Designing smiles - Ortho-artistry

"When you're smilin', the whole world smiles with you."

Sure enough, Louis Armstrong was so right!  Studies show that smiling is contagious. Ever been around someone who just had something fantastic happen? Their smile and joy makes you feel good, too.

"A smile is the most powerful force in the world."
   ~ Sujith, produce manager at Spinney’s, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Why do parents want orthodontic treatment for their children? Why do adults and children want orthodontic treatment?  

Simply, of course, to have a beautiful smile.

And, what an honor it is, to have the privilege of providing the orthodontic treatment and see smiles blossoming into beautiful - gorgeous - captivating - radiant - magic.  

It takes formal training and lots of experience, to learn how to accomplish the customized, individualized movement of teeth set in soft tissues and bone.  

But first, the diagnosis - and this is how to have the most fun with your patients’ orthodontics and smiles! 

• What does the smile look like now - glowing - wonky - ragged - gummy - crowded…?

Take photos - lots of photos!  Look at ‘em often! 

• Train your staff to snap a bunch of photos and save them in the digital chart.  You will be able to see a lot.  As I tell the patients, I can study your smile when you aren’t even here.
• How and why did the patient grow the way he did?  
• What are the positions and relationships of the skeleton - the skull bones, including the upper and lower jawbones, that hold the teeth?  
• What are the positions and relationships of the teeth with each other?  Most children have 20 primary (baby, milk) teeth, and another 32 (including the wisdom teeth) to come.  
• How many does this patient have?  
• Where are those teeth before they erupt - good position - poorer position - impacted?  
• How does the patient use their mouth and teeth - chewing, talking, singing, clenching, grinding, biting, sucking, showing emotion and affection, expressions of feeling - frowning, smiling, habits…
• How does the patient breathe - through her nose, or through her mouth?  
• What are the growth patterns and expected changes in the future?   

Get a GREAT history completed!

Include muscles, profile, frenae, tonsils, functional movements, facial considerations, habits, musical instruments - brass, woodwind, violin… 
in your examination!

Trace and measure the lateral ceph, frontal ceph, panoramic and models!

• Make a list of all your findings, skeletal, airway, occlusion, muscles, joint and function, tooth-size discrepancies, ectopic teeth, missing teeth, position of teeth, crossbites, need for sealants, restorative, future implants…
• THEN list treatment recommended to address the findings, in the sequence you feel will work best.  
• Include retention as part of your treatment plan.
• Include future needs: periodontal cosmetic procedures, implants, bone augmentation, crown and bridge… 
• Describe your “concerns” - the places in treatment that could be particularly complex or problematic.

Put all the information into a beautifully prepared treatment plan, printed on the computer and ready for the patient/parent to follow as you review at their conference.

Now - go have fun and co-create that smile you’ve designed!

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an act of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” 
~ Mother Teresa

Studies show that just seeing a smile can activate the muscles in your face to make that same expression  (smile), without you even being aware that you are doing it. Crazy, right?

Make your smiles change the world!