According to "Dr. Wo" Wm. Randol Womack, DDS Editorial Director, Orthotown Magazine


Reflections of AAO


Wm. Randol Womack, DDS
Editorial Director,
Orthotown Magazine
As I sat in the waiting area of the Boston Logan Airport following the 2009 American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) meeting, my attendance caused me to reflect on my column in the January/February issue of Orthotown Magazine. In that column I stated that 2009 would be the year of technology “conversion” and I predicted we would see some new high-level technology in the exhibits at the AAO. Well, my prediction seems to have been very accurate. I now realize that the Blackberry Bold I purchased a few weeks ago should have been an Apple iPhone. The new connectivity modules that I saw, which allow you to virtually be in your office “in an instant” using your iPhone, are simply amazing. A “Tops” program for this feature was written by a guy who is younger than one of my grandsons! This technology was also demonstrated at Orthotrak and Dolphin.

Many other moments of amazement came from products and companies like OrthoCAD with its intra-oral scanner, Kodak with its two 3D imaging units, diode lasers “almost” by the dozen, new bracket designs – mostly self-ligating by traditional bracket companies and some new ones, G4 NiTi wires, multiple digital model choices, and more TADs than you could shake a stick at. And plenty of docs were “converting.” The exhibit area was really buzzing this year. Someone even won a car at the GAC booth!

There were clinical simulcasts on TADs, laser surgery and lingual indirect bonding. In addition, there were almost continuous live, on-stage presentations in the exhibit area by experts like Terry Dischinger, Ron Roncone, Steve Tracy, Axel Bumann, Mark Perelmuter, and many other prominent clinicians. If you could find any spare time, there was the Boston Duck Tour.

There was one innovation that absolutely amazed me – and I give The 2009 Randy Womack Technology Award to the Ortho Technology Spider Screw with an edgewise slot that is self-ligating!

I must extend mega kudos to Dr. Matt Miner, local arrangements chair, for the entertainment at this 109th AAO meeting. Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra (courtesy of Sonicare), Jason Alexander as “Donny Clay” (courtesy of Dentsply/GAC) and The Beach Boys (courtesy of Align Technology) gave us something special each day that can only be described as fantastic. This is not to overshadow, in any way, the strong international scientific lectures that made you wish you could be in more than one place at a time – they were outstanding. But, if you didn’t attend this AAO you missed a treat. And if you were there, and didn’t attend these fabulous events, you really missed something special.
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