Technology is affecting all aspects of modern orthodontic practice, linking the many areas of our specialty.

For example, technology allows orthodontists to improve productivity in the increasingly complex field of orthodontic treatment. It can be used to help you train, stimulate and motivate valuable personnel. It can help new patients choose and locate your office. Finally, technology can enhance communication with colleagues, patients and the public at large.

To maintain productivity and maintaining high standards of care you will need to rely on increased use of technology. Use of electronic data can even improve diagnosis and treatment planning, thanks to computerized tooth size analysis and visualized treatment objectives. In the near future diagnostic model set ups will become a computer function.

Digital records are easier to create, store and retrieve. This can make it a lot simpler to evaluate treatment outcomes in your own practice. You could look at the efficiency of early (Phase I) treatment, the recovery of impacted cuspids (vertical relapse of the cuspid and root resorption complications involving adjacent teeth), or adult orthodontic management (evaluating the stability of possible treatment options and retention implications).

Dr. Turpin noted that compression of digital records for storage and retrieval can result in loss of data. He advises that you preserve original data on a CD prior to compression. This is particularly important for publication, which requires at least 300 pixels per inch in a five-inch format.

Orthodontists depend increasingly on office staff. Competent and motivated personnel are your most valuable asset – an asset that is hard to keep. This is the number one challenge for American businesses today, not just orthodontists, and we have to compete with others who want the best employees. In orthodontics we can offer job satisfaction and quality of experience.

Technology can help. Employees can be motivated by change and challenge, if the doctor leads the way. Distance learning (on the Internet) is another way to stimulate interest and professional advancement .

Communication is another valuable application of computer technology. The ability to include a picture illustrating a given problem is a huge enhancement to letters to colleagues and training manuals. Dr. Turpin observed his letters to colleagues were often unread. He feels that a picture illustrating the problem is an attention grabber and also eliminates confusion.

Did you know the American Association of Orthodontists website (braces.org) maintains an orthodontic locator system that can direct new patients to your office? Consumers can look up the AAO members in their area and download a route map. In fact, your web site can be linked to the AAO web site so interested patient families can easily go to your site.

The A.A.O. will give you a starter web site, gratis, and link inquiries to your custom web site, if you tell them about it. To find out more about these services, contact the A.A.O. web master, James Pearson. A recent membership mailing elaborates in detail.

The "American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics" is available on-line to assist in keeping members current in treatment advances. It is easy to register for the free service, if you follow the instructions on the back of the mailing cover of the Journal.

The value of this asset is leveraged by a direct on line link to "The Angle Orthodontist." In addition to the current publication, access to the table of contents of the next issue of the journal is available at www.mosby.com/ajodo. In the future, other professional and scientific journals may will surely become available on line as well.

Perhaps the most valuable contribution of computer- aided communication is patient education. It is much easier to explain different specific surgical corrections unless theywhen it can be illustrated with a computer- generated picture of the patient’s own facial changes. When presented with treatment options, it is human nature to assume that all results will be essentially the same. Naturally, in this situation, people tend to select the easiest and least expensive course of action. A visual illustration of differing outcomes will truly help a patient consider options carefully.

However, Dr. Turpin advised against computer projections of treatment results for young patients. The effects of facial growth and individual response are not predictable and can result in confusion or inaccurate projections.

Patients have high expectations of the cutting edge quality of our services. Many assume that they can communicate with the office and the doctor on line. Those with uncommon medical conditions are exceptionally knowledgeable and expect their prospective orthodontist to be similarly informed. Consequently, we need to be familiar with Medline searches.

These areas are only some of the enhancements that technology has to offer to today’s practice orthodontistsof orthodontics. There are many other benefits available and more to come in the future.

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