Giving patients great smiles and cutting edge Orthodontic techniques with Plainfield's Dr. Steven J. Moravec DDS, MS

Dr. Steven J. Moravec shares why he pursued a career in the Orthodontia field and offers a few of his favorite books.

P: How are you involved in the community?

Dr. Moravec: We’re involved in many ways. In October, we have a patient wear pink “braces” and I donate upward of $850 to Breast Cancer Awareness on their behalf. In November and December, we organize food donations for a local food bank. I also sponsor one boys and one girls team a year and donate $500 in scholarships to one senior at each of Plainfield’s four high schools.

P: If you had to recommend someone three books what would they be and why?

Dr. Moravec: I went back to school a few years ago to get my Masters Degree in History at DePaul, so my reading tends to be non-fiction. Two I would recommend are “With the Old Breed” by Eugene Sledge and “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President” by Candice Millard. The first is about a US Marine’s experience fighting in hellish conditions in WWII and the latter is about the assassination of President Garfield -- for fiction: “ Catch-22.”

P: What is your favorite part of working in Plainfield?

Dr. Moravec: The people in Plainfield and surrounding areas are great to work with: friendly, hard-working and appreciative.

P: What is your favorite part about the Orthodontic field?

Dr. Moravec: Giving our patients great smiles. I still get extreme satisfaction even after more than 25 years in practice of transforming a smile. After all, your smile is what people first notice about you when they meet you.

P: What are the most common conditions you treat?

Dr. Moravec: We treat all types of orthodontic conditions, from a simple turned tooth that may take only a few months to extremely complicated cases requiring two or more years of treatment. Our youngest patient was 3, our oldest was 78.

P: What made you want to pursue a career in Orthodontics?

Dr. Moravec: It is definitely the most rewarding and satisfying field in dentistry or medicine.

P: You’re not the only person in this business. How do you distinguish yourself from the others?

Dr. Moravec: My experience of treating over 15,000 patients over the last couple decades and the experience of my staff, most who have been in the orthodontic field for 10-20 years. Also, we utilize several advanced treatment protocols that most orthodontists don’t use.

P: What is something that most people don’t know about the Orthodontic field?

Dr. Moravec: That orthodontic training requires three years of specialty training following 4 years of undergraduate college and four years of dental school and that there is a big difference between a Board Certified, Specialty Trained Orthodontist and a dentist that may just dabble in braces or Invisalign.

P: What are the top three things parents should look for to know if they should bring their child to the orthodontist?

Dr. Moravec: 1) The first screening visit should be at about age 7 or right after the upper front adult teeth have erupted. 2) That new technologies in treatment usually means having braces on for much less than the traditional two years. 3) That there are many alternatives to traditional metal braces including Invisalign, clear braces and braces behind the teeth.

P: How can readers contact you?

Dr. Moravec: By email at Drsmoravec@stevemortho.com.