Brooks Haney, DDS, is a general practitioner in Richardson, Texas, with more than 40 years of experience. He is a former adjunct professor in operative dentistry at the Baylor College of Dentistry and a current assistant clinical director for Six Month Smiles. Dr. Haney is also a Good Fellow of the Dallas County Dental Society, an L.D. Pankey alumnus, and a member of the ADA and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
After practicing dentistry for 30 years and enjoying the knowledge I gained from attending the L.D. Pankey Institute, as well as some courses with Dr. Pete Dawson and others, I discovered short-term orthodontics.
At that time in my career, you would think there would be no big surprises or new horizons. Over the years, I have added many procedures to my practice that have been very rewarding, but nothing has been as rewarding as short-term orthodontics. We also enjoy screening our patients for such things as sleep-disordered breathing. However, the single greatest addition to our practice has been the ability to move mostly anterior teeth in a short amount of time with Six Month Smiles.
The best part about Six Month Smiles is that the real winners are our patients. When we put the concerns of our patients first and listen to their desires, we have a better chance of being successful. Over the years, I have found that many adults who really needed orthodontic treatment would turn the treatment down or decide to put it off. I have a total admiration for, and confidence in, orthodontists and have referred many patients to them.
About nine years ago, I referred a 55-year-old patient for orthodontics to a wonderful provider in our town. She returned to me in tears, explaining that she had received a four-year treatment plan. The cost was not her concern, but the time wearing metal braces was terrifying to her. She told me, “You’re my friend. You’re my dentist. Are there really no other options for me?”
That hit me hard, and I felt a huge indebtedness to her to find an answer. As a restorative dentist, I had only so many tools in my toolbox, but moving teeth with something other than just aligners was not an option for me at that time. Her concerns were not function, TMJ pain, or instability. They were strictly about the anterior teeth and cosmetics. With uneven gingival contours and teeth all out of position, she was not a candidate for crowns, veneers, bonding, or reshaping.
I had heard about Six Month Smiles, so I went to some training sessions and learned so many things I wish I had known 30 years earlier. To make my very long story short, I returned and treated this patient in six months. We did no restorations at all for her, and the results are remarkable.
I have seen her consistently over the past nine years, and nothing has changed. She is so happy and refers all her friends to me. Nothing makes you feel as good as a happy patient who refers others. Now we use short-term orthodontics all the time, not only to help with the smile but also to align teeth prior to restoration to enhance cosmetics and symmetry.
Six Month Smiles has changed our practice and the lives of so many of our patients. I now teach for Six Month Smiles and enjoy helping other doctors all over the world discover the magic of short-term orthodontics.
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