Note on the outside jacket folder the following important information: Band sizes and Company... so that in the event of a loose band or lost band it is quickly and readily visible... so a new band can be retrieved w/o going into the chart.

Note on the outside of the chart the Phase I start Date and the Phase II start date. This gives a quick reference to know how long they've been in Tx.

I don't know if this is legal... but when we are nearing debanding and there is a balance... we explain that we are nearing the end of Tx and that we like to have the finances completed by that point. We ask if they'd like to put the outstanding balance on a credit card or give us post-dated checks. In this way we try to avoid any collection problems.

Fuji-LC. If a loose bracket happens at 3 PM... I take off the elastomers on either side of the fractured bracket and if I'm in a round wire, I can flip the bracket over, add the Fuji-LC and then flip it back w/o any preparation to the tooth surface or the bracket base. It works! With a rectangular aw... I try and push the bracket away from the tooth and dab some Fuji-LC onto the tooth and then force the bracket back against the tooth and light it up. That also works!

Guys have been using the Fuji-LC where a bonded fixed lingual pad loosens up. They gingerly try to get some Fuji-LC into the space between the tooth and the pad... then hold it in place while they light cure it.

A friend uses a form of molar distalization similar to the Wilson Bimetric™ He places an open coil spring and a Gurin lock on the end of a rectangular archwire. He then inserts the aw in the molar HG tube and allows it to extend past the distal (I assume he curves in the distal to prevent tissue damage. He has Cl. II hooks on the aw and only the U 2112 are bonded along w/ a full lower strapup. He activates the distalizing force by moving the Gurin lock distally... compressing the spring. The anteriors are prevented from flaring by use of the Cl. II elastics. He repeats this procedure until he achieves super Cl. I molars.

When a new patient enters the office... their name is up on our bulletin board as a welcome to our office.

The new patient is escorted in by our friendliest staffer and they are introduced to everyone... much the same as if they were entering your home.

To eliminate cross contamination and save clinic time, we pre-load our alginate impression material in small plastic bags. 3 scoops for upper, 2 for lower. When it's time for an impression, dump in the measured water, twist the top of the bag closed with fingers and quickly knead the material until it's mixed. Snip the corner of the bag with scissors and squeeze the material into the tray. No fuss, little mess, and no bowls to disinfect. Be sure to get sturdy bags. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it. You will not get all the powder in the twisted part of the bag incorporated, but a smooth mix can be obtained.

When possible we take an instant family photo of our patients after the appliance placement appointment and paste it to the outside of the folder. Saves some time and embarrassment identifying who belongs to whom, both at the front desk and in the clinic.

We use colored alastic ties to indicate where to hook elastics. This can save confusion with those people who have a hard time remembering.

We did our own pamphlets and patient ed brochures on a desktop publishing program. Bought paper from "Paper Direct" [1-800-4-PAPERS] to add some style. Now if we print our own and can modify them at will. As we add new appliances we can change the instruction sheets accordingly.