Today we are in the midst of one of the most exciting, yet confusing times that modern dentistry has ever experienced. There are provern restorative materials whose preparation requirements, fabrication techniques, and functional predictability are very familiar to dentists and dental laboratory technicians. At the same time there is a barrage of information, often commercially biased, to sort through regarding new materials and techhnologies. In this presentation we will examine the advertising hype associated with the "hot" new materials, and evaluate how they compare with traditional materials and proven principles both positively and negatively. We will examine the risks and benefits associated with these materials and perhaps most importantly we will discuss how the dentist/laboratory tecnician team can best collaborate to plan and deliver dentistry avoiding the most common modes of failure.
About the Speaker
Dr. Jim Kessler is a 1977 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. Jim spent 20 years in private practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma and eighteen years in full time dental education. During his years in education he taught at the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of Oklahoma, and served as the Chairman of the Department of Education at the Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education in Key Biscayne, Florida. In September 2012 Jim returned to the University of Oklahoma to direct the newly established Advanced Esthetics and Technologies Program. Jim was honored as the 1987 and 2011 Alumnus of the Year for the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry and is a Past-President of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry. Upon his retirement from full time dental education, he established a one-person dental laboratory near his home in Colorado. When he is not teaching he works as the only technician in this lab. He has published many articles, as well as contributions to four textbooks including the most recent fourth addition of Shillingburg's Fundamental of Fixed Prosthodontics. Jim enjoys producing technical illustrations and he creates all of the illustrations utilized in his presentations. He is an active lecturer for both Dentists and Dental Laboratory Technician groups and has presented over 500 lectures throughout the United States as well as Canada, Europe and Asia.