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In this instant gratification/online world and times, the assumption is that with enough research online, etc, you can just order aligners to straighten your teeth just like you would order air freshener for example from Amazon.  There are obvious differences with the major one being is an actual commodity (air freshener) and the other is really a service and in healthcare (aligners provided by an orthodontist), which needs to be provided by someone who actually has been rigorously trained to provide that type of treatment. 

I often say that the reason why Leo Messi or Roger Federer make soccer and tennis look so easy is that it is all that they have done for years!  Most DIY also known as Direct to consumer aligners or even aligner treatment provided by a general dentist do not have a Dr. Messi or Federer overseeing this treatment, which MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE OVERALL TIME IN TREATMENT AND THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME.  The aligners are designed and delivered by the orthodontist. Further, they are actually made in our office, which reduces the overall time in treatment and the corresponding treatment fees.

The orthodontist knows when and where to add/use things like attachments and rubber bands and knows what to do when things do not go as planned such as when an aligner may not fit correctly.  Your treatment fees with an orthodontist will likely be higher compared to the other options, but not always.   What is always true is the quote of ‘You get what you pay for’, and YOUR SMILE SHOULD BE WORTH IT!

Note: Dr. Edward Altherr is a board-certified orthodontist in private practice serving Apex, NC, and the surrounding towns/cities of Cary, Holly Springs, Morrisville and Fuquay-Varina.  Dr. Altherr’s training in orthodontics was at the prestigious University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s program where we studied under many great orthodontic icons like Dr. William Proffitt and Dr. Camilla Tulloch.  During his orthodontic training, Dr. Altherr’s research and further focus was on the orthodontic treatment of the mixed-dentition (mix of baby and adult teeth in kids between 6 and 14 yo).  With his research and over 21 years of clinical orthodontic experience as of 2023, Dr. Altherr is considered an expert in mixed-dentition orthodontics and other areas of orthodontics like temporary skeletal anchors.  This web blog is for educational purposes only.  Dr. Altherr is licensed only in the state of North Carolina, and cannot diagnose and recommend orthodontic treatment over the phone or internet

To all of our patients, families, friends and dental/orthodontic colleagues, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude in thanking you all for selecting us as the BEST ORTHODONTIC PRACTICE IN APEX FOR 2022!!! We like to think we've been the best since we first opened in 2002, but it's nice to make it official.

To our patients and their families,

We sincerely hope that this message finds you all well and healthy during this very disruptive time with the pandemic.

We wanted to share good news with you that as of the date of this post, ALL of our team members have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine and some have received both.  We have had minimal side-effects.  We highly encourage all of our patients and families who are eligible and when it's your turn, to get vaccinated since this will be the quickest and surest way for all of us to return to some degree of normalcy.

In the meantime, we will continue to take this epidemic seriously and practice solid infection control measures until we are out of the proverbial woods.

Sincerely,

Altherr Orthodontics

To our current and future patients and parents,

First and again, we sincerely hope that everyone is healthy, well and safe.  Thankfully, all of us here at Altherr Orthodontics and our families have been doing well while we all have been home and our office closed.

Long story, short, we will be reopening back up!  Finally, right?  Our first day back will be Monday, June 8th.  Over the next 1-2 weeks, each of our patients and/or their parents will be receiving communications from our office to schedule your next visit with us.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we have (hopefully temporary) changed some our patient/office interactions which include the following:

1) Only the patient and/or a parent will be permitted to enter and stay in our office during the patient's appointment.  No siblings will be able to stay in the office.  We humbly ask that you please keep any extra people in the car or at home.  We do this for your health, ours and our other patients'.

2) Prior to going much farther into our office, you will be asked some questions, your temperature will be checked and we will need you to please sign a new Covid-19 Informed consent document.  If your answers are such and if your temperature is greater than 100 degrees F, you will need to be rescheduled at least 2 weeks into the future.

3) Each patient will need to rinse with Listerine for 30 seconds, which will be witnessed by a member of our clinical team.

4) When scheduling your next visit, which is critical since we have missed some time during the quarantines, we will ask you to either call from your car or stand at least 6 feet away from the front desk (please don't congregate near the front desk).

We have put measures in place to minimize the transmission of any illness let alone SARS-CoV-2.  The above are part of this as well as additional aerosol capture, extra viral filtration, physical distancing of at least 6 feet between each patient, extra PPE for us, continued vigilent infection control and dedicated days and new equipment to help us minimize the amount of oral aerosols that can be generated and transmitted.

We genuinely appreciate your patience in understanding in our efforts to keep you safe as well as us.  We look forward to seeing you all in the near future!

Dr. Edward Altherr