "𝗔𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗸𝘀". Ties can be a fun way for patients to add a little flair to their smile. By picking your own colors, you can customize your braces to celebrate the holiday season or root for your favorite sports team. I once gave green, black, and yellow ties to a young woman who was going on vacation to Jamaica.

Companies that manufacture ties usually guarantee that colors last for at least a month, and I've found that ties generally tend to fall apart if left in the mouth longer than 2 months. That means you'll change it up every time you come visit me! I myself have personally tried out quite a few color combinations. Seahawks blue and green, UW Huskies (go Dawgs!) purple and gold. Here is a photo of me from 2015 in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We currently have 8 tie colors available in our clinic: silver, black, red, pink, green, teal, blue, and purple. In the next few weeks we're hoping to add a new color, and I’d like to get your input ... so stay tuned for a poll! 😀

05/10/2019

Deep in the dark 700 year old cellar of Die Kartoffel restaurant in Ladenburg, American orthodontists and oral surgeons from all over Germany meet several times a year to discuss interesting cases... and eat slabs of meat cooked on hot rocks served with large potatoes heaped with sour cream. There's no wifi or cell service, but the food and discussion are excellent! Thanks to Dr. Dan Perrington (LTC, USA) for planning Friday's meeting.

02/10/2019

A new bracket shipment came in yesterday, ready for next week's patients!

Let's talk about brackets. Brackets are those little metal or ceramic pieces that orthodontists glue to your teeth and they are vital to the success of your treatment! They can be made of various kinds of materials, usually stainless steel or ceramic. Each one has a linear groove that holds a flexible wire, and the wire is fixed to each bracket using a tiny elastic tie. When patients begin treatment, the wire has to bend to reach teeth that are out of alignment. The wire acts like a spring that seeks to get back to its natural shape, and this creates forces that, over time, move the teeth to the desired position and alignment.

One of the most common questions I get is "𝗗𝗼𝗰, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿?" There are a few simple ways to help your treatment move along as planned, and one of them is 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀.

Remember I said brackets were glued to your teeth? When the bracket is separated from the tooth, it often slides back and forth on the wire and everything feels a little "loose". Usually this happens when too much force is placed on the bracket, and this often occurs when the patient eats something too hard, chewy, or sticky. Well, a broken bracket doesn't move its tooth because the tooth is no longer attached to the wire. When a tooth is set free like that it often becomes misaligned again! The whole system--tooth, bracket, wire--is dynamic, and every part depends on each other. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

𝗦𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝘁. Biting deeply into hard foods like carrots will surely break a bracket. Chewing on nuts, or ice, or pencils may as well. You can eat all the same foods you love, but I recommend you cut them up before you chew, cook them enough to make them a little softer, or at the very least, bite carefully. Being mindful of what you eat and how you eat it can help prevent related delays in treatment, and no one wants to wear braces longer than expected!

P.S. I also know Halloween is coming up and it's hard to resist those common culprits of broken brackets: Candy! Please do be extra careful when enjoying them. 🦷👍

30/09/2019

One more post on my lunch break! 🥪🥕 Another frequently asked question we get about insurance: "𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦/𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢?"

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲! There is some fine print: For patients covered by Tricare's AD Dental Program, we bill United Concordia directly. For patients with other insurance providers (like Delta Dental), we accept payment up front, fill out the claim paperwork, but the patient submits the claim for reimbursement. We will always work together with you to make sure you receive the benefits you are due!

30/09/2019

If you are a patient of mine and got your braces last week, you may have gotten a call from me this morning. We call these "𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴" in the biz and they're important for your treatment. And this is why: research by Keith and colleagues (link below) has shown that 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 has been shown to 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 felt by patients in the week following their bonding appointment. Specifically, patients who received follow-up texts tended to experience less intense pain and over a shorter period of time.

Keith concludes with a very straightforward recommendation: "𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥/𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦-𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯".

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗜'𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂!

Daniel J. Keith, Daniel J. Rinchuse, Meghan Kennedy, and Thomas Zullo (2013) Effect of text message follow-up on patient's self-reported level of pain and anxiety. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵: Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 605-610.

https://www.angle.org/doi/full/10.2319/091812-742.1

28/09/2019

Hi, I'm Dr. Stona Jackson, Board Certified orthodontist at American Dentistry in Landstuhl, Germany. I serve the Landstuhl, Ramstein, and Kaiserslautern communities.

A lot of times people are curious about braces before they even meet with an orthodontist. You might be wondering about braces for yourself or your child. This page is for me to communicate with current and prospective patients, answer questions, and share fun and interesting facts about orthodontics.

Drop me a line if you have any questions. Thanks for visiting! 🦷

28/09/2019

I asked a mom of one of my Army patients what her first questions were when she found out her kids needed orthodontic treatment.

She said, "𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂?"

I'll try to answer each of the above:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁?
This is a really good question, and sometimes the costs associated with orthodontic treatment are not very transparent, especially when patients are quoted a nice round number. Sometimes they're left asking themselves if everyone has to pay the same amount. Orthodontic treatment varies greatly from patient to patient; after all, everyone has different needs! At our practice, treatment costs depend on a patient's needs. This boils down to factors like: the complexity of the case, the type of treatment proposed, extra procedures that may be needed (e.g., extraction), and any extra options you might be interested in (clear brackets, a Hawley retainer). When you come to visit us, we will talk through the cost estimate together so you know exactly what you are paying for.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲?
Another excellent question, especially relevant to military families because your time in station is limited. The "length of treatment" you are given at the beginning of treatment is an estimate and depends on many factors: your needs, how well you adhere to treatment, and how your teeth naturally respond to treatment. This means you might finish early or you might need more time. Typically it takes 1-2 years to complete treatment.

At our practice, >85% of fees are paid monthly over the duration of the treatment period, with a small payment up front for creating the treatment plan. What this means is that if you have to leave Germany early, you will not pay as if you received the full length of treatment. Rather, you pay only for the treatment you have received. In the unfortunate event that you must PCS before your treatment end date, I will try to help you find an orthodontist at your next duty station who will handle your transfer of care. Why is it important to find a good follow-up provider? Sometimes orthodontists will charge full treatment costs for transfer patients, even if the patient already has braces!

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗲?
Once the braces are on, appointments are typically 4-6 weeks apart. These regular appointments allow time for the teeth move and respond to the applied forces without causing damage to your teeth. The teeth are surrounded by bone, and moving them requires your body to resorb and replace this hard, calcified matrix millimeter by millimeter. Imagine you find yourself up to your waist in very thick mud. Now try to walk forward without losing your shoes. Slow and steady is the only way.

Dr. J's Ortho Corner

04/02/2020

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22/10/2019

11/10/2019

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30/09/2019

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28/09/2019

28/09/2019

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