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22 — issue 1/2015 Implant Dentistry Interview INTERVIEW with — Dr. Gary Finelle seeinganenhancedinterestinusingdigital tools, such as 3-D-printed guides and in- tra-oralcameras.However,whilecomput- ers can help simplify and speed up our treatment, the advances only work effec- tively in the hands of skilled and knowl- edgeable professionals. Q: In your opinion, how have digital tech- nologies changed dentistry over the past decades? Do you think they will determine the global dental market in the future? A:Inthelastdecades,digitaltechnologies have been utilized to a far greater extent in laboratories than in dental offices. The advancement of laboratory scanners in combination with optimized CAD/CAM production centers has provided dentists with enhanced accuracy, a wider range of abutment design options, greaterflexibil- ity in materials, and more efficient com- munication. However, until recently, the expertiseinusingthetechnologywascon- centrated in laboratories, rather than in dental offices. Today, we are seeing a second techno- logical move towards the clinical side. In- deed, the market offers workflows that are more integrated, higher compatibility between manufacturers, and greater competition from more affordable de- vices, specificallyinthe intra-oral scanner segment. Combined with the rapid emer- gence of new-generation 3-D printers, we are witnessing the democratization of chairside technological devices in the dental office.The prospectsforthe field of 3-Dprintingarehighlypromising,andone can envisage that the dental market will soon be built around computerized fabri- cationtechniques.The digital dentist is on the rise. Q: At the age of 30, you are a very young specialist. Do you think that there are dif- ferences between older dentists and profes- sionals of your generation regarding their attitude towards digitalization in dentistry? A: As I am partnered with myfather in the practice, I feel I am well placed to answer thisquestion.Regardlessofhisorhergen- eration,everyclinicianisawareofthecur- rent and upcoming changes in ourprofes- sion. The older generation may face a steeper learning curve, but we are all aware that the era of the stone model will soon pass. Today’s dental students train in a more digitalized environment, so we can expectthemtobemorecomfortablewith computerized dentistry than clinicians utilizingconventionalanalogmethods.In- terestingly, the Division of Regenerative Q: Dr. Finelle, your major field of interest is the application of digital technologies in dentistry.Whatdoyouconsiderthemainad- vantages of these technologies for dental implant planning and treatment? A: The overall digital workflow in implant dentistry can be divided into four treat- ment phases: virtual planning, computer- guided surgery, digital impressions, and CAD/CAM rehabilitation. Although the technology available on the market today is advanced enough to implement a fully digital approach to treat patients, it does not mean that dentists have to follow a digital protocol from A to Z. I believe that the success of our treatment depends moreonthedecisionswemakeduringthe planning phase, rather than the proce- dures at execution. In fact, the main ben- efits of working digitally today may be found in the treatment planning process. Indeed, data from different type of scan- ners (CBCT, surface intra-oral impression or laboratory, and facial scanners) can be mergedtogetherin3-Dplanningsoftware to produce a comprehensive 3-D recon- struction of the clinical situation. The ul- timate goal is to visualize a 3-D virtual pa- tientandsuperimposeorofacialstructures (such as bone volume, soft tissue, dental arches, temporomandibular joints, pros- thetic projection, and facial contour) on the same 3-D image to optimize the con- cept of prosthetically driven implant placement.Techniquesofdigitalsmilede- sign are also powerful treatment planning tools to prepare properly for challenging esthetic cases. Byanalyzing on the screen the3-Drelationshipbetweentheimplant, the future prosthesis, and the smile, we canimproveourunderstandingofthecase andenhancecommunicationbetweenthe team members and patients. As technologies become increasingly attunedtotheclinicalreality—nottomen- tion accurate and cost-efficient—we are For the first time, Dr. Gary Finelle will be teaching the “1 Year Clinical Mas- ters Program in Implant Dentistry” at the Reims Implant Institute in Novem- ber 2015. Dr. Finelle received his dental degree from Université Paris Diderot, Paris 7, in France in 2009. He completed his doctoral thesis on soft-tissue healing around dental implants. In 2011, he joined the Advanced Graduate Educa- tion Program in Implant Dentistry at Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Mass., U.S., as a full-time resi- dent. Since 2013, Dr. Finelle has been based in Paris and works in a private practice limited to implant treatment and prosthodontic rehabilitation. In January 2015, he joined the bio- mimetic unit (Université Paris Descartes, Paris V), headed by Dr. Gil Tirlet, at Charles Foix hospital in Ivry- sur-Seine, France, as a part-time fellow. Dr. Finelle’s major interests are the application of digital technologies to the surgical and prosthetic implant treatment workflow and patient diag- nostic virtualization. He has been in- volved in research on digital impres- sions and 3-D printing technologies, computer-guided implant surgery, CAD/CAM prosthodontics and im- plant rehabilitation. He has published in scientific peer-reviewed interna- tional journals. He has lectured na- tionally and internationally at various scientific meetings and is a member of a number of scientific societies, in- cluding the Academy of Osseointe- gration and the American Dental Club of Paris. He is currently a recognized speaker for the International Team for Implantology and a scientific opinion leader for Straumann France.