NESO News

AAO President Interviewed by Fox Business

On Monday, AAO President Dr. Chris Roberts was quoted in an article from Fox Business entitled, “Some orthodontists fearful of coronavirus closures’ ‘detrimental’ effects on patient progress.” An excerpt from Dr. Roberts is below:

American Association of Orthodontists President Dr. Chris Roberts explained that orthodontics is often different from general dentistry because the treatment for the former “continues in between appointments.”
 

“Say you need a filling done. You go in and they do the filling and you’re done. Orthodontic treatment, the treatment lasts over a longer period of time – a lot of times treatment plans are up to two years,” Roberts told FOX Business. “And when we see patients for appointments, the appliances that we use, either that are fixed braces that are on the teeth or whether it be clear aligners… the appliances are still active, and a lot of them are not self-limiting – they will continue to be active.”
 

Orthodontics practices in parts of the nation are beginning to reopen their doors. And for those that have not yet been given the green light to do so, the AAO follows the American Dental Association’s determination as to which circumstances warrant an emergency appointment, Roberts said.
 

“Sometimes teeth can move beyond where we want them to go. They can cause problems with the supporting structures,” Roberts added. “If you continue to move the teeth, move teeth in one direction, they can move too far. That can cause gum problems; that can cause bone loss around the teeth, things that you just don’t want to have happen.”

Read this story in its entirety here.