The inaugural Glidewell Dental Symposium was a huge success, attracting a sold-out audience of doctors and staff members from across the country and around the globe for a day of cutting-edge presentations and interactive exhibits highlighting the latest dental technologies, clinical techniques and business development strategies. Held in Dallas this past November, the Glidewell Dental Symposium 2017 illuminated the central theme of “Adapting at the speed of change,” offering attendees the opportunity to learn from 11 distinguished leaders who are proven innovators in their respective fields of practice. The featured speakers covered a variety of subjects ranging from esthetic dentistry, digital dentistry and dental implants, to dental sleep medicine and practice management, highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of modern general dentistry.

Through a series of hands-on, interactive exhibits, attendees experienced the same cutting-edge dental technology as doctors who attend courses at the Glidewell International Technology Center in Irvine, California, where participants tour the company’s dental laboratory, clinical research, material development and manufacturing facilities. In the exhibit area, attendees observed and interacted with the latest technological advancements in dentistry, including the dental CAD workflow, intraoral scanning, in-office milling, and a special virtual reality encounter that provided an immersive tour of the Glidewell Dental campus from afar.

Participants in the full-day symposium earned eight hours of CE course credits. Between learning sessions, attendees enjoyed valuable networking opportunities with fellow dental professionals, along with the included meals and cocktail reception. Several exhibits spotlighted the latest restorative materials and offered attendees a view of dental innovation in motion, such as 3D printing technology, Instron® testing machines (Instron; Norwood, Mass.), chewing simulators, at-home sleep disorder screening devices, countertop thermoforming systems, and CAD/CAM scanning, design and fabrication.

Glidewell Dental President and CEO Jim Glidewell, CDT, who launched the symposium with an onstage welcome in the morning, was extremely pleased with the symposium’s execution. “The event was outstanding and exceeded my expectations,” he said. “We wanted to feature 11 compelling speakers doing half-hour stints on a broad range of topics. I think the opportunity to take in so much great information over the course of a single day was a big hit.” The diverse lineup of subjects underscored the symposium’s driving goal: positioning clinicians to embrace new and proven technologies in order to meet growing patient expectations and thrive in the digital age.

Dr. Neil Park, vice president of clinical affairs at Glidewell Dental and scientific chair of the symposium, was grateful to host attendees from such a wide array of geographic areas and dental disciplines. “We’d really like to thank the nearly 400 doctors who attended our inaugural symposium. It’s great to see that everyone got their money’s worth and found that it was a day well-spent,” said Dr. Park. “We certainly couldn’t have accomplished this without the tremendous support of our presenters and attendees.”

Dr. Juan Diego Cardenas traveled to the symposium from Miami to observe the latest advancements the dental industry has to offer and was not disappointed. “I’m always interested in the new developments in dental materials, technology and education coming from Glidewell,” said Dr. Cardenas. “I’ve been very impressed with the exhibits, the presentations and all the exciting innovations I’ve seen here today.”

Perhaps the biggest piece of news at the symposium was the unveiling of the glidewell.io™ In-Office Solution, a versatile suite of chairside technologies that provides an immediate portal to Glidewell Laboratories as well as the ability to create restorations right in the practice. “Our focus is on maximizing clinical control and flexibility,” said Mike Selberis, chief technology officer at Glidewell Dental. “As an extension of what we’ve been doing in the lab for years, the glidewell.io In-Office Solution enables clinicians to bring an intuitive, affordable digital ecosystem into their office, and thereby remove one of the principal barriers to patient acceptance of treatment: inconvenience.”

Dr. Cary LaCouture, a general dentist from Parker, Colorado, was one of many clinicians happy with the combination of multidisciplinary subject matter and state-of-the-art technology. “I attended the symposium with my staff, and it was one of the best educational events I’ve been to in the last 20 years. With 11 great speakers in one day, it was very, very exciting. And if we had any questions, we had the opportunity between presentations to talk to the experts about implementing this technology,” said Dr. LaCouture. “Furthermore, they launched the glidewell.io In-Office Solution, and my team and I were proud to buy the first one. I’ve been interested in an in-office milling system for years, but needed support from laboratory technicians. I thought we were two or three years away from purchasing an in-office mill, but with the scanner coming from Align Technology and Glidewell Laboratories supporting the restorative end, I felt ready to make the leap.”

As the first clinical speaker in the day’s program, Dr. Chad Duplantis put the focus squarely on the future with his presentation on digital dentistry. His multimedia lecture showed doctors how to incorporate same-day dentistry, emphasized the benefits of intraoral scanning and in-office milling, and explained how to decide between milling a restoration in-office or sending the case to the dental lab for fabrication. “I was unsure of what to expect at the first Glidewell Dental Symposium and was blown away by how the event engaged every attendee and kept a high level of energy throughout the day,” said Dr. Duplantis. “I was honored to be a part of such an elite group of speakers and hope to be involved in the next one, which I strongly encourage my peers to attend.”

Dr. Paresh Patel’s presentation highlighted how monolithic zirconia can provide patients with a highly precise, long-lasting restoration, from single-unit crowns to the BruxZir^® Full-Arch Implant Prosthesis. “CAD/CAM technology and full-contour zirconia have come such a long way,” said Dr. Patel. “For just about any indication, we can now give our patients a digitally produced restoration that is both incredibly strong and lifelike. It was really exciting to see so many doctors here embracing this technology.”

In one of several lectures focused on restorative dentistry, Dr. Steven Barrett presented premade custom provisional crowns as a means of increasing case acceptance, patient confidence and esthetic success. He illustrated how BioTemps^® Provisionals (Glidewell Laboratories; Newport Beach, Calif.) have simplified the process of determining the optimal prosthetic design for cases in the esthetic zone, producing results that meet the precise expectations of patients. Dr. Anamaria Muresan presented the latest techniques for providing patients with esthetic veneers, which can now be fabricated from high-strength monolithic materials like BruxZir Anterior and Obsidian^® lithium silicate (Glidewell Laboratories) using dental CAD/CAM technology.

Dr. Justin Chi’s presentation focused on bilayered restorations, which, with the recent advent of Obsidian Fused to Metal, is another area of dentistry that has been transformed by digital fabrication techniques. Dr. Chi reviewed the indications and contraindications of the traditional PFM and demonstrated how, by heat-pressing lithium silicate ceramic to a laser-sintered metal coping, the ceramo-metal restoration has been reengineered for maximum durability.

In the first dental implant presentation of the day, Dr. Timothy Kosinski focused on restorative-driven treatment planning and how implant positioning and patient-specific prosthetic components can be utilized to achieve an ideal result. “When I first began working with Glidewell Dental six years ago, it was my first experience in 32 years of practice working with an implant manufacturer that placed such an emphasis on achieving an outcome that was both predictable and esthetic, rather than just selling me a screw,” said Dr. Kosinski. “Dentistry is moving at an incredibly fast pace right now, and this event was just a taste of what is coming to our future. I look forward to seeing even more attendees at future Glidewell symposiums.”

Dr. Raymond Choi explored the benefits of small-diameter implants and how they can be used to address the needs of specific patient groups who are not able to receive conventional implants due to financial, anatomical or medical reasons. He explained the rationale for utilizing mini implants in the general dentistry practice, ranging from a simple means of stabilizing dentures to fixed restorations in limited space. Dr. Charles Schlesinger presented straightforward techniques for preserving the ridge at extraction sites, showing how modern bone regeneration materials can simplify placement of the implant and help accomplish the best long-term restorative outcome.

The keynote speaker of the event, Dr. Jack Hahn, delivered his presentation on the “emergency implant,” a technique he developed for patients who present for treatment with an urgent need for tooth replacement in the esthetic zone. In addition to demonstrating how extraction with immediate implant placement turns an office interruption into a service with immense benefits for the patient, Dr. Hahn shared stories from his illustrious 45-year career as a pioneer in implant dentistry, including the concepts behind some of his crucial implant design innovations and the genesis of his partnership with Glidewell Dental for the creation of the Hahn™ Tapered Implant (Glidewell Direct; Irvine, Calif.).

With dental sleep medicine representing one of the fastest-growing fields in dentistry, Dr. Suzanne Haley’s lecture on how to screen patients for sleep disorders and prescribe dental appliances for the treatment of bruxism, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea piqued a high level of interest among clinicians looking to expand the services they offer. “The first Glidewell symposium was a very memorable and invaluable experience,” said Dr. Haley. “I enjoyed being a speaker and creating friendships with colleagues eager to share and discover new techniques and the latest technology. The 2018 Glidewell Symposium is an event you do not want to miss if you’re looking for ways to improve your practice and provide the best care, products and results for patients.”

While many of the presenters offered tips and strategies for growing practices through the use of the latest clinical techniques and technological innovations, renowned practice management consultant Carrie Webber shared tools and insights for increasing patient acceptance of comprehensive treatment and improving overall productivity and profitability.

Many doctors left the symposium with a strong desire to adopt digital tools for the betterment of their practices. Dr. Mita Desai of Fort Worth, Texas, was one of many dentists who plan on adopting new dental technologies. “My favorite part of the symposium has been learning about new innovations and what I can incorporate in my practice,” said Dr. Desai. “I feel ready to make investments now and take that next step to upgrade my practice and get new technology on board.” From guided implant surgery, to 3-D printed dentures, to in-office crown fabrication, a strong sense of excitement for dentistry’s future was evident among presenters and attendees alike.

As technological advancements and intrepid clinicians continue to elevate the quality and efficiency of dentistry, events where dental professionals can experience the latest tools and techniques firsthand will continue to serve as a valuable resource for clinicians seeking to build and streamline their practices. “We look forward to our second annual event in 2018,” said Dr. Park. “We hope to see even more doctors at our next symposium, which we will be announcing soon and expect to be even bigger and better.”