Scissortail Orthodontics

Soaring to New Heights of Patient Care

The striking Scissor-tailed flycatcher (Muscivora forficata), known for its distinctive, scissor-like double tail and its dramatic ‘sky dancing’, was legally adopted as the Oklahoma state bird in 1951. This graceful bird, whose tail can sometimes be twice as long as their body, is also on the U.S. Mint state quarter with the Oklahoma state wildflower, the Indian blanket.

When Dr. Philip Kierl was ready to leave the comforts of the family practice where he had been practicing and start his own orthodontic office, he knew he wanted to do things slightly differently. He needed to pick a name and logo to represent his way of thinking, represent the state of Oklahoma, and tell a story.

“The scissortail is our state bird. Beauty is at the essence of what we do.” Says Dr. Kierl. And this is just a beautiful state bird. “

“The scissortail represents freedom, adaptability, and agility, & those are all the things we pride ourselves on.”

We’re free to treat however we want, whenever we want. We can switch you from braces to aligners or aligners to braces, because we do everything in-house. We’re adaptable. We’re going to incorporate new technology, and we’re also going to make the most of current technologies.”

Freedom

One of the first steps in building his own practice was to contact Burkhart Equipment Specialist Brandon Saas.

“I had a friend who had worked with you guys and was very happy to experience and I knew I needed a one stop shop for this, just because of the massive amounts of work I was gonna have to do on other things that I didn’t want to piecemeal it myself, and wanted somebody to kind of come in and do a good job, comprehensive, especially with the install, maintenance of equipment, things like that.

As someone with a decade of 3D printing experience, he needed a large lab with plenty of ventilation and ample open countertop space for his plans of printing in-house. His vision was for the office to look like a modern home. He wanted parents to come in and feel comfortable, like a place they wanted to be able to hang out in.

For the planning phase, he used a dental ergonomics company. Then, he partnered with an architect who had limited experience with dental offices. Burkhart played a crucial role as an intermediary, clarifying his needs versus their preferences and helping him figure out the best way to use the space efficiently.

“You guys provided some plans that helped me to go back to my architect…it really, really helped me, because I was getting push back, like ‘you don’t know what you’re talking about’ kind of thing…when I bring this [plan] from [Burkhart], a dental company with a good reputation, they’re like, ‘okay, maybe we can do this’.”

The office was built with plans for the future. The front office has a long, beautiful desk with wood veneer installed with sound-dampening foam. The length of the desk allows it to be for both check-in and check-out and gives it the feel of almost a hotel lobby. To the right is the brushing station and X-ray unit.

The main galley has four chairs and two long islands within a spacious area. One wall is adorned with a vibrant mural of a scissortail, adding to the visual appeal. Past the galley, along another wood veneer wall with recessed lighting are two more chairs for longer appointments, such as bands and de-bands, and a lounge area with a window for the waiting parents. A chair in a private room is currently used as an overflow for exams and scans, longer appointments, and patient education.

 

Agility

Dr. Kierl’s office now does almost all of their aligners in-house. He believes that this aligner treatment specifically allows the office flexibility to change the course of treatment if needed at any time. He and his team use the software to set up the case and then fabricate the stages for aligners, and then he will often go in and tweak some of the parameters as needed.

“One of the biggest faults I see sometimes is people aren’t actually taking full advantage of technology. They may have technology, but they don’t know how to use it to its full capacity. So, I wanted to design the practice to be as efficient as possible,” said Dr. Kierl.

 

Dr. Kierl emphasizes efficiency even from a parent’s perspective, ensuring patients don’t need to visit for unnecessary appointments, such as fixing broken brackets, or feeling rushed during their last visit. He is committed to providing ample time for patients to discuss their concerns, even if it means spending 30 minutes with the doctor. Dr. Kierl aims to make patients feel like part of his dental family and believes that sets them apart.

 

Adaptability

Dr. Kierl was lucky enough to have his orthotic residency in Las Vegas. Over those three years, he immersed himself in technology by attending nearly every orthodontic convention in town, taking advantage of free admission for residents. He eagerly absorbed information about leading experts, best practices, and the newest technology.

That experience still influences him today, in the ever-changing world of 3D technology. It’s important to him to remain an expert in this field and evolve along with technology. It is a key part of his practice to use modern innovation to achieve the highest levels of patient care”

“And that’s what’s really, really cool about now, is all the technology that allows you to do all these cool things in 3D — custom brackets, custom wires, 3D printing and all that kind of stuff – even remote and dental monitoring that we’re incorporating in our office that makes things really efficient for us and efficient for the patient.”

 

Community

Community involvement is a top priority for Scissortail Ortho. They take pride in sponsoring local events, including athletic and academic teams, charities, schools, and churches.

The practice’s website also features a section with shareable blog posts, featuring articles that highlight different people and organizations making a positive impact on the local community. “I took 10 years of experience along with my own personal experience, and developed a mission, a vision of the kind of practice I would want to operate and be proud of by bringing in people like Burkhart & Brandon [Saas]…”says Dr. Kierl.

“You can’t just go build an office. You have to have a mission and a vision. Everything has to come from that, and if you know what that is, and you know your core values, decisions become easier. And I think that helps produce a good result.”

Scissortail Orthodontics now has two locations: Stillwater, Oklahoma, and a new location in Edmonds that opened in October 2024.

 

About Scissortails

Freedom	Scissortails thrive in open spaces. Look for them near open fields, pastures, farmlands, and golf courses.
Agility	The Scissortail’s long, forked tail helps it make sharp turns to catch insects while in flight, perform a series of V-shaped swoops, or make other quick maneuvers. They are also known for performing dramatic ‘dancing’ flights.
Adaptability	The nest of the Scissortail is made of various materials, often including many human-made materials such as cloth, string, paper, and even cigarette filters, as well as natural fibers such as stems, cotton, twigs, and grasses.
Community	Scissortails form large flocks, sometimes up to thousands of birds, and are known to gather in large communal roosts.

 

Learn more about Scissortail Orthodontics.

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Written by Dawn Kahl

Published in Catalyst – Q3 2025.

Category: Office Planning & Design

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