At the end of my personal thoughts, you will have improved your decision-making based on the truth of solid evidence. So that you know, all orthodontists are dentist first, but only 6% of dentists are orthodontists. All of these 6% are in the top 10% of their graduating class from dental school and even so, getting accepted into a graduate university orthodontic residency is a difficult and costly endeavor, many times requiring multiple attempts and practicing general dentistry as one waits out the opportunity to spend 3 more years of over 4,000 class hours of rigorous academic and clinical dental education. You might as well be comparing an NFL quarterback to a Youth football lineman as comparing a dental specialist with generalist. I know this because I have taught orthodontics to graduate dentists at the university level for 25 years and have been engaged with dentists in study clubs longer than that. This is not to demean dentists who incorporate orthodontics into their practice without specialized education, it is a free country, but there are a lot of weekend warrior courses claiming to make orthodontists out of all who pay their exorbitant course fee. Until you have had the benefit of much deeper, longer and comprehensive education, you don’t know what you don’t know and there is no way the wisdom is equal and the scales balance. Dentists who know me well know exactly what I am talking about. Those that don’t need a reality check.
Orthodontics is the “Mother of Dentistry” as all things related to dentistry have an orthodontic implication, which if not considered leads on to failed attempts to bring nature back into beauty and balance. The main difference is that the orthodontist knows what not to do as well as what to do, but this is such a critical part of diagnostic acumen and where major mistakes are made and less than ideal results occur.
Orthodontists are always able to show you the results of treating a similar situation as yours, better yet how treatment holds up many years later, but best of all, how adults benefit as much as youthful patients, mainly because of our multidisciplinary approach to complex dental problems. Adult oral rehabilitation requires a team of like-minded professionals collaborating to support each other for your optimum patient care. Adult care needs the expertise of other specialists as well as the general dentist who will be the quarterback calling the play sent in from all the coaches on the sideline making the diagnosis of the obstacles lined up against gaining ground and scoring. No room on the field for prima donnas.
Complimentary initial exams are the only place to begin the journey to enhanced personal attractiveness and improvement in over all physical health. We in good taste (no pun intended) will hopefully raise your spiritual awareness to the good that God intends. That is why we do what we do. Your doubt and questions will clear away at no cost to you except for well-spent time and you will find out just how pleasant an orthodontic experience can be. We are grandfatherly kid friendly and mighty obliging to adults. We’ll surprise you with a take home prize.
Do we have a guarantee, Yes we do – our superior service is a guarantee and we will treat you like a number: NUMBER ONE (#1)! Call (727) 822-3156 and learn the wisdom of teeth.
John B. Harrison DDS, MSc
