Do You Write ALL These Blog Posts, Ben?
I get this question all the time and I find it fascinating for several reasons: 1) That such a high percentage of orthodontists ask me this question and are deadly serious. 2) From what I can tell, th...
Real Doctors?
Real doctors look at patient history as well as the reported and apparent symptoms and then diagnose to the best of their ability and recommend a treatment plan. Hairdressers, cosmeticians and nail t...
Should I Specialize? Piece on DrBicuspid
I had an interesting conversation with a third year dental student via messenger a couple weeks ago, the contents of which ended up on DrBicuspid. I think you’ll find the conversation interesti...
Sharpies Have No Place In The Mouth
If you use and re-use a Sharpie marker or a wax pencil to mark wires for detail bends YOU ARE WRONG. There is no way around it and all the weak rationalizations of the “self sterilizing” a...
UFOs Are Afraid Of Cell Phone Cameras
When I was a kid in the 1970s, UFOs were all the rage. Sightings occurred regularly and everyone had a theory as to what the visitors wanted and how they would either elevate or destroy humanity. So w...
Don’t Judge Past Actions With Current Knowledge
I know it’s tempting but you can’t do it if you want to maintain your self worth and sanity. I’m as bad as anyone to beat myself up over the multitude of stupid mistakes and missed o...
I Love The Smell Of Fireworks In The Morning!
Patients are scared of the handpiece by and large. That’s just the way it is whether they admit it or not. In an effort to put their minds at ease I try to explain exactly what I’m doing a...
The 10 top ways as a boss, you can ensure your associate fails/hates you
Editor’s Note: I recieved this tonight from a friend who is a practice owner and a part time associate in response to the How To Fail post. This piece offers insight from the employee point of...
How To Fail
** Editor’s note: A good friend and extremely well known orthodontist sent this to me today after watching the recent excitement in Ortho101. As in all he does, he is spot on here and is speakin...
Broken Brackets Are No Big Deal
There was a question on one of the Facebook groups about how to avoid breakage when trimming distal ends. I wanted to share my response in the hopes that it helps you and your team: I teach the chairs...