R.I.P

There is no denying it. The profession is dying. The world is changing and the rate of change is increasing all the time. I was in KC Friday talking to a great group of orthodontists and Dr. Clarence ...

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...

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...

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...

Parable Of The Principled Prostitute

Once there was a young orthodontist who worked as an associate in a successful orthodontic practice. The owner of the practice had grown her business to the point that she could not see all the patie...