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STRAIGHT TALKING
BY RICHARD GIBSON
Richard Gibson, Principal of Wallasey Orthodontics and Consultant
to Liverpool University Dental Hospital talks to us about dentistry.
As I sit here writing this month’s piece we are two weeks
into the New Year. I can’t help thinking how many
resolutions may have faded already?
My wife’s still on track – her resolution – to get more sleep!
Well her watch tells her she’s broken the 7-hour mark at
least a couple of times so far in 2018. For me – well it was
a breeze to keep my Lego building skills up to their master
builder status, with the amount of interconnecting blocks
that arrived at Christmas for my boys!
Professionally, 2018 opens a new chapter for the practice
and myself as well. I eagerly await the opening of our
new treatment room expected later this month. The
chair is fantastically comfortable, with a new layout and
separate discussion area to review progress, images and
radiographs during consultations. I’m very excited!
Also this is the year that I finally start using Invisalign.
Amazing! I hear you cry – an orthodontist using a brace.
But for me it’s a departure from traditional appliances that
I thought I’d never make.
I’m sure you’ve heard about it – the advertising is
spectacular. I recently watched a new promotional video
and was blown away by the exceptional lifestyle marketing
– I’m convinced we are “made to move”. For a long time,
I wasn’t happy that the product and what it delivered, was
up to the hype. If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’m a bit
of a control freak as I’m sure many orthodontists are. The
main reason for this is I like to deliver what the patient has
signed up for - that’s the single most important thing. If
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I’m in doubt over my ability to achieve that result – then
I’m not going to do it.
Back when Invisalign emerged it was designed for patient
comfort and quality of life but was limited. The product
was aimed at general dentists instead of specialists and
afforded the operator the ability to tip teeth. The clear
gumshield aligners were often found wanting, when cases
were selected incorrectly or anything more than simple
movements were attempted. Things have changed and the
company hasn’t rested on its laurels. With the advent of
attachments (small blobs of tooth-coloured plastic material
that can be stuck to your tooth) Invisalign suddenly got
supercharged! The engagement of the gumshields by the
attachments allowed more complicated tooth movements
and most importantly a better quality result and for me
that equals happy patients.
The New Year is always full of promise and I’m excited
about the challenges and successes I’ll encounter. I’m
certainly not trading my fixed appliances in yet, as the
ability to offer my patients a full range of treatments – all
of which I am confident of being able to deliver the end
result they desire – is paramount to our success. After
all Invisalign isn’t the cheapest way to do it - it isn’t even
the quickest way to do it but for some it’s the right way to
subtly and reliably bring back their smile. Are you ready
to smile?
To find out more, visit wallaseyorthodontics.co.uk