Important Information
"Straight Talk About Product Advertising"
- Is it required that my family dentist schedule my appointment with the orthodontist?
- At what age should I schedule an appointment for an orthodontic screening?
- Will my teeth straighten out as they grow?
- How do I schedule an appointment for an initial exam?
- What will happen at the initial examination appointment?
- What will I learn from the initial examination?
- Will I need to have teeth extracted for braces?
- How long will it take to complete treatment?
- How much will braces cost? Are financing options available? How does my insurance work?
- How often will I have appointments?
- Can I schedule all of my appointments after school?
- Can I drop my child off for an appointment?
- Do braces hurt?
- Can I return to school the day I receive my braces?
- Do you give shots?
- Do you use recycled braces?
- Can I still play sports?
- Do I need to see my family dentist while in braces?
- Are there foods I cannot eat while I have braces?
- How often should I brush my teeth while in braces?
- What is an emergency appointment? How are those handled?
- Can orthodontic correction occur while a child has baby teeth?
- What is Phase One (early) Treatment?
- Will my child need full braces if he/she has Phase One treatment?
- Will my child need an expander?
- Is it too late to have braces if I am already an adult?
- Can I wear braces even though I have crowns and missing teeth?
- Why should you choose an orthodontic specialist?
Straight Talk About Product Advertising
Once upon a time (not very long ago) advertising of any kind by a health care professional was evidence of unethical conduct and deserving of fines penalties and suspension of your dental license. Even our signs could not have letters over 2 inches or be readable from the street. No bold print or attention drawing shading or outlines were permitted in the phone book. These were the “blue laws” of dentistry and no one dared violate them because our entire profession believed them to be in the public’s best interests and insisted that they be enforced. Like other “Blue Laws” that had Puritan restrictions they were all swept away by the three piece suited lawyers who declared them unconstitutional and unfair to a free market place.
Fast-forward to today and almost anything goes and truth was the first casualty as make believe artists scripted enticing seductive messages to an unbelievably gullible public. Advertisers dominate health care with appeals to the public to demand products from their doctor never mind the consequences or the appropriateness of the treatment. This has become a disturbing trend in orthodontics since the introduction of Invisalign in 2001 with its major marketing emphasis for general practitioners to straighten teeth with a succession of clear trays dictated by computers that have no orthodontic wisdom or diagnostic ability. This is not to say that Invisalign cannot successfully treat patients correctly diagnosed and treatment planned (an orthodontists education, training and experience are critical factors), but like everything else it has issues you would never be aware of from the advertising. But the reality is that Invisalign’s successful marketing methods were quickly adopted by other manufactures of orthodontic appliances who were not about to miss their opportunity to gain their market share so the “Coke/Pepsi” battles began in earnest. The public reaction was exactly what the manufactures wanted - if prospective patients learned an orthodontist was not using a certain “miracle” appliance system then they should find one that does simply because that orthodontists spends a lot of money buying our product therefore we will help market that orthodontist.
Fortunately, orthodontic appliances do not know how to straighten teeth, but orthodontists do and all of us are taking advantage of all the advances in wire technology and no particular company or system has any monopoly on orthodontic magic. It is the superelastic wire and temporary anchor devices that has revolutionized orthodontics, not bracket attachments. The hype associated with some of the appliances is beyond the limits of scientific verification and a great disservice to a profession that valued integrity and intellectual honesty above all. Without a referee, advertising can be deceptive and misleading to a non-professional.
Please discuss the merits of any orthodontic device in the market place with us at the initial exam. Things are not always what they seem. It is my duty and obligation to know and to differentiate between all available methods for achieving maximum orthodontic results for each specific situation. Thank you for demanding our best.
John B. Harrison DDS,MSc
