I want to congratulate my dad on writing a great article in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics (JCO) about “Self-Ligating” (SL) braces. The JCO is one of the most widely read orthodontic journals in the world. The JCO highlights newer orthodontic clinical techniques with contributions from orthodontists all over the world. His selection to have this article published is a great tribute to his contribution to the advancement of our orthodontic profession, and all of us at Fry Orthodontic Specialists congratulate him on this great article. Dr. Bob Fry’s Article in the JCO
SL braces allow many advantages for our patients. In the Old Days, the only way to get the wire into the braces or “brackets” was to tie the large wires in with tiny smaller wires…there were wires everywhere! Many of you may remember your braces experience where things were “tightened” at every appointment and the large wire that went into the braces was cranked on by the orthodontist to get it to fit. Most do not have fond memories of this experience. SL braces allow for the wires that move teeth to be placed in the braces with much less force and without the need to tie them in! The results include:
- Shorter treatment times,
- Shorter, more comfortable appointments,
- Longer intervals between appointments (fewer missed school and work days!).
Fry Orthodontic Specialists have been using SL braces exclusively for over 15 years. Some of you may have heard of Damon braces, which has been marketed heavily in the past couple of years. We were one of the first 12 offices in the world to use the Damon System over 15 years ago. This system was the best of the best for many years. As this article shows, we switched to a better system called Innovation-R and Innovation-C which has allowed us to treat patients much faster, schedule fewer appointments for patients, and decrease cost.
At Fry Orthodontic Specialists, you can trust that we will continue to be on the forefront of research and be diligent in continual learning to find the best solutions for shorter and more comfortable treatments for our patients.
Dr. Jeremy