Third Annual Glidewell Dental Symposium: A Weekend of Clinical Education

Over 1,000 dental professionals attended the Glidewell Dental Symposium, which took place on Nov. 8–9, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. The event brought together 21 world-class speakers and included the latest techniques, tools and technologies aimed at making general dentists more successful in their daily practices. The schedule featured 14 fast-paced main podium presentations on the first day and 38 lectures and hands-on workshops on the second day. Sessions covered a wide range of topics, including digital dentistry, esthetics, snoring and sleep apnea, implant dentistry, and prosthetics. During both days, attendees learned about the emerging science, technology and clinical methodologies that are redefining the field of dentistry.

Kicking off the first day of the symposium, President and CEO Jim Glidewell, CDT, delivered a presentation on some of Glidewell’s groundbreaking technology that is advancing the field of dentistry.

“The symposium was established three years ago to provide clinicians a fast-paced, concise and simplified approach for learning new tools and techniques to expand their service offerings, overcome challenges and meet the needs of patients,” said Dr. Neil Park, scientific chair of the Glidewell Symposium and vice president of clinical affairs at Glidewell. “Judging by the packed course classrooms, and the energy, enthusiasm and favorable responses from attendees, I believe we have accomplished that.”

Glidewell faculty and staff are already working hard to bring dentists an even bigger and better weekend of education in 2020. The fourth annual Glidewell Symposium will take place Nov. 6–7 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, and will feature keynote speaker Dr. Gordon Christensen, a distinguished prosthodontist and cofounder of the Gordon J. Christensen Clinicians Report®. The symposium will once again provide a unique two-day educational format that has proven to be very popular. To learn more and to receive special early-bird pricing information, visit glidewellsymposium.com.

On Day One, attendees participated in a full program of fast-paced presentations. Using the concise style of TED Talks®, these inspiring, powerful and practical presentations covered nearly all aspects of dentistry, ranging from digital dentistry, esthetics and practice management, to atraumatic extraction, implant placement and prosthetics.

Courses were taught by renowned educators, practicing clinicians and thought leaders. The keynote address, “The Emergency Implant,” was delivered by legendary implant-dentistry pioneer Dr. Jack Hahn (pictured), who has been placing and restoring implants for nearly five decades.

As a complement to the impactful CE program, the symposium featured an expansive exhibit area where attendees explored some of the latest dental innovations to enhance patient care.

Attendees participated in fun, interactive exhibits involving artificial intelligence challenges, futuristic robotics, virtual reality tours and other live demonstrations. Here, Dr. Stacy Spizuoco virtually explores the Glidewell campus and its cutting-edge R&D and manufacturing facilities.

The digital workflow was a main attraction of the exhibit area. Participants learned how to seamlessly integrate intraoral scanning, designing and milling into their own dental practices using the glidewell.io™ In-Office Solution.

Clinicians compared the features and benefits of a wide range of restorative materials available from the laboratory or for use in-office for same-visit dentistry. The advent of the BruxZir® NOW fully sintered in-office milling block (no oven needed) has helped dentists reduce chair time and become more efficient.

At the booths, attendees found many solutions for maximizing their clinical success. Some of the must-see products included the Hahn™ Tapered Implant System, Inclusive® Mini Implants and the new 12-piece Newport Surgical™ Implant and Bone Grafting Instrument Kit, which was developed to streamline surgical cases.

At the exhibit for dental sleep medicine, one of the fastest growing areas of dentistry, attendees asked questions about the differences between the Silent Nite® Sleep Appliance and OASYS Hinge Appliance™ , two popular devices for treating snoring and sleep apnea.

A group of attendees stepped up to this 360-degree booth, where their cell phones rotated around to create a slow-motion video. It provided a memorable souvenir and a great way to wind down after a full day of education.

Mentors and colleagues met for many networking opportunities during the event. For example, Stephenie Goddard (fourth from left), executive vice president at Glidewell, was with Guiding Leaders Drs. Lan Chi Le, Susan McMahon, Stacy Spizuoco and Taylor Manalili. Guiding Leaders, a leadership development program for women in dentistry, will host its inaugural two-day CE summit in Huntington Beach, California, on April 24–25, 2020.

On the second day of the symposium, attendees had the opportunity to choose from 38 lectures and hands-on workshops focusing on in-depth instruction. For example, in Dr. Timothy Kosinski’s hands-on program “Immediate Implant Placement After Extraction” (pictured), doctors practiced implant placement in an extraction site using a specially designed model.

In Dr. Randolph Resnik’s breakout course “Atraumatic Extraction and Socket Grafting,” participants learned important protocols for atraumatic extractions, as well as effective techniques to preserve bone in preparation for future dental implants.

Dr. Paresh Patel explained the clinical considerations, treatment protocols and advantages of full-arch implant solutions, from overdentures to monolithic zirconia fixed implant prostheses, in the hands-on program “Full-Arch Implant Restorations.”

During the course “Patient Communication for Practice Growth,” instructor Carrie Webber discussed why patients may not follow through with a treatment plan, as well as the solutions for overcoming roadblocks to case acceptance.

In Mark Romano’s lecture “Effective Marketing Strategies for Your Practice,” dentists learned tactics for maximizing their practice profile online and in social media. CM

The next Glidewell Symposium will take place Nov. 6–7, 2020, in Anaheim, California. Visit glidewellsymposium. com for more information.

The next Glidewell Symposium will take place Nov. 6–7, 2020, in Anaheim, California. Visit glidewellsymposium. com for more information.

TED Talks is a registered trademark of Ted Conferences, LLC. OASYS Hinge Appliance is a trademark of Dream Systems LLC.