Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Winter 2017 - 26

Let's Talk About That

so clear. We have the traditional fee-for-service
model, the corporate orthodontic model, franchise orthodontics, and now do-it-yourself (DIY)
ortho!

PT: Let's shift gears. Your résumé notes that you
are a long-standing reviewer for the AJO/DO. Can
you tell us how you keep up with reading journals, and how you integrate new information
into your clinical practice?

PT: Does this concern you?
SR: Not at all. I view this as an opportunity!
Throughout my years in clinical practice, the
landscape has constantly changed. I recall a time
when the name on your sign could be no larger
than three inches, and when insurance companies became a part of our practice lives. While the
signage and marketing approaches have evolved,
and the insurance companies control our fees to
some extent, the fee-for-service practice can still
thrive.
Orthodontics is becoming layered. We see it with
the marketing of corporate orthodontics- such
businesses compete using location, extended
hours, and price to attract patients; just look at
media advertisements!
PT: If fee-for-service orthodontics is to survive
and thrive, what do you think must happen?
SR: The fee-for-service orthodontist must have
more to offer his/her patients, and I'm not referring to swag. Fee-for-service care must offer
enhanced services and expanded treatment
goals. We have to be more than just "tooth
straighteners." We must be experts in occlusion,
facial balance and symmetry, smile design, periodontics, and airway analysis. This means we
must learn all we can from restorative dentistry,
oral surgeons, periodontists, and ENT specialists.
We must learn from each other to provide comprehensive dental care.
Corporate dentistry is here; it will serve the needs
of some, but the future of fee-for-service care
will be bright as long as there is interaction with
other specialists. That is how we will provide
comprehensive dental care.

SR: This is a challenge. As a busy clinician, I cannot possibly read every article that is published.
Everyone has their own learning style, but I find
the best approach is to read the topics in the
journals, specifically in The Angle Orthodontist
and the AJO/DO, then highlight (i.e., tear them
out of the journal, old school style) and read
them a few days later.
My process is to read the abstract first, then
jump to the conclusion section. I connect the
question asked and the conclusions provided; if I
think the article has value to me and my patients,
I move to the methods and materials section to
see if any bias has been inlaid into the paper. If
you only read summaries or abstracts, you may
just get the particular reviewer's interpretation
of the question.
Reading the methods and materials section
is key. This is the recipe. If you and I independently repeat the study using the same recipe
(methods and materials), we should have similar
conclusions.
Integrating what I read is the challenge, as it is
easy to keep doing things the same way. It helps
to be self-critical about the care we provide and
to realize that there are ways to constantly
improve in order to enhance our outcomes. That
is when I integrate the new idea into the practice.
PT: When a client comes to your office with
questions about various treatments based upon
unfiltered internet information, how do you deal
with it?

PCSO Bulletin  Winter 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Winter 2017