The role of the dental technician has come a long way since 1887—the year when Dr. W. H. Stowe and his cousin, Frank F. Eddy, opened the doors of the first standalone dental laboratory in America. The continuous efforts of technicians through the years have created new technological advancements, higher standards in prosthetic function and esthetics, and a close collaboration between dental professionals that allows for the sharing of expertise and better patient outcomes.

The National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) and the National Board for Certification of Dental Laboratory Technology (NBC) have designated the month of June as Dental Technician and CDT Appreciation Month. In celebration, we at IDT would like to share some of our favorite cover stories that explore the important roles and accomplishments of technicians and CDTs.

In this month’s issue, we discuss The Dental Technician of Today and Beyond, explore the evolution of the laboratory from ten years ago to the present, and speculate about where the future will take us.

As the industry has changed, the role of the dental technician has broadened and expanded, leading to increasingly close collaboration between laboratories and dentists. The Power of Connection explores the tremendous value of the relationships that form between technicians, dentists, and patients.

And finally, we look to the technicians of the future. In The Next Generation Speaks, we interviewed five up-and-coming young technicians about their views on the industry’s continuing evolution.

IDT would like to thank all of our technician and CDT authors, Editorial Board members, and readers for all that they do. Happy Technician and CDT Appreciation Month!

When Ivoclar Vivadent North America launched what became known as the Esthetic Revolution in the 1990s, one journalist said then-President Robert A. Ganley was endangering the company by focusing on one area. To the contrary, Ganley said, Ivoclar Vivadent’s leadership was preserving the future of the company by focusing on that area. Decades later, that was just one of many prescient statements made by Ganley, who will retire in June after 39 years with Ivoclar Vivadent, the last 16 as the company’s global CEO.

“Everything in between [then and now] has been great,” Ganley told AEGIS Dental Network in an exclusive interview at the 2019 International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne, Germany.

Ganley joined Ivoclar Vivadent as a Vice President in 1980 and was named President of the North America business in 1990—the first big decision that then-CEO Christoph Zeller made after assuming a controlling interest in the company. Ganley eventually succeeded Zeller as CEO in 2003 when the latter became Chairman of the company’s Supervisory Board. In June, Ganley will move to a role on the company’s Supervisory Board, and Zeller will step down as Chairman.

“People rightly give Bob credit for the Esthetic Revolution and transforming Ivoclar Vivadent from a great company to an iconic company on a global scale,” AEGIS Dental Network CEO Daniel W. Perkins says of Ganley, who was named one of the Most Influential People in Dental Technology in 2016 by Inside Dental Technology. “However, Bob’s vision of the Esthetic Revolution and the products that followed was a rising tide that raised all boats across the industry and profession. We are all better off from that vision.”

AEGIS Dental Network President Anthony A. Angelini adds: “Bob’s leadership, enthusiasm, and passion for excellence have always been impressive. These qualities have motivated his team to develop new technologies to better serve the needs of today’s dentists and laboratories.”

In addition to starting the Esthetic Revolution—and coining that phrase—Ganley has been credited with pushing the envelope for stronger and less-invasive dental materials, such as IPS e.max; more than 150 million IPS e.max restorations have been placed worldwide, according to Ivoclar Vivadent.

“Robert Ganley’s inspirational and transformative influence on the dental laboratory industry over these past 40 years has been immense,” IDT Founding Editor Pam Johnson says. “He will be long remembered as a friend of the dental laboratory industry and the visionary who championed the all-ceramic Esthetic Revolution.”

Ganley humbly attributes much of the company’s success to the team around him.

“Passion, vision, and innovation are the driving forces behind our success,” he says. “They define our direction and shape our solutions.”

On the philanthropic front, Ganley has overseen donations of millions of dollars by Ivoclar Vivadent to dental associations and not-for-profit outreach efforts, including this year’s donation of a Harley-Davidson softail classic motorcycle that raised more than $15,000 for the Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology. Ganley also has maintained Ivoclar Vivadent’s global commitment to providing underserved populations with access to oral health care through product donations and initiatives such as Give Kids a Smile Day, the Wisdom Tooth Project, and missionary service groups.

Among many honors in his distinguished career, Ganley was presented this year with the Lifetime Achievement Evy Award by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) for demonstrating “significant achievement in the cosmetic dentistry or restorative dentistry fields both personally and professionally.” He also received a Special Recognition Award by the National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL).

“He has been a vocal advocate for the dental laboratory community and made it part of his mission to give back through causes such as the Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology,” NADL President Travis Zick says. “Bob’s visionary leadership will be missed.”

Business First Buffalo honored him with the Excellence in Health Care Award, recognizing Ganley as being among the top men and women in the Western New York health care industry.

Ganley’s leadership led not only to the development of premier all-ceramic restorative materials but also to comprehensive digital solutions for dental laboratories and practices.

“Robert Ganley is truly a visionary who transformed the dental technology landscape by innovating disruptive processes, technologies, and products that altered the profession,” says Leonard B. Kobren, DDS, Chair of the American College of Prosthodontists’ Education Foundation.

Diego Gabathuler will succeed Ganley as CEO after previously serving as Head of Sales EMEA & Latin America for Ivoclar Vivadent. Ganley told AEGIS Dental Network that he finds the transition to be one of the most satisfying aspects of his career.

“From a CEO point of view, if you can get your hands on it and … you are making the decisions with the Supervisory Board, and you really want it to happen, it is one of the most satisfying experiences you can go through,” Ganley says. “It is a fun process and a wonderful way for him to start a career and for me to end a career.”

Ganley’s final IDS press conference included the launch of another revolutionary material, IPS e.max ZirCAD Prime—among many other products—and he says in retirement he is most excited to follow the continued growth of Ivoclar Vivadent.

“I like [the company] very much,” he says. “I like the leadership that follows me very much. I am very confident that they will move it to another level. But, likewise, dentistry is moving also. Everything moves forward, and it moves forward at a faster rate right now. The demands are high, and the management that follows me, led by Diego, is extremely confident, very focused, and great at listening to what the needs are of our customers in the market.”

Asked for a prediction about future innovations in dentistry and the impact on people worldwide, Ganley instead offers a wish.

“I wish that people in all areas of the world,” he says, “would realize the importance of dental health and its relationship to total health.”

Tooth enamel matrix is soft when freshly laid down but it starts to harden immediately. Once mature, enamel is the most mineralized and hardest part of the mammalian body. The hardness of the enamel makes teeth capable of lasting a lifetime - or longer, as teeth are plentiful in the fossil record. Enamel cannot be repaired or remodelled, making the growth of the enamel matrix a critical step in tooth formation.

The researchers in the University of Helsinki and Aalto University propose that differences in enamel thickness are regulated by the nutrient diffusion rate – the rate that individual regions on a crown receive the required nutrients and substances needed to make the enamel. 

Starting from a model that is used to simulate snowflake formation, the researchers built a new model that instead of ice, mimics the formation of enamel matrix. 

"Whereas enamel is not obviously as intriguingly shaped as snowflakes, it is interesting that the same physical principles can account for the increase in complexity in both systems," says Teemu Häkkinen from the Aalto university, Finland. 

Enamel has a long history in paleontological and medical research, and the new model can be used to investigate both evolutionary species differences, and medical defects in enamel formation. 

Starting from CT-imaged real teeth from which enamel was digitally removed, enamel matrix was reloaded on underlying dentin surfaces by computer simulations. Only when simulating the matrix secretion as a diffusion-limited process, were the researchers able to make the subtle enamel features found on a human cheek tooth i.e. a molar. 

In contrast to humans, orangutan molar teeth have complex ridges and grooves that could be simulated by lowering the diffusion rate of enamel-forming nutrients even further. Thus, orangutans, which eat also hard foods such as unripe fruits and bark, may have evolved their wrinkly enamel with a relatively simple developmental change. 

In addition to human and orangutan teeth, the researchers investigated enamel matrix growth in pig molars imaged at ESRF, the European Synchrotron particle accelerator. Synchrotron images reveal growth lines that provide the record of enamel matrix growth much like tree rings show the growth of the tree. In addition to the final enamel surface, the diffusion-limited simulations reproduced these enamel growth lines. 

"There are huge amounts of different data available on enamel, and now we have the tools of physicists to make testable predictions" Academy Professor Jukka Jernvall from the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland says.

The research was a collaboration between the University of Helsinki and Aalto University.

Bib­li­o­graph­ical in­for­ma­tion:

Häkkinen TJ, Sova SS, Corfe IJ, Tjäderhane L, Hannukainen A, Jernvall J (2019) Modeling enamel matrix secretion in mammalian teeth. PLoS Comput Biol 15(5): e1007058. https:// doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007058

exocad and VOCO have announced details of a new cooperation which brings added benefits for customers. exocad offers flexible, reliable, and easy-to-use digital dentistry software applications. With the addition of the Grandio blocs and Grandio disc subtractive restorative materials and the V-Print 3D printing materials from VOCO GmbH, the partnership offers users an even broader material spectrum for digital production.

Grandio blocs/disc can now be found in DentalCAD and V-Print in the Model Creator module. The material-related design parameters simplify the production of the respective milling and printing materials and enable a reliable and efficient process chain in digital dentistry.

“The integration of the VOCO materials into our DentalCAD laboratory software and the easy-to-use presets for the creation of models further expand our material databases and allow effortless use of products from all leading material manufacturers,” said Akira Schüttler, Systems Integration Engineer at exocad.

With the Grandio blocs nanoceramic hybrid CAD/CAM blocks and Grandio disc discs for inlays/onlays, veneers, and single crowns, VOCO now makes it possible to utilize all the strengths and benefits of the very successful Grandio product family within the field of digital prosthetics.

The completely polymerized Grandio blocs and disc set new standards by offering vastly superior material strength. With a filler content of 86%, they are the most highly filled in their class. The biaxial flexural strength also achieves values which are normally only associated with glass ceramics, yet the Grandio blocs and Grandio disc are significantly more antagonist-friendly and can be milled more finely to achieve an even greater fit accuracy. With Grandio blocs/Grandio disc, there is no need for the time-consuming firing process; they can be processed quickly and simply with any conventional milling/grinding equipment on the market and they can also be optimally polished.

V-Print splint and V-Print model from the 3D printing materials range are integrated into exocad’s Model Creator module. V-Print splint is a class IIa medical device light-curing acrylic designed for the generative production of materials using a 385 nm LED DLP printer. The printing material is suitable for therapeutic splints and bleaching splints, as well as auxiliary parts and functional parts for dental diagnostics.

The printing material V-Print model beige is a light-curing resin which is suitable for the additive production of precision components for all dental models. The material allows optimal visibility of preparation margins and prevents showing through when applying shades to restorations–particularly in the case of stumps. V-Print model beige impresses with its smooth and scratch-resistant surface and the material is suitable for DLP printers with a UV LED spectrum of 385 nm.

Further information on the products is available at www.voco.dental and from service@voco.de.

At its Global Symposium in Madrid, Nobel Biocare will present a new implant system designed to challenge conventional methods of dental implant care. Developed in collaboration with an international network of researchers from acclaimed international institutions, the new Nobel Biocare N1TM system will feature not only a new biologically driven design, but also a unique site preparation method that was created with the goal to further reduce complexity and streamline workflows during implant and restorative procedures. Experience gained from clinical use of this new concept over the last 18 months has indicated it to be more efficient than currently used drilling protocols.

The new N1 system marks the next step in the latest wave of innovation coming from Nobel Biocare, which began with the introduction of the XealTM and TiUltraTM surfaces for abutments and implants at the International Dental Show in Cologne in Germany. Both surfaces will be also available on the new system, which is planned for release in CE markets in fall 2019. Dental professionals who want a prelaunch experience with this step forward in implant dentistry are strongly advised to register for the Nobel Biocare Global Symposium in Madrid in order to secure their seat for this landmark dental event.

One of three global meetings to be held over the next three years, the symposium in Madrid will host over 60 internationally acclaimed experts of whom several will, among other important advancements in implant dentistry, share their experience with the N1 system. From enhancing esthetics and improving long-term clinical outcomes to implementing a fully integrated digital workflow, participants will have plenty to learn and discover about how to bring their clinical skills to the next level. A number of special hands-on workshops will further show them how to best implement the latest dental solutions into their own practice.

Hans Geiselhöringer, President of Nobel Biocare, said: “Where others in the market attempt to imitate, we innovate. With the exclusive showing of the new Nobel Biocare N1 implant system at our upcoming symposium, Nobel Biocare is starting to prepare dental professionals for a new chapter in dental implant care. In Madrid, the future of implant dentistry will be revealed.”

The Nobel Biocare Global Symposium in Madrid will take place at the Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center from June 27-29, 2019. Dental professionals who want to know more about the program and how to register for the event should immediately contact their local Nobel Biocare sales representative. Information are also available online at nobelbiocare.com/globalsymposia.

Nobel Biocare is a world leader in the field of innovative implant-based dental restorations. The company’s portfolio offers solutions from single tooth to fully edentulous indications with dental implant systems (including key brands NobelActive®, NobelParallel®, Brånemark System® and NobelReplace®), a comprehensive range of high-precision individualized prosthetics and CAD/CAM systems (NobelProcera®), treatment planning and guided surgery solutions (NobelClinician® and DTX Studio™) and biomaterials (creos™). Nobel Biocare supports its customers through all phases of professional development, offering world-class training and education along with practice support and patient information materials. The company is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Production takes place at four sites located in the United States, Sweden and Japan. Products and services are available in over 80 countries through subsidiaries and distributors.

For patients undergoing deep sedation, it is recommended that an independent skilled observer be present.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its guidance on sedation for dental procedures in children in a clinical report written in conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

The report, “Guidelines for Monitoring and Management of Pediatric Patients Before, During and After Sedation for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures,”, will be published in the June 2019 issue of Pediatrics (May 28 online).

The guidelines recommend that at least two people with specific training and credentials should be present with a pediatric patient undergoing deep sedation or general anesthesia for dental treatment in a dental facility or hospital. The report also clarifies that the sedation should be administered by a qualified anesthesia provider. The 2019 guidelines define a role of a qualified anesthesia provider, who may include a medical anesthesiologist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, dentist anesthesiologist or second oral surgeon.

“Sedation for dental procedures in children and teenagers is generally safe,” said Charles J. Coté, lead author of the clinical report, who is a pediatrician and a pediatric anesthesiologist. “However, we are aware of adverse outcomes when a single dental provider simultaneously performs the procedure and administers deep sedation or general anesthesia for dental procedures. These guidelines ensure the safety of patients who undergo these procedures.”

Under the 2019 guidelines, one of the two trained people required for sedation must be an independent observer who is not involved with performing or assisting with the dental procedure. The observer’s sole responsibility is to constantly observe the patient’s vital signs and to be skilled to assist with any medical emergency. Both the independent observer and the operating dentist must be certified in Pediatric Advanced Life Support.

The prior guidelines had called for the presence of at least one trained person with the Pediatric Advanced Life Support certification.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds 

Kleer, the leading dental Membership Plan platform, is pleased to announce its newest advisory board member, Dr. Craig Spodak, of Spodak Dental Group, Delray, Fl. Dr. Spodak created one of the world’s only Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified dental facilities, is an expert lecturer for Invisalign, and a co-host of the popular dental podcast, Bulletproof Dental Practice.

The Kleer Advisory Board serves the purpose of collaborating with thought leaders in a variety of industries to bring subscription dentistry into the mainstream and continually improve the Kleer platform for dental practices and patients nationwide.

“We created the Kleer Advisory Board in an effort to gain insight and feedback from thought leaders from many industries,” said Dave Monahan, CEO of Kleer. “Dr. Spodak has been a big supporter of Kleer from early on. He brings a whole new perspective to the dental market and his input to our strategy and product has already been invaluable. He is a true thought leader and has been key to building the awareness of Membership Plans within the dental industry. I am very happy to have him join our advisory board.”

“I’m excited to work with Kleer because I believe there needs to be a better and more economical way for patients to interact with their dental practices,” said Dr. Craig Spodak. “Membership Plans satisfy a patient’s need for simple, transparent, and affordable dental coverage and a dental practice’s need to improve patient loyalty and treatment acceptance while increasing reimbursement. I’m looking forward to working very closely with Dave and contributing to Kleer’s continued success and growth.”

Interested dental practices can get more information about Kleer Membership Plans by visiting https://kleer.com.

About Kleer

Kleer is an advanced, cloud-based platform that enables dental practices to easily design and manage their own Membership Plan and offer it directly to their patients. As the leading dental Membership Plan platform, Kleer is preferred by thousands of dentists nationwide and is dedicated to improving patient access to oral care and dental practice performance. Kleer Membership Plans are turn-key, free to implement, and drive positive practice outcomes including increased production, profitability, and patient visits, and improved patient loyalty and oral health. Learn more by visiting kleer.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Cellerant Consulting Group announces that Lauren Burns, formerly an editor for several major dental industry publications, has joined the company in the role of Executive Consultant and Best of Class Program Director. “Since launching Cellerant just over three years ago, we have enjoyed significant growth in our client base as well as in our range and sophistication of services,” said Dr. Lou Shuman, Cellerant founder and CEO. “Lauren’s dental industry experience as an editor, writer, and expert in digital content creation makes her an ideal fit for Cellerant and its clients.”

In her previous positions at PennWell, publisher of Dental Economics, RDH, and DentistryIQ, Lauren led initiatives to add digital platforms to complement the company’s traditional print portfolio. She transitioned the publication formerly known as Proofs from print to digital and facilitated its rebranding to Apex360.

“In addition to accelerating growth for existing companies of all sizes, Cellerant occupies a unique space in dentistry by providing strategic development and hands-on implementation support to innovative companies attempting to navigate entry into the dental community,” Dr. Shuman said. “Not only has our client list expanded dramatically, but our reach is now global, with clients from the US, England, Turkey, India, and Israel. The need to expand the resources for our clients has become clear and Lauren is a tremendous addition to our team.”

About Cellerant Consulting Group

Founded and led by CEO Lou Shuman, DMD, CAGS Cellerant provides strategic dental market insights, clinical expertise, and implementation resources to accelerate growth for client dental companies. Cellerant services include product development, accelerated market awareness due to intimate relationships with the media community, new concept incubation, clinical product evaluation, manufacturing, seed funding, continuing education program development and CE sponsorship, 510k support, strategic branding and marketing, corporate social media, website development and online marketing resources, lead generation and dental media relations management. Cellerant operates under a unique model that merges leading voices in clinical product evaluation and strategic partner companies to provide a menu of services from one easily accessible network. Chief development officers that manage the clinical aspects of Cellerant include Dr. Chris Salierno, Dr. Marty Jablow, Dr. John Flucke, and Dr. Paul Feuerstein.

About the Cellerant Best of Class Technology Award

Since the inaugural presentation in 2009, the “Best of Class” Technology Awards have grown to occupy a unique space in dentistry by creating awareness in the community of manufacturers that are driving the discussion on how practices will operate now and in the future. The selection process relies on an expert panel of dentists recognized as thought leaders and educators, which includes Dr. Paul Feuerstein, Dr. John Flucke, Dr. Marty Jablow, Dr. Pam Maragliano-Muniz, Dr. Chris Salierno, and Dr. Lou Shuman. Over the course of each year, the panel members seek out and conduct research on potentially practice-changing technologies, with official deliberations beginning at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting and final selection concluding in May. Panelists are precluded from voting in any category where they have consulting relationships. The entire selection process is conducted rigorously and managed on an unbiased not-for-profit basis. For more information on the Cellerant Best of Class Technology Awards go to www.cellerantconsulting.com/BestofClass. 

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that dentists practicing in the U.S. write 37 times more opioid prescriptions than dentists practicing in England. And, the type of opioids they prescribe has a higher potential for abuse.

Their findings, which are reported in JAMA Network Open, suggest that measures to reduce opioid prescribing by dentists, who are among the top prescribers of opioids in the U.S., should be discussed by policymakers and professional associations.

The study was, in part, a collaboration between UIC’s Colleges of Pharmacy and Dentistry, and the University of Sheffield.

UIC’s Katie Suda, the corresponding author of the study, says that the degree to which prescribing patterns differ between dentists in the two countries, which have similar oral health and dental utilization, is eye-opening.

“To see such a difference between two groups of dentists in countries with similar oral health and use of dentists is an indicator that opioid prescribing practices in the U.S. warrant a second look,” said Suda, associate professor of pharmacy systems, outcomes and policy at the UIC College of Pharmacy. “This study tells us that efforts to adopt national guidelines for treating dental pain and for promoting conservative opioid prescribing practices among dentists in the U.S. should be a priority and should be included as part of more comprehensive judicious opioid prescribing strategies.”

To study dental provider opioid prescribing practices in the two countries, Suda and her colleagues analyzed nationally-representative databases from both countries of prescriptions dispensed from retail pharmacies, including community and mail service pharmacies, and outpatient clinic pharmacies in 2016, which is considered to be a peak point in the U.S. opioid crisis.

They found U.S. dentists wrote 37 times more opioid prescriptions in 2016 — 1.4 million in the U.S. compared to only 28,000 in England. This finding remained even when the researchers adjusted for differences in population size and number of dentists.

They also found that U.S. dentists prescribed a much wider range of opioids, where dentists in England only prescribed one — a codeine derivative called dihydrocodeine, which is the only opioid included in the formulary used by their National Health Service. In the U.S., the most commonly prescribed opioids were hydrocodone-based, followed by codeine, oxycodone and tramadol. One in ten opioids prescribed by U.S. dentists were opioids with a high potential for abuse and diversion, such as oxycodone and long-acting opioids. Dentists in England did not prescribe these opioids.

“Dentists need to be part of the opioid conversation,” said co-author Dr. Susan Rowan, executive associate dean and associate dean for clinical affairs at the UIC College of Dentistry. “It is common for people to overlook dental issues until pain becomes severe and major interventions are needed. Pain killers are often an essential part of dental care and provider flexibility in choice is important, but this study shows us there is room for dental care providers to contribute to and inform abuse reduction programs.

“This data should be a wakeup call to individual dental practices and collaborative organizations of dental care providers to push the envelope towards greater efforts to reduce opioid prescribing or patients’ potential for abuse,” Rowan said.

“I was shocked to discover the high level of opioid prescribing of my U.S. dental colleagues. Particularly, when there is good evidence that NSAIDs and acetaminophen are as good or better than opioids for treating dental pain and don’t cause the unpleasant side-effects, addiction and misuse problems associated with opioids,” said co-author Dr. Martin Thornhill, professor of translational research in dentistry at the University of Sheffield. “UK dentists manage exactly the same pain problems as their U.S. colleagues and achieve high levels of patient satisfaction using NSAIDs and acetaminophen, without the need to resort to opioids.”

This research was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (R01HS25177) and the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR002003).

Additional co-authors include Gregory Calip and Hajwa Kim of UIC, Dr. Michael Durkin of Washington University, Dr. Walid Gellad of the University of Pittsburgh, and Dr. Peter Lockhart of Carolinas Medical Center.

AACD President and Accredited Fellow, Elizabeth M. Bakeman, DDS, FAACD, of Grand Rapids, MI, was inaugurated as President of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) on April 27th during the AACD’s Annual Scientific Session in San Diego, CA.

Bakeman is an Accredited Fellow of the AACD, an international professional association comprised of more than 5,000 dental professionals dedicated to advancing excellence in the art and science of comprehensive cosmetic dentistry and encouraging the highest standards of ethical conduct and responsible patient care.

Elizabeth M. Bakeman, DDS, FAACD, graduated from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1983. Since then, she has completed hundreds of hours of extensive continuing education. After joining the AACD in 1995, Dr. Bakeman became an Accredited Member in 2000 and went on to achieve Accredited Fellow status in 2006. She has written articles for countless industry publications and has presented worldwide to aspiring dentists. One of her most recent educational presentations was in San Diego for the 35th Annual American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Scientific Session where she taught Accreditation Case Type 3: Replacing a Missing Tooth in the Esthetic Zone. She is teaching on the same subject in October in an intensive, 16-CE, hands-on workshop environment for AACD’s Continuum. Her philosophy is, “the best way to learn is to teach others.”

Dr. Bakeman has served in the following capacities: member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, past Chair of the American Board of Cosmetic Dentistry®, is current Chair of the Academy’s Accreditation Committee and the Residency Task Force, immediate past president of the American Board of Cosmetic and Esthetic Dentistry, member of the Academy’s Budget and Finance Committee, the Executive Committee, the Fellowship Committee, and the Professional Education Committee, is currently an Accreditation and Fellowship Examiner and has served on the Board of Directors for the past three years. She has also served as an Adjunct Faculty member of the Kois Center, served as a Section Editor for Compendium and presently serves on several editorial boards including the Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Bakeman’s presidential term with the AACD will continue to April 25, 2020 at AACD 2020 in Orlando.

For more information about AACD, visit www.aacd.com.

About the AACD

The AACD is the world’s largest non-profit member organization dedicated to advancing excellence in comprehensive oral care, combining art and science to optimally improve dental health, esthetics, and function. Comprised of more than 5,000 cosmetic dental professionals in 70 countries worldwide, the AACD fulfills its mission by offering superior educational opportunities, promoting and supporting the respected Accreditation and Fellowship credentials, serving as a user-friendly and inviting forum for the creative exchange of knowledge and ideas, and providing accurate and useful information to the public and the profession.