Virtual orthodontic appointments are nothing new, yet have become more common practice since the spread of COVID-19. As an alternative to meeting in-person, virtual orthodontic consultations are a great way to stay healthy while social distancing. If you or someone you know is considering braces or clear aligners, Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, and Dr. Niloufar Azami at Greater Houston Orthodontics share 4 benefits of virtual orthodontic appointments to keep in mind:
No Need for Waiting Rooms
Virtual appointments remove the need to sit and wait while being exposed to others who may carry the virus. In many cases, your appointment will start with you entering a virtual waiting room until your appointment begins. Once ready, you will be taken out of the “waiting room” and into the main call to start the appointment. Read More
With the spread of COVID-19 rapidly changing our “new normal,” mail-order orthodontic is on the rise. From social media ads to TV commercials, the convenience of mail-order orthodontics becomes more appealing when you’re stuck at home. At Greater Houston Orthodontics, we understand that everyone wants a smile they can be proud of. For this reason, we will explain why mail-order orthodontics isn’t the way to achieve this goal.
Orthodontic Treatment Starts with an Appointment
We strongly suggest that orthodontic treatment start with an in-person appointment with a professional, not mail-order. While a virtual consultation can give a brief overview of what your oral issues may be, it is always best to be examined in-person. Starting treatment without this step could result in serious problems to your oral health and more money to fix the damage.Read More
Every patient has their own reasons for deciding to undergo orthodontic treatment. For teens, image has always been a key factor in social integration, and in today’s beauty-conscious society, a beautiful smile is high on their list of priorities.
The ever-popular selfie gives teens a confidence boost and social media is the ideal platform to broadcast themselves to the world. So much so, that:
65% of teenage girls reported that seeing their selfies on social media actually boosts their confidence.
40% of all teens say social media helps them present their best face to the world.
At least 81 percent of teens, ages 12-17, use social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, according to recent findings from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, with Instagram especially popular among selfie-loving teenage girls.
At Greater Houston Orthodontics, we know how important safety is to our patients, especially during these times! We love using Invisalign® as a socially distance-friendly approach to orthodontics, but our practice goes even further with Dental Monitoring®virtual appointments. Dental Monitoring’s state-of-the-art technology and easy to use app, provides the most advanced virtual appointments available. That means faster, more efficient treatment, with less trips to the office and virtual appointments from the comfort and safety of your home!
Whether you are doing your best to maintain social distancing or trying to make time in your busy schedule, you’ll love Dental Monitoring®.
How does it work?
To get started, we use a 3D scanner to take images of your teeth and bone structure in order to map out a customized treatment plan and to build custom aligners that will help straighten your smile – invisibly. That means less time in your (or your child’s) mouth to get started.
Once your treatment plan is put in place, you will receive clear aligners to wear 22 hours a day – no skimping or treatment will take longer! From there we will schedule virtual appointments via your SmartPhone from the comfort of your home!
You’ll get a reminder notification from your personalized app. The app will walk you through taking a series of 13-15 pictures – lots of different angles! Then Dental Monitoring’s software will automatically enhance and sequence those images so that they can be used by the doctors to track the treatment process. It takes about 3 minutes! During your virtual appointment if we don’t see anything unexpected, we will give you instructions to move forward – no need to come into the office. Safe at home — check!
We are so excited to be able to offer Dental Monitoring® to our patients that we’ve put together a few of the benefits below:
Fewer physical appointments – since we’re monitoring remotely with virtual appointments, you don’t need to come visit us as often. That saves you time and makes social distancing even easier!
More virtual appointments – our app will send you reminders on a weekly or bi- weekly basis to take pictures. While it may seem like we’re seeing you less, we’re actually seeing your mouth much more frequently! More frequent data allows us to make adjustments faster than we could if we didn’t see you for a whole month.
Better control – the pictures you send us with the app allow us to track oral hygiene level, aligners fitting, possible presence of teeth abrasion and decays or brackets issues so we can make recommendations in real time.
Faster treatment times – because we can detect issues faster and are seeing your mouth more often, our in-person appointments become that much more efficient and treatment times tend to be much faster!
Improved confidence and compliance – Dental Monitoring® helps patients take an active part in their treatment plan. The regular check-ins and feedback on your progress from our team of doctors will make it easy for you to stay on track with your at home care.
Where You Receive Your Health Care Is A Very Important Personal Decision
Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, Dr. Niloufar Azami and Dr. Adam Skrypczakare leading orthodontists in the field and are helping to pioneer this amazing technology. The doctors and team use the most advanced treatments available today, including Dental Monitoring® and Invisalign®, to provide the most effective, safe, and comfortable experience for their patients.
With two convenient locations in West University and Memorial, we are ready to help you start smiling. Please contact our West University or our Memorial office to schedule a complimentary consultation or click below:
Invisalign® is a registered trademark. Dental Monitoring® is a registered trademark by DentalMind.
Part of maintaining good oral hygiene is making sure to brush your teeth multiple times throughout the day. While most of us know to brush after eating, how soon is too soon? In order to answer that question, Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, and Dr. Niloufar Azami at Greater Houston Orthodontics will first explain the science behind tooth structure. Understanding this will help better explain why brushing right after eating is bad for your teeth. Read More
It’s no secret that the spread of COVID-19 has drastically changed how we all live today. Now that many businesses are finally allowed to re-open, it’s time to attend your first orthodontic appointment. To help you prepare for the “new normal,” Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, and Dr. Niloufar Azami at Greater Houston Orthodontics will explain a few changes you can expect at your next visit.
No More Waiting Room
Instead of waiting for your appointment in the waiting area, you may be asked to simply wait in your car and call the office once you arrive. You will be notified once it is time to enter the office. Friends and family will no longer be allowed to attend appointments with patients and must also wait in the car during the duration of the appointment unless absolutely necessary. Read More
At Greater Houston Orthodontics, we do our best to remain available for orthodontic emergencies. Please call our office if you think you are experiencing an orthodontic emergency. We don’t want you to feel like you’re on your own when it comes to your orthodontic treatment.
That being said, sometimes our patients run into problems or experience discomfort at a time when we can’t see them right away. We wanted to equip our orthodontic patients with some tricks and hacks that you can do at home, so you can ease discomfort and keep treatment on track until you are able to visit our office.Read More
We are so excited to welcome you back to the office!
Hygiene and safety have always been a priority at our office and we will be taking additional measures to ensure the safety of our patients and team during this time.
Health & Safety
We will be protecting our team and our patients with the latest recommended personal protective equipment (PPE).
We have all of the latest sterilization protocols in place to ensure that our facilities and clinics are ready for your arrival.
Our reception areas are being rearranged to allow for the recommended six-foot social distancing during your visit.
We have contracted a professional cleaning service to provide an added measure of disinfection and sterilization for our entire office at the end of every workday.
We have temporarily closed our high-touch areas and removed all beverage stations and magazines from our waiting areas.
Patient Screening
All patients will be screened for a fever upon arriving. In accordance with CDC guidelines anyone presenting with a fever of 100 F will be rescheduled.
Before coming in for your appointment, all patients and/or parents must fill out the following health screening form: Pre-appointment Form
Appointments
To provide you with the best service, we have added a Concierge Program to guide you through your visits with us. Due to restrictions on the number of guests that we can have in our facilities at one time, our Concierge Team will facilitate your check-ins, procedures, and check-outs. We will anticipate your arrival, check you in for your appointment, and even deliver aligners from the comfort and safety of your car! When it is time for your appointment, we will let you know and guide you to your appropriate treatment area.
Upon arrival at the office please call us. There will be signage that reminds you of our phone number and provides links to the health screening form. Our patient concierge will come to get the patient.
Appointment scheduling has been adjusted to allow time for enhanced cleaning and sterilization measures. For example, routine adjustments, growth checkups, and Invisalign scans will be seen together. The appointments requiring use of dental handpieces and use of air and water, such as placing or removing braces require higher measures of protection and will be scheduled accordingly.
We will continue to offer virtual appointments for check-up exams, recall appointments and retainer checks.
Guidelines:
Patients experiencing flu-like symptoms, feeling unwell or suspect they have been exposed to COVID-19 are asked to proactively reschedule their appointment and not enter the office.
Please call ahead if you are experiencing an emergency or if you have a broken appliance. There may be long wait times for patients who have not notified us of their emergency prior to arrival.
All patients and visitors who enter the office wear a face mask.
We strongly prefer for anyone accompanying a patient to wait in the car during the exam unless absolutely necessary. Caregivers and guardians assisting patients with special needs are welcome to accompany the patient to the treatment area, but must wear a facial covering.
Please brush your teeth prior to your appointment, as brushing stations have been temporarily closed.
Please wash your hands in our clinical area prior to being seated for your appointment and prior to leaving our clinic after your appointment.
This is a dynamic situation and we’re constantly adjusting our approach to ensure both our patient’s and our team’s safety. Things will necessarily change and we promise to keep you updated.