You Should Know: Chessmile
by Benjamin Lund,
Editor, Orthotown Magazine
Melding a love for orthodontics and for the game of chess, Chessmile produces brackets that look like
chess pieces. Orthotown Magazine spoke with Chessmile founder Dr. Carolina Blanco to learn more about her
unique bracket system.
Dr. Blanco, what is your personal background
prior to starting Chessmile?
Blanco: I am an orthodontist and a professional international
chess master. I received my dental training at the
University of Carabobo in Venezuela and my orthodontics
specialist degree is from the University of Campinas in Sao
Paulo, Brazil. I have been representing my native country -
Venezuela - in international chess tournaments since I was
eight years old and have had the opportunity to visit more
than 35 countries around the world. I have won national and
international awards recognized by the World Chess
Federation (FIDE). My title as an international chess master
is awarded by the World Chess Federation and is based on my
performance and awards in international chess competitions.
How was the Chessmile idea born?
Blanco: Chessmile was a project that I wanted to
develop since I was studying dentistry in the university
and then later when doing my specialization in orthodontics.
It was at this time that I decided to combine my two
professional interests of orthodontics and chess. This lead
to the design, development and patent of Chessmile,
which is the integration of the chess motif into braces and
oral hygiene products.
What is your philosophy at Chessmile? What is
your goal?
Blanco: My philosophy is to provide a new product
that combines these two passions of mine into a fun and
healthy treatment choice for orthodontics patients who
share this same interest. My goal is to promote these products
to the orthodontic community and the dental community
in general. A big part of this goal was to create a
well-designed product that was also fun and interesting.
Doctors and patients who play chess can understand the
similarity of tooth movement strategies to obtain a winning
smile and correlate these same ideas with the importance
of the chess piece movements to obtain a winning
checkmate outcome in a chess game. Unraveling a difficult malocclusion, patients and doctors can imagine that each
tooth is a chess piece with a strategic value of motion during
the treatment.
What would you consider to be the "best kept
secret" about Chessmile?
Blanco: Chessmile represents the first time that braces
have been designed in the fashion of a game. The other big
secret is that since Chessmile is a small company, the
orthodontist community is only beginning to become
aware of the product. Another "best kept secret" is how
affordable our products are.
How are your products developed?
Blanco: Chessmile is a cast-manufactured bracket, 80-
gauge foil mesh, palladium alloy with the torque built into
the base. These are the main characteristics. Any chess
piece (example: king, queen, pawn, etc.) can be ordered
for any particular tooth (central lateral, canines, etc.). The
only exceptions are molar brackets. The typical setup for
braces is the same setup that you would see at the beginning
of a chess game. Detailed images of Chessmile braces
and all our products can be viewed on our Web site.
Chessmile brackets are available in both .18 and .22 slot
and in a self-ligating format. Different prescriptions are
available, for example: Roth, MBT and Standard.
Where can orthodontists purchase your products?
Blanco: They can purchase online after registering at www.chessmilebraces.com or can also contact me directly
at info@chessmilebraces.com.
What kind of service can orthodontists expect
when they pick up the phone and call you?
Blanco: At the moment we process inquires and orders
through the Web site. Potential clients can e-mail us to
obtain more information. Our goal is to provide answers
and information about our products to the doctors so they
can best serve their patients with our products.
|