Dr. Suhail A. Khouri DDS
Inventor of Bendistal and Omni pliers
Contact Email: suhailkhouri@sbcglobal.net
Address:
3209 Brooklawn Terrace, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
Tel: 314-750-7470
This site does not represent a major company that sells and market products. It is an educational podium through which the author Dr. Suhail A. Khouri DDS, introduces the fruits of his orthodontic practice experience and clinical research since his graduation from the orthodontic program at University of Connecticut 1980, (A world renowned program for its Biomechanics innovations under Drs. Charles Burstone, Ravendra Nanda, Sam Weinstein, and Louis Norton).
Ever since graduation the author noticed that vast majority of recent orthodontists’ researchers and educators are focusing on biologic, diagnostic, and high tech aspects associated with orthodontic practice and sciences, in order to improve outcome of orthodontic treatment. They created a worldwide trend that neglect the majestic role of archwires elasticity as the mother of orthodontic forces which holds the key for any advances in orthodontic therapy. Despite all the sophisticated high tech digital equipment’s advances achieved nowadays in orthodontic research, nevertheless, our patients still treated with the same 120-years old techniques treating severe malocclusions. That is why researchers from other specialties tried everything imaginable like electricity, drugs, ultrasound osteogenesis distraction, corticotomy surgery, etc…, to accelerate treatment time without significant success. All new techniques they came up with, are more surgically invasive, complicated, inconvenient to patients , costly and clinically inapplicable.
They forgot that Edward Angle (father of Orthodontics) extracted orthodontic forces from limited elasticity of gold and stainless steel wires to move teeth for the first time in history, and initiated Orthodontics as the first dental and second medical specialty, more than a century ago. It was the spring back elasticity of archwires that established our specialty, and BENDING loops in these wires that he taught us, is what increased their elasticity and improved teeth moving outcomes in all planes. Also orthodontic literature 50 years ago, concluded that using elastic archwires not only create lighter and more consistent forces, which extends range, and pace of tooth movement, produces shorter treatment time with less root resorption than using stiff wires with strong intermittent forces.
With this in mind, Charles Burstone research work contributed to developing the super elastic archwires 40 years ago. Their lightest and most consistent forces they create over 100% spring back range are the ultimate goal for force quality any orthodontist ever dreamt with became before their fingertips. These properties revolutionized teeth alignment without inserting any loops, of helices in archwires. Orthodontists have not yet realized that NiTi’s super elasticity achieved is a DREAM-COME-TRUE to their orthodontic therapy options.
Possibly because bending those new brittle wires was impossible with the traditional pliers, their clinical usefulness was limited to only aligning teeth to the archly shape of the premanufactured forms of archwires.
It is this particular impasse that triggered invention of these Bendistal and Omni Pliers, which insert permanent V-Bends in those wires to direct their best forces in vertical and transverse planes for further clinical triumphs.