Practice Name

Specialty

City, State

Phone

Referring Doctors

517 E. Lancaster Ave.
Shillington, PA 19607

610.777.7646

 

426 West Main Street
Kutztown, PA 19530

610.683.6000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education for Success in Implant Dentistry

 

The Broad Goals:

 

Our broader mission will be to provide quality continuing education for all phases of implant treatment and for all levels of experience.   There will be a special emphasis on the foundation of knowledge necessary for the development of a sound, evidence-based treatment philosophy – i.e. knowing the basics.  Some of the areas that will receive our early intention will be:

 

  1.  To increase the comfort level of people who already work with implants and expand foundation of knowledge to help solve restorative problems.
  1. To bring implants into more offices
    1. Where practitioners have limited or no prior implant experience
    1. Replace prior unfavorable experiences with positive rewarding outcomes.
  1. To foster a “Team” approach to implant treatment.
  2. To provide education for office staff
    1. To elevate implant awareness for all office personnel.
    1. To familiarize office staff with the many applications of dental implants
    1. To improve the maintenance and assessment skills of hygiene staff.
  1. Develop meaningful, user friendly patient education programs.
  2. Educate the laboratory technicians in the nuances of implant supported prosthesis:
    1. The importance of provisionals
      1. For temporary function
      2. As a treatment tool
      3. As a diagnostic tool
      4. As a tissue sculpting tool in esthetic cases.
    2. Use of custom impression copings for esthetic cases
    3. Transition form and embrasure form
  3. To make implant treatment more cost effective with:
    1. Better treatment planning and decision making.
    2. Better impression technique
    3. Appropriate use of provisional restorations
    4. Improved communication with the lab
    5. Time management.

 

The Vehicles:

 

With such a broad mission there will be a variety of vehicles for this initiative.  The reference for all of the elements of our program will be our web site and the Referring Doctor section.  The elements of this program are planned to include:

1)       Essential Implant Fundamentals – in the past we have had a variety of mini-residency programs of four to six sessions.  Each of these programs involved a commitment to multiple dates and was designed as a continuum.  In an attempt to create a more user-friendly format that will not require an extensive commitment, this program will include a series of modules that will each stand independently. 

                                                               i.      Topics: to be announced

2)      Useful Topics in Implant Dentistry – a series of topics that will assume a level of familiarity with implant supported prosthesis.  These will each be a review of a current topic in implant dentistry, along with current references.

                                                               i.      Topics: to be announced

3)      Recommended Readings – Every month we will take the opportunity to point out important articles that we think will you may find useful in everyday practice. 

4)      Recommended Continuing Education Courses and Events – courses and speakers that will keep you current and keep your thinking fresh.

 

 

 

 

As a practice, we have had a great deal of support and success working with Straumann USA and, more recently, Thommen Medical as implant vendors.  We plan to continue to partner with these companies as well as the many vendors that supply us with materials for the associated reconstructive procedures that we regularly perform.  We are always actively assessing and evaluating new companies and products and will share information about those companies and products that we feel are worth being familiar with.

 

Editorial

 

An Introduction to a Philosophy:  Success with Implants and Implant Related Therapies

 

            In recent years, in spite of efforts on our part to provide our fellow professionals with the resources to successfully work over the implants that we would place for them, not every dentist that we work with has had consistently positive experiences with the restorative phase of treatment.  In recognition of this wide range of relative success with implant restorations, we have come to develop a philosophy with respect to implant continuing education that has one broad goal:  To provide support and education to enhance the success of every practice and professional that we work with. 

            So where to start?  There’s so much out there: Immediate placement – Immediate Loading – Platform Switching – Flapless Surgery – Grafting Techniques – CT guided surgery – Esthetic Placements – what works? – When do they work? – When don’t they? – Most importantly, what are the indications for each?  And equally important -- which manufacturer’s claims have substance? Which ones don’t? 

Rather than address each of these topics here let me rather start with what I believe – a philosophy, if you will, that sums up my approach to any treatment situation.  For me, it essentially comes down to the following basics:

1)      All of these treatments are elective; it is always imperative to minimize risk.

2)      Always try to achieve the greatest amount of good with the least amount of surgery, but never forget that less invasive is seldom less risky.

3)      New Technology, no matter how exciting, is not a substitute for education, knowledge, and sound clinical judgment based upon experience.

4)      A Team will always beat an individual.  Astronaut John Glenn said it best, “Teams out perform individuals; especially when performance requires multiple skills, judgment, and expertise”

5)      The faster and more frequently new and exciting technologies are presented to us, the greater and more difficult the imperative to stay current becomes.  Staying current requires a significant investment of time and resources.

6)      Implants and their associated technologies enjoy their greatest success, and provide the greatest patient benefit, when they are utilized to expand upon and extend the reach of established principles of dental treatment.

7)      No matter how complex the case, it still always comes down to basics when you are planning treatment.

 

Whenever I am asked about decision making in Implant Dentistry I am always reminded of an old sales pitch from one of the implant manufacturers.  There was a picture of two golfers on a green with one of the golfers preparing to put a golf ball into a hole that looked to be about thirty feet across.  The caption read: “So easy that you can’t miss.”  I always found it a poor analogy.  What if the golfer did miss?  He would certainly look silly, but nothing would be hurt except his pride.  There was no imperative for good equipment, experience, or careful planning.  I have always compared this add to a picture of a skier, obviously experienced, headed down a steep slope dotted with trees.  The imperatives here are obvious:  good equipment, good fundamentals, careful planning, and an appropriate level of experience before taking on the challenge.  And if the skier does make an error in judgment or preparation it is almost certain that he will be injured.

The latter analogy is far more appropriate when we consider new treatments of any kind for our patients.  So before you undertake any implant based treatment – take some lessons, check your equipment, and use your best judgment in deciding which slopes you are prepared to ski.  This portion of our web site and the core elements of a broad education initiative that I call “Education for Success in Implant Dentistry” will be dedicated to getting you, and your patients, to the base lodge safely.

 

                                                                                    Paul R. Farrell, D.M.D