Lisa Alvetro, DDS, MSD

Making a world of difference

What can you tell us about your background?
I grew up in Cortland, Ohio, a small town in northern Ohio. No one in my family was involved in dentistry; however, I did have a childhood friend whose dad was a dentist. In the seventh grade, I had to interview a professional. He was the only one I knew and was kind enough to give me his time for an interview. Neither he nor I would have guessed that a simple middle school project could start the wheels in motion to get me to the incredible place I am now.

When did you become a specialist, and why?
I graduated summa cum laude from Youngstown State University in 1987 and then attended The Ohio State University College of Dentistry where I graduated summa cum laude in 1991. I was undecided at the beginning of dental school what specialty to pursue, but in the end, orthodontics was by far the most intriguing. It was the perfect combination of the science of dentistry and the art of esthetics. It also had the greatest potential to form lasting relationships with your patients. Besides, every orthodontist I met really loved their work. The fact that so many stayed in their practices well beyond retirement years proved to me this must be something special.

Why did you decide to focus on orthodontics?
After being treated ortho-dontically as a dental student in the orthodontic residency program, I knew this is what I wanted for a career.

What training have you undertaken?
I completed my residency in orthodontics and master’s degree from Case Western University where I still currently am on the faculty. My position as associate professor allows me to help residents and my future colleagues transition into their careers and practices.

How long have you been practicing orthodontics, and what do you do to set your practice apart?
At Alvetro Ortho-dontics, we have two locations, with me as the sole orthodontist and a team of 20 staff. Our staff has a combined total of 252 years of orthodontic experience. They regularly attend continuing education seminars to bring the latest advancements and technology to our practice. We strive to create a fun atmosphere for our patients. One of the ways we do this is by decorating each office with a theme. In our Sidney office, you can experience an “African safari”; and in Tipp City, you can “tour around the world” with each area of the office decorated with a different country. It’s evident that we, along with our patients, have a lot of fun with each of these themes. They are seen on T-shirts, bags, patient reward prizes, sports apparel, ink pens, travel mugs, and many other things.

Do your patients come through referrals?
Some of our referrals come from dental professionals; however, the majority of our referrals come from patients or members of our community who respect our reputation and dedication.

What is the most satisfying aspect of your practice?
What is exciting is that after being an orthodontist for 22 years, I am beginning to treat the kids of my past patients. It is rewarding to see patients whom I last saw as teenagers now as adults with children of their own. To me, it is the biggest compliment that they want their children to be treated by me.

What are your top tips for main-taining a successful specialty practice?
Our vision statement in the office is to “create an orthodontic experience that lasts a lifetime.” Our mission is to not only create great smiles and lasting results, but for all patients to remember their time spent in our office as some of their favorite memories. We believe orthodontics is more than moving teeth; it is about “moving people.” I often say a smile is the direct link to the heart. Some patients just need the look, which may be a great smile — and the confidence to express their inner beauty to the world.

What do you think is unique about your practice?
A unique aspect of our practice is our involvement with advancing education in orthodontics. It is unusual for a private practitioner to be able to be involved in clinical research. Researchers at U.S. universities and international research facilities access our database to conduct research on Class II corrections. Often we are asked to collect data and create samples to answer prevalent questions in orthodontics. Alvetro Ortho-dontics is proud to have been published 4 times in respected, peer-reviewed journals.

Professionally, what are you most proud of?
Another unexpected aspect of my career as an orthodontist is the opportunity I have to be an advocate for 3M Unitek. For the past 6 years, I have been invited to lecture worldwide — giving over 200 lectures in over 40 countries. This is so exciting to be able to share ideas and friendship with colleagues throughout the world. I believe these experiences have truly shaped how I practice orthodontics.
A recent event that was exciting for the practice and our patients was a Designing Spaces™ “Kids Spaces™” segment on Lifetime television that highlighted our office and patients, along with the 3M Unitek orthodontic solutions we use in our practice. It was exciting and rewarding to see my patients, office, and team presented in the media.

What advice would you give to a budding orthodontist?
When young doctors ask what the keys to success are, I always answer hard work and an attitude of gratitude. Since the communities I practice in have been so supportive of my practice, it is my obligation to be supportive of them. We need to be involved in our communities to help them serve their citizens and be great places to live. From the very beginning, we invested in our community. Not only do we contribute funds, but we also share our resources. The team from Alvetro Orthodontics can be found volunteering for organizations, planning fundraising events, and supporting organizations that need us. As a team, we are proud of the difference that we have made.

What are your passions, and what do you do in your spare time?
To be able to expand our outreach beyond our borders, Alvetro Orthodontics has also founded Smiles of Hope. Through this foundation, my staff and I have organized five dental mission trips to Tarime, Tanzania. Tarime is in a remote region of Tanzania where there is no access to dental care, a region where a toothbrush is a luxury item. On our first trip, we made a commitment to the orphans of the Gamasara region to provide them a home, food, and education. Smiles of Hope has been able to help this promise through the Angel House Orphanage – Secondary School.

What products help you make your practice successful? What does this mean for your patients?

I believe to provide quality treatment, you need to use quality products. We also need to give patients choices for their treatment that will allow them to get the results they want. We offer patients the choice of SmartClip™ SL3 Self-Ligating Appliance System, Clarity™ ADVANCED Ceramic Brackets (an ultra-esthetic bracket with the newest APC™ Flash-Free Adhesive Coated Appliance System technology), and lastly, the Incognito™ Appliance System (a lingual system for those who want an invisible treatment system that doesn’t hinge on patient compliance) — all offered by 3M Unitek. For Class II corrections, we utilize the Forsus™ Fatigue Resistant Device from 3M Unitek. With Forsus Correctors, we are confident that we can correct a Class II malocclusion that results in a great esthetic result independent of patient compliance. Our success with this appliance has made it very popular in our community with patients and parents of children with overbites.

The introduction to our practice of the 3M™ True Definition Scanner is allowing us to expand into the digital area of custom appliances and digitally directed indirect bonding. To manage our office and schedule, we utilize Dolphin Imaging and Dolphin Management Software.