Protecting the Public?

The last time organized dentistry and dental boards tried to “protect the public” they warned of the dangers of tooth whitening done outside the office of a licensed dentist. Of course there was n...

What Is Comprehensive Treatment?

I hear disparaging comments all the time from orthodontists when they talk about anything other than what they consider “comprehensive treatment”. But this begs the question, what exactly is the d...

Why 3000 Is More Than 5500

Marc Ackerman Ben Burris We have discussed repeatedly our belief that the average fee for orthodontic treatment will trend lower. This prediction has been met with shock and horror from the majority o...

5% of Patients Cause 95% of Issues

By Bridget Burris We all know how we feel when we see “that” patient on our schedule for the day. Dread and anxiety set in and our day is already starting out with a negative attitude. No fun at a...

They Can’t Get Away with That!

Marc Ackerman Ben Burris One of us went to an emergency meeting of the Massachusetts Association of Orthodontists last week. It was held at a small hotel in a nondescript meeting room with about 20 or...

Break the Cycle

Last night Bridget and I took the kids to one of our favorite spots for dinner. We didn’t make a reservation and the wait was significant (because Rocco’s Tacos rocks) but we lucked out and got a ...

If We Were Selling to Orthodontists…

We had another interesting thought experiment today. We imagined that we wanted to go into business selling a product (tangible good) to orthodontists and thought about what that would be. It was toug...

Calling It Like We See It: Two Questions

It’s highly possible that at some point in the next couple decades it will be legal for non-dentists to provide tooth straightening with clear aligners directly to the consumer. Outcome data from pa...

The Same Day Start: Instant Bracefication

Marc Ackerman Ben Burris It’s fun to watch things we’ve championed for years become mainstream. In spite of great resistance, the concept of putting braces on the same day as the new patient visit...