Grand Rapids, MI
Orthodontist

Miller Orthodontics Family

First and foremost I hope that you are all healthy and doing well.  I want to thank you all for being so kind and understanding when my team is calling to cancel appointments and not being able to give you a new appointment date.  We definitely don’t have all the answers right now as the landscape is changing almost daily.  I know we are all trying to figure out our new routines and what a new “normal” is.  It’s only been a week but it certainly feels much longer.  My kids just got upset and one of them started crying because they couldn’t go to the grocery store with their mom.  Seven days ago you couldn’t pay them to go to the grocery store!   I come from a family of teachers.  My mom, dad, sister, and aunt are all in education so you think that I might have gotten some genetic predisposition to teach my kids.  That is definitely not the case and I should stick to orthodontics!

The dental/orthodontic field has been changing constantly this week.  At first, the Michigan Dental Association recommended a two-week shutdown.  Then the American Dental Association strongly recommended a three-week shutdown.  Finally late last week Governor Whitmer mandated the shutdown of all dental and orthodontic practices to non-essential procedures.  This shutdown is of indefinite length and the penalties for violating the order are quite severe.  Now today there is a shelter-in-place order for the next three weeks.

The reason for the shutdown is two-fold:  the first and most obvious is to prevent the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.  The second reason is to preserve the supply of personal protection equipment for the hospitals as we are in a worldwide shortage.

To comply with the indefinite shutdown order we have canceled all appointments through April 13^th. 

This will give us time to see if the shutdown continues or if we can start to see our patients again.  We know this is not ideal for anyone.  We want nothing more than to be up and running full steam.  I know there is a disconnect between what the State deems essential treatment and what you may think. The Governor has given us a strict set of guidelines of who we can see during this time:

Procedures that are deemed Non-Essential Orthodontic Procedures:

-Orthodontic procedures other than those to address acute issues (e.g. pain, infection, trauma) and includes debanding/debracketing

Procedures allowed under the shutdown:

-Snipping or adjustment of an orthodontic wire or appliances piercing or ulcerating the oral mucosa

-Delivery of retainers for patients who were recently de‐banded so as not to have relapse during this period.

Virtual Consults:  New Technology available to our new and current patients:

If you had a new exam or observation appointment schedule please see go to our website  www.lathemiillerortho.com.  We have integrated a new virtual consult program.  This will allow you to send me a set of pictures and a little information about yourself.  I will then be able to come up with a preliminary treatment plan or set of recommendations that will give you some direction on your future orthodontic treatment.

For emergencies that meet the above requirements please call the office at 616-942-9320.  For on-going treatment questions please email [email protected].  Please add pertinent photos to your email as it will help in giving proper advice.  All phone messages not of an emergency nature will be returned at a later date due to the shelter in place order and the team not being able to come into the office.  Rescheduling a canceled appointment is impossible at this time as we don’t know when the mandated shutdown will end.

The most recent information and changes can be found on our Miller Orthodontics Facebook page.

Remember this is our first pandemic as well and we are all trying to figure this out together.  Stay safe, stay healthy, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Dr. Miller and the Miller Orthodontic Team