The Occasional Orthodontic Disappointment

Occasionally we have a patient who does not end up experiencing the kind of dramatic improvements that most of our patients enjoy. This is the exception to the rule, but it does happen occasionally. There is a reason for this, however. In this scenario the patient most likely came in to Sonshine Dental Care expecting to just hand us some money, get an orthodontic apparatus fixed to their teeth by Dr. Nieten, come in to our office periodically to get a check up, and miraculously develop perfect teeth over the next couple of years, but this is not what occurs at Sonshine Dental Care.

We Can Accomplish Far More Together!

Many orthodontic practices do operate the way previously described, but because they don't involve the patient in the treatment the way they we do, they sacrifice many of the important orthodontic possibilities (particularly the best possible results and the speed of treatment). The reason they do this is to keep things easy... especially for them. They don't want to have to rely on patient participation in the treatment process at all because to them this is just another variable where something could go wrong. While in a way they are correct, we have decided to choose a different perspective on this issue: While most other orthodontists see patient participation as an opportunity for something to potentially go wrong, Sonshine Dental Care sees it as an opportunity to maximize treatment effectiveness. While most other orthodontists attempt to keep total control of the treatment process, we value including and involving our patients in treatment to get much better results and to get them more quickly. We believe that this teamwork perspective we have of our relationship with our patients, wanting to work together with our patients and not just on them, says alot about our attitude toward our patients. We hope you see that too.

Sonshine Dental Care strives for the best, not just the easiest. We want patients who also want the best and not just the easiest.

How Our Patients Help Us:

In orthodontic treatment, most patients don't realize that they actually possess the power and ability to make the majority of their own orthodontic improvement. Dr. Nieten only possesses the understanding of how this power can be harnessed to get the best results. Dr. Nieten puts faith in his patients' willingness and ability to understand the desired goals and methods that will be employed to achieve them. He also has faith that his patients can and will help him. He realizes that much more can be accomplished with both the patient and the doctor together.

Sonshine Dental Care's treatment methods are far more natural, faster, more effective, safer, and the results are far more lasting than are those of traditional orthodontics. All of this is true, but there is one very small price to be paid: patients must comply with Dr. Nieten's treatments and the accompanying instructions! These treatments can be so effective that they seem almost miraculous when the patient does his or her part (i.e. wearing appliances and trainers as instructed, doing the prescribed exercises properly and as frequently as instructed, and avoiding popping off brackets) It is important that our patients understand that these methods and treatments don't just "not work" sometimes for no apparent reason. Simply put, if you go out and buy a brand new car, you can pretty much count on it to drive. But when you fail to put gas in it and it sputters to a stop, it's hardly the fault of the car or the car dealer.

The Most Common Culprit:

The car scenario illustrated above is very similar in the orthodontic treatments employed by Dr. Nieten, which are proven treatments that do work, so we do not hesitate to proclaim that almost always (nearly 95% of the time) when the treatment is not going as planned or as promised, or as quickly as planned or as promised, there is something in error on the patient's part in regard to compliance. Sometimes the patient misunderstands the treatment and what it requires of him or her, sometimes (usually in the case some adult patients) the patient is only willing to partially comply (only wears their appliance or trainer part of the time instructed), and sometimes (usually in the case many younger patients) the parents have fallen short in keeping their child or teen accountable (making sure the the young patient is wearing their appliance and/or doing their exercises properly and frequently). It unfortunately does not matter whether it is simply a misunderstanding on the patient's part or it is blatant lack of cooperation (yes, usually in small children ;). The outcome is the same: very little to no progress. It is amazing how Dr. Nieten is usually able to see the lack of progress, determine the cause of the problem through asking a few questions, and then correct the problem causing the treatment progress absolutely leap forward!It is like a switch has been flipped!

Why Any Of This Is Important

Why are we telling you all of this? Well, simply put, we want the best results we can possibly get for you. It's good for you, and it's good for us. You get a beautiful and healthy smile that you will always enjoy, and we get the satisfaction of another job well done. It's extremely satisfying for you and for us when you leave Sonshine Dental Care with a beautiful and healthy smile, but we cannot accomplish it alone. We need your help, and now you know how and why.

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