Authors' response

The interesting, legally crafted letter from Dr Burns elicits the following question. If you require a heart bypass operation, a hip replacement, or a colonoscopy (ugh!), would you prefer to have it done by a properly trained practitioner who performs it within the standard of care for that procedure? Malocclusion correction is not a life-threatening event. If it were, there would be accepted standards for all orthodontists that “guaranteed” the patient a good probability for a reasonable outcome. On a lighter note, even farmers must conform to a “standard” when worming cows. If the procedure is not done correctly, it has no value to the animal—or subsequently to the farmer!