Cutting “wired” time a treat for patients

Sparta - Braces are far more cool than they used to be. Gone are the days when kids dreaded being called “metal mouth.” So many people, and not just kids, have braces today, the teasing is nearly gone, although the ability to shoot rubber bands at the teacher’s back with one’s tongue is still a coveted trait. Teens color-coordinate their braces with the holiday season or school colors Nevertheless, braces aren’t the most fun accessory. Gum chewing is out. Caramels are a thing of the past. And the terror of junior high remains - what if during your first kiss, your braces get locked? So limiting one’s time in braces is an exciting thought. In the United States, there are approximately 100 orthodontists using SureSmile - an orthodontic system designed for the individual which cuts down on time spent in braces. A popular system in California and the rest of the West Coast, it has reached the Tri-State Area with four orthodontists who are trained in the new system: Connecticut, one in New York City, one in Emerson and one right here in Sparta. Dr. Anna Patras is the local orthodontist using SureSmile. Patras emigrated to the United States from Poland in 1984. After earning a degree in nursing, she went back to school to become a dentist and graduated from the University of Dentistry of New Jersey with honors. She received her orthodontic certification after completing her residency at Columbia University. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, the highest honor in her field. When she completed her training, she found employment with Dr. Grano in Sparta. When Grano decided to retire, Patras bought the practice from him. Patras updated the office with all new equipment and computers, making the practice a paperless one. In her search for the latest cutting edge technology, she was reading through an orthodontic magazine and saw an article a female dentist who used SureSmile. “I asked myself, what’s this?” she said in a recent interview. She was intrigued and did research to find out what it was all about and discovered it was exactly what she was looking for. “Sure Smile cuts treatment by 40 to 50 percent” explained Patras. “SureSmile’s motto is The Shortest distance to a Straight Smile. It can be used for adults, teens or kids.” It begins with x-rays and traditional orthodontic impressions. The impressions are then scanned into the computer with the OraScanner by Sharon Steele, the Digital Lab Coordinator at Patras’ practice. “It’s not an x-ray. It uses bright white light to take photos of the teeth. It allows us to build a 3-D model in the computer,” said Steele. Once the impressions have been scanned into the computer, the digital imaging program creates a 3-D model of the mouth for Patras to use to design treatment specific to the patients mouth. The treatment plan’s goal is to find the best way for the teeth to get from their original alignment to perfectly straight. “The advantage of SureSmile is not that is moves the teeth faster, but that is moves them along a shorter path to their final destination,” said Patras. With the treatment plan set to go, it is sent to a lab in Texas where one of two such robots in the world - the other is in Germany - creates a custom archwire for the braces. “Sir Bendalot is the robot in Texas’ name. We met him while we were there training,” said Steele. The robot bends and shapes SureSmile’s Smart Shape Memory Alloy based on the specific treatment defined by Patras. While the wait for the Shape Memory Alloy archwire is about 3 months, the patient is fitted with traditional braces and wiring to start the process. “You can even use clear braces, if you’d like,” though Patras recommends the traditional silver ones. Once the archwire arrives it is approved by Patras or sent back for changes. “You can crumble up the wire, but once it is warmed it takes back the shape it was made into by the robot,” explained Patras. This allows for easy placement into the mouth. Patras cools the wire down, inserts it, and when the mouth begins to warm the wire, it will takes it’s prescribed shape. For more information, call the office at 973-729-5900 or go online at www.DrPatras.com or www.suresmile.com.