I.  DID YOU HAVE BRACES WHEN YOU WERE A KID?     YES
a.  How long did you have braces?  8 YEARS
b.  Did you like having braces?
NO. BUT WITHOUT THEM I WAS A MESS.
c.  Did anybody tease you ?
NO, BUT I WAS SELF CONSCIOUS.
If so, What did you do about it?
A FEW OTHER KIDS HAD THEM TOO.
d.  Did a lot of kids in your neighborhood, school or family have braces?
NO, JUST A FEW.
e.  Did you grow up in a city, the suburbs, or in a rural area?      CITY.
f.  How did your parents help you with your braces?
THEY PAID FOR THEM AND GOT ME STARTED.
g. What age were you when your braces were taken off?      NEARLY 18.
h.  Did you like your orthodontist? YES.
i.  Did you read any books when you were a kid with characters that had braces?     NO.
j.  Did you see any celebrities with braces when you were a kid?         NO.
k.  Did you wear a retainer after your braces were taken off?         YES.
l.  Did you think it was hard taking care of your braces?
NOT REALLY.
m. Why did you need braces?

MY TEETH WERE VERY PROTRUSIVE AND LARGE AND SOME DID NOT COME IN AT THE RIGHT TIME.

n. Do you think braces hurt less now than when you had braces put on?      MUCH LESS.
o.  Do you talk to your patients differently than your orthodontist talked to you?  YES.

II.  WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO TO DENTAL SCHOOL?

I WAS GOING INTO MEDICINE, BUT AT THE TIME THERE WERE TOO MANY WHO WANTED TO GET IN SO I WENT TO THE STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, AND THEN I WAS TALKED INTO DENTISTRY BY MY COUSIN WHO WAS MY SAME AGE AND WAS GOING TO GO INTO DENISTRY.

a.  Did you like going to the dentist?
NO, ALTHOUGH THE ORTHODONTIST WAS NOT ALL THAT BAD.
b.  Did anyone encourage you to go to dental school?      MY COUSIN.
If so, who and what did they tell you?

HE SAID IT WAS A PROFESSION AND YOU ARE YOUR OWN BOSS, AND IT IS IN THE MEDICAL FIELD AND IT INVOLVES ART AND WORKING WITH PEOPLE IN A HELPFUL WAY.

c.  What school subjects helped you with dental school?
CHEMISTRY, MATH, BIOLOGY, PHYSICS.
d.  Did you think about doing any other jobs? YES.
e.  Did you know that you wanted to be an orthodontist when you started dental school?  NO.
f.  Did you go to college before you went to dental school?     YOU HAVE TO QUALIFY.

III  WHAT WAS DENTAL SCHOOL LIKE?

VERY DIFFICULT AND MANY SUBJECTS AT THE SAME TIME, AS WELL AS MUCH LAB WORK AND CARVING OF TEETH AND DENTAL PREPARATIONS, ETC...

a.  How did you choose the dental school that you went to?
IT HAD A VERY HIGH REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE.
b.  Which dental school did you go to?

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC, THEN KNOWN AS: COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS, A DENTAL COLLEGE

c.  How many years did you go to dental school? 4 YEARS.
d.  What kind of subjects did you study?

BIOCHEMISTRY, PHYSIOLOGY, ANATOMY, HISTOLOGY, MATERIAL SCIENCES, CROWN AND BRIDGE, DENTAL SURGERY, ANATOMY DISSECTION, ETC...

e.  Did you work on models?       YES.
Where did the models come from?

MADE OF PLASTICS AND WE CARVED TEETH OUT OF BLOCKS OF PLASTER. WE DID FILLINGS ON EXTRACTED TEETH AND PLASTIC TEETH.

f.  Did you work on people or animals at your dental school?

ON TYPODONTS WHICH ARE PLASTIC MODELS OF TEETH, AND THEN ON PATIENTS LATER.

g.  Did you learn about how faces change when people get older?     YES.
h.  Did you use computers to learn about how teeth change?
THEY WERE NOT INVENTED.
i.  What did you like most about dental school?
I AM NOT SURE.
j.  Did you learn about how to explain what you are doing to your patients?
NOT REALLY, ALTHOUGH BY KNOWING WHAT WE WERE DOING IT WAS NOT DIFFICULT AS LONG AS WE DID NOT USE TECHNICAL TERMS TO EXPLAIN THINGS TO THEM.
k.  Did you study other parts of the body or just the mouth?

YES.  WE DISSECTED THE WHOLE HUMAN BODY FOR ONE YEAR, AND THE HEAD AND NECK FOR ANOTHER YEAR.

l.  Did you learn about working on people of all ages?      YES.
m.  Did you enjoy dental school?
IT WAS CHALLENGING, BUT VERY INTERESTING.

IV.  WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO SPECIALIZE IN ORTHODONTICS?

I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE PEOPLE APPRECIATE AND TAKE CARE OF THEIR TEETH AND IMPROVE THEIR APPEARANCE RATHER THAN JUST PATCH UP DECAYED TEETH

a.  Was there an orthodontic part of dental school?
NOT AT THE TIME.
b.  Did you think about working mostly with kids and teenagers?      YES.
c.  Did you want to work on helping people look better?       YES.
d.  Did you like to look at people's teeth and think about how braces would change their face?    YES, I STILL DO.
e.  Did anyone tease you when you decided to be an orthodontist?
NO, IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE SELECTED TO GO INTO ORTHODONTICS.

V.  WHAT WAS ORTHODONTIC SCHOOL LIKE?
VERY DIFFICULT, BUT NOT AS MUCH PRESSURE AS DENTAL SCHOOL. WE STUDIED MORE MEDICINE AND SOME ANATOMY, AND BENDING WIRES AND MAKING BANDS WHICH WE CEMENTED TO THE TEETH, ETC.. THEN HOW TO MOVE TEETH MOST EFFECTIVELY.
a.  Where did you go to orthodontic school?

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.

b. What did you like about orthodontic school?

TO BE ABLE TO SEE HOW TO DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM AND SEE HOW WE COULD TREAT MOST EFFECTIVELY.

c.  How many years did you go to orthodontic school?
TWO YEARS.
d.  What percent of your fellow students had braces as a kid?
I AM NOT SURE - NOT TOO MANY.
e.  Did you work on models or people?      BOTH.
f.  Did you work on the same people for a long time?
YES. FOR TWO FULL YEARS.
g. Did the school teach about how people are supposed to look?     YES.
h.  Did you use computers to study orthodontics?
NO, THEY WERE REALLY NOT INVENTED THEN.
i.  Did the school teach you how to work with kids and teenagers?
TO SOME EXTENT.
j.  Did you watch other orthodontists work with patients?
YES. WE VISITED A NUMBER OF OFFICES TO GET IDEAS.

VI.  WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE AN ORTHODONTIST?

IT WAS A WONDERFUL ENVIRONMENT, AND VERY ENJOYABLE AND INTERESTING BECAUSE OF THE VARIATIONS IN GROWTH AND DEVELOPOMENT OF TEETH AND JAWS AND MOVEMENTS OF TEETH.

a.  How long have you been an orthodontist?
ABOUT 30 YEARS.
b.  Do you have to be strong to be an orthodontist?

NO. BUT IT DOES HELP TO BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE, SO THAT YOU DON'T GET TIRED EASILY.

c.  Do you get tired of working on people's mouths?      NO.
d.  What percentage of your patients are kids, teenagers and adults?
20% TEENS, 10% KIDS, 70% ADULTS (WHICH IS REALLY UNUSUAL)
What percentage are female and what percentage are male?

ABOUT 50% EACH.  AT FIRST I WOULD SAY IT WAS 2/3 FEMALE, BUT NOW IT IS MORE EVEN.

e.  Have you ever seen someone have an allergic reaction to their braces?     NOT REALLY.
If so, did they know it was because of their braces?   What does an allergic reaction look like?
IT WOULD BE AN ERUPTION OF THE INSIDE OF THE MOUTH - A SORE, OR IF ON THE SKIN AN ALLERGIC REACTION IS A SORE. I WAS ALLERGIC FOR A WHILE TO RUBBER GLOVES, BUT I SEEM TO BE OVER THAT. ALLERGIES TO METALS ARE VERY RARE
AND WOULD BE A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE.
f.  Is it difficult to explain to kids what's wrong with their bite and what needs to be done?

NO. I ALSO HAVE A BOOKLET I GIVE THEM WITH EXPLANATIONS AND CAN SHOW THEM A VIDEO ON MY COMPUTER OF HOW TEETH MOVE AND WHAT A PATIENT WOULD LOOK LIKE.

g.  Are kids easier to work with than teenagers?

YES. THEY TEND TO BE MORE ENTHUSIASTIC AND OFTEN REALLY WANT BRACES AND RETAINERS.

h.  If there is a problem with braces, can kids explain the problem to you?

SOMETIMES , ALTHOUGH THEIR PARENTS HAVE A HARD TIME AS THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR.

i.  Do you put the braces on all at once or do you put them on a little at a time?

USUALLY ALL AT ONCE EXCEPT WITH LINGUAL BRACES. I PUT THE UPPER ONES ON FIRST UNTIL THEY ARE USED TO THEM AND ONE OR TWO MONTHS LATER DO THE LOWER ONES.

j.  How do you help kids get used to braces?

THEY DO PRETTY WELL IF WE EXPLAIN WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR AND WE GIVE THEM WAX AND SHOW THEM HOW TO BRUSH WITH BRACES ON.

k.  Do you recommend any books to them to help them with braces?
WE GIVE THEM A BOOKLET WITH GOOD PICTURE AND EXPLANATIONS.
 Do you know of any books with characters with braces that kids would like?     NO.
l.  Do you take pictures of them during their visit?
ONE FOR OUR BULLETIN BOARD SO THEY CAN SEE OTHERS WITH BRACES, AND FRIENDS, AND I TAKE SOME OF THE MORE DIFFICULT CASES AND TAKE PROGRESS PHOTOS OF THEIR TEETH FROM FIVE ANGLES.
m.  How often do you take x-rays?

AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF TREATMENT, AND OF THE FOUR UPPER FRONT TEETH TWICE A YEAR TO CHECK FOR ROOT SHORTENING WHICH RARELY HAPPENS.

n.  What happens when kids loose a tooth when their braces are on?
I DON'T PUT BRACES ON BABY TEETH.
o.  Do people call you for emergencies a lot?

A FEW CALL IF A WIRE MOVES BACK AND POKES THE CHEEK OR A BRACKET COMES OFF DUE TO BITING ON A HARD PIECE OF FOOD WHICH THEY ARE TOLD NOT TO BITE ON.

p.  What are some of the emergencies people have with their braces?

WIRE COMES OUT OF THE BACK OF THE TUBE BECAUSE THEY BITE ON A BULKY, HARD PIECE OF BREAD CRUST, ETC...

q.  Do you get to know the patients pretty well?
WE DO WITH SOME WHO ARE TALKATIVE AND INTERESTED IN THEIR TREATMENT.
Do they e-mail you?      NO, BUT THAT IS A GOOD IDEA.
r. Which specialists do you work with?
PERIODONTISTS, PEDODONTISTS, ORAL SURGEONS, PLASTIC SURGEONS.
s.  What can kids do if their lips get hurt by the braces?

USE WAX ON THE BRACES AND USE ZYLOBRACE ON THE CUT OR INJURED AREA AS A BANDAGE.

t.  Do you recommend any special machines for cleaning teeth and braces?
YES. SONICARE AND ROTADENT ARE EXCELLENT ONES FOR BRACES.
u.  We heard that soda is bad for braces.  Is that true?

POSSIBLE THOUGHT TO WEAKEN THE CEMENTS AND COULD ETCH THE TEETH IF THEY HAVE NOT HAD A FLOURIDE.

v.  What are some of the things kids tell you they are afraid of with their braces?
IT MIGHT HURT.
w.  I heard that there are guards to put on if you play a wind instrument or play sports.    YES.
Are these guards a good idea?
FOR SPORTS TO PROTECT LIPS FROM BANGING AGAINST BRACKETS ON THE TEETH.
Are they hard to use?
NO. MOST ATHLETES USE THEM ANYWAY.
Are they expensive?

NO. YOU CAN GET THEM AT A SPORTING GOODS STORE OR FROM YOUR ORTHODONTIST.

x.  Do you look at celebrities and think about whether they had braces?
MOST OF THE MODELS YOU SEE IN MAGAZINES HAVE HAD BRACES.
Have you ever worked on someone who was or became a celebrity?
YES. A MINISTER. BASKETBALL PLAYER. PRESIDENTS OF SOME LARGE COMPANIES.
y.  What do you think of computer imaging?
GOOD, EXCEPT IT MAY GIVE A FALSE IMPRESSION OF THE FINAL RESULT.

Is it the same technology as when police show what a missing kid would look like when they are older?

NOT REALLY. IT DOES SHOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE JAW IS MOVED INTO THE IDEAL POSITION. IN SOME WAYS IT IS LIKE WHAT YOU HAVE DESCRIBED, ALTHOUGH IT DOES NOT HAVE TO HAVE THE COMPLICATION OF SOFT TISSUE FORECASTING.

Does it help kids work harder to take care of their braces?
IT MIGHT IF THEY SEE WHAT THE FINAL RESULT MAY LOOK LIKE.
z.  Which part of getting braces do kids like the least?
GETTING NEW WIRES WHICH  MIGHT CAUSE MORE DISCOMFORT.
 

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