I returned today from five great days of continuing education and meetings in Asheville, North Carolina. This meeting and the scientific programs (lectures and continuing education) are the centerpiece of the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Orthodontics annual meeting, and the board meetings are part of my responsibilities as the councilor for the Rocky Mountain and Southwestern Orthodontic Societies. I always like to publish the latest in orthodontic research and advancements that are being made in the field of orthodontics, and what I can incorporate into my practice here in Castle Rock.

Of great interest was the procedures being performed by Dr. Flavio Uribe and his team of orthodontists at the University of Connecticut. Patients who have bites and facial appearances that are severely deviated (usually due to an underlying skeletal imbalance of the upper and/or lower jaws), traditionally require about a year of orthodontics followed by orthognathic surgery (performed by an oral surgeon to re-position the upper and lower jaws), and another 9-12 months of orthodontics to fully correct the bite and skeletal imbalance of the jaws. Dr. Uribe and team are now performing the surgical portion of treatment immediately after the braces are placed, and orthodontics follows this surgery to correct the bite and imbalances. They are finding a greatly reduced time that the patient spends in braces with this method, along with avoiding the transient time period where traditionally the patient’s teeth were “decompensated” prior to the surgery. Decompensation of the teeth is where the teeth are initially placed in a more ideal position for after the surgery, but usually makes the teeth look more unattractive during the period before surgery. It also makes the planning for insurance coverage more precise and predictable. This is certainly something that I will discuss with the oral surgeons that I use for surgical/orthodontic cases in the Castle Rock area, as with selective cases this appears to be a win- win for myself and my patients.

As far as the yearly report from the American Board of Orthodontics, there continues to be a rise in the number of young orthodontists that are putting in the time to become board certified, which is encouraging for our profession. Becoming board certified is not only requires hundreds of ours and dedication to prepare for, but also raises the level of care for the public that we serve across the country.

Dr. Dan Rejman is the owner of Meadows Orthodontics in Castle Rock, CO, and has been Board certified by the ABO since 2007.

My entire staff at Meadows Orthodontics and I are honored to be voted “Best of the Best, Best Orthodontist in Castle Rock” for the third year in row! We were also voted “Best Customer Service”, which is something that we really, really work at on a daily basis. The cool thing about the customer service award is that it was for ALL businesses in Castle Rock- not just orthodontic practices. I just wanted to list a few of the things that we do to try to create an atmosphere of “customer first”:

Just a note- many of these have been questioned/criticized by “practice consultants”, who tell us that we are losing profits by not following many industry standards with scheduling, time allotted to each patient, etc… I totally disagree! To me running a local business and being a great orthodontist is not about crunching numbers and figuring out the way to fit as many patients into a day as possible. I need time with my patients and their parents, plain and simple- which ultimately means spending more time with people and being “less efficient” as a business. That is our model, and it will not change.

• We offer Saturday, later evening, and early morning hours for our patients. We decided to do this to help families that have kids in sports and activities, and also parents who work during “traditional” hours. Our goal is to help kids miss as little school as possible, and to help adults to not miss work. Is it more hours for me? Yup. But I used to be a dairy farmer, and these hours are natural for me!
• Related to the above, the days we are open in Castle Rock alternates 5 days one week (M-F), then open 6 days the next (M-Sat). ALL in Castle Rock! Which means no days that I practice at a satellite office in another town or another part of the state. This gives our patients an incredible variety of days to choose from that will fit their schedules. It also ensures that they see me at every visit.
• I have two offices, BOTH in Castle Rock! Crossing I-25 has become a hassle for residents, especially with all the new growth occurring along the interstate corridor. So we decided to make our locations as convenient as possible, while staying completely in Castle Rock. We alternate days, and patients see myself and the same staff at both offices. Our patients love the convenience this has created for them! Our Meadows office is right next door to the Meadows, Red Hawk, CVHS, CRMS, AVA, Academy Charter and all the elementary schools west of I-25. Our Founders Marketplace location is right next to Founders Village, Terrain, Crystal Valley ranch, and is close to DCHS, Mesa Middle, Sage Canyon, Rock Ridge and Flagstone  Elementary Schools, and is only 10 minutes from Ponderosa HS.
• I live in the Meadows in Castle Rock, and I cannot overstate how important I think it is to live and be involved in the community that I practice in. I hope that by being a presence in the community, people can sense the accountability and pride I put into my work, and in the advice I give my patients about their orthodontic needs. This is still a small town at heart, and being known as an honest small town Doc that puts the interests of my patients first is ultimately the most important thing to me professionally.
• Living in the town in which I practice also allows me to respond as fast as possible when my patients have after hours emergencies or comfort concerns, and it is almost always myself that takes emergency calls and visits with my patients.
• Every day, we stress to our staff the importance of compassion, patience, and communication. Our wonderful staff wear many hats each day; Helping an anxious young child through their first appointment, patiently teaching a teen how to properly brush and improve hygiene (sometimes at every visit!), helping a busy mother find time in her busy life to bring multiple children in, or taking the time to talk to children and parents to really get to know them and the interesting things that are going on in their lives. We try to make Meadows Orthodontics special.
• Finally, we are human. I do not get upset over broken brackets- life happens! If there is an important event in your life such as a wedding, graduation, senior pictures, etc.., we try to be flexible and work around your schedule and plan braces and invisalign accordingly. If a family falls on hard times in their life, I feel I have a responsibility as a small community member to help, and to discuss options that will help with their unique situation.

Again, thank you Castle Rock for your support- this is a special place where we live, and we are very grateful.

Dr. Dan Rejman