First impressions
and the exhibit hall
The 2017 AAO Annual Session in the coastal city of San Diego made a move to acknowledge, attract and support millennials.
With an abundance of technology, a large-screen message board in the lobby displaying up-to-date tweets and posts, and the three-ring circus schedule of speakers reduced to 30-minute snippets, it is now apparent that the sessions of the future will take on a different tone than in past years.
It's not a bad thing, it just is. Take it from me, a person living in a series of 15-minute increments: I find it difficult to sit through hourlong lectures these days more than ever.
The scope of this year's meeting was broad and all-inclusive. There were topics of all varieties catering to almost every type of orthodontist, from the solo practicing good ol' boy, (do good work and they will come) to the corporate titans concerned about ROI and brand strategy.
I walked into the exhibit hall with Dave Allesee, one of the founders of Professional Positioners, a leading dental laboratory sold to a large concern many years ago. This was his 43rd orthodontic meeting.
The hall had an impressive display of variety. Bright displays, updated booths with KOLs standing on mini stages to support the latest in brackets, wires—and, yes, plastic. Consultants were there in abundance, specializing in practice startups, transitions, websites, social media and everything in between.
And then, of course, there were equipment manufacturers smoothing out their product lines by taking advantage of the latest in ergonomics and modern materials.
I would have to say that there was no clear winner in the new product category, but there were improvements on many familiar ones.
Management software is taking new steps and moving more toward cloud services, and moving away from traditional methods, like having your own server on-site. One emerging trend is in patient education in hopes of encouraging starts by using sliders and scripting to get more people to say yes to treatment.
Of course, the alternative (clear aligner) products are expanding, and the established ones are digging in their heels for the long term. Patents are soon to expire, and they are making sure that the competitive advantage stays in their court.
There were 3-D printers everywhere, indicating the growing trend for in-office laboratory fabrication of appliances and indirect bonding. Scanners have moved from the simple "show me the teeth" to lightweight devices able to capture the finest detail and shade for total patient care.
Of course, bracket improvements were everywhere, named after respective orthodontists. Their prescriptions may be different by a slight degree of tip and torque, but each one was described as the most stable and the best available on the market.
Speakers and
educational sessions
Turning to the lecture halls, I found it a difficult task to capture the speakers of interest. Three rooms—sometimes more if you include the staff lectures—were filled to capacity, often spilling into overflow areas. There was a circus atmosphere as attendees whisked between rooms. Fortunately, all the rooms were on the same floor.
It was great to see some of the same faces from previous years, some wearing the same hat but in a different, brighter color.
The variety of topics made for a comprehensive list. Some of the topics included: practice transitions, marketing using the power of video, TADs and anchorage modalities, facial profile changes, sleep apnea, nonsurgical treatments of open bites and Class II corrections. Drs. Lorenz Moser, Robert Garcia, and Nikhilesh Vaid had memorable sessions.
The importance of medical and early diagnosis was included with a discussion of sleep-disordered breathing and airway by Dr. George Cisneros, who spoke from his 35 years of experience.
Dr. Alan Lowe discussed the orthodontist's role in treatment of snoring and airway. Dr. Rose Sheats lectured on pediatric sleep-disordered breathing and orthodontic considerations, with details on RME and the potential side effects of extraction.
Serial extraction was defended in some instances, and evidence of little smile or dental side effects in properly diagnosed situations were shown by Dr. David Kennedy. Conventional treatment basing one's diagnosis on the limits of the "denture" were reviewed by Dr. Sergio Cardiel-Rios, who defended the nonexpansion theory based on the limiting dimensions of the face and surrounding structures.
Missing lateral incisors are a problem we're all too familiar with. Two speakers addressed this topic, including Dr. Jose Bosio, who explained various treatment options, incidence of occurrence, and reminded us that when patients have missing lateral incisors, often the remaining dentition has smaller than average teeth. A sure indication for compromise!
Dr. Ute Schneider-Moser reviewed success and failure of treatment of missing upper lateral incisors and showed how many factors must often align for a successful result—guided bone regeneration and proper timing are usually necessary.
Dr. Jae Hyun Park provided some insight into the many factors necessary to consider when mesializing lower molars into edentulous areas using TADs. It is essential to keep in mind all the variables and side effects when attempting this procedure!
Of course, there was even a lecture regarding retention, for those of us who need information on a topic that's rarely researched or discussed. Dr. Simon Littlewood addressed the crowd on factors to consider regarding the commonly used fixed retainer on the lingual of teeth.
Transition is always on the minds of attendees, some sooner than others, and widely respected speakers from the past included Chris Bentson, who reviewed the landscape of orthodontic practice. Dr. Tom Ziegler aimed to debunk the fallacies of hiring an associate, and Roger Hill emphasized that new practice models are necessary and should even be desired.
Looking ahead
No AAO Annual Session would be complete without the display area of newly admitted diplomates to the American Board of Orthodontics. This year's class of diplomates will be invited to publish their cases as a regular feature in Orthotown.
As always, a well-rounded meeting with tons of opportunity to learn, view and socialize. I am looking forward to next year's meeting in the nation's capital, where I am sure the dress code will be slightly different than for the past two meetings.
For more information on this and future meetings, visit aaoinfo.org.