Last month, I had the good fortune to visit with Dr. Gordon Christensen at his clinical research center in Provo, Utah. It’s always a privilege to speak with Gordon — his knowledge of dentistry is surpassed only by his commitment to improving the level of care that we deliver to our patients. Discussing continuing education, I asked Gordon about the clinical topics in which young dentists most need additional training. He quickly identified two areas: implant placement and complete dentures. In this issue of Chairside^® magazine, we provide some great jumping-off points for doctors who share this need.

Dr. Taylor Manalili (Maxillary Complete Dentures: Reestablishing Natural Tooth Position) provides a clinical protocol for establishing a natural tooth position in the fabrication of complete dentures. The ability to make this determination is a perfect example of the combination of art and science that is restorative dentistry and is fundamental to successful prosthetic and cosmetic procedures. Just as important, the article shows how to adjust the wax rim for the accurate transfer of this clinically determined tooth position to the laboratory. Dr. Manalili takes those principles even further in her second article (Full-Arch Implant Treatment: A Restorative-Driven Approach), showing the application of these same skills in a fixed full-arch implant case.

As you will see, the ability to provide an esthetic makeover also benefits greatly from mastering the skills required to determine tooth position in the complete denture. In Dr. Justin Chi’s article (Full-Mouth Esthetic Restoration: A Winning Collaboration of Chairside and Laboratory), he shows a blended — laboratory and chairside — protocol for producing the diagnostic wax-up, which in turn guides the provisionals and final restoration. Dr. Chi demonstrates a unique method to capitalize on all of your resources to produce the best esthetic result for your patient.

Of course, this issue does not neglect our commitment to implant education. Dr. Paresh Patel (Immediate Placement and Provisionalization in the Anterior: The Guided Approach) demonstrates — with his dazzling photographic skills — the advantages of digital technology in the surgical placement of an anterior implant along with an immediate provisional that creates a favorable soft-tissue emergence. We also highlight the new long-term clinical study showing the continuing success of the Hahn™ Tapered Implant System.

On a personal note, I would like to express my gratitude to the speakers and attendees at our fourth sold-out Glidewell Symposium (Glidewell Implant Symposium: Helping Clinicians Succeed in Implant Dentistry). It’s a privilege to have so many of you visit our campus and enjoy these very special events. See you at the next symposium!