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quarter 2 | 2013 | cerecdoctors.com | 59
• “I feel comfortable and confident now”
• (The courses will) ”rejuvenate my
career”
• “I placed my first implant on a lower-
right molar in 45 minutes”
• (This course will) “raise my produc-
tion 30 percent to 40 percent. It’s a
course you will have to take”
what competency level should gps
have before placing implants? how
does your curriculumachieve this?
This is a great question and one that
uncovers a vital aspect of incorporating
implant placement in any dental practice.
The primary reason most dentists new to
implantology never become good at it is
they never place their first few implants.
They study, study, study. They read all
the books. They attend all the courses.
They think they need to know everything
before they do anything.
This is another reason why we use the
continuum method of learning. After the
first weekend with us, our dentists iden-
tify potential implant cases. They do treat-
ment planning. Then, during the timespan
of the four-session continuum, they place
their first implants starting with the easiest
cases with the highest success rates. These
cases give them the confidence to do their
next cases. The entire time, we provide the
support and coaching needed to do their
jobs well. With a few successes under their
belts,thesedentistsenthusiasticallyenrollin
our advanced continuum and progressively
domore complex cases. Implant excellence
isn’t a one-time event; it’s a journey.
what is yourpositionon
prosthetics-driven implant
placementandtreatmentplanning?
I strongly support the concept. Patients
come to us for results. Their implants
and restorations are simply a means
of getting there. Not considering func-
tion and esthetics in implant-treatment
planning and placement will result in
dentists making adverse compromises
when restoring the cases. In other words,
dental implantology is a prosthetic disci-
pline with a surgical component.
Placing implants is like numerous areas
in life: begin with the end in mind. This is
true in creating a CEREC crown: visualize
and design first, then mill accordingly.
This is true in constructing a house:
visualize and design first, then lay the
appropriate foundation.
This is also true in building a profes-
sional career: decide who you want to be
and what you want to do first, then take
the appropriate educational courses and
invest in the needed equipment.
howdoes your team approach
training? is this howyou advise
clinicians towork?
I have a very team-orientated approach
to treatment planning and delivery. All of
my teammembers are thoroughly trained
in every aspect of implant placement and
restoration. They are well versed when
patients ask them“outside-the-box” ques-
tions. This is vitally important because
some patients ask my team members
questions they would never ask me.
Educating your team and having them
understand the big picture is an impor-
tant part of increasing the number
of implants you do. Much of my time
is spent analyzing cases with team
members. Some dentists may view that
as a compromise. I view it as a team
morale booster.
should all patients receiving
dental implants be ct scanned?
In an ideal world, yes. And, of course,
dentists should have coaching on how to
interpret their scans. In the real world, the
aswer is no because, with the amount of
litigation out there, once the literature and
opinion leaders start to say that all patients
receiving dental implants should be CT
scanned, it means anyone who doesn’t
could be up for malpractice. It is also prob-
lematic for those patients who have read
erroneous reports on the radiation associ-
ated with CT scans and therefore refuse
them. So, though 2013, it might be a bit
premature to say it, but that day when CT
scans are required IS rapidly approaching.
should all implants be completed
with guided placement?
I recommend that almost all implants
be completed with guided placement.
There are several advantages:
• It increases the dentists’ confidence
levels, which will increase the odds
they will place their first few implants
• It increases the success rate of the
procedures and decreases the chance
of complications
• It decreases the time needed to place
the implants
Guided placement is less impor-
tant in “green light” situations such as