Orthotown January/February 2022 - 47

by Dr. Jonathan Nicozisis
Dr. Jonathan Nicozisis completed his dental education at the University
of Pennsylvania before attending Temple University for his orthodontic
residency. During his training, he also completed an externship at the
Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he was
involved with the care of patients with craniofacial syndromes.
Nicozisis is a member of the Angle Society and an Align Technology
faculty member. As part of Align Technology's clinical research network, he has helped conduct
research and development of new improvements. He has given more than 400 lectures globally
on advanced techniques with the Invisalign system and is the co-founder of The Aligner
Intensive Fellowship course.
" Once we've made a decision, we are effi cient only if we go through
with it decisively, undistracted by doubts about its correctness. "
- John Cleese
I
n their early history in orthodontics,
aligners were the Rodney Dangerfi eld
of orthodontic appliances: They got no
respect, because of their perceived limited
clinical applicability.
Echoes of this perspective persist today,
with detractors eschewing aligners
and challenging their legitimacy. Often,
research fi ndings assign a percentage of
predictability to create science that best
quantifi es how what we see on a computer
screen is expressed clinically. More so,
profound statements and conclusions are
made after treatment with a single series of
aligners, as if a single activation of fi xed appliances
always does the trick. Detractors
run through the halls of orthodontic social
media proclaiming these headlines as scientifi
c proof and insinuating that anyone
who uses aligners with their patients must
be practicing with subpar standards.
Perhaps this is out of fear and loathing
of the general perception created by aligners
that orthodontics is easy to do and anyone
can do it. Perhaps it is the corporate infl
uence from aligner companies that is the
proverbial " tail that wags the dog, " and orthodontists
don't like feeling like a canine.
But after nearly a quarter-century, aligners'
impact and penetration are undeniable.
Much like the bloke in the Monty Python
skit " Ministry of Silly Walks " who
wishes to apply for a government grant to
help him develop his silly walk, doctors in
private practice and academia no longer
feel silly for investing in manufacturing
equipment for in-house aligners, or applying
for grants to investigate this " silly "
appliance to help legitimize their teaching
position or attempt to stay relevant in
their twilight years. (Why does academia
not innovate, leaving a void for others to
do so? But I digress; that's another discussion
for another time.)
At the 2018 AAO, orthodontic silliness
was at its fervent peak when many
vendors, 3D-printer companies and software
solutions for tooth movement all
clamored for attention. Why was that?
Patient demand? Practice and clinical effi
ciencies? Both? Or was it simply the notion
that many patents had fi nally expired
and they wanted in on the silliness?
While some orthodontists may still
consider aligners silly, what's not silly
are some efficient qualities aligners offer
that are unparalleled by traditional fixed
appliances. I have been tasked for this
article with discussing my top five aligner
efficiencies.
Scan the code,
see the sketch!
If you're not familiar with the
Monty Python sketch about
the " Ministry of Silly Walks, "
scan the QR code with your
phone's camera to watch a
video online.
orthotown.com \\ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 47

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Orthotown January/February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown January/February 2022