March Post: Finding the Sources I Need From the Internet

So far, researching my topic has been surprisingly difficult. The only books I could find on my topic only really covered basics and contributed little to answering my essential question. Even with all of the information available to me about orthodontics online, it is always a challenge to narrow the results to fit my answers. At some point my searches became more fruitful once I got more creative with the keywords for the databases I use. Better keywords meant finding fewer advertisements and newspaper articles. Finding a new angle is definitely helpful for getting out of a research rut.

Fourth Interview Questions

EQ: What is the most important factor an orthodontist must consider when treating a patient?

1. What is the most common issue your patients come in to fix?
2. Roughly how many patients do you believe have been in your care since you first opened your practice?
3. How many of them would you say do what you tell them to, treatment wise?
4. Which ages tend to be the most negligent and why do you think so?
5. If a patient does not follow what you have told them to do, what effects does that have on their treatment?
6. Do you use any particular methods to help ensure patient compliance? If so, please explain.
7. What complications, if any, have occurred mid-treatment?
8. Truthfully speaking, are there any errors you have made in your treatment plans in the past?
9. What aspect of planning treatments for patients do you feel is the easiest for a novice to mess up?
10. How do/did you select the (brand of/specific) appliances you use on patients?
11. Where is it that you learn most of the things you apply to creating a treatment plan for various cases? (experience, school...)
12. Have there ever been cases where the patient absolutely needed to have braces/surgery/treatment, or was close to a situation like that? Please elaborate.
13. What age is the most ideal for beginning treatment?
14. What makes the previously stated age range ideal?
15. What is the likelihood that a child would be told to undergo orthognathic or any similar type of surgery?
16. Have you encountered elderly or middle-aged patients with malocclusion? About how long did they wear their braces and/or appliances?
17. Are there cases in which you advise patients against getting braces?
18. Do you feel that braces are the most effective form of correction for crooked teeth? Why/why not?
19. How much better are adults than children at following your instruction (for treatment)?
20. Between understanding a case/patient's state of occlusion, patient compliance, and timing of treatment, what do you feel is the most valuable to a patient's treatment and why?

Blog 17: Third Answer

EQ:

What is the most important factor an orthodontist must consider when treating a patient?

My Answers:

To recap...
Answer 1: Orthodontists must understand their patients' needs in order to treat them.
Answer 2: Patient compliance should be taken into account when treating a patient.

And finally...
Answer 3: Timing is key to treating a patient.

3 details to support the answer:

Timing (age-wise) is the difference between planning a one-year treatment and a five-year treatment.

O'Brien, Kevin, PhD. "Effectiveness of Early Orthodontic Treatment with the Twin-block Appliance: A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial. Part 1: Dental and Skeletal Effects." American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics 124.3 (2003): 234-43. Web.

Utilizing the timing of skeletal maturation is an effective means of achieving a desirable outcome.

Kopecky, Geoffrey R., and Leonard S. Fishman. "Timing of Cervical Headgear Treatment Based on Skeletal Maturation." American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics 104.2 (1993): 162-69. Web.

"Optimum treatment timing for Twin-block therapy of Class II disharmony appears to be during or slightly after the onset of the pubertal peak in growth velocity."

Baccetti, Tiziano, Lorenzo Franchi, Linda Ratner Toth, and James A. Mcnamara. "Treatment Timing for Twin-block Therapy." American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics 118.2 (2000): 159-70. Web.

Concluding Sentence:

Without understanding the importance of the age or skeletal maturation of a patient, an orthodontist cannot effectively treat a patient. The entire treatment would be thrown off, as well as the payment plan -- meaning the credibility of the orthodontist would also be at risk since he/she is just judging the patient's occlusion by sight alone.