Our Blog

Itero intraoral scanner
These New Intraoral Scanners Are Amazing!
07/26/2023

At Sword Orthodontics we are always striving to provide the best available technology to utilize for the purpose of helping transform lives. Our focus is on building a confident smile for all ages. How do we achieve that? By offering the best results with the best patient experience. When new products like this iTero Element 5d Plus intraoral scanner are released and offer faster scanning speeds, better patient comfort, more accurate digital scans, and better orthodontic results, we always get excited to try them out.

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Dr Hartsock
Dr. Tom Hartsock Awarded Invisalign Faculty Member
09/22/2021

Align Technology, the global orthodontic experts responsible for the revolutionary Invisalign clear aligner system, has named Tom Hartsock an Invisalign Faculty Member. Dr. Hartsock is one of a select group of orthodontic specialists in North America who have strategically partnered with Invisalign to promote education of dental professionals around the world and to advance the mission of orthodontic health and excellence. Invisalign Faculty Members are chosen based on professional criteria that assess a doctor’s experience and skills with the Invisalign technique, their past lectures and overall teaching experience, and their contributions to the orthodontic field. Dr. Hartsock has been featured multiple times as a lecturer in the Align Technology “Ask The Expert” webinar series and has also lectured at various national orthodontic conferences, seminars, and study clubs.

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Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Thank You!
12/17/2019

An Open Letter to Our Patients, Staff, Referring Doctors, and Spouses:

To say that 2019 was an exciting and eventful year for our office is really an understatement. This year has been full of new landmarks for our team, and it is fitting for us to pause to say thank you to all of you who have supported and encouraged us to continue to grow and improve.

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Local Vacation Bible Schools
2019 Guide to Local Vacation Bible Schools
05/30/2019

Ok friends, we have compiled a list of local Vacation Bible Schools for the summer to help our families find one in their area!!!

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A Warning About Clear Aligners Seen On TV
05/17/2019

Lately a lot of online clear aligner companies have spent major dollars in advertisements trying to convince us that their treatment is extremely easy and hassle-free. You see their commercials on social media and TV all the time and you might be asking yourself, “Is that the same thing as going to the orthodontist for Invisalign?”. Many of these direct-to-consumer companies will ask you to take a selfie and get an impression of your teeth from home or they may even ask you to get your teeth scanned at one of their “scan centers” that they have created in a few larger cities in the U.S. Next, they mail aligners to you and after so many months of wearing them you will have perfect teeth! They make it seem so easy to use over the counter products to avoid the orthodontist altogether to get the smile that you have always wanted. Is that really all there is to it? Really?

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orthodontist or dentist
What is the difference between an orthodontist and a dentist?
04/17/2019

Every time I tell someone that I am an orthodontist I usually get one of two reactions. The first reaction is something like, “Oh, that’s cool! I had braces when I was young, and I really liked my orthodontist.” Some times those people will follow that up by reluctantly confessing that they don’t always wear their retainer like they should anymore and some of their teeth have started to shift and their overbite has relapsed. I always enjoy those reactions because that means they are already familiar with the kind of work that we do. They know that the orthodontist is where you go to get your braces or Invisalign to have your teeth aligned and your bite corrected. The second type of reaction I get is from those people who have never had braces or Invisalign and have no experience with retainers of any kind either. They usually ask me questions like, “Can you take out teeth for me?” or “Do you all do dentures there?” or maybe “I was supposed to have a filling done on a tooth a while back. Can you all do that?” To be honest I kind of enjoy those reactions too because it gives me an opportunity to educate people about my passion, which is helping people by giving them a confident smile that is easy to maintain and can last them a lifetime.

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National Dental Health Month!
03/01/2019

The month of February is National Dental Health Month, and it’s always great to share that with our local students to make sure our pediatric population is educated about dental hygiene.

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When should my child see the orthodontist?
12/19/2018

Starting to worry about how your child's adult front teeth are looking? Are you worried that their teeth don't seem to be fitting together like they should? You aren't the only one.

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Dr. Hartsock and I went to Vegas!
11/20/2018

This weekend, Dr. Hartsock and I had a chance to attend the national Invisalign Summit in Las Vegas. Believe it or not, the best part about the trip was not the endless buffets or all the great people watching I got to do...it was seeing Dr. Hartsock finally get the national recognition he has long deserved.

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Braces vs. Invisalign
07/18/2018

When it comes to straightening your teeth, you want something affordable, effective, and esthetic. Here at Hartsock and Sword Orthodontics we have multiple options for you to consider and the expertise to help you decide which option is right for you.

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