Submitted by Dr. Jean-Francois Roulet and Dr. Ed O’Neill
If at first you succeed, you may be asked to do it again! That’s the lesson learned by Walter Dias, D.D.S., M.S., a clinical MKT dentist with Dentsply DeTrey in Germany. In October 2012, Diaz delivered a Wide Horizon Lecture for the Department of Restorative Dental Sciences and a hands-on course for the prosthodontic graduate students on occlusal anatomy in composites. The hands-on course was so well- received, the graduated students requested a follow up and Diaz was kind enough to oblige on April 5-6, 2013.
On April 5, Diaz gave an overview of the principles of minimal invasive adhesive dentistry, showing how most of the enamel can be conserved by just doing extension for convenience so you can see what you are doing and then using adhesive technology and flowable composite designed to replace dentin which creates a shallow cavity that is truly compatible with adhesive principles. Then it allows the dentist, with very few corrections, to create a final cavity suitable for a chairside indirect composite restoration. The end product is a highly aesthetic “monoblock” restoration which is firmly bonded to the remaining tooth structure, protecting it from further damage.
In the afternoon the group had an opportunity to practice this technique. Dias brought all the needed materials so the attendees set up an environment in the conference room and coordinated a live demonstration with the students performing the practical work.
During the second day, Dias taught the group basic principles of photography with special focus on intraoral and portrait photography. After this introduction, all participants were able to set their own camera in order to take reproducible, excellent quality photos that are suitable for publication.
Everyone involved enjoyed the sessions which ended with a reception at the home of Jean-Francois Roulet where Dias demonstrated yet another talent – excellence in outdoor grilling!
Another course for the graduate students is planned for late 2013 or early 2014. We are grateful to Dentsply for sponsoring these sessions.