February 9, 2023

Represent Your State

SWSO members can actively engage to foster regional, national and global advocacy for our profession by serving as a Component Advocacy Liaison (CAL)


As constituents of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), the SWSO strives to support our allied affiliation. We share core values, of which together, serve to advance the art and science of orthodontics through education, advocacy and research. By means of our shared initiatives, we as Orthodontic specialists and members of both, the SWSO and the AAO, actively engage to foster regional, national and global advocacy for our profession. This is why the AAO has now introduced its National Advocacy Network, or NAN.


The National Advocacy Network (NAN), established by the Council of Government Affairs (COGA) in the fall of 2022, aims to maximize AAO member grassroots influence across the United States and Canada, for offense and defense relating to AAO advocacy priorities. In other words, the NAN will work to enhance the Orthodontic specialty and protect health and safety via the advocacy efforts inclusive of data-driven policy the AAO can support.


The NAN plays a vital role in facilitating the exchange of transformative information within our profession to government officials and key decision-makers, which in turn, promotes increased awareness and development to the orthodontic specialty. This collaboration, which the NAN allows for, will ultimately add scale to the AAO’s and SWSO’s shared mission of furthering education, advocacy, opportunities and research within our community.


Currently, the AAO is seeking leaders willing to represent the national Orthodontic community as key points of contact for NAN. If you are interested in joining, please reach out to AAO’s Grassroots and Digital Advocacy Specialist, Kim VanVeen, by sending an email to KVanVeen@aaortho.org. Candidates will be considered and selected for service beginning early 2023.

Strategic Planning Update


The Executive Committees for SAO and SWSO convened January 13th-14th for a very productive Strategic Planning Session. This opportunity served to establish the goals and objectives for our merged constituencies going forward.


Our Leadership is excited to share the Strategic Plan upon its completion and adoption. Work is continuing to complete the combined Policies document and begin the executive director search.


If you have questions/concerns contact me at shannonortho@mac.com.  


Respectfully,

Kyle Shannon

Dental Codes

and what they mean for your practice


Dental Codes...just seeing that phrase makes you roll your eyes and flip to the next page or article, but proper coding for procedures in our offices could make the difference in substantial reimbursement to us, our patients or a mediocre month in income.


Every March, the Code Maintenance Committee of the ADA meets in Chicago at the ADA Headquarters to vote on making any changes to the ADA CDT book. The CDT Code Action Requests on the committee’s agenda are in the hyperlinked downloadable PDF, available to any interested person or organization:


March 2023 CMC Meeting Action Requests


Approved changes show up in the new CDT that comes out the following January. The AAO has a seat on that Committee and our Consultant, Dr. Richa Dutta, from the Council on Orthodontic Benefits ( COB) is there to make sure that our members continue to have codes that help our practice.


If that task doesn’t sound critical enough, consider that the ADA is doing a complete rewrite of the CDT to be out in about 3-4 years and we are involved in that process.


So be on the lookout for upcoming articles here to discuss the changes coming out of the CMC meeting and how the new CDT codes will affect you!


Also don’t forget, if you are attending the upcoming AAO Annual Session in Chicago (in person or virtually), there will be a Coding Corner to discuss all changes coming to the our Orthodontic codes and what it means to our practices!

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Interested in Submitting Written Comments for the 2023 CMC Meeting?


March 2023 CMC Meeting Action Requests

  • Any interested party may submit written comments on any of the action requests in the above-noted PDF prior to the March CMC meeting.
  • Written comments must be transmitted via email to dentalcode@ada.org and be received no later than by Friday, February 24, 2023.
Submit Written Comment
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Interested in Virtually Attending the 2023 CMC Meeting as an Observer?


Virtual Participation Registration using “Zoom®” technology –

  • Observers who wish to attend the one-day CMC meeting on Thursday, March 9, 2023 virtually must register by Friday, March 3, 2023 no later than 5:00 PM Central Time.
  • Send your request via email to dentalcode@ada.org.



Register to Virtually Attend CMC

2024 AAO Awards

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The deadline for the 2024 AAO Awards is approaching and the SWSO would love to nominate your favorite candidate for each of these awards.


Please review each of the award decriptions below and submit your qualified candidate choices by Friday, March 17 so we can get the proper documentation in order for each award's submission submission deadline of March 31st.


James E. Brophy Distinguished Service Award


The Distinguished Service Award was established by the Board of Directors of the American Association of Orthodontists in 1963 and was renamed the James E. Brophy AAO Distinguished Service Award by the House of Delegates in 1986. The award is presented to those who, in the judgment of the Award Committee, have made contributions to orthodontics in addition to other valuable and devoted services to the Association and to its membership. This award is presented during the Leadership Appreciation Reception at Annual Session.


Submit Brophy Nomination

SWSO must receive your nomination by

March 17, 2023


Brophy Award Winners



Required documentation for the James E. Brophy Distinguished Service Award nomination should include:

  • candidate's name 
  • candidate’s contact information 
  • candidate’s current curriculum vitae

SWSO must receive your nomination by

March 17, 2023


Humanitarian Award Winners


Required documentation for the Humanitarian Award nomination should include:

  • candidate's name 
  • candidate’s contact information 
  • candidate’s current curriculum vitae
  • nomination letter
  • two letters of support

Humanitarian Award


The Humanitarian Award was established by the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) in 2011. The award recognizes significant contributions to improve the quality of human life that extend beyond the usual scope of private practice, academic functions or organized dentistry. This award is presented during the Leadership Appreciation Reception at Annual Session.

Submit Humanitarian Nomination

Lifetime Achievement Award in Orthodontic Research


The Lifetime Achievement Award in Orthodontic Research was established by the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) in 2015. The award recognizes those individuals who have made significant contributions to the science related to the specialty of orthodontics over the course of their lifetime. This award is presented during the Leadership Appreciation Reception at Annual Session.

Submit Lifetime Achievement Nomination

SWSO must receive your nomination by

March 17, 2023


Lifetime Achievement Award Winners



Required documentation for the Lifetime Achievement Award in Orthodontic Research nomination should include:

  • candidate's name 
  • candidate’s contact information 
  • candidate’s current curriculum vitae
  • nomination letter
  • short summary of the lifetime achievements of the nominee

SWSO must receive your nomination by

March 17, 2023


Outstanding Contributions Award Winners


Required documentation for the Humanitarian Award nomination should include:

  • candidate's name 
  • candidate’s contact information 
  • candidate’s current curriculum vitae
  • nomination letter

Outstanding Contributions Award by a Non-Orthodontist


The AAO Distinguished Service Award Committee is requesting nominations for the AAO Outstanding Contribution Award by a Non-Orthodontist for 2024. The Committee is composed of the eight most recent past presidents, each representing one of the eight constituent organizations. This award is presented during the Leadership Appreciation Reception at Annual Session.

Submit Outstanding Contributions by Non-Orthodontist Nomination

Save the Date!

We look forward to seeing you next year at the Omni Amelia Island Resort in Fernandina Beach, Florida, October 26-28, 2023.