Dental Team

We are now in a society driven by multi-speed and instant gratification. We have a voracious appetite for service on demand, and on-time delivery. No single industry is immune to this expectation.Almost no members of society remain technology inert. Technology has permeated every aspect of human life.So has it in the field of dentistry.

SureSmile is a technology-based , total Orthodontic Care Solution™ that provides the orthodontist with the ability to deliver truly customized care in a patient-centered practice. It is based on a care modality that is universally considered the standard of care used in more than 80 percent of the orthodontic practices for corrective therapy and a technology that is based on the premise, that fixed appliance therapy is effective but nevertheless remains error prone because of the substantial anecdotal, perceptual and manual intensive approaches used in the selection, design, fabrication, placement and evaluation of these appliances. Starting from this baseline, the goal of Sure Smile is to minimize errors related to fixed appliance therapy by augmenting the time-tested best practices with 3-D image capturing tools, computer-based 3-D treatment planning software and automation technology to fabricate precision archwires and precision bracket placement trays that result in effectiveness and efficiency of orthodontic care. SureSmile offers unique visual tools for patient communication and care monitoring.Hence it is quickly proving to be successful in treating orthodontic patients with fewer office visits and shorter treatment times. The SureSmile system is such a significant leap forward that it has a considerable impact on a practice and can appear quite complex when first considered.

SureSmile's enabling technologies and services are:

• Scanning processes that transform the patient's teeth into 3D virtual models
• Computerized treatment planning that allows the teeth to be visualized and manipulated in 3D, in whole or in part, into a variety of simulated treatment plans or options
• Digital Lab, a group of technicians trained to produce computerized tooth models representing the initial malocclusion and the target occlusion to be evaluated according to the orthodontist's treatment objectives
• Robotic archwire customization to fabricate customized prescription archwires from shape-memory alloys and
• Practice-development services that support practices through the SureSmile learning program.

The technology components of the SureSmile components include the following:

• OraScanner™— a handheld scanning device that directly captures a three-dimensional image of the dentition in vivo. Additionally, it can be very effectively used during patient visits to explain treatment approaches and for patient education.

• SureSmile Software—allows the orthodontist to visualize and plan different treatment scenarios through the manipulation of digital diagnostic set ups and also design customized orthodontic appliances on a virtual workbench in three-dimensional space. Different care modalities can be simulated in real-time allowing the selection of an appropriate treatment plan and appliance system. This approach eliminates the error-prone and time-consuming manual planning processes associated with traditional approaches such as diagnostic setups, VTOs and occlusograms.

• Precision Prescription Appliances—The electronic appliance prescription that the orthodontist develops with the SureSmile software provides an electronic patient-specific template for bracket location and archwire design. Errors associated with traditional analog processes requiring manual archwire bending and visual estimation of bracket placement are significantly, if not totally, eliminated with this technology. The prescriptions submitted to the SureSmile Precision Appliance Center over a secure Internet connection where precision bonding trays and customized archwires are fabricated with the unique proprietary automation technology developed by OraMetrix. These appliances are shipped to the orthodontist for installation within 10 business days. The transfer tray allows the orthodontist to place brackets precisely on the dentition and, when used with the precision archwires, the orthodontist can expect targeted tooth movement with minimal untoward displacive effects. Repeat OraScans of the dentition can be taken to track the progress of treatment and detect early signs of spurious tooth movement.

Who is the Right Patient?

Type 1 patients are new patients ready for a full appliance (braces on all teeth), leveling, and aligning.
Type 2 patients need preliminary treatment prior to full appliance, such as extraction-space closure, molar distalization, maxillary expansion, or anterior intrusion.
Type 3 patients are currently in Phase 1 treatment or wearing a limited appliance (braces only on a few teeth), and are now ready for full-appliance treatment.

Phases of Treatment
Diagnostic Phase:
A patient begins the SureSmile process when the  records are acquire (standard orthodontic radiographs and photographs) and an "initial scan" of alginate impressions sent to SureSmile to produce a digital "diagnostic model." Within days,  the diagnostic model on the SureSmile software can be used to complete the diagnosis and then create or confirm the original treatment plan. If desired, various treatment options can be simulated with the 3D models in order to visualize treatment alternatives. For example, simulations can be done to see the relationships resulting from extraction or nonextraction protocols for the same patient.

Therapeutic Imaging Phase:
Following confirmation of proper bracket placement and attachment, necessary reshaping of the teeth, and acquisition of current photos and x-rays,   intraoral scanning wand is used to digitally record the current positions of the teeth and brackets. This data is automatically transferred to the SureSmile Digital Lab at Orametrix, which creates the 3D "therapeutic" model and returns it to the practice in 3 to 5 days.

Based on this therapeutic mode,  final treatment objectives are determined and directions are sent to the Digital Lab regarding the expectation of the treatment to be affected with prescribed tooth movements such as arch-width correlation, torque, rotations, angulations, intrusion, extrusion, and interdigitation. The Digital Lab technician will "reset" the therapeutic model according to the prescription and inform  if there are any excessive tooth contacts, bracket interferences, or other resulting circumstances that may contradict treatment expectations.

The Custom Therapy Phase
After  the final therapeutic model is reviewed,  the SureSmile wire(s) is ordered according to the specification and schedule the patient for wire insertion in 4 weeks. The wires are made from special "memory" alloy that has been precisely bent by a computer-directed robot. When the precision wire is inserted into the patient's mouth, it is "activated" by body temperature and begins to return to the target configuration as determined by approved setup. This stage of therapy typically takes about 4 months. The fact that these wires do not require numerous changes or modifications, or many office visits to reach the treatment goals, saves the patient treatment time, reduces the orthodontic staff's chairside requirements, and decreases the case-management time. All of this can help improve the practice's profit margin.