Cadwell Dental News
Dentistry Goes Digital (Tri-City Herald)
For many who think about their own experience with braces decades ago or just a few years ago, certain images come to mind.
Metal mouth, for one.
But also there used to be those countless visits to the orthodontist sometimes over a few years and spending hours in the chair getting each tiny metal bracket cemented to each tooth.
Not anymore — at least not at two Kennewick dental and orthodontic practices.
Cadwell Dental and orthodontist Jay Zuroff’s office now are using a computer imaging system that allows them to identify the exact spots on teeth where braces need to be.
Then the OrthoCAD system digitally places the brackets on each “tooth” — without the patient even being there.
Though Zuroff’s office has been using indirect bracket placement for a few years without the digital imaging system, the system has cut more than half the time that patients need to be in Cadwell’s office.
“What we’re really saving time on is the chair side,” said Joshua Cadwell, who has practiced in the Tri-Cities for about four years.
Cadwell already had digitally placed the brackets on Erica Rodriguez’s teeth when she
went in last week to get braces.
The Pasco 22-year-old laid back in the chair, looking prepared for a long haul.
“You doing OK, Erica?” Cadwell asked about a minute after he’d begun.
Cadwell popped open what looked like a retainer case and inside was a tray with brackets placed strategically inside.
When the tray was placed in Rodriguez’s mouth, the brackets were where Cadwell had placed them on the digital model of her teeth.
The brackets were cemented to the teeth and the plastic trays removed 15 minutes after Cadwell began.
“Now we just have to put the wires on and we’re done,” he said.
Rodriguez was in braces and was in the chair for just 23 minutes. She’s had braces before and said the last time took a lot longer.
Traditional braces usually take 60 to 90 minutes to put on, Cadwell said.
Zuroff has treated nearly 60 patients with the system since he began using it in July. About 30 patients have used the OrthoCAD system since Cadwell began using it about a year ago.
Cadwell also used the system for his own braces, and because the bracket placement is done on the computer, he was able to put on his own braces.
In fact, because most of the work is done digitally, Cadwell and Zuroff don’t even have to be present when patients get their braces. This allows them to see more patients.
“It saves the doctor’s time,” said Zuroff, who has practiced in the Tri-Cities for nearly 18 years. “I think it’s a wonderful thing.”
Cadwell says he can cut both his and his patients’ costs.
“That frees me up to see two or three other cases next door,” he said. “You get some more cost savings on that end. If we can make our chair time more efficient ... it makes a great deal for everybody.”
Cadwell usually charges about $3,500 for OrthoCAD braces, compared with about $5,500 on average for traditional braces.
He says he can also charge less because the digital placement of brackets means that braces are put exactly where they need to be to move the teeth as quickly as possible.
“OrthoCAD will actually simulate where the teeth are going to move,” Cadwell said.
This reduces the chance of having to move brackets on a patient’s tooth, adding up to an additional year to the process. Zuroff says he’s seen some error with the digital system, but it’s been improving.
The digital simulation also gives patients a preview of what the braces will do for them. “It gives them a good estimation of what their teeth will look like,” Zuroff said.
“Who’s to say you get braces on and it’s actually going to fix what you want it to fix? This way you know,” Rodriguez said.
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