THE READERS' CORNER
1. What percentage of your laboratory work is done in your office ?
While less than 8% of those responding reported doing all their laboratory work in house, a considerable number (more than 40%) did at least 90 % of their total work in their own laboratories. The work that these offices sent out usually involved more complex construction, such as with positioners and Frankel appliances. More than 60% of the offices did at least three-quarters of their own laboratory work; only 20% did less than one-quarter of the work in house.
How many laboratory technicians do you employ?
Of the practices doing in-house laboratory work, 68% had just one person, usually full-time, employed for this task. Thirty percent had two employees, often one full-time and one part-time or two part-time persons. Where more than two were employed, the chairside assistants were often used as part-time laboratory technicians. Overall, just about half the technicians employed were full-time and half part-time.
The overwhelming majority of laboratory employees were trained in the office. Their orthodontists rated 76% of them as doing excellent work and 24% as satisfactory.
If you use commercial laboratories, where are they located?
Local laboratories were used by 22 % of the offices, out-of-town laboratories by 50%, and both by 28%. Virtually all the commercial laboratories specialized in orthodontics. Their work was rated excellent by 84% of the respondents, satisfactory by 12%, and poor by 4%.
Please list your lab's usual prices for an upper Hawley retainer, a cuspid-to-cuspid bonded retainer, a Frankel appliance, and a positioner.
Prices varied widely, as demonstrated by the low of $15 and high of $35 for an upper Hawley, with an average of about $25. The lowest price for a cuspid-to-cuspid retainer was $16, the highest price $45, and the mean $22.50. Frankels ranged from $45 to $100, with a large number of respondents at around $100 and a mean of $91.36. Positioners averaged $71.50, with a range of $45 to $100.
The following are representative comments from those who choose to do most of their laboratory work in the office:
Comments from those who prefer to have the work done outside:
2. What force delivery system do you use to move maxillary molars distally?
The two most popular techniques were headgear (88%) and Class II elastics (84%). Also common were compressed coil springs (59%) and removable appliances (57%) . Less frequently used systems included functional appliances (34%), expanded archwires (32%), Herbst appliances (23%), and magnets (12%). More than 40% of the clinicians reported using various combinations of fixed and removable appliances, with about half of these being variations of Cetlin-type mechanics.
Which systems do you prefer, and why?
Headgear was preferred by a little more than half of the respondents, primarily because of its simplicity, effectiveness, and degree of patient cooperation. However, many clinicians said they had no preferred technique, but used whatever the case dictated. Combinations of headgear and removable appliances, as in the Cetlin technique, were preferred by about 20% of the orthodontists.
What force delivery system do you use to move mandibular molars distally?
The most common response was "none", as 34% of the clinicians did not believe they could effectively move lower molars distally. Of those who did attempt the procedure, 64% used lip bumpers, 60% compressed coil springs, 58% Class III elastics, 23% removable appliances, and 9% headgear. Some respondents used lip bumpers in combination with Class III elastics, and a few preferred coil springs because they require little cooperation.
The following comments were typical:
JCO wishes to thank the following contributors to this month's column:
Dr. M. Edward Aubrey, Henderson, KY
Dr. Richard M. Black, Solana Beach, CA
Dr. Richard E. Boyd, Columbia, SC
Dr. Brad D. Bruchmiller, Schertz, TX
Dr. John M. Burnheimer, Hancock, MD
Drs. John D. Callahan and John D. Callahan, Jr., Fayetteville, NY
Dr. Stephen B. Clark, Farmington, NM
Dr. D.J. Coddington, Alpena, MI
Dr. Sheldon L. Contract, Prince Frederick, MD
Dr. L. David Curtis, Tempe, AZ
Dr. Richard M. Dunn, Longwood, FL
Dr. Sherwood Dusterwinkle, Grandville, MI
Dr. A. Joseph Ecker, Camarillo, CA
Dr. Michael A. Fuchs, Huron, SD
Dr. S. Donald Gardner, Salt Lake City, UT
Dr. David M. Gobeille, Eugene, OR
Drs. Stanley W. Gum and John T. Wilkinson, San Jose, CA
Dr. Stephen Hannon, Gastonia, NC
Dr. Steven D. Harrison, Rolla, MO
Dr. Frederick G. Hasty,Fayetteville, NC
Dr. James D. Kaley, Greensboro, NC
Dr. Anne C. Kossowan, New York, NY
Dr. Ernest C. Kuhlo, Paris, TN
Dr. Quentin E. Lyle, Princeton Junction, NJ
Drs. Bruce T. Mathias and Craig K. Mathias, Harrisburg, PA
Dr. Randall Moles, Racine, WI
Dr. James R. Nicholson, Indianapolis, IN
Dr. John D. Nolan, Jr., New Orleans, LA
Dr. Kenneth W.Norwick, Dearborn, MI
Dr. Van L. Nowlin, Tulsa, OK
Orthodontic Arts, Honolulu, HI
Orthodontics, Ltd., Bloomington, IL
Dr. Ronald L. Otto, Roseville, CA
Dr. W. Thomas Pattison, Knoxville, TN
Dr. Linda E. Rigali, Northampton, MA
Dr. Marvin Rosenthal, Fishkill, NY
Dr. Robert R. Ryder, Holden, MA
Dr. John R. St. Clair, Lubbock, TX
Drs. William G. Schmidt and Bruce A. Baker,Evansville, IN
Dr. Clark Spencer, Longview, TX
Dr. David P. Stangl, Cedarburg, WI
Dr. John L. Susman, Orange, CT
Dr. Thomas A. Tiller, Corpus Christi, TX
Dr. T. Barrett Trotter, Augusta, GA
Dr. Norman Wahl, Thousand Oaks, CA
Dr. George L. Walker, Freeport, IL
Dr. Walt Wexel, Virginia Beach, VA
Dr. Gary R. Wolf, Norwalk, OH
Dr. Roger A. Wooley, Milwaukie, OR
