As the theme for the journal this time is “New Innovations in Orthodontics”, I was a bit stumped. I live by the “KISS” rule and “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy! As I have aged, my desire for new gadgets in orthodontics, new dental toys, boats, cars, etc. have diminished. I used to make fun of my old dental school professor in practice management who said to drive the old car the last mile. Well, I now drive a 2002 Ford Excursion with 150,000+ miles. I also used to try every new orthodontic appliance on the market. But when you finally develop a predictable system that works consistently, it is hard to go to new systems. So I would like to present to you a case that has the “SOS” (same old systems!) in place, but with a few new twists.
I first saw this 13.5 year old Latino female in July, 2008 (Fig 1). Her parents’ chief complaint was that her teeth were crooked. They honestly did not truly understand her true dental issues. She had been told by another clinician that she needed jaw surgery. As financial issues were involved, they sought a second opinion.
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