Rev'ed Up

The lecture/show season for twentyleven is in full swing, and man Im revved up about it. Next stop for me is the CDLA Spring meeting and Im excited since this will be the first time I get to dance for a Colorado audience. Im also looking forward to seeing Bruce Keeling at the and having some dinner. The last time we broke bread at the same table, it was with John Bach and my dear friend Bill Seward. Bruce is one of those "nice guys" who has been a mainstay in our industry.

Anyway, I get four hours and as many who have seen me can attest, I will be jammin the info out as fast as my lips can move.

A big thanks to Dan Elfring for setting the stage for my visit and to Molly for making sure things run smoothly.

Now back to work.....

One leg at a time..

I am fortunate to be able to travel and meet people who pratice dental technology around the continent and sometimes world. The people of course, make the experience so special. So willing to share, laugh, and comiserate. It exposes me to so many great ideas and techniques which I, in turn, can pass on to the next group or individuals I meet. I thank God for the opportunity to share what I learn and for the position to do it on such a large scale, and giving me the clear headedness to remember that at the end of the day, we all put our trousers on, one leg at a time.

Wax Try-in

I have always hated the term "try-in" as it relates to placing a wax mock up of a denture intraorally. I think "intraoral evaluation" more clearly defines what should be expected of the clinician at this procedural step.

Many laboratories and Drs. short change this step because they only try to place the teeth in their correct positions. To take fullest advantage of this step, laboratories should also consider restoring all the contours and thicknesses that will be processed into the final prosthetic and not rely on guestimation of base contour once the tooth positions are determined appropriate.

How else can we provide the proper baseline of evaluation without providing exactly what shape and coverage the final, delivered prosthetic will possess.

Also please note- This is the 21st century. Its time to update our vocabulary a bit.

The word "festoon" should be replaced by the word "contoured", and the word "stippled" should be replaced with the word "texturized". Festoon and stipple were words used to describe contouring and texturizing techniques used in the production of "vulcanized" dentures many moons ago and really has no relevance today in a market where value projection is key in successfully marketing your products.

Thanks for tuning in..

TomZ