The advent of social networking and the technology associated with it have radically changed the way my office interacts with both our patients and especially the people searching for an orthodontist. Five to seven years ago, I never imagined the power of how my staff and I interact with our patients by using social networking and the internet.

My practice’s web site is an extremely beneficial form of communication and a wonderful way to get our message out to potential patients. One feature of our website that has been very popular with our patients’ parents is the patient log in option. This unique tool makes my practice accessible to parents in a number of ways, including:

• Parents can log in at any time and check to see when their next appointment is. Even if it is 9:00 pm, they have access to my practice.
• They can also log in to check account information, make a payment on line, and check flex-plan account balances - no matter what time it is.
• One very "cool" feature we offer is the ability to log in and look at progress photos and x-rays. Our patients’ parents really like that. They can also let a relative who lives far away have access to the photos, so now Grandparents who live anywhere can see the progress their grandchild is making. They LOVE that!

Patients and parents can also e-mail me or my staff at any time. This makes us all more available to parents and patients. The web site is NOT a substitute for us! It is a wonderful extension of my practice.

Further, Facebook has given my practice so many interesting and powerful ways to keep in touch and stay engaged with our patients. Parents have enjoyed uploading photos of their children and showing us photos of their vacation, sports events, and all kinds of interesting things that we would not know about without Facebook.

We have also had several contests that patients participate in through Facebook. One that we have going right now is a Facebook photo contest. For this contest, patients start by uploading a favorite photo to my practice’s Facebook page. They then get as many of their Facebook friends to "like" us and "like" their photo. When the contest ends in a few weeks, the person with the most "likes" will win a $50.00 VISA gift card!

-Dr. Michael Scott

In my practice, 23% of our patients are adults. That is, 21 years of age or older.

I have found that I get adult patients 2 ways -
1. They get interested in treatment because I am treating their children. They begin to ask questions and I suggest we simply schedule an initial examination to "look and talk".

2. I get a referral from their general dentist or they come to see me from another patient's recommendation.
Some adults delay treatment because they want to take care of their children first. That is an excuse but it is also a valid concern.

One of the most often heard things I hear is, "my teeth have gotten so crowded over the last 6 months. I can't believe they have moved so fast." I explain to them that the situation did not happen over the last 6 months. They have just begun to notice the problems.

As we all know, adults do not have the same motivation to come see me as an adolescent patient. While many adolescents want to wear braces because they have crooked crowded teeth. They also like the social, cool aspect of wearing braces.

Adults for the most part do not think it is "cool" to wear braces! Most adults listen to the facts of their particular situation and realize that they are making a wise health decision to invest in themselves. I have found that the vast majority of adults truly do enjoy their "orthodontic journey" once it is underway.

Excuses I have heard:
1. My teeth have been this way for a while. They will be OK, right?
2. I just can't see spending money on my teeth at this age.
3. I don't want my friends or co-workers to think I am vain.
4. I must take care of the kids before I do anything.

One very heart warming story: I treated an adult who was the mother of 2 boys that I had the blessing of treating. She had known me for at least 5 years as her boys went through treatment. She had talked to me for at least 2 years about going into braces. She finally did and she totally enjoyed seeing her teeth progress through treatment. On the day she got her braces off, we had a BIG party for her! When she looked in the mirror for the first time to see her new smile, she cried. She was so very happy! She is a walking advertisement for Scott Orthodontics!

I believe that my office is a very warm place to visit. Of course, I want to make an excellent first impression by how the office looks, whether it is my primary office in Longview or one of my 3 satellite offices in Marshall, Mt Pleasant or Carthage. Also, I want that excellent first impression to be felt at every visit a patient or parent has in my office.

At the initial consultation I personally spend time explaining the details of the patient's particular orthodontic needs. There are 5 very important questions that need to be answered at the first visit:
1. What is the orthodontic need?
2. What needs to be done?
3. How long will the patient be in braces?
4. Do any teeth need to be removed? (In 85% of patients, teeth do not need to be removed)
5. How much does it cost?

I and my staff make sure those questions are answered completely and all other questions and concerns are addressed at the very first visit.

Once treatment begins, I must prove to my patient or parent that they have made the right choice in me! The office atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed. In the reception room we have a coffee bar and a flat screen TV for parents comfort. There is also a game station for children. In the treatment area we have game boys and video monitors. The treatment area is always a place of high activity. My patients and parents really like how we have arranged that part of all of my offices.

Parents are always welcome to either sit "up front' in the reception room or sit with us and their child in the treatment area. I like it when a parent gets involved in their child's treatment. I tell them, "the more you know about what is going on, the better your child will progress through treatment."

I use the highest quality, "state-of-the-art" technology. But, most patients do not know the difference between "cheap" technology and "state-of-the-art". I believe it is true that, "they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". That is one of the driving principles I have always followed.
I always stay in contact with a patients dentist as treatment progresses. In those patients who will have dental treatment needed after braces, I work very closely with their dentist to make sure that any dental treatment after braces is designed from the beginning to be beautiful when complete!

Questions are always welcome. I want patients to feel comfortable and confident that they are receiving the very best orthodontic care available in East Texas.

- Dr. Michael Scott and the team from Scott Orthodontics

Today Dr. Michael Scott wanted to answer a few questions about doctor-patient relationships and how they impact the success of your orthodontic treatment:

1. If the patient is an adolescent, I want the parents to be more involved in their child's treatment by attending appointments and asking questions. I need their support to get finished on time and get that great smile!
2. The parent is not expected to be at EVERY appointment. I encourage parents to use our website to contact me with questions by using my email address - drscott@scottortno.com. . I also encourage them to call if they have questions.
3. It is very hard to communicate progress or the lack of progress through a 14 year-old patient to a parent! I send a written "report card" home with every patient at every appointment. I do not expect a parent to see that report if it is relating that their child is not doing their part and progress is behind. The patient will conveniently misplace that report. That is why I keep a copy in the patient's chart.
4. The doctor - patient relationship really all comes down to communication. That communication is always two way!!

There are several ways to contact us so be sure to give us a call, send Dr. Scott an email or find us on Facebook!