Love & Orthodontics

Dr Chris Baker is a pediatric dentist, faculty member of three dental schools, longtime AAPD member and American Orthodontic Society Past President. She practices in Texas. Dr Chris writes about orthodontics, pediatric dentistry and life.

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drchrisbaker

Orthodontics is a natural part of pediatric dental care. I cannot imagine how one can NOT offer it within the practice setting.  It is such an amazing and wonderful piece of the ideal - holistic care of the patient, intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.

There are many types and levels of orthodontic care you can offer your patients.  

If you are a general practitioner or pediatric dentist who treats children, OH MY GOODNESS, there is so much you can do!  

It will change your life as it has mine.  

Orthodontics will give you a new challenge, a whole new area for your imagination, creativity and joy to exude and flow through you to your patients and their parents.  Same is true for your adult patients - imagine what they could feel if you make more beautiful, their smile!



Orthodontic care takes into account the  growth and development, the visual / aesthetic, the emotional, and the functional aspects of the child.  It is not geared toward signs and symptoms of disease, but rather health.   The term healthcare is so misused.    Most medical AND DENTAL care is disease care.  

But in general, orthodontic care is health care. Glorious health care! 

There are various ways to approach orthodontics in your practice.  One is to hire an orthodontist or other dentist to finally make it possible to offer and keep your total patient care in-house.  We can teach you how to do that, and what to offer, expect and do to make it work.  

Like any associate or partnership, the person doing ortho in your practice has to be someone who shares your dream, your vision, your care of your practice and patients.  It’s way more than a business deal.  It’s shared dream, vision, purpose and mission!  It’s shared systems.  It’s shared life.

Whether you hire and delegate the ortho out or not, you will find awe and love in your learning about ortho, your learning to provide any part of orthodontics that appeals to you, or your learning to know when to refer, and what to expect of your ortho people.  

If you treat children, you already have skills and knowledge and can hone your awareness and expectations as well as your understanding and beliefs in what can be done with and for your patients. 

And of course, I cannot encourage you enough, to learn orthodontics yourself, because I know how it has transformed my life and the lives of so many patients, their parents AND their dentists.

www.loveandorthodontics.com