2010 Annual Session - Clear and Not-so-clear in the Crystal Ball of Orthodontics (Mershon Lecture)

Arguably, the most significant recent advances that affect orthodontics are not the trends in bracket fashion. Instead, the emerging alternate brackets or bracketless systems and their image-guided manufacturing are positioned to affect the specialty the most. Will technology ever replace the technical skills of the clinician? The crystal ball is not so clear with the answer, but more clear with its question: Will planning of treatment become a mere algorithm? How much education is needed to practice orthodontics? History of orthodontics is replete with efforts to reduce treatment to an algorithm. None have succeeded for a very good reason: every human being is a mutant; one size does not fit all. This presentation will discuss the important advances that are likely to affect the practice of orthodontics and how the orthodontist of the future can measure success where variation is the dominant theme.

Learning objectives:

• Learn about effective new developments in appliance systems
• Learn about new concepts of understanding treatment effects on the face
• Learn about research methods fit for clinical orthodontics.