Optimized, Not Just Aligned
Straight Teeth Are Not the Only Goal Who would argue that well aligned teeth are not more esthetic than those which are not? Having said that, teeth can be aligned nicely and still be a failure. It would be hard to enjoy your post-orthodontic smile if your teeth are set back too far […]
You Can Expand All Day and Still “Trap” the Incisors
How Expansion Can Lead to Lower Incisor Trapping Lateral expansion of the maxilla has been around for decades. It is well accepted as a positive although there is much disagreement about how best to do it. Rarely, however, is there discussion about how expansion and the ensuing orthodontic treatment can “trap” the lower incisor […]
Two Different AO’s, One Goal
How Traditional Orthodontic Treatment Approached Jaw Position In 1972, when I started my orthodontic residency I learned to treat the upper teeth to the lower teeth. That treatment usually involved headgear, extractions, and Class II elastics or a combination of all three. All these modalities brought the upper teeth BACK to meet the lowers. […]
Where should the front teeth be? The question Anterior Optimization (AO) forces you to answer.
Start With the Treatment Goal, Not the Appliance Often after finishing a lecture, doctors approach me and ask two questions: What appliance do I use? Where can they get that appliance? That is getting the cart before the horse. The question should be what is the goal for the patient? For me, the […]
AO Is Not AI. It’s the Judgment No Algorithm Makes for You.
Can AI Solve the Orthodontic Treatment Problem? Looking at orthodontic meeting offerings makes me think that AI will propel the orthodontic profession to success! I’m no better at predicting the future than anyone else, but I’m a skeptic. Will pouring in tons of data into a computer, pressing the button and waiting for the […]
Anterior Optimization – The part of the plan expansion forgets
Why Expansion Alone May Not Address the Full Problem If Rip Van Winkle were a dentist who slept for more than 20 years, he might be the only dentist who has not heard that expansion is the “cure” for all airway problems. With the airway paradigm now more than 25 years old, expansion has become […]