Content Dam Diq Online Articles 2016 08 16aug4bcsimmons Bracest

Braces and shoes, me and you

Aug. 3, 2016

Breakthrough Clinical’s Editorial Director Stacey Simmons, DDS, got braces! Read about how having a personal experience with orthodontics has changed her relationship with her patients in a positive way.

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS, Editorial Director of DE's Breakthrough Clinical e-newsletter

This article first appeared in the newsletter, DE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS. Subscribe here.

The saying “put yourself in my shoes” has become a reality in my dental world. How? Four weeks ago I got braces. At 39 years of age (yup, now you know how old I am!), this is the first major dental work I’ve ever had, besides getting my wisdom teeth removed. I’ve never had a cavity or a crown, so in a way I’ve been in the dark about what I deal out to my patients on a daily basis.

Since my bite is being completely changed, my list of “complaints” or challenges ranges from not being able to occlude my posterior teeth (I can’t smash my food!), my lips catch on the brackets, I have to cut food into small pieces, my teeth hurt … You get the picture. So, I find myself becoming even more empathetic to my patients’ concerns. I have a better understanding of what they go through. My perspective has changed. That is a good thing, though, and a reminder for all of us to put ourselves in our patients' shoes!

Speaking of empathy, when your patients have sensitive teeth due to recession, what options do you give them? Periodontist Tina Beck, DDS, MS, gives us the 101 on the Pinhole Surgical Technique, which is an alternative way to treat recession. Internal and external resorption—how do you differentiate between the two? It can be tricky, but hopefully the article I wrote about it will help clear up the gray areas. And Kevin Connor, DDS, MD, is back with another oral pathology case that is not quite as black-and-white as you might think.

Cheers, my friends!

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS
Editorial Director, DE’s Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS

LAST MONTH . . . You can learn a lot from a 5-year-old
This article first appeared in the newsletter, DE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS. Subscribe here.

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS, is in private practice in Hamilton, Montana. She is a graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry. Dr. Simmons is a guest lecturer at the University of Montana in the Anatomy and Physiology Department. She is the editorial director of PennWell’s clinical dental specialties newsletter, DE’s Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS, and a contributing author for DentistryIQ, Perio-Implant Advisory, and Dental Economics. Dr. Simmons can be reached at [email protected].

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About the Author

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS | Editorial Director of DE's Breakthrough Clinical e-newsletter

Dr. Stacey Simmons grew up in Hamilton, Montana. She did part of her undergraduate work at Purdue University and then received her bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Utah. After applying to both medical and dental school, she decided that dentistry was her career of choice. She received her DDS degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2004. In private practice, she focuses her care on prosthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. She is a guest lecturer in the Anatomy and Physiology Department at the University of Montana. Outside the office, she trains for triathlons and spends time with her family. You may contact Dr. Simmons by email at [email protected].

In 2015, Dr. Simmons became the editorial director of DE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS, an e-newsletter focused on breaking through plateaus in clinical practice. Subscription information may be found here.

Updated May 4, 2016