Read our recent Suburban Life feature for Dr. Welsh`s

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D PROFILE
“
Regardless
of their age,
I work with my
patients to make
their lives as easy
as possible.”
—Dr. Todd Welsh
Smile Bigger,
Laugh Louder,
Live Better
By Bill Donahue
Photography by
Allure West Studios
At Bucks County
Orthodontics,
Dr. Todd Welsh
and his team
improve patients’
lives by creating
perfect smiles that
last a lifetime
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T
ODD M. WELSH, D.M.D., remembers a time
when he didn’t want to smile. Like many other
children his age, his bite was less than perfect,
so his parents invested in orthodontic treatment to
adjust his smile. He wore braces dutifully from ages 9
to 13, and he also needed advanced restorative treatment
to replace two missing front teeth. After his treatment
had concluded, his renewed level of confidence made
him want to devote his life to sharing this gift with
others. By the time he was 15, he knew he wanted to
be an orthodontist.
“My result made a huge difference in my life,” says
Dr. Welsh. “It made me want to smile again, and it also
made me want to be a positive influence in people’s
lives. The experience of needing follow-up restorative
work to address my missing teeth drives me to take a
multidisciplinary approach in providing my patients
PHILADELPHIA LIFE/SUBURBAN LIFE
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 3
with the best and most efficient result possible.”
Dr. Welsh received his undergraduate degree from
Dickinson College in his hometown of Carlisle, Pa.,
and he continued his education at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia
(UPenn). He graduated with honors in 2000 and completed a general dentistry residency as chief resident in
2001. Following several years in practice as a general
dentist, during which he completed a fellowship in
oral surgery and teaching at UPenn, Dr. Welsh chose
to pursue his orthodontic training. He graduated from
his orthodontic residency at UPenn in 2005.
Today he treats patients of all ages at his Doylestownbased practice, Bucks County Orthodontics. The practice
was formerly known as Orthodontic Specialists of
Bucks County, under the leadership of George A.
Bullock, D.M.D. Dr. Bullock was a well-respected orthodontist, as well as a pillar of the community, and Dr.
Welsh has been carrying that tradition forward since
taking over the practice approximately one year ago.
Due to his years as a general dentist and his experience working with leading oral surgeons, periodontists,
prosthodontists and other dental professionals across
the country, Dr. Welsh excels at providing each patient
with a comprehensive treatment plan that takes into
account one’s overall dental health and facial aesthetics.
As a result, patients leave his care with the foundation
for a beautiful, functional smile built to last a lifetime.
“My job as an orthodontist is not just to make my
patients’ teeth straight and correct their bite but also to
consider every option that fits into their treatment,” he
says. “I view myself as an educator; sometimes the
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D
best thing you can do is make certain
patients understand all of the options
that are available to them so they
can make educated decisions for
themselves that best fit their lifestyle.”
Bucks County Orthodontics offers various forms of treatment,
everything from traditional stainless-steel braces to translucent Clarity
braces that won’t stain or discolor.
Other options include self-ligating
braces, which are made from the
same materials as traditional braces
but forgo elastics, meaning shorter
treatment times and less pressure
on the teeth, as well as lingual
braces (placed on the backs of the
teeth) for patients who may have
aesthetic concerns regarding traditional braces. Also, Dr. Welsh is a
Preferred Provider of Invisalign, a
system of clear, custom-fitted aligners
used to correct certain orthodontic
bite problems.
As a supplement to braces or
aligners, Dr. Welsh offers accelerated
orthodontics by utilizing the AcceleDent system as a tool to reduce
overall treatment time by up to 50
percent. This FDA-approved treatment
features a mouthpiece with a builtin activator that uses precisely calibrated micropulses to gently accelerate the movement of teeth as they
are guided by orthodontics. Patients
wear AcceleDent in automatically
timed increments of 20 minutes per
day while performing other activities.
AcceleDent moves teeth into their
corrected position in quicker fashion,
while “taking away almost all of the
discomfort associated with moving
teeth,” says Dr. Welsh. As one of the
only providers of this technology in
the area, it has become a convenient
treatment option for a growing number of Dr. Welsh’s patients, including
S. Trimbur.
“AcceleDent has been well
worth the investment,” says Trimbur,
who opted for AcceleDent in addition
to Invisalign treatment. “Long term,
my treatment time has been reduced
by half. Short term, AcceleDent has
alleviated tightness and discomfort
during these first eight weeks. I
highly recommend the product.”
Although a great result is Dr.
Welsh’s first and foremost priority,
he also aims to ensure that his patients always feel comfortable and
that they are in the most qualified
hands. Four members of his support
team have been treating patients
for more than 15 years; overall, the
team has more than 225 years of
combined experience. Also, the
practice’s soothing, spacious office
provides complimentary Starbucks
coffee, tea and Wi-Fi service for all
patients and their families, while
child-age patients enjoy hot chocolate, multiple game stations and a
“Smile Theater” space that shows
child-friendly films.
“We want people to enjoy their
The practice’s soothing, spacious
office provides complimentary
Starbucks coffee, tea and Wi-Fi
service for all patients and their families, while child-age patients enjoy
hot chocolate, multiple game stations
and a “Smile Theater” space that
shows child-friendly films.
experience,” he says. “Our families
are very busy, so if we can offer
them a few minutes to themselves
where they can relax and enjoy our
free Wi-Fi and a good cup of coffee,
we’re going to ensure that happens.
We also run contests on social media, have multiple giveaways, dress
up for Halloween and find many
other ways to make visits fun for all
of our patients. If our patients aren’t
enjoying their experience, we aren’t
doing our jobs.”
The practice also offers a private
treatment room apart from the open
operatory. This is especially popular
among adult patients, who now account for more than 25 percent of
Dr. Welsh’s total patient population.
“Orthodontic treatment should not
be stressful, and it doesn’t have to
be,” he says. “I have patients from
ages 5 to 75. Regardless of their
age, I work with them to make their
lives as easy as possible.”
Barring emergencies, the practice sees patients five days a week,
offering early morning and evening
appointments to accommodate
patients’ hectic schedules. Such
devotion to simplifying patients’
lives extends to issues such as insurance. The practice’s administrative staff “takes care of everything,” says Dr. Welsh, by guiding
patients through the process with
their insurance company so there
are no surprises along the way.
The practice has also introduced
a 24/7 patient portal on its website,
through which patients can check
appointment times and account
information on their own time.
To supplement his training
and experience, Dr. Welsh is devoted to continuing education in
orthodontics and allied disciplines.
He leads a monthly Spear Study
Club for local dental professionals,
who learn about team-based, multidisciplinary topics that can help
provide each patient with the most
efficient and effective dental care
possible—everything from fullmouth reconstructions to temporomandibular joint pain to the
creation of healthier bone environment for dental implants.
Apart from the study club, Dr.
Welsh maintains membership in
various professional organizations,
BUCKS COUNTY
ORTHODONTICS
140 S. Clinton Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
215-348-9521
www.buckscountyorthodontics.com
such as the American Dental Association, the Pennsylvania Dental Association, the American Association
of Orthodontists and the Mid-Atlantic
Society of Orthodontists and the
World Federation of Orthodontists.
He is a member of local organizations such as the Doylestown Rotary
Club and the Doylestown Chamber
of Commerce. He is also involved
in multiple philanthropic causes
throughout Bucks County. This year,
for example, the practice provided
support to more than 30 community
and philanthropic organizations, including CBAA Coaches vs. Cancer,
the Central Bucks Family YMCA and
Relay for Life of the Central Bucks
Middle Schools.
“Doylestown is a great area; my
family and I love it and we are all
lucky to be part of it,” he says. “If
something is important to our patients, we want to be involved in it.
We are continually giving back to
our community by supporting charities and sponsoring sports teams
and other groups that matter to our
patients and their families. We want
to give back to the community that
allows us to be a part of their lives.”
Whether he is contributing to
the community or providing customized treatment programs, Dr.
Welsh strives to do much more
than straighten patients’ teeth.
“A healthy smile is a functional
change and a cosmetic change, and
this can have a big impact on someone’s health and on their life in general,” he says. “The more self-confidence you have, the better you do
at so many things because you just
feel better about yourself. These are
little things that add up to making a
big difference in the outcome of
someone’s life.
“Smile bigger, laugh louder,
live better—that’s our motto here,”
he continues. “It’s all about our patients having a better, more confident
life because of the treatment and
experience we give to them.” n
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PHILADELPHIA LIFE/SUBURBAN LIFE
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 3