Scheduled Courses

Course Description:
Dental therapy has turned to a new medical model, bringing enhanced treatment for the patient and easier more predictable procedures for the dental team.

This program focuses on the new technologies that have made this possible:
New caries detection systems are making caries diagnosis more scientific, accurate, reproducible and clinically significant. Caries detection systems use various forms of light technology from laser to LED to reveal caries at an early stage. These technologies will be compared and evaluated.

The diode laser has become the essential soft tissue hand piece for the dental practice. User friendly laser technology keeps periodontal treatment in the general dentist’s office. The range of treatment includes crown lengthening, gingivectomies, and troughing of tissues for flawless impressions . The dental hygienist can use the soft tissue laser for bacterial reduction and biostimulation to promote periodontal tissue repair and healing.

Photo-activated disinfection can be utilized to promote remineralization and repair of dental tissues.

Early interproximal carious lesions can be sealed by a unique new resin infiltration system.

The potpourri of ingredients and tools that the dentist and hygienist need for therapies will be described in detail. Know your best fluoride for the job. What is new in remineralization therapy? How can you eliminate white spots? ACP, Recaldent, Novamin: when do you use what?

What you will learn:

• What is required for scientific, accurate, reproducible and clinically significant caries detection
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of each caries detection system
• How to treat caries using the medical not surgical model
• What are the ingredients and tools needed for remineralization
• Minimal invasive periodontal therapy that keeps patients in the GPs office
• How to incorporate the new soft tissue laser into the dental and hygiene practice

Despite a significant quantity of scientific literature helping us make appropriate treatment planning decisions, many clinical protocols lead to restorative difficulties.

State-of-the-art and state-of-the-science fundamentals as well as biologically and restoratively-driven pearls will be reviewed in an effort to better understand possible restorative influences that could positively affect less than ideal sites, for both fixed or removable restorations, single and/or multiple units.

Learning from both success and failures, a detailed approach to treatment planning will be presented. A variety of clinical treatment protocols will also be covered, including single and multiple teeth restorations, as well as full-arch restorations. The focus will be placed on teeth replacement and alterations in the esthetic zone, including a restorative implant protocol for predictable laboratory match with adjacent veneer restorations.

This presentation will also identify simple key factors pertaining to final esthetic outcomes that every dentist needs to know in order to better cater to the wants and needs of their patients.

Course Description:

Proper pre-surgical prosthetic planning involves understanding the patient's bony anatomy, adjacent teeth, vital structures, occlusion and desired esthetics. Utilizing advanced three-dimensional imaging modalities combined with interactive treatment planning software helps clinicians provide an accurate assessment of implant receptor sites. Once the implant position is determined, the link between the implant and the desired tooth position is the abutment. Ideally, it is important to determine the restorative options based on implant position and prosthetic connection prior to implant placement.

Dental implant companies offer a growing selection of restorative options, including a variety of stock and custom abutments that are designed to accommodate the individual needs of your patient. Choosing the correct abutment is an important part of the planning and ultimate restorative process. Abutment considerations should be based upon multiple factors including the type of restoration (screw-retained or cementable), interarch spacing, location, esthetics, implant angulation, spatial positioning and surrounding soft tissue.

In today's economy, with cost being a major concern for both patients and practices, stock abutments are growing in popularity. Stock abutments can be used as is, or can be customized to meet the specific restorative demands of the site and the anti-rotational features of the implant. Other stock abutments have pre-machined margins, or are prefabricated in such a way as to save both time and money when used in conjunction with matching restorative and laboratory components. The purpose of this course is to help you navigate the decision matrix that goes into choosing the right abutment.

A hands-on portion will provide practical experience in the proper techniques for abutment selection, preparation and connection. Participants should bring their protective eye-wear and/or loupes for this session.

Participants will learn:

• Pre-surgical prosthetic planning using CT/CBCT imaging and 3-D planning software
• Decision tree for choosing the appropriate abutment for individual cases
• Indications for custom abutments and stock abutments
• The importance of the internal hexagon connection for restorative accuracy and consistency
• Prefabrication and customization techniques
• Methods to improve economic efficiency in abutment selection and preparation
• Understand the difference between fixture level and abutment level impression technique
• Understand the difference between single-stage and two -stage abutment concepts

Course Description:

Radiosurgery is one of the most important and versatile instruments in dentistry today. Its numerous uses range from performing surgical incisions to establishing hemostasis. Radiosurgery offers the advantages of a safe, fast and efficient incision with a better field of visibility. The radiosignal establishes hemostasis while minimizing the need for sutures. This presentation has been designed to offer the dentist a comprehensive study of radiosurgery on the latest surgical equipment.

• Discussion & demonstration of all radiosurgical cutting, coagulation and modes.
• Basic fundamentals and advanced procedures.
• Laboratory demonstrations by Clinician.
• ADA Codes for Radiosurgical Procedures & Fee Schedule.
• Comprehensive Video to include: crown preparations, bonding, gingivectomy, frenectomy, operculectomy, bleaching, biopsies, pulpotomy, and apicoectomy.

The laboratory portion of the course has been designed to allow the doctor the opportunity to become familiar with the operation of the radiosurgical instrument. Individual instruments will be supplied accompanied with the various waveforms, electrode cutting tips, and a variety of procedures will be performed by each attendee. Use of metal instruments, implant exposure and necessary precautions are also demonstrated. The clinician will be comfortably prepared for the use of radiosurgery in the dental field.

Biography:

• Diplomat American Board of Oral Electrosurgery
• Visiting Lecturer – Tufts University
• Fellow, American College of Dentists
• Fellow, International College of Dentists

Dr. Sherman has been closely involved with the research and development of radiosurgery in the dental profession. Dr. Sherman has written three textbooks on the subject of electrosurgery/radiosurgery, produced a video, as well as numerous articles published in both national and international journals.

COURSE SYNOPSIS:

The restoration of the endodontically treated tooth is one of the most common procedures in dentistry today.  Numerous new techniques and innovative materials are available to the practitioner to facilitate the various step involved.  This program is designed to familiarize the dentist with the latest treatment modalities and the most effective materials,  providing information that can be immediately incorporated into the practice by both dentists and staff, including single-step obturation-post techniques.

This program examines numerous recent advances that facilitate the dentist in restoring the endodontically treated tooth:

• Bonded, tooth-colored fiber-reinforced post & cores
• Faster, better, and more accurate impression techniques
• One-step predictable temporization
• Rapid fit-adjustment of the crown
• Simplified, one-step crown cementation

In this multi-focal hands-on program, participants will have an opportunity to rehabilitate a flared canal and then to cement numerous types of posts while creating resin cores suitable for ceramic or ceramo-metal restorations.

Special Note:
Doctors Need To Bring Curing Lights & Instruments for Composite Placement

Course Description:

Advances in composite and ceramic systems allow for placement of esthetic restorations in both routine and complex cases. Development of new instrumentation enables the practitioner to perform esthetic and restorative dentistry with more accuracy and efficiency. This seminar will demonstrate proper placement and contour of anterior and posterior composite restorations. The class will deal with more complicated anterior composite placement and complete anterior esthetics. A new system for placing ceramic veneers without extensive laboratory work will be shown.

The hands on portion of the course will allow the participants to use some new instrumentation for placing anterior and posterior composite restorations. Placing composite and porcelain restorations on severely stained teeth will also be included. Attending this seminar will allow the clinician to immediately incorporate helpful techniques into dental practice.

Course Highlights:

Morning Lecture

• Review of adhesives and new composite materials
• Placing difficult anterior composite restorations using microhybrids
• Characterizing anterior freehand esthetic restorations
• A new technique for porcelain veneers
• Proper and easy placement of posterior composites

Afternoon Hands-on

• Diastema closure
• Placement of a microhybrid free-hand veneer
• Characterizing free-hand veneer with color opaqers and tints
• Porcelain veneer using new technique
• Posterior composite using new instrumentation

Course Description:

Implant dentistry has become routine dental treatment today in dental offices around the world. Weather doing surgical, prosthetic or both we need to educate ourselves in this discipline.

With invention of different implant designs and prosthetic components implant dentistry has become more predictable in producing a functional and aesthetic result. This lecture will concentrate on both surgical and prosthetic aspect of implant dentistry.

Objectives:

• To identify the patient that need dental implants
• Where, when , how
• Understand the limitations of dental implants
• How to treat over-dentures
• Learn different prosthetic options

Course Description:

ANTERIOR ESTHETIC REHABILITATION WITH PORCELAIN: A HANDS-ON APPROACH

This course is designed to demonstrate anterior esthetic prep design for both cosmetic and functional cases. Each participant will prepare 6-10 teeth for indirect porcelain restorations. They will also learn a quick, functional and esthetic technique for provisionals using a putty matrix and crown and bridge material.

• 1-hour lecture in include philosophy, smile design, preparation, and temporization
• Preparation of veneers on typodont
• Provisionalization

THE ART OF CREATING / RESTORING NATURE WITH COMPOSITE RESINS - A HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE
This course talks about the new generation of composite resins.  Each doctor will prepare a class IV fracture on a typodont.  We will fabricate a putty matrix stint from impression material to eliminate the need for interproximal mylar strips.  We will demonstrate the layering technique of the composite system using opaque, body and enamel shades to correct the Class IV fracture.
Afterwards, with the new polishing systems we will show how well the new micro hybrid composites can polish.

• 1-hour lecture to include advantages of the new micro/matrix composites, proper layering techniques, polishing and finishing
• Preparation of a class IV fracture on a typodont
• Fabrication of putty matrix stint
• Proper layering technique
• Final contouring and polishing

Course Description:

Introduction; Today’s general practice has many patients that are interested in improving the appearance of their teeth. Anterior esthetics is still a hot topic. People are asking for veneers and smile make-overs, but what about the edentulous population. Over 36 million patients in the United States have lost their teeth! The advent of the Dental-Implants has given general dentists a less costly, and rapid way of solving many of the difficult problems that arise with removable dentistry. This course will enable dental providers the skills to build their general practices by incorporating services like veneers, grafting, implants, dentures, and more! Dental providers can prepare themselves for the economic crisis we are experiencing by utilizing these practice producing techniques and materials learned at this course. By doing so, they can restore function and confidence to their patients and provide clinical and economic benefits to their practices!

About the Lecturer:

Ara Nazarian DDS is a graduate of the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Dentistry. Currently, he maintains a private practice in Troy, Michigan with an emphasis on comprehensive and restorative care. His articles have been featured in many of today’s popular dental publications. Dr. Nazarian also serves as a clinical consultant to many dental manufacturers and lectures nationally on Cosmetics, Full-Mouth Rehabilitation and Mini-Dental Implants. He is also the inventor of the DemoDent patient education model system.

Outline:

• Marketing that gets results
• Implementing mini-implants into your general practice
• 100% Case Acceptance
• Procedure Protocol (Step-by-Step)
• Making Dentures Fun and Profitable
• Using Mini-Implants to Boost Production
• Veneers made Easy
• All Porcelain Systems Review (Lava, Procera, Cerecon,…)
• Predictable Techniques
• Full Mouth Rehab in Two Visits
• Diagnostic Wax-Ups
• Conservative Prep/ No-Prep Veneers
• Denture Duplication Quick and Easy
• Bone Grafting
• Combination Cases
• How to get your patients to REFER!
• Boosting you Productivity!
• And much more………..

COURSE SYNOPSIS:

Intensive all day hands-on participation workshop teaching alternatives to rotary NiTi. A predictable, safer, more time efficient and far less costly system will be introduced. The dentist will experience the elimination of hand fatigue, canal distortion, and instrument separation.

• Avoid hand fatigue
• Learn alternatives to costly rotary NiTi systems without sacrificing quality
• Demonstrating a single cone filling lateral canals
• Explores the degrees of curvature
• Learn the advantages of Epoxy resin cement and a single point fill
• Compare several of the most popular root canal cements

Course Description:

The Morning program will be a treatment planning session with three selected case presentations with group discussion and case planning by each group provided with casts, radiographs and patient history. Emphasis will be placed on esthetic and interdisciplinary treatment, and occlusal management. Topics to be covered include:

• Identify the key factors for treatment planning of anterior restorations: A methodical treatment sequence applicable to major and minor anterior restorations.
• Establish a step-by-step occlusal plan for maximum predictability. Identify occlusal red flag prior to treatment and provide a predictable restorative outcome.

The Afternoon program will be a hands-on preparation workshop on dentoforms for the following teeth:

• Porcelain veneer preparation on a maxillary central incisor
• Porcelain veneer preparation on a maxillary canine
• All-ceramic crown preparation on a maxillary central incisor
• All-ceramic crown preparation on maxillary bicuspid

Biography:

Dr. Gerard J. Chiche is the Director of the Center of Esthetic and Implant Dentistry at MCG School of Dentistry, Augusta GA. He has given numerous programs nationally and internationally and holds membership in the American College of Dentists, the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry, the American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics, the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society. He is a Past President of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and is also, respectively with Alain Pinault and Hitoshi Aoshima the author of the textbooks: Esthetics of Anterior Fixed Restorations, and Smile Design - A guide for Clinician, Ceramist and Patient both published by Quintessence Pub. Co. He serves as adjunct faculty at the Pankey Institute, he is the recipient of the 2003 LSU Alumni Award, the 2003 Educational Community Achievement Award of the Seattle Study Club for best dental educator of the year and the 2007 Distinguished Lecturer Award of the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics.