Category: Uncategorized

I get asked this question fairly often. Mostly what people want to know is how long did I have to go school to be an orthodontist (10 years – 4 years at SMU for an undergraduate degree, 4 years at Baylor College of Dentistry to become a dentist and 2 years at St. Louis University […]

Some of you may have noticed that Ellis Orthodontics is updating our technology. Last year, we introduced digital scanning with the Medit Scanner and digital printing with our FormLabs 2 digital printer. This has made the patient experience more comfortable and the quality of our lab work more predictable and precise. This year we are […]

As we reach the end of the year, my mind seems to continuously reflect on the events of the this year. Often, the initial focus seems to wallow on thoughts of what didn’t happen, what goals weren’t met. A feeling of sluggish sadness has followed me around the month of November and often into December […]

In case anyone is checking dates, you will see that I have been on an extended vacation from blogging. Well, I’m back in the saddle with more thoughts, reflections and general commentary to write about. Here’s hoping my readers enjoy! My return to blogging has me thinking about the importance of mental resets. I’m not […]

“Why do I need to learn math? I’ll never use it!” is a question parents of middle and high school age children often hear. Non-math loving parents may struggle to answer that question, not fully convinced that math skills are actually important in the age of calculators and Apps. This post provides the answer. Quite […]

While dental tools are clearly important to delivering top notch results, the professional culture of dentistry is often overlooked; but critically important to helping dental professionals care for their patients. In the second installment of Friday Favorites, I give you my favorite dental organization – the Dallas County Dental Society. Dallas area dentists are fortunate […]

Any dentist will tell you that the dental profession is undergoing significant change.  While most dentists are still small business dental practice owners, increasing numbers of dentists are becoming employees of corporate owned dental offices.  Statistics show that the percentage of private practice dental offices is decreasing as corporate dental offices expand their presence through […]

There are a lot of great tools available to help orthodontists deliver top-notch care.  This Friday I am kicking off a regular(ish) post of my favorites.   First up is the Forsus appliance by 3M Unitek.  For kids with buck teeth and/or busy schedules, the Forsus is a great option to get successfully to the end […]

Reading a wide variety of blogs is one of my favorite pasttimes.  I have my experience with Medicaid fraud to thank for this; my eyes were opened to how things are not as they seem.  Prior to my deep dive into the real workings of Medicaid, I was a dyed in the wool believer that […]

I should talk more about the great benefits of self ligation for orthodontic patients.  My patients wear Damon braces almost exclusively.  You could describe Damon braces as the most technologically advanced bracket available to orthodontists.  The big difference is a small door that turns the brace into a small tube instead of a series of […]