Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

13OpinionMarch 25-31, 2013United Kingdom Edition UPTO 15 HOURS CPDUP TO 15 HOURS CPD Rob Lynock and James Russell - A clinical and technical perspective on contemporary aesthetic and restorative dentistry. Ashley Latter - 15 strategies to help you feel more comfortable talking money & achieve the prices your services deserve. Jürgen Seger - SR Nexco - The role of modern lab composites in dentistry. Dr Markus Lenhard - Large direct composite restorations: Managing aesthetics and function. Julian Caplan - The porcelain preparation interface. International Centre for Dental Education Dental Biomaterials Markus Lenhard Dentist Jürgen Seger Dental Technician Julian Caplan Dentist Rob Storrar Dental Technician Ashley Latter Business Consultant James Russell Dentist Rob Lynock Dental Technician Rahul Doshi Dentist Laura Horton Treatment Co-ordinator Ario Santini Researcher Melanie Joyce Dental Hygienist and Therapist Simon Caxton Dental Technician Marc Northover Clinical Dental Technician Rob Endicott Dentist Accurate dentures at the push of a button • Perfect ﬁt due to a controlled injection procedure • Tissue friendly due to reduced residual monomer content • Fully automated due to intelligent process control – without steam Premium quality in no time ﬂat IvoBase ® System The innovative denture base www.ivoclarvivadent.com Ivoclar Vivadent Limited Ground Floor Compass Building | Feldspar Close | Warrens Business Park | Enderby Leicester LE19 4SE | United Kingdom | Tel. +44 116 284 78 80 | Fax +44 116 284 78 81 NEW IvoBase_INS_e_A4.indd 2 23.04.12 10:02 Guest Headline Lectures: £199 +VAT ONLY There will also be an optional live demonstration, lecture or hands-on from: Rob Endicott, Laura Horton, James Russell, Melanie Joyce, Rob Lynock, Chris Parker, Jürgen Seger,Ario Santni, Rahul Doshi, Rob Storrar, Simon Caxton and Marc Northover. For a detailed list of live demonstrations, lectures and hands-on sessions visit: www.ivoclarvivadent.co.uk/icde After the success of our 1st ICDE anniversary celebrations, we once again look forward to welcoming dental professionals and colleagues into our International Centre for Dental Education, at the Ivoclar Vivadent UK headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire. www.ivoclarvivadent.co.uk/icde ICDE2013 ADVERT.indd 1 12/03/2013 16:02 T he one thing I always remember about my first employer was his favourite lesson. ‘Michael,’ he would say, ‘Always remember: a fast buck is your last buck.’ Of course he was right, but I don’t think my younger self quite re- alised the significance of those words. Now, looking back, I am much better placed to under- stand exactly what he meant. He wasn’t just telling me about the need to be honest and open with my patients – he was tell- ing me to always think in terms of long-term care. When we’re young I don’t think we appreciate the pas- sage of time, but as we grow older we soon wonder where the time’s gone. As dentists we’re in a fairly unique posi- tion as if we continue to work at the same practice, we get the chance to assess the outcome of our work over a number of years. It’s lessons such as this that really push the point home as a dentist that the work we do now can have a profound im- pact upon a patient’s life and will hopefully be with them for many years to come. What this teaches us then is that we always have to have our eyes on the future and the ‘oral health journey’ our patients will take. It’s no good for exam- ple seeing a tooth with a bro- ken filling and putting a crown on it without thinking that six months down the line the pa- tient would have opted for a bridge for the adjacent gap. One factor that’s had a sig- nificant impact upon the way we treatment plan nowadays is the aging population. I remem- ber back when I was a school- boy, the woman who used to run the chip shop near our school died. Ok, so she was 60, overweight and a smoker, but a generation or so back, 60 wasn’t too bad an age. Nowadays, it’s a completely different story. Whereas 20 years ago a patient may have sat in my chair and said ‘I’m 60, is it worth it?’ today I’m more likely to have some- one say ‘I’m 80, is it worth it?’ If you’ve got a toothache then it doesn’t matter how old you are. The oldest person we’ve treat- ed here at EndoCare was 100. Did she want to keep her teeth? Very much so! What this reminds us then is that with an aging popula- tion, looking to the long-term is even more important than ever. If people want to look good at 70 then rather than patching up teeth one tooth at a time we need to be thinking about the overall big picture, and not constantly fire-fighting each separate problem as it occurs. So now, more than ever, ‘short-term gain’ is very short, especially when we consider the longevity of patients. But it’s a fine balancing act. Of course we should always endeavour Long-term care vs. short-term gain page 14DTà ‘The oldest person we’ve treated here at EndoCare was 100. Did she want to keep her teeth? Very much so!’ Michael Sultan highlights the importance of thinking long-term...