Ortho Tribune United Kingdom Edition No. 2, 2017

Ortho Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 7/2017 ORTHO TRENDS 21 My complete conversion London lingual orthodontics provider Dr Asif Chatoo describes his navigation of digital technology By Dr Asif Chatoo My professional journey has no end or destination. If I ever felt satisﬁ ed by one system and I applied it in the same way without acquiring new knowledge or discovering more ad- vanced technologies and materials, I would consider myself ready for retirement, which I am certainly not. My voyage through digital technology, however, has just reached a natural conclusion. I re- alised recently that I had pro- gressed through all aspects of digital technology as it relates to orthodontic treatment and I had completed a circle (Fig. 1). My journey started with pho- tography some years ago, but the process accelerated, and in recent years, everything has gone digital, including radiography, record-tak- ing, treatment planning, and the manufacture of brackets and wires. Over the course of my digital conversion, I have tried several dif- ferent systems, all of which have delivered important beneﬁ ts. The system I have used most as I com- pleted the digital circle over the last two years is suresmile (OraMetrix). It is a treatment man- agement system and among its beneﬁ ts is that I am able to provide a highly customised service in a shorter space of time, saving on average six months of treatment time per patient. I have had a digital scanner for some time, but this month I ac- quired an updated 3Shape TRIOS scanner. It is extremely fast and al- lows my team to take completely accurate and detailed records of patients’ upper and lower arches. In the past, the process took half In order to con- vey how this ap- proach differs from other treatments on offer, I compare it to the difference be- tween an off-the-peg suit and going to a tailor in Savile Row. Many of the patients I treat at my practice are referred by lead- ing dentists. Their expectations are high. Sometimes or- thodontic treatment is just one part of an i nt e rd i s c i p l i na r y treatment that in its © dencg/Shutterstock.com will affect all the other teeth. This will increase the chairside time. The solution is the robotic wire bending that is central to sure- smile. I aim to deliver several things to my patients: an aesthetic result, a functional occlusion and an oc- clusion that is comfortable at rest. More than anything, I want them to be wowed by their experience. I believe suresmile delivers that wow factor. I have gone 360 degrees and am now fully digital, but this is only the ﬁ rst navigation of new and evolving technology. My or- 1 “Being impression-free has brought more value to the team than going paperless.” an hour, but now it is immediate. Adult patients are particularly grateful not to have impressions taken, and the orthodontic nurses are delighted to avoid this most trying aspect of record-taking. It was invariably messy. Being impression-free has brought more value to the team than going pa- perless. It goes without saying that a key beneﬁ t of digital technology is the integration of the ortho- dontic processes and records. For instance, a scan of the patient’s teeth can be superimposed on to a photograph, which I can in turn integrate with a grid. I can relate the tooth positions to facial planes and check that the dental midline is centrally located. I can show the patient his or her teeth and bite and I can provide him or her with a visual simulation of the difference that treatment will make. The patient can then ask questions. My vision for the ﬁ n- ished result may not be the pa- tient’s vision and being able to manipulate the outcome on screen means one can be abso- lutely sure the patient under- stands the treatment planning. The patient can inﬂ uence the treatment if he or she wishes, and if he or she changes his or her mind towards the end, the tech- nology allows for last-minute nu- ancing. entirety will cost in excess of £ 20,000. Patients expect perfec- tion—in so far as it is possible in an ageing dentition—and they ex- pect a high level of service. Sure- smile allows me to deliver both. Rightly for a West End practice, many of the beneﬁ ts of suresmile relate to communication and the care of patients with high expecta- tions, but there are also personal beneﬁ ts for the clinician. In my case, there is one that surpasses all others. Bending arch- wires at the end of treatment is al- most always inevitable and it is an aspect I dread. Why am I so hung up on this? The reason is that, if one bends a wire on one tooth, one thodontic journey continues and I suspect a few more digital revolu- tions await. Dr Asif Chatoo is a London-based or- thodontist and a leading provider of invisible lingual treatments. He can be contacted at info@londonlingualbrac- es.com.

Ortho Tribune United Kingdom Edition No. 2, 2017

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