At Floss, we make it our mission to always learn and grow in services for our patients. Recently Doc and dental assistant, Kristi, packed their bags and headed back east to historic Charlotte, North Carolina where they attended an implantology course from the Engel Institute.
In this four-day course, they specifically learned how All-on-Four implants can convert an existing denture into one that is retained with “snaps” that help to secure the denture while eating, talking, etc. far better than the traditional denture. The ability to extend implant services is life changing for patients with dentures, single tooth loss or patients in need of full mouth reconstruction. Implant knowledge is one of the biggest gaps in general practice, according to the Engle Institute. Completing this course, amongst others already taken, gives Dr. Holloway and Kristi the full ability to properly treatment plan full mouth, single tooth and edentulous cases by ensuring adequate space for prosthetic components.
The course teaches guided surgery for both large restorative cases and fully endentulous patients. This could be any combination of dentures, bridges, and implants. Doc and Kristi used CT (cone-beam) scans and designed surgical CT guided stents to make the placement of the implant more efficient and predictable, resulting in a much better and precise outcome for the patient.
At the training, the attendees worked on live patients. Doc and Kristy placed five guided implants using a surgical guide for edentulous and partially edentulous patients. Since the course is so hands-on, doctors were encouraged to bring their assistants so the proper surgical techniques could be learned together. The class size is smaller and allows for more one-on-one time with the instructors and the ability to ask any and all questions. “Being able to work together in training, on real-life cases, was invaluable,” Kristi said.
Since coming back to the office with their new found knowledge, Dr. Holloway and Kristi have successfully placed implants using the innovative technology for dozens of patients with needs denture related. “This has really been a tremendous need for many of our patients,” Dr. Holloway said. “We have always been able to place implants effectively, but this course and the subsequent technology has made it a faster and more precise procedure.”
The Engel Institute offers five different courses related to dental surgery and implants: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5. Doc and Kristi completed M3, which is officially titled Advanced Guided Surgery & CT Interpretation. Each of the courses is only offered between one to three times a year. In July, Doc and Kristi are off to the M4 course, which is four-days learning about Full Arch Conversion.
