From the highest level of Japanese technology to the emotional Italian “tecnica di stratificazione” through to the German approach of the wild young things: The 6th Oral Design Symposium in mid-September 2013 in the Italian city of Rimini had it all. Its predecessor two years ago in London started with the established lecture symposium, followed the next day by the practical part of the course. This time the format was reversed. On 19th and 20th September there were six hands-on courses with well-known speakers, then in various lectures the following Saturday the participants experienced how lifelike restorations can be fabricated with experience, knowledge and enthusiasm for ceramic as a material. The new course concept of the Oral Design Symposium went down conspicuously well with the 600 participants.

In the courses run by Thomas Sing, Jungo Endo, Sascha Hein, Naoki Aiba, Yasuhiro Odanaka and Ermanno Mescoli, the participants had an opportunity to be creative thanks to the accumulated knowledge and talent of the Oral Design Group. The hands-on courses, like the lecture symposium, were held in the brand new Palacongressi in Rimini, which impressed with its futuristic architecture and modern technical facilities. The workshops were run in parallel in adjoining rooms, enabling participants to simply pop next door to find out how the other oral designers fire, layer and individualise their work with Creation CC, ZI-CT and ZI-F

“Fruitful cooperation is often like a good marriage”

The international lecture symposium on 21st September started with Dr. Andreas Adler and ZTM Christian Berg, both from Switzerland. Under the title “20 years with Creation”, the team showed some impressive examples of working together: fascinating Creation aesthetics from classic metal-ceramic through to the modern zircon-ceramic Creation ZI-CT Crystal Type. This lecture based on teamwork noticeably encouraged many participants constantly to challenge themselves and critically scrutinise their own work, while nurturing the close collaboration they have with their dentist and allowing the relationship to grow. Berg: “Fruitful cooperation extending over many years is often like a good marriage. You learn to value each other’s strengths and to be able to look beyond any faults.”

Jungo Endo from Santa Monica (USA) then concentrated on the topic of the pink and white aesthetics in a new and unexpected fashion. In Rimini he presented perfectly solved cases, using an easy-to-understand approach. This latest-generation oral designer impressed not only with his dental technology skills but also his clear lecturing style – a real treat!

Then Dr. Luca Dalloca and the Italian legend Master Dental Technologist Roberto Lafrate spoke about “aesthetics and symmetry”. The team, which has been working together for more than two decades, demonstrated sheer Italian passion. Using several practical examples, they showed that you cannot always find the answer to aesthetics by pursuing absolute symmetry, but instead you should utilise the individual asymmetry in order to balance the smile skilfully and harmonise it with the face and the patient’s personality.

After this passionate talk by the two Italians, ZTM Sascha Hein spoke about the “fluorescence of natural teeth”. He surprised the audience with a highly scientific lecture in which he presented the results of his study. Hein: “The data I have analysed show that the fluorescence of natural teeth is too low to exert an influence on tooth colour in everyday lighting conditions. This had already been demonstrated in another scientific study from 1995.” His lecture greatly amazed the dental technicians and was followed by an animated discussion.

Impressive: multi-layered experience with Creation

One of the greatest young talents in the Oral Design Group, ZTM Thomas Sing, who originates from the same training laboratory in Bad Wörishofen as Sascha Hein, subsequently impressed with his lecture “Layers of Creation”. Having adopted America as home, he now works in one of the most prestigious practices in the USA. In Rimini he showed the participants some wonderfully solved cases, combined with a relaxed and very individual lecturing style. A special highlight was the final film with which Sing documented his own story and his journey in dental technology – all in all, a fascinating firework display of emotion and technique!

Still rather misty-eyed, the audience then welcomed the latest Oral Design member: Dr. Javier Vasquez from Florida (USA) is not just a dentist but a gifted ceramist too. In his lecture he dealt with the function of the masticatory organ and presented to participants the latest digital technology used to measure this organ. Finally he explained how they could integrate this knowledge into their everyday laboratory practice.

Another highlight was undoubtedly the talk by the Japanese master Yasuhiro Odanaka, who spoke about his personal approach to metal-ceramic. Like most of the other speakers at the symposium, he also took the view that metal-ceramic still occupies a dominant position in the daily work of dental technicians. With his calm and considered manner, in Rimini the Japanese speaker presented cases ideally solved with Creation CC that spanned several decades. Ever the purist, he continues to document all his cases in the same way – by filming them – and he explained how he achieves first-class restoration results with his special opacity management of the materials.

The Brazilian Murilo Calgaro from Curitiba then appeared as a surprise guest. This likeable colleague is another of the new guard of oral designers. He spoke on the subject of “aesthetics and crown contour”. Using several impressive case studies he showed how you can influence the soft tissues by shaping the crown contour. Many of his cases were solved in collaboration with the dentist Dr. Erik Van Dooren from Belgium and were characterised by outstanding aesthetics. The conclusion to his talk: European flair coupled with Brazilian samba!

Expand your knowledge, find friends, create new impetus

At the end of the symposium Maestro Willi Geller himself took to the stage. In his lecture he confined himself to just one clinical case which had been solved by him but with an extremely complex solution. Looking at all the treatment steps – from the history-taking to reconstruction of the occlusion through to phonetic examination of the patient’s speech – he showed how he and Dr. Giuseppe Allais from Turin are still not resting on their laurels despite many years of collaboration, but as a team have always maintained a certain openness to new ideas.

 To sum up, the international Oral Design Symposium in Rimini was a typically Italian, emotional event where people could meet up with old friends and make new friends. Heartfelt thanks to the organisers and Cendres Métaux Italy for the excellent planning and staging of the event. The congress lacked for nothing! Around 600 participants left Rimini thoroughly motivated with new knowledge and new impetus, with lots of impressions and the realisation that ceramic is a wonderful material for dental technology.