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STRIVING TO IMPROVE PATIENT CARE

June 19th, 2018

GREETINGS ALL FAMILIES OF THORNTON ORTHODONTICS,

OUR PRACTICE IS GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH SOME EXCITING CHANGES NEXT WEEK AND DR. THORNTON WANTED TO BRING YOU INTO THE LOOP! WE WILL BE UPGRADING THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM USED TO ORGANIZE THE PRACTICE. THE NEW SYSTEM WILL HELP US ACCESS PATIENT INFORMATION QUICKER AND WITH AN EVEN HIGHER LEVEL OF SECURITY.

WE HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD THE PAST FEW MONTHS TO PREP FOR THIS TRANSITION. OUR GOAL HAS BEEN TO ENSURE THE CHANGES HAPPEN SMOOTHLY WITHOUT EFFECTING THE HIGH LEVEL OF PATIENT CARE THAT OUR TEAM PRIDE OURSELVES ON. 

ONE ASPECT THAT WILL BE CHANGING, WILL BE THE WAY THE SYSTEM ORGANIZES DR. THORNTON'S SCHEDULE. WHEN OUR CURRENT SCHEDULE IS CONVERTED, THE SOFTWARE WILL SLIGHTLY ALTER CURRENT APPOINTMENTS TO FIT THE NEW SCHEDULING PARAMETERS. THE APPOINTMENT REMINDERS THAT ARE SENT WILL LIKELY BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY RESERVED, BY 5-15 MINUTES. TO MINIMIZE SCHEDULING DELAYS WHEN YOU COME IN NEXT, PLEASE PLAN TO USE THE NEW APPOINTMENT TIMES GIVEN IN YOUR REMINDER. IF THAT TIME OVERLAPS WITH ANOTHER COMMITMENT, PLEASE CALL US AS SOON AS YOU ARE ABLE TO FIND A TIME THAT DOES WORK FOR YOU.

ABOVE ALL, THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR PATIENCE WHILE WE WORK TO MAKE THIS CHANGE SUCCESSFUL.  WE ARE ALWAYS STRIVING TO IMPROVE PATIENT CARE, SO THANK YOU FOR BARING WITH US.

SINCERELY,

THE THORNTON ORTHODONTIC TEAM

Patient Appreciation Pool Party

June 19th, 2018

Our annual pool party is almost here!  Get excited to swim and play on an obstacle course! Be sure to enter Dr. Thornton’s raffle drawings. There are a TONS of cool prizes! Let us know you're coming by emailing or by responding to the evite or call us!!!

We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP by evite:  http://evite.me/G1buZ4vqyM 

Email thorntonortho@gmail.com or

Phone: 541-686-1732

Top Ways to Ensure You and Your Braces Have a Good Relationship

February 8th, 2018

You and your braces will become good friends over the coming months or years, so it’s important to get your relationship off to a good start. Consider the following recommendations to prevent rocky times ahead:

  1. Floss, floss, floss. Yes, it’s a pain to floss around your braces, but it’s the best way to prevent gum disease and other oral health problems. Ask Dr. Thornton and our team for floss threaders to make the chore easier. Just a few minutes per day will ensure that you don’t face significant dental health issues when the braces come off.
  2. Avoid sticky or hard foods. It’s tough to forgo toffee, caramel, gum, and other favorite sticky treats, but your braces will thank you. Sticky or hard foods can break a bracket or wire, so it’s best to avoid them altogether.
  3. Chew with your back teeth. If you’re used to taking large bites with your front teeth, it might be time to switch your eating habits. Taking a large bite of food with your front teeth can leave your braces vulnerable to damage. Instead, cut large foods into small pieces and use your back teeth to chew. This is especially important with corn on the cob, which should always be cut from the cob.
  4. Wear rubber bands. Rubber bands and other orthodontic appliances may seem annoying, but failing to comply with wearing them can increase the length of your treatment by months. Wear them now to avoid problems in the future.

Retainers...Some important notes.

October 23rd, 2017

Removing braces signals the end of wires and brackets and the start of something beautiful...retainers! Retainers come in all shapes and sizes and are always customized to a patient's individual needs. Since many patients take the opportunity to customize their appliance with glitter, a design or pictures, the creativity is endless. These small and glamorous appliances serve a important role. All retainers need to be worn consistently, checked regularly and cared for responsibly.

After active orthodontic treatment is complete the surrounding bone and soft tissue takes some time to remodel and provide solid structure for the teeth. Until that happens, the orthodontic correction that Dr. Thornton and your braces have accomplished is at risk. Crowding, tooth rotations and spaces returning are all things that need consistent retention to control. This is why Dr. Thornton will see patients regularly for the first year following their braces being removed. He begins the retention phase by asking patients to wear their retainer all day and night, unless eating or brushing. After about 4-6 months, Dr. Thornton will transition patients to wearing their retainers at night only.

Caring for retainers is an important responsibility. We hate to see families have to replace a retainer unnecessarily because it wasn't cared for properly. Make sure to always put it in the case when it is not being worn. Many retainers have met their end because they ended up on a lunch tray, in a purse or backpack or left on a counter. Also, they make the most untimely dog toys, so watch out for Spot!

All well worn retainers get a little funky, so don't get worried.  Dr. Thornton expects to see some grit and grime when he checks retainers, but we do want to help you keep things as fresh as possible. Retainers that are not cleaned properly will harbor extra bacteria and can contribute to bad breath, and no one wants that! A separate tooth brush, room temperature water and mild dish soap is the best option for daily cleaning. A deep clean can be accomplished with retainer or denture cleaning tablets purchased from the store. It is important NOT to wash your retainer in the dishwasher, microwave or boiling water, as these techniques will likely damage the appliance.

Dr. Thornton always encourages all patients to continue wearing retainers nightly through out life, just to stay in the habit of regular wear. Even if patients choose to cut back on wearing their retainers, it is still very important to follow all the care details closely. With great retainer use, beautiful and healthy smiles will last a lifetime!

Gearing up for Summer!

June 1st, 2017

Here at the office we can smell summer right around the corner. There are plenty of fidgety kiddos, anxious teenagers and even more anxious teachers sitting in our chairs everyday. For us Summer tends  to the the busiest time of the year and instead of winding down for an easy season, we are gearing up for a bonding palooza and other summer events.

We are kicking off June by participating for the first time in The Great Cycle Challenge. This is a nation wide cycling event that lasts the entire month of June and helps raise awareness and funds to fight childhood cancer. When we heard about it, we felt compelled to get involved. We have dedicated our lives to helping kids smile bigger, better and boldly. With that in mind, we felt the least we could do was throw our hat in the ring for all those kids, in our practice and across the nation, who are struggling to stay healthy. Together our team is working hard to ride 950 miles and raise $1000 for this cause. For anyone interested in joining our team, the invite is open to all our friends of the practice. You can get involved by going to www.greatcyclechallenge.com.

Secondly, throughout the summer we will be bonding braces left and right. Many families find that the lazy days of summer fit really well to start working orthodontics into their lives. Last year we helped nearly 250 families take a step toward a healthier smile by either starting care, having their initial evaluation or marking important growth to plan future treatment. Our schedule is already filling up with adults and kids starting their smile adventure in Invisalign or braces. We can't wait to see who this year brings to our practice!

Finally, we are looking forward to the 9th annual Patient Appreciation Pool Party at Amazon Pool. We've set the date for July 30th and are diving straight into making this a stellar party! Back by popular demand, we'll have Dr. Thornton in the dunk tank so guests can playfully unleash any pent up aggression. Pizza, drinks and a killer raffle are also in the works. Don't miss this or you'll be sorry you did! The remaining details will be in an email invitation, so make sure you keep an eye out for it.

Summer at Thornton Orthodontics has always been an action packed, fun in the sun kind of smile party and so far this year is looking like it won't disappoint! We can't wait to hear what all of you have planned.

Our new Itero scanner is our "Magic Machine"

May 3rd, 2017

BEFORE vs. AFTER

Everyone remembers the timeless messy impressions at the orthodontist. They fill up a metal tray with this gloppy goo that, if you're lucky, has been flavored like bubblegum. Then they put it in your mouth for what feels like a lifetime, during which you focus with all your brainpower on not tossing your cookies. The entire process is almost a right of passage when it comes to braces...BUT...with Dr. Thornton these memories are a thing of the past! About a year ago we transitioned to capturing most models with our digital Itero scanner and keeping a computer image of your teeth to use for records. These digital records can be easily used to fabricate custom Invisalign aligners, as well as additional custom appliances. Our magical Itero machine has made a huge difference to our smile team and now we welcome the next generation of the technology.

Soon to be delivered, is the latest model of the Itero, the Element. This machine has made dramatic improvements to the already impressive technology. It can now produce a digital model in under 2 minutes with incredible accuracy. Once the model has been completed, it can be uploaded in seconds to provide an alignment prediction and...SHAZAM...you can watch the step by step alignment to your dream smile. From that software Dr. Thornton can submit the desired movements to Invisalign, where he carefully plans each aligner in your series. The digital file also gives him the capability to print a 3D model in our very  own office.

It's true that there are still some situations where a traditional impression is best, but we have still done our best to make that as smooth as possible. We have enough flavors to open an ice cream shop and the material we use sets up in 30 seconds.

Don't miss the demo video of our magical new Itero machine here!

Patients of All Ages Love Dr. Thornton!

March 9th, 2017

"Adult patients are some of my favorites! They take great care of their teeth and do exactly what I need them to. I feel very privileged to finally give them the smile they have always wanted!" - Dr. Thornton

We've heard Dr. Thornton mention this more times than we can count. Of course it's exciting to help any patient get started on the road to a more confident smile, but there is something really special about helping adults. Sometimes it's a mom who has put 3 kids through braces and now she finally says, "It's my turn!" Other times it's a retired person who realizes they still have so much life to live and they want to do it with a smile just as bright as their spirit. There are a lot of reasons that adults in the Eugene area look to Dr. Thornton for braces or Invisalign, and the benefits last a lifetime.

Since teeth are dynamic in nature, over time they wrinkle just like skin, whether or not you've ever had braces before. There is a tendency for them to drift forward causing crowding. People might like not the way that looks, but it can also cause a challenge with cleaning and lead to bone loss, as many dentist have told their patients. Those are some of the prompts for patients to schedule an orthodontic exam. During that time, Dr. Thornton evaluates the needs carefully and then clearly explain the details and benefits of all treatment options.

Once treatment has begun, Dr. Thornton works hard to maximize the progress at each appointment. Whether it is small or large changes needing to be accomplished, modern orthodontics offer many different options to reach those goals. Dr. Thornton loves Invisalign in particular for adults, as it allows him the freedom to control each step of the tooth movement before the patient even gets the aligners. And since adult patients are often motivated to get in and out of treatment as quickly as possible, they do a great job complying with the aligners.

In the end, what we hear is, "If I knew how easy it was going to be, I would have done this a long time ago!" And it is our pleasure to make that happen. Here are just a few of our many adult patients:

A closer look at Invisalign

February 8th, 2017

There are many clear aligner systems out there claiming to be able to do all that braces can do in correcting teeth, but Dr. Thornton has found that is often not the case. He has tried several of the available choices, but has found that Invisalign is the one he can count on to reach the exceptional results that are his standard. In fact, he has been successfully treating patients with the system since he begun his practice in 2008. Over those many years he has learned 3 important keys in working with Invisalign.

First off, you have to start off on the right foot. Each series of aligners are fabricated all at the same time, so Dr. Thornton carefully evaluates the records taken before treatment begins to make sure each step of the tooth movement is carefully planned. He has gained valuable experience in predicting the sequence of movements that are necessary to get patients to their final healthy smile.

Secondly, patient partnership is crucial. Each set of aligners are worn for 1 to 2 weeks a piece, depending on Dr. Thornton's treatment plan. The aligners have to be worn an average of 22 out of 24 hours a day for 1 to 2 weeks. When patients commit to wearing the aligners as needed, they sail through the alignment process. Without that commitment, the full tooth movement of each aligner is not able to be accomplished, so the teeth end up a step behind when switching to the next set of aligners. After enough of "the two steps forward one step back" game, we often notice that alignment is not progressing as planned, so treatment may need to be halted while a new series of aligners are made.

Finally, you can't under estimate what those aligners can do! Not everyone is an ideal candidate for the Invisalign technology, but Dr. Thornton has been surprised countless times with what can be accomplished. He has seen dramatic changes with severe crowding, closing excess spacing, misaligned bites and countless other complex dental issues.

In conclusion, Dr. Thornton loves Invisalign! It has proven to be innovative, reliable and an overall great option for a lot of patients. Please check out some of the before and after photos on our Invisalign page and at the main Invisalign website.

The glorious world of insurance.

January 12th, 2017

A new year has begun and often times that coincides with a change in insurance, so we thought we would answer some frequently asked questions when it comes to orthodontic benefits.

What insurance covers braces? Typically orthodontic benefits are provided by a patient's dental insurance, but are independent of the benefits that cover fillings and cleanings. The only time there is a possibility of having coverage through a medical provider is if there is facial malformation that require braces to correct, like a person who was born with a cleft palate.

How can I know how much my plan will cover? This is a team effort between us and the insurance subscriber. Before any treatment is begun, our financial team always contacts your insurance personally to get the most thorough explanation of benefits possible. We always request a printed explanation of the plan, and check to see if there are any exclusions to benefits or pre-authorizations required before treatment begins. That being said, some insurance companies offer more help to a third party inquiring about benefits than others. There is not always a personal representative available to clarify unclear details and they will never guarantee benefits until the claim is submitted, so it is important to cross check the information we receive with the employees plan description. We try our best to estimate benefits with as much accuracy as possible, but it is always only an estimate.

Do I have to get a referral or a predetermination of benefits to have my braces covered by insurance? Usually not. The vast majority of orthodontic coverage is available without a referral from your general dentist. There are a handful of plans that require a referral, but we can help coordinate any required red tape before treatment is begun.

What are the benefits of going to an in-network provider for my braces? There are two main reasons: greater likelihood of familiarity with your individual plan and possibility of saving money on the cost of treatment.

When you go to an in-network provider, they often times have more insight into how your insurance company processes claims, than one that does not work with the company frequently. Although, there are many customizations available to dental plans in today's marketplace. Sometimes the true nature of your plan may be more complicated than who the face of the insurance is.  For example, your insurance may be paid through Aetna, which we are a contracted provider for, but your plan may have specific limitations within the Aetna network of providers. As a bonus, in some situations your out of pocket cost may be reduced because of the contracted rates agreed upon by the provider and insurance company.

Does orthodontic insurance cover more treatment than standard braces? Yes! Insurance benefits can usually be applied toward Invisalign, retainers and several other orthodontic appliances.

What happens if my insurance changes during my orthodontic treatment? Since most orthodontic benefits are set up with a lifetime maximum, when you begin ongoing treatment, the insurance company will make incremental payments over the treatment length. Any changes to your plan during your time in treatment may change the total benefit paid. Any time you lose insurance, change policies, or get new insurance, please let us know so we can help you maximize your insurance benefits.

We hope all these tips are helpful, although it is only the tip of the iceburg. Please feel free to call us anytime you have questions.

Happy Holidays to all!

December 15th, 2016

Who loves to Smile? WE LOVE TO SMILE! We all love smiling! Its the most natural expression of happiness. Since this is the happiest time of the year, during this Holiday season we look back at every reason this year has given us to smile. New family members, new team members, exciting life events and countless memories. If you are anything like us, you'll find yourself scanning through the never ending photos on your cell phone, or uploaded to social media. Don't we all love reminiscing over pictures?

For those of us who are able to smile with confidence in life, those pictures are a joyful reminder of our year's highlights. Although for many, it can be difficult to see those awkward photos with strained and insecure smiles. We certainly don't believe you have to have "perfect teeth" to have a smile worth showing off. Instead , we feel whole heartily that smiling should be natural and effortless, so our mission is to remove any obstacle to that goal!

So this year, the Thornton team wishes that anyone who feels like making a change would step out and be brave enough to look into the options to change their smile. Whether it is a little tweek or an entire makeover, we want to help our patients get to exactly where they need to be to make smiling their favorite too!

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