Using Visual Technology for Case Presentation | New York, NY

The most direct path to treatment acceptance is hastened using visual technology.

By Dr. Alvin W. Neff, DDS

Case presentations that use visual technology can become the integral component of success for the modern-day practice. Our patients must be able to clearly see their existing conditions, understand treatment recommendations, and visualize the anticipated results before they can accept and approve treatment.

Historically, dentists have used complicated dental terminology, x-rays, and study models to communicate a proposed treatment plan. Patients were expected to accept recommendations without being able to visualize the anticipated results. Patients often left the dental office confused about treatment recommendations and uncertain about the final outcome.

The most important aspect of case presentation is the ability to clearly communicate the treatment goals to the patient in a manner that will help them make a decision toward treatment acceptance. The most direct path to treatment acceptance is hastened using visual technology. The use of digital photography, upgraded display monitors, and computer imaging can create dramatic case presentations that will result in scheduled appointments for needed treatment. There is nothing more revealing than a close-up view of your own teeth or a full-face view of your own smile. Using this new format of case presentation, patients will become engaged in a co-diagnosis type of conversation and they will begin to ask for treatment. Clinicians can avoid most sales tactics and rehearsed scripts once the patient sees their case presentation with their own eyes. They see the existing condition of their teeth and the image of the anticipated desire and answers many of their concerns that had been getting in the way of case acceptance.

To read more about using visual technology for case presentation, click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Utilizing a Restorative Approach to Correct an Adult Skeletal Class III Malocclusion | New York, NY

Gerard J. Lemongello discusses all the steps taken to correct the malocclusion

Edward H. Angle described class III malocclusion as one in which the mandibular first molar is positioned mesially relative to the maxillary first molar (Angle 1900). A class III skeletal relationship can occur as a result of a normal maxilla with mandibular protrusion, maxillary retrusion with a normal mandible, or a combination of maxillary retrusion and mandibular protrusion. A class III dental relationship can exist when the maxillary/mandibular relationship is normal.

A pseudo class III malocclusion is caused by a forward shift of the mandible to avoid incisal interferences (Proffit 1986). For many class III malocclusions, both surgical and orthodontic treatment are required. Depending on the amount of skeletal discrepancy, surgical correction may consist of mandibular retraction, maxillary protraction, or a combination of both procedures. For some minor class III malocclusions, or in the case of a pseudo class III malocclusion, surgical intervention may not be necessary.

To read more about this restorative approach, including a case study, click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Ensure Long-Term Protection of Patients’ Restorative | New York, NY

As the clinical challenges of debilitated dentition are addressed, clinicians must also consider the significance of occlusal rehabilitation and with this, occlusal protection. The following two case presentations represent different, but significant occlusal challenges. As each patient sought aesthetic improvement, often the solution involved major occlusal change. The use of an anterior splint device (ie, BiteSoft™) to manage occlusal disharmony and Bruxism may often be required to achieve long-term treatment success and preserve the patients, as well as the clinician’s restorative investment.

“For patients with Bruxism, BiteSoft™ provides a means to effectively manage the condition and offers peace of mind knowing that their investments are adequately protected.”

Want to read more, including Dr. Rosenthal’s case presentations? Click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

CAD/CAM Veneers and Crowns | New York, NY

By Dr. Dean C. Vafiadis, DDS

Recently, an influx of computer technologies and CAD/CAM designs have been introduced to the restorative dentist. These technologies have helped streamline our fabrication protocols, reduced clinical chair-time and reduced laboratory costs. In addition, the accuracy of these techniques has equaled our conventional techniques with high level of precision. Using a combination of CAD/CAM and robotics, the technology of final implant abutment fabrication and final CAD/CAM restoration is predictable for the clinician. The aim of this article is to demonstrate cases in which CAD/CAM technology was utilized for esthetic anterior restorations.

To read more from this article, click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

When It’s Time to Enhance Your Skillset | New York, NY

If life has taught us anything, it’s that time and progress doesn’t stop. And if you don’t change with it, it will leave you behind. The same can be said for our professions. Technology and evolution are always going to be, so if you want to keep up with your competition, you may need to seek further education to continue to be successful. That’s where the Dental College at New York University College of Dentistry’s State of the Art Rosenthal Institute comes in. It is the perfect opportunity to provide you and your team with a completely unique outlook on dentistry with hands-on dental courses, professional guest speakers and mentors from various dental backgrounds.

Senior Instructor Dr. Alvin W. Neff states, “Dr. Larry Rosenthal transformed my practice from average to excellent by implementing the principles he teaches. As a result, my Northwest Arkansas practice is a highly successful general dentistry practice which focuses on restorative and cosmetic procedures.

Having personally attended over 2,000 hours of continuing education, I can tell you that Dr. Larry Rosenthal’s seminars, year after year, are the most inspiring and educational of any offered in our profession. He takes great pride in helping others achieve success. This is the true example of a leader. I have met dentists from all over the world at his seminars. The high caliber of dentists who come from all corners of the earth to hear Dr. Larry Rosenthal and to learn about his techniques consistently impresses me.”

Dr. Neff is one of the many individuals who has benefited from the dental college courses offered by Aesthetic Advantage. If you are looking for a way to enhance your professionalism, consider enrolling today.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Steps in Creating a Beautiful Smile | New York, NY

We all want the smile of our dreams – a smile that lights up every room we walk into. But for many of us, it doesn’t come naturally. We need the help of trained dental professionals to produce the smile we’ve always wanted. The following is Dr. Hamlett and Dr. Rosenthal will take us through those steps:

The single most important factor in creating a beautiful smile is the ability to visualize the final result before you begin. Laboratory communication, including photographs and models of the approved temporaries, is key to success. A thorough lab prescription detailing shade, texture, central length, incisal translucency, and any other pertinent information helps to facilitate a predictable result. To develop properly proportioned teeth, it is essential to properly address many characteristics, such as contours, shade, size and length of centrals, phonetics, and occlusion. This leads to a key artistic technique—the art of recontouring—with both temporaries and, if necessary, the final restorations.

To read more about how to get the smile you’ve always wanted, click here.

Is Cosmetic Dentistry Vain? | New York, NY

No one wants to be thought of as vain, but in this day and age, a large stress is placed on the way we look. If we don’t like something about ourselves, we try to change it. We go on diets, we dye our hair – there is a myriad of options we can do to improve our appearance. Cosmetic dentistry is the branch of dentistry that mainly deals with the appearance of teeth. There are several procedures involved, like teeth whitening, teeth straightening, veneers, crowns, bleaching and reshaping. While it is true that cosmetic dentistry is “elective” in more ways than one, in just as many ways, cosmetic dentistry also offers plenty of benefits from an improved smile.

A better-looking smile helps improve your self-confidence and self-esteem significantly. This then makes it easier for you to go out, smile and socialize with other people. By helping you become more confident about yourself and feel more attractive, you have a much better chance of living a better and more positive life.

The word “cosmetic” always gives off the impression that the main, and only, beneficiary is one’s appearance and that it’s only done to improve one’s look. Though, as far as cosmetic dentistry goes, it’s not always just about esthetics, it’s also about improving your oral and overall health.

Not only that, but there are many other cases where cosmetic dentistry helps in improving the overall function your teeth. Those with misaligned teeth or bites often develop worse dental problems that may result in painful areas outside of one’s teeth and this is something that cosmetic dentistry can help with.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

A Miracle of Collaborative Giving | New York, NY

A smile makeover gives new hope to a cancer patient.

By David Ward, DMD

I’ve often had patients come and go with very little fanfare. It’s not that I don’t want to know more about my patients’ personal lives; it’s just that the day’s pace leaves me with precious little time to ask more than the typical superficial questions: How are the kids? How is your spouse? Congratulations on your new baby!

But on a rather ordinary day in March 2011, I met an extraordinary person. At the age of 55, Roger decided it was time to get the smile he always wanted. After cursory introductions and greetings, I sensed Roger’s uneasiness and asked about his health and medical information. He told me he’d recently seen a doctor for a medical problem and needed more tests. They suspected cancer.

But Roger quickly became more upbeat and began opening up about his desire for a better smile. It was immediately clear that we’d have a great relationship and I’d enjoy providing him with a new smile.

After discussing his goals and desires for his smile, we started discussing a budget. We obviously wouldn’t be able to complete the full plan of crowns and veneers he’d hoped for due to financial constraints, but we agreed on a staged treatment over a period of time. Roger left after chatting with just about everyone on my team, which became a common occurrence that we all came to enjoy during the course of his treatment.

Want to read more? Click here.

Utilising a Restorative Approach to Correct an Adult Skeletal Class III Malocclusion | New York, NY

Gerard J. Lemongello discusses all the steps taken to correct the malocclusion

Edward H. Angle described class III malocclusion as one in which the mandibular first molar is positioned mesially relative to the maxillary first molar (Angle 1900). A class III skeletal relationship can occur as a result of a normal maxilla with mandibular protrusion, maxillary retrusion with a normal mandible, or a combination of maxillary retrusion and mandibular protrusion. A class III dental relationship can exist when the maxillary/mandibular relationship is normal. A pseudo class III malocclusion is caused by a forward shift of the mandible to avoid incisal interferences (Proffit 1986). For many class III malocclusions, both surgical and orthodontic treatment are required. Depending on the amount of skeletal discrepancy, surgical correction may consist of mandibular retraction, maxillary protraction, or a combination of both procedures. For some minor class III malocclusions, or in the case of a pseudo class III malocclusion, surgical intervention may not be necessary.

Treatment objectives, whether utilizing surgery, orthodontic treatment, or restorative treatment, are the same: to correct the class III crossbite, create an ideal overjet/overbite relationship, achieve a dental class I occlusion, correct the occlusal/incisal plane, correct the midline, and restore the teeth to proper size and proportion. The objective is to provide the patient with an acceptable functional-occlusal relationship and an aesthetic dental/facial appearance.

Malocclusions are common. Patients with crowded and rotated teeth, spacing, or a crossbite who are unsatisfied with their appearance may not be interested in traditional orthodontic treatment or surgical correction. Their objections can be related to the length of time needed to complete treatment, or fear of extensive surgery with extended recuperation.

To read more about this case study, click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Esthetic and Functional Provisional Restorations Big Cases | New York, NY

by Dr. Marc Schlenoff

For the past ten years, I have had the honor and privilege to be an Instructor at the Aesthetic Advantage Hands-On Symposium, at the NYU College of Dentistry in New York, as well as an Instructor at the General Practice Residency at Morristown Medical Center. During this entire time, the most asked question from students and residents has been “How can I do more of the big cases in my practice?” I feel that in today’s world of economic uncertainty, the answers to this question are significantly different than even several years ago.

There was a time not that long ago that I would have answered by using examples of advertising and marketing to draw patients to the office specifically for esthetic treatment. There was a buzz about cosmetics, and the primary goal was to attract those people who had already made the decision to have these procedures done. The times have obviously changed, however, and the answers that I now give to the above question are very different.

The keys to being able to attract the large restorative cases in today’s world are communication and treatment planning. The number of patients coming in exclusively for esthetic dentistry has declined significantly in most practices, but the need for restorative care continues to grow as our baby boomer generation (myself included) continues to wear and break their dentition. This is the patient population that needs comprehensive, and thus esthetic dental treatment.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.