I had a patient come in this afternoon for an appointment that was marked in the diary as “retainer review”.
When I opened up his notes, it turned out that his orthodontic treatment finished over 3 years ago and we hadn’t seen him in almost 3 years. At that stage we had made him a spare retainer and he never came ...
After a busy day of orthodontic treatments, I was in the practice one evening doing some treatment planning for the patients that would be coming in later that week and the phone rang with Prof Stassen’s name on the screen.
As he does the jaw surgery and other special procedures for my patients that need them, I’d always take the call ...
I have blogged about mouth cancer before. We had mouth cancer screening days in the practice, there was a national mouth cancer awareness day.
It’s not one of the more famous ones, there isn’t a national campaign where we wear a ribbon or a flower or have a coffee morning at work for it, but it’s certainly there in the background ...
It’s a given fact among orthodontists that every child should have an orthodontic examination by the age of 7. This is to look for healthy development of teeth, their positions in the developing mouth and the way they relate to each other. Some problems might be obvious but some are lurking unseen by parents - and the kids themselves - ...
I often get asked what does an ideal bite look like, how should teeth meet together, that sort of thing. That’s very important, because working to achieve that is what we do at Swords Orthodontics day in, day out. But there’s a bit more to it than that – you have to think about the teeth in the context of ...
Our YouTube channel has a lot of Swords Ortho videos on it - some are plain silly, but most are there to help you get the best results from your treatment and the best experience on the way there.
Today's addition is a very useful chat from Courtney on how to look after your braces once you have them on - ...
There was a phrase trending on twitter recently: #lastnormalphoto. The idea was that you’d share the last picture you took before lock down. At first I thought they meant any photo not dealing with teeth, because it’s not normal to take photos of teeth…..is it? But they meant photos taken before lockdown all kicked off.
Strangely, my last “normal” photo was ...
here's another diagram explaining the Swords Ortho procedures now we're reopened as part of the Phase 1 restriction lifting for dentists.
Hi there
First of all, a big thanks from me and everyone here at Swords Ortho for your patience and understanding at what’s been going on over the last 9 weeks....and more importantly, what wasn’t going on – specifically regular orthodontic treatments.
Two weeks after the first recorded coronavirus case in Ireland, on the day before St Patrick’s Day, I made the ...
In various navies, the fifth toast of the week is to The Nation.
Classically, this toast was “to a willing foe and plenty of sea room”. I’m still not sure exactly what that means, but I presume it means that your adversary is taking responsibility for the consequences of the engagement and it’s ...
It’s over a month since the government brought in the serious lockdown measures and last Friday, it announced its plan to gradually lift the restrictions in 5 phases. For our part, Swords Orthodontics has been seeing patients in pain or distress but we haven’t been conducting regular orthodontics. We’re looking forward to getting back to treating people and we’ve been ...
In various navies, the fourth toast of the week is “Our Navy” specifically the service they are in.
As in yesterday’s blog I talked about “ourselves” as the profession we’re in: dentistry. I will consider today’s theme as the specialties we choose to work in.
And off the bat, I say specialty which is an area of special expertise within a profession, ...
In various navies, the classic second toast of the week is “Our Men”.
Over the years this has modified to “Our Sailors”. In the dental world this is the team members that make our practices perform the way they do. This is a work force that is predominantly female. Given that from now on, 50% or ...
In 2003, Russell Crowe starred in a movie called Master and Commander which I’ve always enjoyed. He’s Jack Aubrey, the captain of a ship (HMS Surprise) during a war between the UK and France about 200 years ago. What I didn’t realise when I saw it first time was the amount of leadership lessons in it that would come back ...
It’s about 6 weeks since I took the decision to postpone seeing patients for routine orthodontic treatment at Swords Orthodontics. I did this because I felt it was the safest thing to do for my patients and my team, given that Ireland was heading into its coronavirus challenge.
We didn’t really close but it’s certainly not normal service at the practice. ...
Well I’ve lost count of how many days we’ve been into this, and I don’t know if we even agree on when it started but we’re clearly in the middle of it now.
For Swords Orthodontics, the big day was March 16th, that was the day I decided that we’d stop routine orthodontic treatment until it was safe to resume. Normally, ...
Just a brief update on Swords Orthodontics and our part in the national Covid-19 response
We remain closed for routine orthodontic treatment, but we are still answering emails, and checking the voicemails through out the day. Deliveries to the practice will be accepted by the small crew remaining in the practice while the rest of the team works from home and ...
Stephen was interviewed for Dentaltown last week - this is a big deal for Stephen and Swords Orthodontics. Dentaltown is the biggest dentistry-related podcast and blogcast station in the world and they run their own newspapers for dentists and award ceremonies for the industry and the like. There haven't been many Irish dentists on the station (Richard Lee Kin from ...
2019 Was a great year all around at Swords Orthodontics.
Here is a few of the highlights that have happened to us last year 2019..
Aesthetic dentistry awards.
In March we travelled to London for the aesthetic dentistry awards ceremony. It was held in the Landmark hotel which is a stunning setting as always. All of the team were very eager this year ...
You can't out train a bad diet
It's a phrase I picked up on an exercise video on YouTube, but I imagine the idea has been there for a long time before the internet was with us.
A few weeks ago I bought some airport-sized Toblerone bars for the team at Swords Ortho (don't tell the dentistry police). The ladies of Swords ...
I had some blogs about technology for the last couple of days, I think I'll stay on topic for this one.
It seemed like something I should be keen on, I've seen enough sci-fi movies, but I have no specific interest in techie things and gadgets. It took me a while and a Palm Pilot to realise this, but knowledge of ...
Yesterday, I was talking about compatibility of technology, today I thought I'd look at the change in technology in an area that is special to me....music.
I'm old enough to remember vinyl records not merely before they made a come back for hipsters, but before they went away in the first place. In fact, I remember record players that had settings 33/45/78 - ...
Yesterday I bought some blue tooth headphones.
Sony.
I normally have a caution about mega brands, because I think the price reflects the cost of making them a mega-brand, and telling everyone about them, as well as simply building a good product, but I had a series of other brands that had let me down, and I use Sony noise cancelling headphones ...
Stephen: "hi there, how are you getting on?"
Patient: "great."
S: "Any problems with your brace since last time?"
P: "No"
S: "Great. So I'll just have a look and do today's adjustment"
P: "Oh, one of my brackets came off though"
S: "Were you eating hard food at the time?"
P: "No"
S: "It just came off out of the blue?"
P: "Well, I was chewing on a piece of ...
So today, I had to have a medical assessment for an insurance policy.
It was at Meridian Healthcare in Blanchardstown - I was very impressed at the care and attention from Dr Claire Cunningham and her nursing and admin colleagues. There was a multi-lead ECG connected to me while I walked on a treadmill that got faster and faster and steeper ...
I haven't heard it yet as at time of blogging, it's still due for broadcast but here's a link to a BBC 4 programme about the toothbrush...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005m
How often do you change yours?
Stephen: "you're looking after your teeth really well, that is great toothbrushing!"
Patient's mum: "he used his confirmation money to buy an electric tooth brush."
Now that, my friends, is a person who is serious about oral hygiene.
As you probably know, the crew at Swords Ortho is not just strongly committed to being good at what we do, we’re strongly committed to being better at it as we go on. So we go to various conferences and continue learning about dentistry in general and teeth in particular. This is called CPD - Continuing Professional Development.
I try to ...
I'm in the departure lounge at Dublin airport, headed out to the Annual Session of the American Association of Orthodontists. It's probably the biggest gathering of orthodontists in the world.
We'll be listening to speakers talking about their most up to date research, looking at new products made by companies from all over the world to do the best work for ...
They say a week is a long time in politics – I’m sure if you’re Theresa May or Leo Varadkar trying to sort out Brexit, it’s a very, very long time. In a way, I’m lucky that I get to work in the more mundane environment of orthodontics that the public is usually a lot happier about. But if not ...
Michelle: Now, that’s your braces all off. Does it feel different?
Patient: Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. It feels so weird. That’s so weird, that’s so weird. Oh my God.
Michelle: I’ll show you your teeth now, here’s a mirror.
Patient: Oh my God, ...
It has been a great week here at Swords Orthodontics. We won three awards at the Aesthetic Dentistry Awards 2019 in London! This took place on the Friday 22nd of March. The categories that we won in are: Interdisciplinary Team Orthodontic Surgical, Orthodontics child/teenager fixed and Best Aesthetic Practice Ireland. This is a massive win for us as we have ...
This week we had a training day with Ashley Latter provided by Invisalign. We learnt all about how to create a memorable first impression with new patients and also creating good relationships with our existing patients. Here at Swords Ortho we feel we try our best to create a calm welcoming atmosphere to all our patients.
Ashley’s first step that he ...
Parent: "My son's brace is broken again. I am not happy with this, that's the third time and the braces are only on 3 weeks. I don't think you've done a very good job here"
Swords Orthodontist: "What happened when the bracket came off?"
Patient: "Well I was eating a (insert well known brand name here) mint and it got stuck between my ...
People often think of making an appointment to see a specialist orthodontist after all the permanent teeth have come through (around age 12-13) but actually The American Association of Orthodontists recommend all children have an initial assessment with an orthodontist by the age of 7.
The reason is, at this age all possible treatment options are available- if we seen a ...
Recently I posted about Geoff Tate touring last year on the 30th anniversary of Operation:Mindcrime, the landmark album he made with Queensrÿche. He’s still touring and was back in Dublin, just over 12 months since starting his tour here last January. It was just after the announcement that the Orthodontic Society of Ireland (OSI) was successful in its bid ...
At the start of the week it was announced that the Orthodontic Society of Ireland was successful in its bid to host the 2025 European Orthodontic Congress (EOC) in Dublin.
The EOC is the annual meeting of the European Orthodontic ...
I am an android sort of guy.
I do own an iPod. It's apparently an iPod Classic, but when I got it, it was just called an iPod.
I love my iPod. But it isn't as good as the Creative Zen MP3 player it replaced.
But that's it for me and Apple for the time being.
I am an android sort of guy. I ...
About thirty years ago, as dental student, my friend Terry introduced me to Operation:Mindcrime by Queensrÿche. It was the great heavy rock concept album of the 80s, and as well as the record (CD as well as vinyl back then!) there was a full length film to go along with it (on VHS of course) and the guys (not dental ...
As a dental nurse here at Swords Orthodontics, I've seen alot of young children come through our doors with their parents looking for an Orthodontic opinion about their teeth. Many of which present with a narrow upper jaw (maxilla) compared to their lower jaw (mandible). There is a orthodontic interceptive method to help correct this called ...
Edward Angle is pretty much universally considered to be the father of modern orthodontics. There have been a few changes in what we now believe about how teeth move best, but he’d still recognise the appliances that he developed, even in their modern form - most of the materials and equipment we use would have changed considerably though. As would ...
This is the third Lumix DMC TZ (the TZ stands for Travel Zoom, apparently) that we’ve had in the practice. Although not an obvious choice for dental photography, its predecessor was very handy when we needed to shoot video and we didn’t have an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera with video. It’s also handy for blogging ...
The first digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera I bought, and still the one Michelle or I pick up every day at Swords Ortho to take intra-oral and extra-oral photos of a new patient or someone we’ve just finished ortho treatment for.
Dozens of photos.
Every day.
Every week.
Every month.
Every year.
Since 2010.
Remarkable service. It’s outlasted the lens I bought with it.
You ...
Me: So that’s how you work the Rapid Maxillary Expander appliance
Patient Dad: Fair enough. And how often do I have to do that?
Me: One turn every day, and I’ll check it again in 2 weeks
PD: But how’s that going to work?
Me: Well just turn it once a day, last thing at night is best.
PD: But he’s in boarding school.
Me: Oh.
Patient: ...
This week Swords Orthodontics interrupted its usual activities on Friday, with a full day of training for all the team, except Brenda (who’d been on a similar day’s course last year) who stayed back at base to look after patient enquiries and get all the work done that can’t happen when the practice is in its normal busy mode.
Dublin is in the grip of the 2019 David Bowie Festival. Probably Ireland’s biggest annual event coordinated around the cultural effect of one person. Lectures, books, movies, science, photography, cabaret, improvisational comedy, even a children’s art competition, and obviously music, music, music.
"I see we haven't seen you since March last year, that's 10 months since you last orthodontic appointment"
"I know, I've been busy."
"You know, you're meant to see us more often than that - if we don't see you regularly the treatment doesn't go as fast as it should."
"I ...
So for me, that means my family converging for a few days in one place. This year ...
...or at least the title of a chapter in the story.
Imagine there is one toy you needed to buy for Christmas, and the last shop you go into at 5pm on Christmas Eve has one left when you get there. What ...
On behalf of my team at Swords Orthodontics, and my colleagues, and myself, I sincerely wish a happy Christmas, and every happiness in the New Year, and many smiles ahead, to ...
Orthodontists are a funny bunch.
This year, from some colleagues I received Christmas presents of:
Well, it's only a few more sleeps to Christmas...
But an orthodontist's work is never done, and the Swords Ortho elves are as busy as ever.
I could stick up photos of Christmas trees in the practice, but the big thing about Christmas here is the extra ...
Well, last weekend I bought some groceries at a shop where they have a self-service check-out. I collect the groceries from the shelves, carry the groceries to the ...
I can't adequately explain how talented this man is. His music has sustained me through O Levels, A Levels, Dentistry and ...
Contrary to many people who phone into radio shows, I haven’t had any major problems with ...
Are you interested in Invisalign or Invisalign Teen for your child? Are you asking yourself ‘is it the right choice for me’?
Maybe you’ve already had a consultation with a dentist, and you’ve been told that Invisalign can straighten your front teeth, and that’s all that really matters, right?
Wrong!
Invisalign is a lot more capable than that, in the hands of a ...
Orthodontic treatment has become extremely popular, with most of us experiencing treatment during our teenage years- nowadays adult orthodontics is just as popular. Everyone has a different reason for treatment, whether it be for the aesthetic view of their teeth or for functional purposes. One major part of orthodontic treatment which we, here at Swords Orthodontics strongly believe is so ...
The teenage years can be a difficult time in the life of your child. Kids are pressured to take perfect selfies, have flawless skin, and maintain model-like figures.
Many children who have noticeably crooked or unevenly spaced teeth suffer from bullying and low self-esteem.
Parents have several options:
Many ...
1
DO wear your retainers as your orthodontist directs.
The rest of what follows is what we tell our own patients. At Swords Orthodontics, for most removable retainers, I advise full time wear for the first 3 days and then ...
Most people have heard of Invisalign as a brand name for a particular kind of clear braces treatment, and if you need Invsalign in Dublin, Swords Orthodontics has been providing this kind of treatment for almost a decade now.
That said, since then, Invisalign has evolved a fair bit. For a start, the actual system is a lot more predictable and ...
Professor Lysle Johnston is the special guest speaker at the 2017 Spring Meeting of the Orthodontic Society of Ireland. He is joined by Dr Jose Chaques Asensi discussing the effective use of the Forsus Appliance and Dr Liz Moynihan discussing the aetiology, diagnosis and management of dyspraxia and how it affects dentistry. For more details go to orthodontics.ie. Specialist orthodontists ...
Is there a benefit to being part of a group, or are you better doing your own thing? We all start out dependent, and if we're lucky we evolve on from that to independence. Many would say that there is a higher state of development, interdependence.
In the orthodontic world, indeed in any profession, this is also the case. Clinicians have an ...
Well Swords Orthodontics started the year at an awards ceremony, and we ended the year at another. This time it was the IDA-Sensodyne Sensitve Dentist awards. This is voted for by patients of a particular dentist, and there are two awards - one for Ireland's most sensitive dentist and one for the most sensitive dental team.
At Swords Orthodontics, lots of patients come in and tell us they aren’t happy with their overbite. This still surprises me – I had never heard the word “overbite” until I had been in Dental School for nearly two years.
I can still remember the first time I heard the word used by someone that wasn’t a dentist – it was ...
Welcome to the Swords Orthodontics Blog!
Stephen Murray here, and this is the first blog you'll be seeing from me on the Swords Orthodontics website. You might have seen my previous orthodontics blogging on the Friendly Orthodontist site, but if not you can expect to read articles ...