Taking the Mystery out of Orthodontics

I work as a management consultant to the dental profession,  primarily coaching and mentoring doctors in general practice. One of the reasons I am hired is to help doctors who have plateaued  begin to increase revenue again. There are only four basic ways to do this: increase fees, increase hours, increase the frequency that patients come to the practice, and offer more services. Let’s talk today about offering more services.

I recently attended a two day seminar for Six Month Smiles. The course provides hands on learning for “short term orthodontics” which is defined as cosmetically focused orthodontic treatment performed in less than nine months with aesthetic brackets and wires. The average general practice is loaded with adult patients very unhappy with the way they look because of crowding, spaces, or protruding teeth. These patients will usually not agree to undergo conventional orthodontic treatment because of the length of treatment time and metal braces. Six Month Smiles offers a great alternative to conventional orthodontics–it is conservative,  affordable, and quick – and you won’t believe how easy it is to learn. It is also  a great opportunity for a dentist to change people’s lives while significantly increasing revenue.

The course material was very well presented. Attendance is limited so you get as much personalized attention as you need. I would say that the majority of the doctors at the course were frustrated Invisalign providers who literally embraced the differences: faster tooth movement, lower lab fees (about one third of aligner therapy), much more control of the case, no compliance issues, and no endless “refinements”. A wonderful benefit is the Provider Resource Center where eighteen clinical mentors assist in online dentist to dentist case support. If you post photos and models, you will get opinions and guidance often that same day.

Five of my clients attended the seminar in Boston. Less than two weeks later, between them they had started eight cases! That is pretty amazing. If you are a restorative dentist who loves to create beautiful smiles and has an ability to visualize cases, this ortho technology will be a fabulous addition to your armamentarium. You will quickly be able to move teeth into proper position so that bonding, veneers, and more traditional crown and bridge or implants can now be performed.

I have not done clinical dentistry for 16 years, happily spending my days now as a management consultant. But I can tell you–as I sat through that course–and saw the amazing results that could be created–it was the first time that I was a little bit nostalgic as I was thinking how much fun I could have as a clinician again! So please do yourself a favor and check this out. Orthodontics does not have to be a mystery any longer.