Information for Dentists

If you are a general dentist in the Greater Cleveland area who would like to become more familiar with my practice, I invite you to contact me so that we may become better acquainted. Until then, I have reserved this part of the website to mention a few things that may be of interest to you in the event that we share treatment responsibilities for mutual patients.

Staff Paintball Outing

Whenever possible, I use an evidence-based treatment philosophy in my clinical approach. This is why I generally limit treatment in the early mixed dentition (“Phase I” treatments) to those children who would clearly be at significant risk for complications of dental eruption or skeletal growth if treatment was deferred until the late mixed or early permanent dentition. Some examples of strong candidates for early treatment in my practice are individuals with the following conditions.

  • anterior and/or posterior crossbites
  • dental arch asymmetries and/or skeletal asymmetries
  • severe crowding
    		•
     

  • thumb and/or tongue habits.

    • Patients with mild or moderate crowding are sometimes referred back to their general dentist for extraction of deciduous teeth to facilitate eruption of permanent anterior teeth, but active orthodontic treatment is usually deferred and eruption is periodically monitored. Although I do not initiate treatment on a high percentage of patients presenting in the early mixed dentition, The AAO recommends that all children be seen by an orthodontist at age 7. I appreciate the opportunity to collect
    baseline data at this age and advise the family of what to expect in the future if treatment is not indicated at that age.

    There are a few other things worth mentioning about my clinical approach.

    • Second molars are routinely included in the treatment of my patients.
    • When bands are used on posterior teeth, a blue-colored adhesive is used…this allows verification of a sealed margin throughout treatment and facilitates complete removal of residual adhesive at deband.
    • Ceramic, gold, and stainless steel brackets are offered to all patients…the brackets are miniature in size with a low profile to facilitate optimal hygiene.
    • Treatment with the Invisalign® appliance is offered to appropriate candidates.
    • Patients are required to maintain 6 month exam/prophy appointments with their general dentist throughout treatment (more frequent if the dentist sees a need).
    • A topical fluoride varnish is applied on patients with frequent plaque accumulation…this has been proven to significantly reduce white lesions.
    • All patients are given two sets of retainers at deband. A vacuform type is worn during the day (for several months immediately after removal of braces), and a removable Hawley retainer is prescribed for use during sleep…retainer use is prescribed for life.
    • Patients are given the opportunity to brush with archwires removed from the mouth at most appointments.
    • An emphasis is placed on educating the patient and their family about the nature of their specific orthodontic needs and the treatment process.

    I hope you have found this information to be useful. If you have need for referral slips, they are available upon request.

    This site was developed in conjunction with the
    American Association of Orthodontists.

    © 2003 American Association of Orthodontists