Experience, Expertise and Evidence

Experience, Expertise and Evidence

Clear aligner treatment is mainstream, but with some exceptions that are present only in the mind of the orthodontist. Treating a lot of patients without studying provides repetitive “experience” and yields personal opinions about what will work and what won’t; wereas the “expert” studies the conditions of success and failure to develop the means to understand or abolish the difficulty in difficult tooth movements. “Evidence”, meanwhile, provides the template of truth to elevate the expertise of the expert. Collectively, these three ingredients remove the uncertainty and guesswork associated with orthodontic treatment.

Learning Objectives:

• Prepare for expert clear aligner treatment with training and experience
• Evaluate available evidence in preparing treatment plans for using clear aligners