AO 2017 Annual Meeting Opening Symposium: 30 years of advancements in implant dentistry
“We are literally hardwired to recognize beauty, and no other part of our anatomy figures more prominently into that appraisal than facial appearance.”
In the 2017 Academy of Osseointegration’s (AO) Annual Meeting keynote address, Jill Helms, DDS, PhD, will provide a framework for thinking about the concept of beauty and its profound impact on the clinical practice of implant dentistry. Her presentation, “Beauty, Reconsidered,” will follow welcome and introductions from both me and AO President Alan Pollack, DDS, to kick off the 2017 Opening Symposium at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16.
The face, Dr. Helms says, is an advertisement of our health, vitality, and youth, which is why disfigurements that affect this part of our anatomy can have such a devastating effect on patients far beyond the physical impairment they may suffer. She will discuss some of the newest therapies in the field of regenerative dental medicine that hold promise for patients requiring complex craniofacial surgery or reconstruction.
But she emphases, “Even the best reconstruction, delivered by the most skilled surgeon, cannot achieve perfection.” Perfection and beauty are not determined by a golden ratio or even a particular visage.
“I hope to guide attendees on a journey that both validates the restoration of their patient’s external beauty, and also gets to the deeper business of appreciating the beauty that exists inside each of us,” concluded Dr. Helms.
Immediately following Dr. Helms, presidents of the annual meeting co-sponsoring organizations, Susan Brackett, DDS, president of the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP); Douglas Fain, DDS, president of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS); and Terrence Griffin, DMD, president of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), will moderate presentations by five renowned international speakers. The first, by Peter Wöhrle, DMD, will discuss “Replacement of a Single Tooth in the Esthetic Zone.” Three decades ago, the established treatment protocol took months—sometimes more than a year—to complete and often with unsatisfactory results. Dr. Wöhrle will highlight the evolution of the technique and refinements that have led to the current techniques that allow for superior quality.
Next, Ueli Grunder, DMD, will present “Replacement of Multiple Teeth in the Esthetic Zone” to help attendees avoid failures made years ago, describe how “old” techniques might still be the gold standard, and explain how good long-term results can be achieved.
“If we look at our cases up to 30 years later, we also understand that achieving predictable results in such cases is still a big challenge, and not always possible!” said Dr. Grunder.
Through the next presentation by Ricardo Mitrani, DDS, MSD, “Redesigning the Poorly Planned Implant-Supported Restoration: An Inevitable Reality,” attendees will be able to improve communication among team members, and as a result, identify potential problems and create practical treatment options. By addressing the treatment-planning process using the CPR (contingency, priority, and risk) technique, clinicians are better equipped to design successful and long-lasting implant restorations.
Clearing up more than four decades of myths and realities will be the focus of the subsequent presentation by Torsten Jemt, DDS, PhD. It has been more than 50 years since the first patient was treated with dental implants based on the principles of osseointegration. Failure is a relatively rare occurrence in routine treatment and its low incidence can present challenges. Dr. Jemt’s presentation will focus on analyzing implant failures in relation to three different factors.
Rounding out the Opening Symposium will be Markus Blatz, DMD, PhD, who will present “30 Years of Esthetic Materials on Implants in the Esthetic Zone.” His presentation will provide a historic overview of more than 30 years of esthetic implant materials and give a balanced update on current implant esthetics, novel restorative materials, and CAD/CAM technologies based on scientific evidence.
AO’s 2017 Annual Meeting will be held March 15–18 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. For more information, please click here.
