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Milan Shah reports on a four day hands-on course
It was a groundbreaking event for the partners and staff of the Perfect Smile Academy when they hosted their first hands-on course in the art of smile design & aesthetic dentistry at their stunningly refurbished Hornchurch Studio.
The course was scheduled over two weekends, three weeks apart. It was destined to be a steep learning curve for most, if not all of us and we were not disappointed.
Day-to-day experiences
On the first morning, both delegates and their teams were introduced to the benefits of first class treatment and advised on how to achieve this. Comprehensive PowerPoint presentations and handouts were distributed.
As the day evolved, it was clear to see that everyone was intrigued by the concepts and ideas that were unfolding and were keen to find out more. Rahul Doshi and Ashish Parmar have embarked upon a voyage of discovery into the inspirational world of smile design and shared with us some of the many cases they have undertaken as a result.
Rob Storrar of Amdecc Laboratories shared with us his own experiences as a master ceramist, and impressed upon everyone the importance of being methodical and thorough when communicating with your dental laboratory. We later had the added benefit of preparing and working with Rob on-site.
Rahul Doshi and Ashish Parmar then performed a thorough case review of each of our patients and allowed for plenty of opportunities to ask questions later on. Good preparation technique is one of the key elements when aiming for high calibre results and each dentist was given the opportunity to practice on a model before embarking upon our own particular case.
The following day it was over to us, and the hands-on aspect of preparing the teeth and designing the smile. For many of us using soft tissue diode lasers, an intrinsic part of successful smile design when contouring the gumline, was a first. The course was well planned and helped to boost our confidence.
Not only were we given plenty of opportunities to perfect our technique with the use of lasers under the watchful eyes of Rahul Doshi and Ashish Parmar, but Mark Chapman and Ian Samson of Velopex were also there to support and train us.
Tooth preparation was carried out according to the smile design principles. The impression materials used were Honigum (DMG) and Impregum (3M Espe).
The transitional restorations were made with Luxatemp (DMG). Other records taken included a Denar facebow reading, a ‘Stick- bite’, a ‘stump shade Polaroid photo’, and digital photographs of the trial smile and measurements of the front teeth.
On our return three weeks later, we were ready to do the final fits.
Day three was another theoretical day with the all important seminar on cementation of porcelain veneers. A step-by-step protocol was taught and a number of other topics were expanded upon. Bhavna Doshi discussed the range of treatments available in non-surgical facial aesthetics for the removal of lines and wrinkles, ranging from Botox to dermal fillers to Isologen.
Other topics covered
Other topics included the new patient experience, overcoming objections, finance options, how to start and develop a successful marketing plan, photography and increased efficiency by using effective computer systems.
On day four, cementation of the cases occurred; again proving beyond any reasonable doubt that a close knit and well trained team, excellent preparation and thorough communication with all parties involved are the key to a successful and timely appointment.
Eight patients were fitted with their new smiles without a hitch. The course was comprehensive in that all materials were provided (even a patient if the visiting dentist did not have one).
The course folder for each dentist was very detailed.
All materials and burs were specified.
Minerva Dental and Kerr were the primary suppliers for materials used on the course, including Honigum MixStar, LuxaTemp, LuxaFlow and LuxaBite from DMG. Dentistry has been my profession for some time but suddenly I now have a renewed vigour and enthusiasm for my work.
