
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. |