Frank Joseph Burrell, D.D.S.
Dr. Frank Joseph Burrell was born and raised in northern California. He attended local schools there and graduated from U. C. Davis with a B.S. in Biological Sciences in 1971. He graduated from the UCLA School of Dentistry in 1975 and practiced general dentistry for 3 years in northern California. In 1978 he moved back to southern California and restricted his practice to Orthodontics. He was and associate doctor in a large orthodontic practice for 7 years and then a partner in the same practice for 7 more years. Dr. Burell is a highly ethical, highly professional health care provider. He has extensive orthodontic practice experience in all phases of treatment. He is committed to continuing education in order to provide the latest treatment modalities and technologies available to patients today. Dr. Burell practices by the guideline “what would I do if this patient was a member of my immediate family”.
Treatment Philosophy:
Dr. Burrell has treated nearly 20,000 orthodontic cases over the last 30 years and has vast experience with all types of orthodontic treatment. He has seen the practice of orthodontics evolve over time. Long held principles such as “wait until all the baby teeth fall out”, “wait until the patient is 12 years old”, “ your too old, you waited too long, adults can’t be treated” are just some of the “rules of orthodontics” that turned out to be simply incorrect. In the past, millions of patients had teeth extracted in order create enough space to straighten the remaining teeth. Treatment was done this way because it was almost always the only option available. This was due to the limitations of technology and knowledge available at that time. Today, with the advances in technology and knowledge much of what was previously thought to be the finest orthodontic treatment is not. Avoiding the extraction of teeth whenever possible to maintain facial esthetics, developing larger dental arches and healthy tempro-mandibular joints (TMJs) is almost always the better option. Larger dental arches may mean less health problems later in life. Early recognition of developing problems in children as young as 4 or 5 years old and appropriate treatment can be critical to their correction and avoidance of future problems. Understanding the impact orthodontic treatment has on the long-term health implications for the individual is vitally important.
Experience:
Dr. Burell has more than 30 years of experience treating nearly 20,000 orthodontic cases. He has experience with full treatment cases, early treatment, interceptive treatment, partial treatment, first phase treatment, multi-phase treatment, orthopedic treatment, fixed appliances (Standard Edgewise, Straightwire, Passive Self-ligation (Damon, Carriere, In-Ovation, Quick 2.0), fixed functional and orthopedic appliances (Rapid Palatal Expander (RPE), Herbst, headgear, Functional Mandibular Advancer (FMA), Mandibular Anterior Repositioning Appliance (MARA), removable appliances (Hawley, Bionator, Orthopedic Corrector, Frankel, Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, Occlusal-guide, tooth positioner), temporary anchorage device(s) (TADs, Micro-implants, Mini-implants), orthognathic surgical cases, and periodontally-accelerated osteogenic orthodontics(PAOO, Wilcodontics).
Future of Orthodontics:
It is Dr. Burrell’s opinion that the role of orthodontic treatment goes far beyond just straight teeth. It has already begun and will, to a much greater extent in the future, be recognized that the importance of the upper airway and its impact on long term health will be better understood. Orthodontic treatment has the ability to enlarge the dental arches creating more space for the tongue and thereby enlarging the airway. This can positively impact the condition of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which has been associated with the development of obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Some practitioners are beginning to suspect that Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) also may have an OSA component. It has also been recognized that periodontal disease is a factor in Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and poor tooth alignment making proper dental hygiene difficult can be improved by orthodontic treatment.
Memberships:
Dr. Burrell is or has been a member of various dental related organizations including the Orange County Dental Society, California Dental Association, American Dental Association, International Association for Orthodontics, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, USDI, and various study groups.