Dr. John White
Smiles by White
When you think of study groups, what usually comes to mind are high school and college students gathered at the library, reviewing materials together before an exam.
I have been in private practice for over three decades. I teach orthodontics at the university level. I consult for several orthodontic manufactures. I lecture nationally and internationally. I review manuscripts for the main orthodontic professional journal. And I use study groups to help further the orthodontics field.
Proud to be among the very top tier of Invisalign providers worldwide, attaining Diamond Plus status with the manufacturer, I have taken the initiative to organize quarterly study groups with other leading orthodontists to collectively come up with new ideas and share solutions on how to get the best results using Invisalign.
For the past three years, about a third of the top 150 providers in the United States have participated in these study groups. The orthodontists in attendance combined have done more than 60,000 cases of Invisalign, which translates into an unsurpassed level of knowledge. The best way to learn how to get the desired results with Invisalign is through experience.
These study groups not only afford us an opportunity to learn from those most experienced, but we also help the manufacturer improve how the product works. For example, members of our group participated in a pilot study where we examined the recommended protocol that patients wear an aligner tray for two weeks and then switch to the next set in the series. After that study the company changed its recommendation from 14 days to seven days.
I also am a beta developer for Invisalign and work on everything from software design to clinical testing. I recently traveled to the manufacturer’s design facility in Costa Rica and spent time with the engineers to give them clinical feedback so they can improve the product. We are currently working on new design software that will be released in 2019.
What does all this mean for my patients? My experience and expertise using Invisalign translates into beautiful and healthy smiles.
