Dr. Mullally uses digital scanning to explain the process to one of her young patients.
With football season right around the corner, you’ll expect to see die-hard Gator fans decked out in their best apparel bleeding orange and blue on gamedays. Something you’ll not expect to see, however, are the gator-head brackets gracing the smiles of Gator fans young and old – which are sure to be the talk of every tailgate.
The only office in Gainesville to offer gator-head shaped brackets, Studio32 Orthodontics prides itself on being patient-centered. Studio32 has incorporated technology into its office to, not only become more efficient, but also to increase the patient experience.
Dr. Nicole Mullally, owner and orthodontist of Studio32, started the business in 2012 with a clear focus. “Our main goal at Studio32 Orthodontics is to deliver beautiful smiles and healthy bites with amazing customer service.”
While over the past 5 years, the goal has remained the same, the technology surrounding the goal has changed to better the patient experience.
“We try to incorporate the technology that’s really going to make a difference in our patients’ experience and their lives. We pick and choose the technology that we feel has been tested, will be effective and actually makes a difference,” Dr. Mullally said.
As a result, both patient management and treatment techniques have been streamlined by this technology which has allowed them to cut down chair time and enhance overall patient experience.
Invisalign, digital scanning, Propel and indirect bonding are all treatments that have been incorporated by Studio32 in the last five years to enrich their client’s orthodontic journey. Invisalign has been incorporated to satisfy the aesthetic demands of their patients with half of their clients being adults, ranging from college aged to grandparents.
“We have so many adults that really want to improve their smile but just don’t want to consider braces at this stage in their lives. Invisalign is a great option since it is relatively invisible, can be removed as needed and requires no eating restrictions! It’s also great for athletes and musicians that are concerned with how braces may affect their performance. We also find that it is popular with professionals and busy families because we can spread out appointments further which means less time in the dental chair,” Dr. Mullally said.
Along with reducing chair time, Invisalign allows you to get a preview of the treatment before treatment even begins.
“After we complete the digital scan, Invisalign creates a working model, then I am able to program all of the specific forces and movements needed to create a beautiful smile, and importantly, make sure the bite is functional and healthy,” Dr. Mullally said of Invisalign. “We can then share this video with the patient so they get a visual representation of how their new smile will look. This is also a helpful tool in the treatment planning process.”
The Itero Element, the latest model in digital scanning technology, has also streamlined workflow by creating a detailed picture of the mouth in under two minutes.
“The digital detail allows our appliances to fit more accurately, and it reduces appointment times making us more efficient as far as getting the patient in and getting their treatment on the way,” Dr. Mullally said of the Itero Element.
Like the Itero Element, Propel also shaves down treatment time, but it does so by stimulating the bone around the teeth, helping the teeth move faster than they normally would.
“Everybody wants a beautiful smile, and they want it as fast as possible,” said Dr. Mullally of the orthodontic treatment.
With Propel’s two options, MOPs and VPro5, Studio32 is able to dramatically reduce total treatment time by stimulating the body’s natural cell signaling cascade for bone remodeling, allowing the teeth to move easier.
Because Studio32 enhances patient experience in all areas, Dr. Mullally uses the best technology, rather than just the newest technology.
“Not all technology has to be brand new, some technology is older, but we reincorporated it and our patients love it,” Dr. Mullally said.
While the Itero Element and Propel are cutting edge technology, Studio32 has also embraced some older technology such as Indirect Bonding to improve the patient experience.
Indirect bonding is an older technique that isn’t used too frequently because it was considered labor intensive and expensive.
“We’ve figured out a way to make it affordable and efficient and our patient’s love it. It makes the whole process of getting braces on quicker and more comfortable,” said Dr. Mullally
Indirect bonding allows all the upper and lower braces to be put on at one time, compared to placing each bracket individually, dramatically reducing the time to place the braces. It’s a patient favorite because they don’t have to hold their mouth open for an extended period and chair time is much quicker. The braces go in in five to ten minutes,” explained Dr. Mullally.
As far as patient management, Studio32 enhances patient experience through a fully digital office, online paperwork, a reminder system, a 24-hour chat window and a reward hub.
The office is fully digital, allowing easy and quick access to everything. All files and records can be easily shared with family members or other dentists, further facilitating communication among all parties.
Studio32 allows patients to access paperwork online before coming into the office to cut down wait time. “The new patient paperwork is online so people can do it over the computer in their own time, and then check in via an iPad when they get to the office,” said Dr. Mullally.
Patients receive text and email reminders to remind them of their appointment times. If patients have questions, there is a 24-hour chat window on their website, allowing them to quickly contact the office online if needed.
Along with increasing patient experience, Studio32 rewards their customers through a cloud-based online reward platform. Patients earn points during treatment, and can exchange their points for gift cards to local favorite stores. Some patients earn over $40 in gift cards throughout the treatment process.
“Our patients love our rewards system because they can just get online, check their points and do things to earn extra points, all from the comfort of their own home,” Dr. Mullally said.
Truly providing beautiful smiles in a modern world.
Q&A with Dr. Mullally:
With Studio32’s 5-year anniversary coming up, Dr. Mullally took some time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future.
What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago?“
-Worry less. If you treat people right and take care of them, everything will work out fine.”
What has been the largest lesson you’ve learned over the past 5 years?
-“Attitude is everything.”
“Our main goal at Studio32 Orthodontics is to deliver beautiful smiles, healthy bites with amazing customer service.” – Dr. Nicole Mullally
“We’ve figured out a way to make it affordable and efficient and our patient’s love it. It makes the whole process of getting braces on quicker and more comfortable.” – Dr. Nicole Mullally