4 minute read
Review: Ivoclar celebrate 25 years of global success with BPS dentures
Dental professionals from across the globe united in Nottingham this October to celebrate 25 years of the innovative and ever-evolving BPS denture system.
The two-day event titled ‘Masters of Removable Prosthetics’, was carefully designed to take the sold-out event of dentists, CDTs and dental technicians, on a journey of the evolution of the system, right from its roots with the original Gnathomat onto the introduction of the BPS (Biofunctional Prosthetic System) workflow in 1997, to Dr Jiro Abe’s Suction Effective Mandibular Complete Denture (SEMCD) technique, and the most recent innovation of the Ivotion Digital Denture System.
As the brainchild of the event, Carl Fenwick, Professional Services Manager at Ivoclar, sourced and welcomed a panel of 10 world-renowned clinical and technical removable experts to present their research, experiences and top tips which have gone into the development of the system over the past 25 years.
From early beginnings to evolution
Held at the impressive De Vere East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, day one commenced by taking delegates back to where it all started. MDT Robert Grunenfelder (Liechtenstein) discussed the evolution of dental articulators since the early 1900s, and how his role in R&D has enabled him to oversee the introduction of key BPS units including the Stratos
articulators, UTS Transferbow and Gnathomat. Head of Removable Prosthetics Global Education, Dr Frank Zimmerling (Liechtenstein), supported this by taking delegates through the entire BPS clinical and technical workflow in achieving function and aesthetics for complete patient satisfaction.
Having perfectly set the scene for day one, CDT Mattheus Boxhoorn (Switzerland) progressed into the clinical, technical, and even psychological aspects, of helping patients achieve quality of life with exceptional prosthetics. Soon after, Professor Kenichi Matsuda (Japan) joined live from Japan, to inform the audience on how due to the super-ageing society he lives in, he made it a priority to introduce the BPS workflow into Japanese universities.
Day one lectures ended with the dynamic duo CDT Paul McNally (Ireland) and Technician József Rátonyi (Hungary) demonstrating how their unique working relationship has enabled them to develop and finetune the BPS & SEMCD workflow for the ultimate benefit of the clinician, technician, CDT and patient alike.
Day two: suction technique and digital dentures
Those looking forward to more insight into the effectiveness of Dr Jiro Abe’s Suction Effective Mandibular Complete Denture (SEMCD) technique, need only listen to the speakers on day two.
Having made the 5,800-mile journey from Japan to join delegates in Nottingham, both CDT Kenji Iwaki and Dr Fumiyaki Yamazaki delivered a series of inspirational lectures and evidentiary videos of the strength and stability of the SEMCD method. Each demonstrated their own experiences and tips to achieving results that meant BPS denture patients were confident biting into hard foods and dental professionals were ‘wowed’ by their strength.
Day two continued to bring delegates into the present (and future) with the focus u
on digital dentures, as MDT Thomas Doblander (Liechtenstein) questioned “Is everything truly digital?”. Introducing the Ivotion Digital Denture System to show its efficiency in terms of fit, precision and time, with its one disc, one milling process, one denture concept, Thomas emphasised that despite the advancements of digital technology we still require the skill of the CDT and technician.
Staying on the theme of digital dentures, CDT Germen Versteeg (Netherlands) concluded the two days by taking to the stage to ask, “How can we make dentures sexy again?”. In Germen’s opinion it centres around making dentures both digital and accessible to the patient. It was the continuous advancement of the BPS protocol that drove him to introduce BPS dentures into high streets and shopping centres in the Netherlands.
Raising the bar in dentures
The opportunity to discuss trends, talk business, challenge discussions and network with peers was supported by an evening of dinner and entertainment in true Ivoclar style. Guests were left mesmerised by the amazing Magician whilst the giant Scalextric took guests back to their youth and brought out their competitive side.
The key take-away from this two-day event was that the BPS protocol is clearly trusted by dental professionals globally and has been used as a base to develop some of the most successful and accurate techniques for producing removable and implant prosthetics.
Ivoclar’s Carl Fenwick was delighted with how the event had been received; “Being able to provide premium denture solutions can set dental professionals apart from the competition when it comes to meeting denture demand. As denture pioneers, it’s essential we continue to support our customers by giving them first-hand access to the challenges, discussions, and developments from our denture experts. We look forward to planning more BPS denture events again in the future.”
For more information about Ivoclar’s BPS dentures or ever-developing product portfolio please contact the education team at: courses.gb@ivoclarvivadent.com
