SMILE
Big advances in technology — OrthoCAD, Damon System — take local orthodontics office to a new level
Vern Uyetake / Lake Oswego Review
OrthoCAD is making orthodontics a much faster process. Dr. Bill Dischinger displays the computer screen from which he now can work to assure patients straighter teeth in much less time.
In the past, getting your teeth straightened was an endurance test — painful, time consuming, and not a great way to spend a teenage life.
Now things are much, much better. Not only for teens, but for the fast-rising number of adults who want that perfect smile.
An excellent example of that is Dischinger Team Orthodontics in Lake Oswego. There are all the amenities, ultra-friendly receptionists, and a clean, roomy, cheerful atmosphere.
But it is the new technology — OrthoCAD and the Damon System — that is making the biggest difference by getting teeth straighter in less time.
“Orthodontics is just like any industry. It’s technology driven,” said Dr. Bill Dischinger, who has teamed up with his father Dr. Terry Dischinger to create the orthodontics center. “There’s more technology and more use of computers.
“Computers are used for maps, phone numbers and everything else. So why not teeth?”
Why not indeed?
OrthoCAD IQ is a 3-D digital computer system that creates a virtual model of the patient’s mouth, so from the start a doctor better knows how to fit a set of braces.
“When you put braces on teeth you put them on a certain spot,” Dischinger said. “It’s an educated guess to move the tooth the right way. You have to make adjustments. There are some inefficiencies.
“With OrthoCAD the computer simulates putting teeth in the ideal position and where the brace can be put to accomplish that. You get a precise idea from the first day, and it saves us a lot of time.”
A test of the first 20 patients showed the doctors were on the right track with OrthoCAD.
“The average estimated treatment time was 18.8 months, but the actual time was 13.6 months,” Dischinger said. “That meant 5.2 months saved. The average number of appointments was 8.5. It used to take 20 to 30 times.”
Now, the Dischingers have been using OrthoCAD for three or four years on more than 100 patients. These patients were almost entirely adults, since OrthoCAD best works on people with all of their teeth.
The Damon System is less technical but just as fascinating. It consists of brackets that open and close, thus creating “150 times less friction” than previous brace systems.
“Teeth don’t hurt as much, but they move faster,” Dischinger said, “and you don’t have to extract as many teeth. There are hundreds of brace systems, but Damon is the No. 1 best seller in the world. It’s been around nine years, but in the last three or four years it has really been catching on.”
The Dischingers have been largely responsible for spreading the Damon System’s popularity, making trips across the country to teach the technique. Dr. Terry has even gone to foreign countries to give Damon System clinics. They tie in OrthoCAD, too, because “they kind of go hand in hand.”
“Both of these techniques speed the process up,” Dischinger said. “Because of OrthoCAD and Damon there is less need for surgery. Both are amazing.”
Amazing but as yet a little slow to catch on.
“In Portland there are eight orthodontists using Damon and also eight using OrthoCAD,” Dischinger said. “There are not a lot, but it’s growing. There are maybe 15 doctors in Oregon using them.”
Still, Dischinger can’t help feeling the technologies will become mainstream when he sees the results in his own center.
“My patients are really excited when I explain the process,” he said. “It really makes sense to them. By using these techniques, we can do as good a job or better.
“Because of technology we’re tons better than we were three years ago. Three years from now I hope we’re tons better again.”
That’s good news for all people with teeth, since it is no longer kids hitting high school age who want to have their teeth straightened. Adults are becoming increasingly smile conscious.
“When I started nine years ago, 10 percent of my patients were adults,” Dischinger said. “Now it’s 30 to 35 percent. A lot of parents see how we’re helping their kids here and they say, ‘Can you do that for me?’ “
Technology, like OrthoCAD and Damon, has made it a brave new — and better — world for teeth.
“Braces do not have to be a bad experience,” Dischinger said. “It doesn’t have to be miserable.”
Dischinger Team Orthodontics is located at 3943 Douglas Way in Lake Oswego.
For more information about OrthoCAD IQ, go to the Web site www.orthocad.com .
For more information about Damon Systems, go to the Web site www.damonbraces.com .