Below is a recent interview Maritza had with a teenage patient Thomas Skipworth and his mother Jackie. Please read her words and afterwards a summary of Thomas’ interview with our treatment coordinator Maritza. 

The following is an e-mail from Thomas’ mother (Jackie) in response to the question:
 
How has orthodontic treatment at Dr. Sutherland’s office affected Thomas’ life? 

"I was thinking about how I felt the first time we met with Dr. Sutherland and I must say it was a very emotional experience.

Thomas had NEVER slept through the night until he was 5 years old (we 
were both exhausted). When he started school, ALL of his teachers started 
labeling him as “ADD” and wanted us to medicate him. I knew in my heart
he didn’t have ADD, so I fought the teachers all along. When Thomas was 
in the first grade at age 7, his teacher thought she had witnessed an “absent
seizure” (Thomas was there physically, but not mentally and wasn’t even 
responding to her voice). We immediately made an appointment with a 
Neurologist in Tacoma. Thomas was tested for a seizure disorder and 
nothing was found, but his doctor disagreed with the ADD label too! We 
went on his hunch that Thomas had a sleeping disorder and at age 7 
Thomas had his first sleep study. Thomas moved around so much that 
night; he had woken himself up over 375 times! We chose to medicate 
Thomas to help him get a GOOD night’s sleep, he flourished in school. 
He was an ADVANCED student by the time he was in the 3rd grade he 
had an 8th grade reading level…

Thomas eventually fought us in taking his medication and we allowed 
him to try again on his own when he was in the 5th grade. It didn’t take 
long until once again, he was labeled the problem child with ADD that 
his parents wouldn’t treat. Thomas really wanted to do this on his own 
and just kept spiraling down. By the time he was in Jr. High he failed 
every class, he was too tired to go to school half of the time and the other
half, he really wasn’t all there. He would act out or move a lot just to stay 
awake; still we never let the teachers talk us into THEIR diagnosis of ADD.

Out of complete desperation and the fear that Thomas wouldn’t ever 
graduate from High School, we went back to see his neurologist. Another 
sleep study was done. Thomas fell asleep at 4:46 am and he gets woken 
up at 5:00 am on school days. This poor guy was vomiting while he was 
awake and sleeping half of his days away. We needed to do something, 
so we resorted back to the sleeping medication. Thomas was so 
depressed and felt hopeless by this point he just began acting the part 
of the child who really just didn’t care. He made some improvement with
his grades but not nearly enough to graduate.

When Thomas was 16 we took him to see Dr. Sutherland, after urging 
from his dentist that he would lose his teeth if he didn’t get braces. 
Dr. Sutherland made us feel so welcomed and didn’t LABEL Thomas 
as a bad kid. He looked in his mouth and the first thing he said was, 
“I’ll bet you have difficulty sleeping at night, do you breathe with your
mouth open? You probably have many allergies too!” I was like YES, 
YES, YES!!! Dr. Sutherland went on to explain to us that Thomas had 
such a narrow palate, that there was nowhere for the air to go and how 
he couldn’t possibly be sleeping well…

After leaving Dr. Sutherland’s office, I sat in the car (still in the parking lot) 
and cried! I told Thomas how sorry I was for not realizing that this was 
his problem all along. He said, “That’s ok mom! Thanks for taking me 
to see an orthodontist and thank you for being willing to spend that kind 
of money on ME!” I cried more…

I must tell you as parents it was the BEST investment we ever made, 
we’re only sorry we didn’t do it MUCH sooner!!!

After nearly one year of braces, Thomas has a wonderful smile and 
loves to show it. He is a senior in high school; he’s had to make up 
a lot of credits from his 9th and 10th grades. He has is drivers license 
and gets the “good student discount”. He is now enrolled in the running
start LPN program at Clover Park Technical College. He has his future 
all planned out for him…he has a goal in life and he has the confidence 
he needs to achieve this goal. He has so much more energy and we’ve
finally really gotten to know our son; what a great person he is!

Words can never express what you and your office have done for our family…

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!"
Jackie Skipworth


Interview with teenage patient Thomas Skipworth:
How has orthodontic treatment changed your life Thomas?
“For me, where I see the biggest difference is the social aspect. 
Straight teeth makes me feel more comfortable in social situations 
and I want to smile more. I used to be nervous with people now I feel 
more confident. From a health issue, before braces I couldn’t close
my mouth all the way. Now I can close my mouth and chew better. 
Now my teeth fit together right. I never realized how hard it was to eat
before. My breathing has improved, I feel like I have more room in my 
mouth and I don’t snore.”
Please explain your experience with braces at Dr. Sutherland’s office:
 
“I, of course, get sore when I get new wires. But, I actually get excited 
when I get new arch wires because within a month of the new wires
I see my teeth moving. I like to see the changes.”
What would you say to someone who is on the fence with their decision 
to do orthodontic treatment?
 
“I would definitely say, ‘do it! It will change your life. You will never regret 
your decision.”
*********************************************************************

“I always ask each of my patients about their experience after treatment by 
specialists. Dr. Sutherland’s patients are always very satisfied and often 
satisfied beyond their expectations.”

“…they made me feel like part of the family. They actually cared about why 
I was there and they wanted to make sure that all the needs that I had 
outlined were met. I think they did an excellent job of doing that.”

“I also found at Smiles by Sutherland that the staff are not only first class
professionals; but they are also really devoted to the well being of my 
children and the office in particular promotes character, quality, service
and faith which together provide the best possible care I could have 
ever hoped for.”

Dr. Sutherland and his staff are truly exceptional. Everyone honestly 
cares about each and every one of the patients. They are always smiling 
and joyful....It is most definitely an uplifting experience just being in their
office. I feel so blessed to have been referred to them and incredibly 
excited about my new smile that is beginning to take shape....Thank 
you Dr. Sutherland for creating such an extraordinary experience....I 
love going to your office!

I think this place is very nice. I've never said “ow!”, because everybody 
is very gentle. I think everything is very clean and tidy, and everything is 
very well organized.

Both of my children had their braces done at Dr. Sutherland's office & 
their teeth look great. The staff is very personable and knowledgeable. 
The financial department, the scheduling, the technicians and the doctor 
himself really take the time to listen and help with any problems that 
may come up. Also, Dr. Sutherland uses the absolute latest orthodontic 
technology along with his many years of experience. An added bonus is 
the Wii, Game Cube and several Game Boys to keep the kids entertained 
while they wait! They also have several drawings for really great prizes 
throughout the year and a good brushing incentive program.

I recommend Dr. Sutherland's office for any orthodontic services. The staff 
is professional and caring. I appreciate the thoroughness explaining all the 
options and answering my questions.

I would recommend Dr. Sutherland to anyone looking for Orthodontic 
services. He is very professional; his staff is very knowledgeable and 
caring. His office is a very warm welcoming environment. My son loves 
the video games in the waiting area.

I also appreciate that he is very involved with the community, schools 
and helping those who are less fortunate

Dr. Sutherland and his office epitomize what a professional, competent 
team should be. The care, communication, and professionalism have
been applied to both of my children. My son had some especially 
demanding orthodonture; I am not sure a less skilled practitioner would 
have met his needs.

We have had four boys go through orthodontic treatment with Dr. Sutherland
and have been completely satisfied with his service, treatment and staff. The
staff is well-trained in their jobs and eager to answer any questions quickly. 
My favorite thing about their office besides having four boys with beautiful 
smiles is the way they handle the appointments. They tell you about how 
long each appt. should last and we are almost always in and out at that time. 
I think this communicates a great respect for their customers and that is hard 
to find in the medical community. I would recommend Dr. Sutherland for anyone
needing orthodontic care

Absolutely terrific, the staff knows our name and is very kind to all. They have 
a nice warm and welcoming office, just like the staff smiles. They have activities 
to keep the kids busy while they have to wait and they get the job done fast. I 
am very satisfied with their office and office staff. I would highly recommend 
Dr. Sutherland's services to anyone. :)

Sue C.