I.  DID YOU HAVE BRACES WHEN YOU WERE A KID?     YES
a.  How long did you have braces?  3 YEARS
b.  Did you like having braces?

YES, BUT IT HURT A LITTLE TO PUT THEM ON AND GET USED TO. IT IS PRETTY EASY NOW IN COMPARISON.

c.  Did anybody tease you?  YES
If so, What did you do about it?

I DID NOT WORRY ABOUT IT AS IT WAS THE SAME KIDS THAT WOULD TEASE YOU ABOUT ANYTHING. THEY WERE GENERALLY THE BULLIES, JEALOUS OR ONE OF THE BAD GROUPS

d.  Did a lot of kids in your neighborhood, school or family have braces?
HARDLY ANYONE HAD THEM IN THE LATE 50'S AS THEY WERE SO EXPENSIVE.  NOW ALMOST ANYONE CAN AFFORD THEM.  MY PARENTS DROVE ME 300 MILES TO SACRAMENTO CALIFORNIA SO SEE THE FATHER OF MY UNCLES WIFE AS MY PARENTS COULD NOT AFFORD BRACES.  I HAD GREAT PARENTS WHO CARED ABOUT ME.
e.  Did you grow up in a city, the suburbs, or in a rural area?

I GREW UP ON A CATTLE RANCH IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA NEXT TO NEVADA AND OREGON

f.  How did your parents help you with your braces?

THEY SAW THE NEED FOR THEM AS MY FRONT TEETH STUCK WAY OUT AND MADE SURE THAT I WOULD GET THEM SOMEHOW.

g.  What age were you when your braces were taken off?     17
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 AN UPPER AND LOWER REMOVABLE ONES
l.  Did you think it was hard taking care of your braces?
NOT AFTER I LEARNED HOW.
m.  Why did you need braces?
MY UPPER FRONT TEETH STUCK WAY OUT
n.  Do you think braces hurt less now than when you had braces put on?
MUCH, MUCH LESS
o.  Do you talk to your patients differently than your orthodontist talked to you?
YES, I TRY TO EXPLAIN THINGS MORE AND GET TO KNOW THEM AS A PERSON

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

MY UNCLE WAS A DENTIST AND I SAW WHAT HE HAD TO LEARN, PLUS I WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN SCIENCE AND BIOLOGY.

a.  Did you like going to the dentist?
NO IT WAS IN THE OLD DAYS BEFORE HIGH SPEED HANDPIECES AND WAS NOT FUN
b.  Did anyone encourage you to go to dental school?

MY UNCLE AND MY PARENTS.......MORE IMPORTANTLY, NO ONE TRIED TO DISCOURAGE ME.

If so, who and what did they tell you?
NO ONE TOLD ME MUCH OF ANYTHING.  I JUST ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS
c.  What school subjects helped you with dental school?
UPPER DIVISION BIOLOGY CLASSES SUCH AS PHYSIOLOGY, EMBRYOLOGY, GENETICS, ZOOLOGY, COMPARATIVE ANATOMY, BACTERIOLOGY, AND ANATOMY.  THE BEST ONE WAS A CLASS CALLED MICROTECHNIQUE WHERE WE MADE MICROSCOPIC SLIDES OF ALL TISSUES WITH DIFFERENT STAINS, THIS CLASS WAS THE MOST HELPFUL.
d.  Did you think about doing any other jobs?

YES. IF I DID NOT GET ACCEPTED INTO DENTAL SCHOOL I WAS GOING TO GET MY Ph.D. AND BE A COLLEGE PROFESSOR.

e.  Did you know that you wanted to be an orthodontist when you started
dental school?
NO I WANTED TO BE AN ORAL SURGEON
f.  Did you go to college before you went to dental school?

I WENT TO UC BERKELEY AND HUMBOLDT STATE IN CALIFORNIA AND RECEIVED A DEGREE IN ZOOLOGY. A DEGREE IS THE NORM

III.  WHAT WAS DENTAL SCHOOL LIKE?

IT WAS DIFFICULT BUT FUN AT THE SAME TIME AND WHAT YOU WERE LEARNING WAS EXCITING.

a.  How did you choose the dental school that you went to?

THE ONE THAT ACCEPTED ME. IF MORE THAN ONE ACCEPTANCE I WOULD CHOOSE THE ONE MORE CLINICALLY ORIENTED AND NOT JUST RESEARCH.

b.  Which dental school did you go to?
THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
c.  How many years did you go to dental school?     4
d.  What kind of subjects did you study?

THE FIRST TWO YEARS ARE ABOUT THE SAME AS MEDICAL SCHOOL FROM 8 TO NOON AND THEN DENTAL CLASSES AND CLINIC FRO 1 TO 5.

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

THEY ARE CALLED ENDOFORMS OR MANNEQUINS AND DENTAL SUPPLY COMPANIES SELL THEM

f.  Did you work on people or animals at your dental school?     PEOPLE
g.  Did you learn about how faces change when people get older?     YES
h.  Did you use computers to learn about how teeth change?
NO THEY WERE NOT USED YET
i.  What did you like most about dental school?     LEARNING
j.  Did you learn about how to explain what you are doing to your patients?
A LITTLE, BUT NOT MUCH
k.  Did you study other parts of the body or just the mouth?
WE TOOK ANATOMY FOR THE WHOLE BODY OVER AT THE MEDICAL SCHOOL
l.  Did you learn about working on people of all ages?     YES
m.  Did you enjoy dental school?
YES, BUT I WAS READY TO LEAVE AFTER FOUR YEARS AND I HAD A LOT OF DEBT

IV.  WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO SPECIALIZE IN ORTHODONTICS?

I REALIZED I DID NOT LIKE GENERAL DENTISTRY, DENTURES, FILLINGS AND CROWNS, BUT I DID LIKE ORTHODONTICS.

a.  Was there an orthodontic part of dental school?
YES, BUT IT IS MINOR
b.  Did you think about working mostly with kids and teenagers?     YES
c.  Did you want to work on helping people look better?

YES, AS THEY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO FOR THEM, UNLIKE PLACING A GOOD FILLING.

d.  Did you like to look at people's teeth and think about how braces would change their face? YES
e.  Did anyone tease you when you decided to be an orthodontist?

NO, AS ONLY THE TOP 5% OF THE CLASS IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED INTO ORTHODONTIC SCHOOL.

V.  WHAT WAS ORTHODONTIC SCHOOL LIKE?
IT WAS THE MOST FUN
a.  Where did you go to orthodontic school?
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
b.  What did you like about orthodontic school?

BEING TREATED LIKE A DOCTOR AND MAKING MY PATIENTS LOOK BETTER AND HAPPIER

c.  How many years did you go to orthodontic school?     27 MONTHS
d.  What percent of your fellow students had braces as a kid?
ABOUT HALF.  I TREATED ONE OF MY CLASSMATES IN SCHOOL
e.  Did you work on models or people?     NO
f.  Did you work on the same people for a long time?
YES, 2 YEARS AND WE HAD TO FINISH A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THEM
g.  Did the school teach about how people are supposed to look?     YES
h  Did you use computers to study orthodontics?
NO, IT WAS ALL DONE BY HAND THEN
i.  Did the school teach you how to work with kids and teenagers?
NO, ONLY HOW TO STRAIGHTEN TEETH AND MAKE FACES LOOK BETTER
j.  Did you watch other orthodontists work with patients?
YES. THAT WAS VERY, VERY HELPFUL

VI.  WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE AN ORTHODONTIST?
a.  How long have you been an orthodontist?     28 YEARS
b.  Do you have to be strong to be an orthodontist?
NOT STRONG PHYSICALLY BUT STRONG MENTALLY
c.  Do you get tired of working on people's mouths?

YES, IF YOU DON'T TAKE VACATIONS AND SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY

d.  What percentage of your patients are kids, teenagers and adults?
80% UNDER 18 AND 20% OVER 18
What percentage are female and what percentage are male?
I DON'T KNOW BUT WOULD GUESS IT IS ALMOST EQUAL OR SLIGHTLY MORE FEMALE
e.  Have you ever seen someone have an allergic reaction to their braces?
NO, BUT SOME TIMES TO ACRYLIC
If so, did they know it was because of their braces?  What does an allergic reaction look like?
IT IS USUALLY A RED RASH AND SWOLLEN TISSUE
f.  Is it difficult to explain to kids what's wrong with their bite and what needs to be done?
NO, NOT NOW THAT WE HAVE COMPUTERS AND VIDEO
g.  Are kids easier to work with than teenagers?
SOMETIMES
h.  If there is a problem with braces, can kids explain the problem to you?
YES. WE GIVE THEM A BOOK THAT TELLS WHAT THE NAME OF EVERYTHING IS
i.  Do you put the braces on all at once or do you put them on a little at a time?
ALL AT ONCE .......... ABOUT 45 MINUTES
j.  How do you help kids get used to braces?
GIVE THEM WAX AND A NUMBING SALVE
k.  Do you recommend any books to them to help them with braces?     NO
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?
AT THE FIRST AND LAST VISITS AND SOMETIMES DURING TREATMENT
m.  How often do you take x-rays?

ONCE IN THE BEGINNING, ONCE HALF WAY THROUGH AND ONCE AT THE END UNLESS THERE ARE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

n.  What happens when kids loose a tooth when their braces are on?
THEY WIGGLE OUT THEIR BABY TEETH AS NORMAL AND IT IS NOT A PROBLEM
o.  Do people call you for emergencies a lot?
ABOUT 10 A WEEK
p.  What are some of the emergencies people have with their braces?

USUALLY BECAUSE THE PATIENT IS NOT CAREFUL WHEN THEY EAT OR THEY GET HIT. A WIRE IS POKING OR BENT, A TIE COMES OFF OR A BRACE COMES OFF

q.  Do you get to know the patients pretty well? YES
Do they e-mail you?     NOT MUCH. I WISH THEY WOULD
r.  Which specialists do you work with?
ALL DENTAL SPECIALISTS AND MANY MEDICAL SPECIALISTS
s.  What can kids do if their lips get hurt by the braces?
KEEP IT CLEAN AND WEAR SOME WAX UNTIL IT HEALS
t.  Do you recommend any special machines for cleaning teeth and braces?
YES, TWO BRANDS OF "ELECTRIC" TOOTH BRUSHES
u.  I heard that soda is bad for braces.  Is that true?

ONLY IF YOU SIP IT A LOT AND DRINK SODA ALL THE TIME. ONLY ONE PER DAY AND OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND IT SHOULD BE DIET

v.  What are some of the things kids tell you they are afraid of with their braces?
THEY ARE AFRAID IT WILL HURT AND WHEN IT DOES NOT THEY ARE REALLY HAPPY

w. I heard that there are guards to put on if you play a wind instrument or play sports. Are these guards a good idea?

MOUTH GUARDS ARE ONLY FOR CONTACT SPORTS AND ARE NOT NEEDED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Are they hard to use?    NO
Are they expensive?      I GIVE THEM AWAY
x.  Do you look at celebrities and think about whether they had braces?    YES
Have you ever worked on someone who was or became a celebrity?

YES. HE WAS THE BICYCLE RACING CHAMPION OF THE WORLD AND WON THE TOUR DeFRANCE

y.  What do you think of computer imaging?
IT IS TREMENDOUS AND I USE IT ALL THE TIME

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

WE DO SOME OF THAT BUT ONLY AS NEEDED, GENERALLY FOR SURGERY CASES
Does it help kids work harder to take care of their braces?
NO, BUT IT SHOWS THEM WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THEY DON'T
z.  Which part of getting braces do kids like the least?

HAVING THEM PUT ON AND TAKING THEM OFF AND CHANGING THE ARCH WIRES THAT MAKE THE TEETH MOVE. NONE OF IT HURTS, BUT IT DOES MAKE THE TEETH TENDER TO BITE ON FOR A FEW DAYS.

 

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