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Office Visit: Extremely Rewarding Benjamin Lund, Editor, Orthotown Magazine

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by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Orthotown Magazine
Welcome to the newest installment of Office Visit, where we visit a Townie’s office and profile his or her equipment, design or unique practice philosophy. If you would like to participate or nominate a colleague, please e-mail ben@farranmedia.com.

This month we visited Dr. Shaun R. Varghese at his practice, Varghese Orthodontics in North Aurora, Illinois. Dr. Varghese is a relatively new orthodontist and as of February 2008, opened up his brand new office. He explains why he entered orthodontics, what his practice does to ensure positive outcomes, and the impact technology has had on his practice and patients.
Name: Dr. Shaun R. Varghese
Graduate from: Marquette University School of Dentistry (DDS
and specialty)
Year graduated: 2004
Practice Name: Varghese Orthodontics
Practice Location: North Aurora, Illinois
Year when this office opened: 2008
Web site: www.vargheseorthodontics.com

Office Highlights
Bonding Agents
  • 3M ESPE Adper Prompt L-Pop
  • 3M Unitek Transbond XT/LR
  • Ormco Grengloo
  • Ormco Ortho Solo Primer
  • Reliance Etch
  • Reliance Porcelain Etch/Conditioner
  • Reliance Pro Seal
Brackets/Wires
  • 3M Unitek Incognito Lingual Appliance and
    custom NiTi/TMA wires
  • Damon self-ligating brackets and copper
    NiTi/TMA wires
Cements
  • 3M Unitek Multi-Cure Glass Ionomer
  • GC Fuji Ortho Band Cement
Class II Correction Appliances
  • AOA Herbst
  • AOA MARA


Click Here To View Dr. Varghese’s Top 4 Products		 Class III Correction Appliances
  • Protraction Facemask with early treatment
Hygiene
  • P&G Crest Ortho Essentials
  • PDT Platypus Ortho Flossers
Impression Material
  • DENTSPLY imprEssix ColorChange Alginate Impression Material
  • Kromopan Alginate
  • Ormco Basis Alginate
Patient Financing
  • CareCredit
  • In-office no-interest financing
  • Pay-in-full and additional family discounts
Technology
  • Dolphin Aquarium patient education software
  • Kodak 8000C Digital X-rays
  • OrthoProof USA Digimodel
  • Kodak Orthotrac Practice Management Software
  • Ortho Sesame (Web site design)
  • Ormco VectorTAS Mini Screws
Dr. Varghese, why did you choose orthodontics as
your career path?
I was not clear what career path I was going to choose as I began my undergraduate program at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. During my junior year, I decided to pursue a career in dentistry, a primary health-care profession. My family has always been at the top of my priority list and I knew that a career in dentistry would allow the flexibility, independence and quality of life that I always wanted. The flexibility to own and operate my own practice and the independence to work the hours that I wanted convinced me to pursue this wonderful profession. While in dental school, I was also an orthodontic patient during my first year. I was able to see, firsthand, the diagnostic and technical nature of orthodontics and I really enjoyed it. I was intrigued at the constant challenges that the orthodontic specialty entailed (no two malocclusions are the same). Having practiced orthodontics now for five years, I truly see it as a blessing. The very nature of the work, and the difference made in patient lives is extremely rewarding.

What is your practice philosophy? How do you cultivate this philosophy in your practice? What sets your practice apart from the other orthodontic practices in your area?
We try to provide personal service to exceed expectations in all facets of our practice from building personal relationships with our patients and colleagues in the area to delivering optimal care. We make each patient visit enjoyable by paying attention to our patients’ wants and needs. Listening and caring are the hallmarks of our practice.

We strive for excellent communication with the patients and the dentists. We try to provide multiple options for treatment and educate them on the individual options. Once treatment has commenced, I also speak to the parents at most appointments to update them on the progress of the treatment and to answer any of their questions. We feel that communication is essential in achieving a successful outcome.

Tell me about the design of your office. What sort of impact does it have on patients?
I practiced as an associate for a few years before I decided to start a new office. In the planning stages, I adopted a clear vision to guide the practice. I wanted to design a modern office with the latest equipment and technology with an open space plan. I wanted to design an office space that provides a “wow” factor to our patients. It took about a year from planning to finish. In February 2008, my dream of opening a state-of-the-art office came to fruition. The interior designer did a superb job in its design to execute my vision. The office is a loft with 24-foot-tall volume ceilings exposing unit mechanicals and roof framing. The reception area is airy and bright with 18-foot-tall window walls, which allow natural light to flow throughout the office. The appointment side of the front desk is separated from the greeting side by a 24-foot wall. The office decor echoes the palette of calming earth tones, from the carpet to the wallpaper to the patient chairs. The operatory is designed for optimal patient flow and for the staff to have easy and quick access. The open floor plan allows for an ambience of relaxation. The entire office is furnished with upscale contemporary designs. I have also included a children’s area with built-in seating that allow for video gaming and movie viewing where siblings (or parents!) of patients can spend their time enjoyably.

Since you began your career as an orthodontist, what are the three biggest changes you’ve
seen in the profession?
It hasn’t been that long since I started practicing, but the biggest change that I have noticed is in the area of mini-screws. The treatment plan has changed the mechanics for molar intrusion, molar protraction, molar uprighting, maximum anchorage retraction, leveling occlusal cants, and closing anterior open bites.

I have also noticed an increase in the amount of adult patients in the last five years. Much of this change might be due to the ever-increasing dental knowledge base of the adult patients, as well as those seeking aesthetic improvement – particularly in their smile. Patients realize there are multiple options to having the smile that they have always wanted (i.e.: labial, clear, lingual, invisible appliances).

What kinds of new technologies has your practice embraced? How have they improved your practice? Why is technology so important to you?
Technology has been incorporated into all aspects of our state-of-the-art startup practice. It is part and parcel of the practice. They include self-ligating brackets, thermal sensitive arch wires, digital models, a completely “paperless” office and digital imaging. The use of the Damon self-ligating brackets has increased efficiency by decreasing overall treatment times. Patients are being seen on longer appointment intervals with shorter appointments. With fewer appointments, there are minimal inconveniences of missing time from school or work.

What piece of technology has the biggest “wow” factor
for your patients?
One of the highlights of the office and one of the biggest “wow” factors is the game room, mostly used by patient siblings who accompany the parents. They love having the ability to watch a movie, play X-Box 360 or listen to a song at the iPod station.

How do you market to new patients?
New patients come from professional referrals and patients’ recommendations. We are thankful to the dental community and our current patients for their referrals, as it is a great compliment and reassurance that we are achieving our goal of providing exceptional service. Some also come in due to signage and proximity to the office in relation to where they live or work. We are also noticing an increase in patients who find us as a result of Internet searches and through our interactive Web site, which was designed by Ortho Sesame.

Who are the people on your staff and in what capacity do they function?
The front office consists of two scheduling personnel who deal with the usual challenges of any front desk including scheduling, processing new patient contracts, and submitting insurance. One of the two also functions as the treatment coordinator to facilitate the entire new patient process. Since I have only been open for a year and a half, there are two clinical assistants in the office at most times.

In your current practice situation, what is a typical day’s schedule?
We are open early mornings, evenings and weekends to maximize appointment options, as well as minimize the inconveniences to patients. As in most orthodontic offices, (during our standard 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. days), our long appointments include starts, repositionings, and removals, which are scheduled in the morning and early afternoon. Regular adjustment appointments and retention check are seen in the afternoon. During our 7 a.m. start days, the adjustments and quick checks are seen early in the morning with the longer appointment being scheduled mid-morning/early afternoon. The flexible schedule allows our patients the options that work around school, work and activity schedules.

What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had as an orthodontist?
Although I have not been practicing for many years, I have had many rewarding experiences already. I would have to say the most rewarding is the treatment of impaction of three of the four maxillary incisors. The only erupted incisor was partially erupted and rotated 90 degrees. It was amazing to see the transformation of a 10-year-old boy who never smiled to an extrovert who couldn’t stop smiling after seeing his four anterior teeth.

In your opinion, what is the biggest problem orthodontics faces today and what do you think should be done about it?
One of the biggest problems I see is the threat of insurance changes (National Healthcare Reform Act) causing dentistry to become more like medicine as HMOs ultimately dictate fees. The only way to hinder these possible changes is with education within dentistry, our specialty, the public and supporting legislative efforts of the ADA and AAO.

How has Orthotown benefited you and the way you practice?
Since graduation, a few of my orthodontic classmates and I have routinely posted cases to each other. It is a great way to look at difficult cases and to gather different points of view. The Orthotown forum gives the ability to post cases and reach a far greater number of your colleagues to get their opinions on different modalities of treatment. Sometimes you learn more from the differing opinions (especially those that are different from yours), which opens your eyes to other ideas and concepts. I always look forward to learning about new and better ways to treat my patients. The exchange of information enhances our specialty by improving treatment plans for our patients and fostering lifetime learning.

Who are your mentors and how have they helped shape the way you practice orthodontics?
During my orthodontic residency at Marquette University, we had the benefit of having numerous faculty teach us their own treatment philosophies and practice management strategies. We had the benefit to pick and choose what we liked and incorporate those tactics into our practice. An important mentor who helped shape how I practice today is Dr. Gilbert Schmidke (Appleton, Wisconsin). I incorporated many of his treatment ideas and continue to adhere to his orthodontic treatment philosophies (e.g.: attention to detail at the initial bond, repositioning appointment, etc). Another critical aspect that I learned was techniques to motivate patients to actively participate in their own treatment which we all know lead to better clinical outcomes.
Orthotown Magazine
September 2025
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