TDSC.com - The Dentists Supply Company’s Post

I've had the experience of wearing braces both as a teen and as an adult. I'm all for saving money but there are areas where cutting corners is not advisable, such as your teeth. SmileDirectClub (SDC) marketed the promise of achieving a straight smile at home for under $2000, a tempting alternative to the $6000+ at an orthodontist. In January 2020, The New York Times uncovered a concerning practice at SDC. Dissatisfied customers who had experienced significant oral health issues using aligners without the supervision of an orthodontist were required to sign NDAs in order to obtain refunds, preventing them from sharing their negative experiences with SDC. This was an unfair and deceptive tactic that deprived consumers the information they needed about the safety and effectiveness of SDC's services. Fast forward to December 2022, the Attorney General's office in DC took action against SDC, including challenging the use of NDAs for refunds. By December 2023, SDC had declared bankruptcy, shedding light on the importance of ethical business practices. Businesses, like individuals, should not cut corners when it comes to the well-being of their customers/clients. The pursuit of growth should never compromise the principles of compliance and regulation that are designed to protect consumers. 🦷 Not all orthodontic concerns can be addressed with aligners alone. Consulting an orthodontist is essential to achieve the best results for your case while keeping your jaw and teeth safe during treatment. While cost can be a concern, and most employers don't cover adult orthodontics in their dental plans, many orthodontists provide flexible payment options to make treatment accessible. I had a great experience at Graham Orthodontics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Graham used a motion appliance and Invisalign to correct my bite, and the best part was that I experienced no pain during the treatment – a stark contrast to my teenage braces! My daughter had a similarly pain-free experience with her braces. If you've had a positive experience with your orthodontist, please share your story in the comments below to assist those considering orthodontic treatment in 2024! #smile #orthodontics #compliance #regulation

Smile Direct Club has officially shut down, leaving millions of patients in a difficult situation. This is a company that only a few years ago was valued at close to US$9billion. As someone who spent a lot of time in restructuring, this isn't a pile on, as it's genuinely an unpleasant situation for all of those involved. In fact, the rise of SDC has triggered change for a lot of Orthodontic practitioners, many of whom now leverage digital technologies to provide hybrid care options for their patients. So to some extent, we can be thankful for this. For those in the industry, the collapse of SDC isn't a great surprise. SDC started with the promise of making Orthodontic treatment more accessible, cheaper and more fun for a mass market audience. In reality, the mass market approach meant a lack of genuine, tailored expert advice. There was always going to be a fine line trying to balance cost effectiveness with quality clinical outcomes. The care that was provided was sadly well below what should have been provided, and our group of members have been re-treating SDC customers for many years now. There is no substitute for years of knowledge and experience, nor is there a one size fits all option. Especially when it comes to healthcare treatment. Our group of Orthodontists is the best there is, and guess what - they can make it fun, affordable and accessible, just as SDC promised. https://lnkd.in/gmA56R6d

As published by the Australian Dental Association 🌟 What's worse than re-doing your work on a patient? 😓 Re-doing a colleague's work... for free. 🙄 'Warranty work'—this is something we all begrudgingly accept as part of our professional responsibility. 💼 And according to social media, even more so if you are new to practice ownership. 📈 When I bought my dental practice, I readied myself for a tsunami of replacements or repairs. 🦷 But thankfully, I was wrong. 🙌 Instead of a lemon, I inherited a legacy. 🏆 My predecessor had cared for her patients for nearly thirty years. 🦷 Her patients, many now in their 80s and 90s were proud, had kept most of their teeth and maintained her rehabilitating composites and crowns. 🌟 I spent many months learning her philosophy and procedures, and I share five key lessons to help you create a lasting legacy for you, your patients and colleagues. 🤝 If you would like to read more, click on the link in the comments section. 🔗📚#AdvocatesForOralHealth  #ColgateScientificAffairs  #Advert

DDSmatch SoCal would like to celebrate another successful practice transition! Congratulations to Dr. Clark Henderson for building upon the legacy that his Mother & Father started in 1962. We celebrate your professional journey of more than 36 years as you pass the torch to Silver Creek Dental Partners, who will carry your legacy onward. We are grateful to have been part of your journey and wish you both the very best! #DDSmatchSoCal #dentalpracticeforsale #thetrustedtransitionprocess

Aside from snacking on one too many dental moulding samples, I had a fruitful few days meeting dental leaders and reps at the Midwinter meeting. People were receptive, fantastic and gracious even when they didn't see a fit between how I help and their current needs. Except one person. Someone fairly younger than me. After a string of quality conversations, I approached her for my last conversation of the day. She said what I do is "fantastic", but she won't be working with me (in a slightly condescending tone). I asked "That's alright, but may I ask why?" She said "because I have better uses for budget" in a far MORE condescending tone. Ya had to be there...but I'm telling you - it was rude and isn't the way I - or anyone else I'd met at this event - was raised to speak to others. It left worse taste in my mouth than those sample mouldings did. I'll never need this company for anything...but I will interact with plenty who do. So, a couple of takes: 1) Be courteous to everyone you meet when you're representing your company. 2) Be courteous even when you're not. 3) I now remember this company for all the wrong reasons.

You should watch the Ad😏

🏅 In the race for dental excellence, it's how we handle success and failure that defines us. Go for gold by registering for the 2024 DentalXP Summit today! 👉Register here: https://hubs.la/Q02KhNYV0

💡 My O&P colleagues - I'd love to get your thoughts, as I am sure they are varied. There continues to be a lot of talk of new up and coming manufacturers, with great ideas & solutions, wanting to go direct to consumer. Some even ask "If I can just buy (insert common good here) through an app, why can't someone with limb loss just buy a prosthesis through an app?" To that I ask, "When your child needs braces, do you just go online, buy them, and attach them on said child?" "When you need a hip replacement, do you just buy a new hip on an app and...replace yours?" But, hear me out...I *do* think a change needs to take place. However, we also need to be realistic about that change, all the various steps that need to happen, and the parties that should be involved. Visionaries are not engineers and engineers are not clinicians. I think there is a place for being able to make prosthetics easier to access, and I think that when it comes to things that are easy to connect/adjust/etc. and it doesn't *need* a clinician's involvement, then why not. But I do ask, the change makers out there, have you thought through the full process? By going direct to consumer with a complex product, how will you support those users *without* the help of clinical support...because now that you have potentially alienated that population, you will need your own staff. I'll leave you with this last thought that circles back to purchasing a common good online, let's say a car. When that car breaks down, you're not calling Nissan directly expecting them to fix it. You are going to a local shop or a Nissan dealership to fix or replace. Who will support users who have just purchased your medical device? Will new specific clinics be built around the country to support these folks? Will it all be remote? The possibilities are endless, but at what cost? #oandp American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) The O&P EDGE American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists P.S. This post is not intended in any way to throw shade at any technologies coming or on the market, I am truly just interested in some view points from the industry and am 100% all for innovation and a new way of doing things, we all are, but I think we are all also for making sure we do it right.

The dental fee guide will be increasing in 2024- here's what you need to know.