Welcome to the orthodontic practice of Dr. Diane Doppel. Serving Seattle, WA (Washington) and the surrounding greater Puget Sound area- Dr. Diane Doppel is your orthodontic specialist, offering Invisalign® and In-ovation® braces for children, teens, and adults.
“When should my child visit for an orthodontic consultation?”
April 16th, 2012
Great question! Braces were originally considered to be best appropriate for teens. But these days, kids as old as seven are beginning their orthodontic treatment. Because preadolescent kids are typically not self-conscious, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists suggest it could be a good idea to start early.
Experts, however, say it depends on the treatment required. Some children who get braces at an early age end up in a second phase of treatment, and end up having braces well into their teenage years despite starting young.
Most orthodontic treatment begins between ages nine and 14, and the folks at AAO estimate most orthodontic treatment lasts from one to three years, with two years being the average. It’s important, however, that children be screened no later than age seven for us to assess what the best age for treatment is.
We hope this helps! Please give us a call if you have any questions about your child’s treatment! See you soon!
Spring is here! Do we have your current contact info?
April 9th, 2012
Spring is in the air! We also encourage you to call us and let us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!
As you probably know, you can always connect with us on our Facebook page, but we invite you to please contact our office with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so that we may be able to reach you.
Thank you! Have a great week!
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month
April 2nd, 2012
Visiting your dentist during your orthodontic treatment will not only help keep your teeth and mouth healthy while you have braces, but will also help keep the rest of your body healthy. The fact is, every hour of every day in the U.S., someone dies of oral cancer, which is the sixth-most common diagnosed form of the disease. The five-year survival rate is only 50 percent, and oral cancer is one of the few cancers whose survival rate has not improved. Since April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we would like to take this opportunity to remind all of our patients about the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene while you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment.
Your dentist is specifically trained to diagnose, treat, and prevent oral health problems. Please let us now if you have any questions about your oral health during your next adjustment appointment. Take care of your teeth!
Dr. Doppel Breaks the Barrier!
March 26th, 2012
Back in the mists of time, when orthodontics first emerged from the field of dentistry to stand alone, there were only men involved. In 1880, a dentist named Edward H. Angle invented an appliance (alarmingly called a “jack and traction screw”!) which became the first real orthodontic appliance. Thus, Dr. Angle became the “father of modern orthodontics.” Interestingly, Dr. Angle, concerned with the aesthetics of orthodontics as well as the functionality, worked with an artist and art teacher, Edmund H. Wuerpel, to help him apply aethetics to the field of orthodontics. In 1892 Dr. Angle gave up his general dental practice and became the first to specialize in the teaching and practice of orthodontics. Since then, in the early part of the 1900s, the Edward H. Angle College of Orthodontia was formed in California. The first class was small, only three students, and all men. Over the years, graduates of Dr. Angle’s school formed regional groups which eventually became the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontics.
The main tenet of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists is, in a word, perfection. Dr. George W. Hahn, who wrote a history of the Angle Society back in the 1950s stated “It is the maintenance of the ideal of perfection which, in our profession, originated with Angle.” This is a lofty statement. Members are not just admitted because they want to belong. They are selected by the members after rigorous tests and scrutiny. The standards of the Angle Society are very high and “each was chosen a member of this society because a majority of the group believed that his ideals met the standards of the organization.” (Note the word “his”.)
In 1999, The Northwest Component of the Angle Society came a little bit closer to its goal of perfection when it admitted its first woman into its prestigious ranks. That woman was, of course, Dr. Doppel. This spring, Dr. Doppel was elected the first woman to be Secretary/Treasurer and will, in 2016, proceed into the presidency of the Northwest Component. Again, the first woman to do so.
Needless to say, we are extremely proud of Dr. Doppel. She has proven that she meets the standards of the Edward H. Angle Society so well that they are entrusting her with their highest office. We hope that you will join us in congratulating our Dr. Doppel for breaking the barrier.