Course List - Metairie New Orleans LA | The Smile Design Center

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This is the course I’m most proud of because it is such a unique topic and covers information I’ve never seen anyone else present; and it’s particularly relevant in the current economic slump because it provides a lower-cost option for patients. It is about a composite technique but much of the information applies to any type of case – from the simplest to the most challenging cases – whether increasing VDO or just restoring anterior guidance. This course can be extended to 1 1/2 or 2 full days with the addition of hands-on exercises that enhance the learning experience dramatically.

Transitional Bonding: Non-traditional Composite Restorations for Major Occlusal and Esthetic Changes

An In-Depth Full-Day Lecture on Bonding
Learn a practical technique using composite that offers many advantages over traditional composite of porcelain restorations. Patients – including those that need extensive changes for function and esthetics – love conservative treatment, whether for financial reasons or just because they don’t want their teeth “drilled down.” Requiring virtually no prep even for smile make-overs and full mouth rehabilitation cases, long-lasting results can be expected.

This course is very different that other resin courses. It is NOT about how to layer the resins, tints and opaquers but covers additional information that will help any doctor master their Composite Bonding skills.

The Transitional Bonding Course focuses on these important topics:

How to provide solutions for common problems (such as severe wear)
Why porcelain isn’t always the best option…even in non-compliant patients
How to build large composite restorations quickly and conservatively
Practical occlusal principles for maximizing longevity
Enhancing tooth topography for the most natural look (learn each tooth’s specific key contours to prevent the “Chiclet” look)
Treatment planning, using a practical system to quickly determine the best smile – customized for the patient – while delivering excellent function

Comments from previous attendees:

“This is a course that will truly change the way you treatment plan certain cases. You will learn to build your composite resin skills to a level where patients are given the opportunity for needed full-mouth rehabilitation using more affordable materials and techniques. In fact, the week after attending, I sold a full-mouth case previously presented and refused twice by a patient who couldn’t afford the more costly porcelain restorations.” Dr. Troy Hoover (Louisiana)

“Even though it has been several weeks since your course, I’m still fired up about what I learned. Your course was not what I had anticipated, but my expectations were immensely exceeded. Since your course, I’ve been able to better diagnose & treatment plan some difficult, involved cases of which I previously had felt uncomfortable treating.” Dr. Hugh Jordan (Georgia)

This is the most popular course I do because it addresses the challenge all dentists face in creating composite restorations to look natural – but in a practical and efficient manner. If you are interested in a hands-on workshop on layering, tints, and opaquers, this is the course that best prepares the attendees for that. This course can also be extended to 1 1/2 or 2 full days with the addition of hands-on exercises that enhance the learning experience dramatically.

Composite Bonding: The “Ultimate Esthetics” Course

An In-Depth Full-Day Lecture on Bonding

Composite is the most versatile material available for making minor or major changes in dental appearance. With proper technique, the function and longevity of composite rivals porcelain while providing benefits other materials can’t match. So why are so few dentists maximizing this potential? A dentist’s success with basic operative restorations doesn’t always translate into success with more complex freehand restorations and full resin veneers. This comprehensive seminar will benefit each attendee by sharing an organized step-by-step approach that includes operative technique as well as vital diagnostic and marketing skills to achieve “Ultimate Esthetics” with composite bonding.

The “Ultimate Esthetics” Course focuses on these important topics:

Step-by-step procedure for individual tooth changes (color change, Class IV’s, and more)
How to provide solutions for common problems (worn teeth, diastemas, and more)
Layering-understand when and why to use each material including tints and opaquers
Dramatic Smile Makeovers-why porcelain isn’t always the best option
Verbal skills that will gain patient interest and increase patient acceptance
Practical occlusal principles for maximizing longevity
Contouring and polishing technique for an incredibly natural finish
Maintenance for many years of happy smiles!

Comments from previous attendees:

Truly life changing techniques-I have learned to correct problems that I have been struggling with my entire career.

What I like is that this information can be used Monday morning!

The content was excellent and relevant.

Nice pace, well organized, good handout, and beautiful cases

This course is more motivational and general. It is great when staff are present because it promotes cosmetic dentistry as a valuable and rewarding part of a successful practice. There is a detailed section on smile design which is great for dentists but staff members get excited about it, too. There is not much time spent on restorative techniques, so if the audience is all dentists, they may feel disappointed. No hands-on workshop–lecture only.

A PERFECT SMILE: The Power, the Passion, and the Path to Success

An In-Depth Full-Day Lecture for the Entire Dental Team

A smile’s effect on a person’s appearance is more important than most people realize, even by most dentists! This eye-opening presentation expands our appreciation for the value of a great smile. Using case examples demonstrating the latest techniques available in Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Willhite shows some surprising ways patients, and your practice, can benefit. He uses data from some fascinating studies and an intriguing, very logical rationale for why the smile is the most important element of human appearance! This course creates enthusiasm for dentists and their team members to increase production of this type of dentistry that more and more people are asking about-dentistry they want, rather than need. This translates to treatment they are willing to pay for, even if there is no insurance benefit for it, which can help our practices avoid dependence on managed care and allow us to reach new heights in professional satisfaction. We owe it to our patients to maximize dentistry’s unique opportunity to improve patients’ health and appearance!

Topics to be covered:

Understanding how our culture’s powerful bias for “good looks” relates to the smile as the most essential element of our appearance
How to improve patient’s self-esteem and increase production of Cosmetic Dentistry
Reduce insurance dependency and avoid the managed care “trap”
Learn exactly what makes a smile look great-smile design principles to WOW your patients
How to get the most out of your lab
Communicating the value of Cosmetic Dentistry-powerful key phrases that motivate patients
Teamwork-why all this works best when staff members understand and believe it!

Comments from previous attendees:

I felt like a comrade of the speaker – he was very down to earth

Best lecture I’ve seen, above average in every aspect

He put together all of the various guidelines for smile evaluation that I’ve seen only parts of in other presentations – very thorough

This is the course I’m most proud of because it is such a unique topic and covers information I’ve never seen anyone else present – and it’s particularly relevant in the current economic slump because it provides a lower-cost option for patients. It is about a composite technique but much of the information applies to any type of case – from the simplest to the most challenging cases whether increasing VDO or just restoring anterior guidance. The half-day option is a very condensed version of the full-day course.

Transitional Bonding: Non-Traditional Composite Restorations for Major Occlusal and Esthetic Changes

An In-Depth Half-Day Program on a Bonding Technique

Learn a practical technique using composite that offers many advantages over traditional composite or porcelain restorations. Patients – including those that need extensive changes for function and esthetics – love conservative treatment, whether for financial reasons or just because they don’t want their teeth “drilled down.” Requiring virtually no prep even for smile make-overs and full mouth rehabilitation cases, long-lasting results can be expected.

This course is very different than other resin courses. It is NOT about how to layer the resins, tints and opaquers but covers additional information that will help any doctor master their Composite Bonding skills.

Learning objectives:

How to provide solutions for common problems (such as severe wear)
Why porcelain isn’t always the best option… even in non-compliant patients
How to build large composite restorations quickly and conservatively
Practical occlusal principles for maximizing longevity

Comments from previous attendees:

Great no-nonsense approach to techniques

Very impressed with your delivery of information, thoroughness and organization of your subject!

Real cases and results, with time tested evidence

For patients that cannot proceed to more expensive options, this is great

This is the most popular course I do because it addresses the challenge all dentists face in creating composite restorations that look natural – but in a practical and efficient manner. If you are interested in a hands-on workshop on layering, tints, and opaquers, this is the course that best prepares the attendees for that. This half-day option is a very condensed version of the full-day course

Composite Bonding: The “Ultimate Esthetics” Course

An In-Depth Half-Day Program on Bonding

The “Ultimate Esthetics” Course focuses on these topics:

Step-by-step procedure for individual tooth changes (color change, Class IV’s and more)
Layering – understand when and why to use each material including tints and opaquers
Practical occlusal principles for maximizing longevity
Polishing technique for an incredibly natural finish

Comments from previous attendees:

Truly life changing techniques – I have learned to correct problems that I have been struggling with my entire career.

What I like is that this information can be used Monday morning!

The content was excellent and relevant.

Nice pace, well organized, good handout, and beautiful cases

This course is the least requested because it is on such a specific procedure but a special course makes sense because diastema closure with composite is such a unique restoration with specific concerns. This course pulls that together to cover “all the bases.” A hands-on course may be added that allows each attendee to close a diastema on a special model with soft “gingiva” allowing for a realistic exercise building the composite from the sulcus to have smooth margins with no “black triangle.” (Hands-on courses must be limited to between 10 and 30 participants-actual number depends on different factors.)

Composite Bonding: Diastema Closure for Ultimate Esthetics

An In-Depth Program on a Specific Bonding Technique

No prepping is necessary to create natural, long-lasting restorations that will have an ideal emergence contour from the gingiva and can be flossed without shredding. This course will not only teach a predictably successful technique to close small or even large gaps, but will cover related issues of Smile Design, Occlusion and Tooth Topography to assure great results. Time will also be spent on verbal skills to motivate patients to accept treatment and to maintain the Bonding for maximum longevity.

The “Diastema Closure” Course focuses on these important topics:

Learn a predictable technique to create smooth, sub-gingival margins with ideal emergence contour
Maximizing longevity of composite restorations
Enhancing tooth topography for the most natural look (learn each tooth’s specific key contours to prevent the “Chiclet” look)
Polishing technique for an incredibly natural finish

Comments from previous attendees:

Superb presentation

We hope to attend your future lectures

Very helpful in my daily use of composite

Your knowledge and willingness to share it is remarkable

Hands-on Workshop: Diastema Closure for Ultimate Esthetics

(NOTE: the above lecture is required to make the most of the hands-on, so this workshop is not offered as a stand alone course)
Using realistic models, you will restore a significant diastema between the centrals using a predictable technique to achieve an ideal emergence contour from the gingiva and can be flossed without shredding. Little or no prep is needed to conservatively close gaps. These long-lasting restorations can function as a natural tooth. This session will complement the lecture of the same title, which is highly recommended to assure you get the most out of the hands-on.

Learning Objectives:

Understanding how to layer composite to achieve natural translucency and color blending
Predictability invisible margins even when in the mid-facial of a tooth
Learn how to use a practical template technique (i.e. a putty index) to be more accurate and to save time
Contouring and polishing technique for an incredibly natural appearance

This lecture isn’t just for dentists-any team member can enjoy and can also benefit from this presentation. It’s challenging to make this course sound exciting, but this is a Smile Design course with a real difference!

Esthetic Zone Ratio Method of Smile Analysis and Design

A Practical Half-Day Lecture on Cosmetic Dentistry

Using case examples demonstrating the latest techniques available in Cosmetic Dentistry, you will learn an innovative system to design smiles that is easier and more predictable than traditional methods. This practical approach does more than help you plan a better smile, it will allow you to determine the best smile possible for each patient AND provides a format for communicating with patients to enhance confidence and accuracy. This course provides a scientific and technical basis for becoming a Smile Design artist.

Bonus:

Receive a PowerPoint template that is ready to use – just insert your own patient photographs. Providing a logical step-by-step guide to communicate with patients, this tool will increase patient acceptance of more comprehensive treatment plans.

Highlights:

Simple mathematical calculations to achieve artistic results
Understand the fallacy of Golden Proportion
Smile design principles that are practical and sensible
Improve patients’ motivation to choose the most ideal treatment
Why the smile is the most important element of human appearance

This hands-on is a stand-alone workshop that doesn’t require the lecture (above) because the method is tough, and practiced using realistic case exercises, concurrently. Lecture and workshop together would be even better, but this is the hands-on that stands alone very well. And any team member will enjoy and can benefit from this presentation. It’s challenging to make this course sound exciting, but this is a Smile Design course with a real difference!

Hands-on Workshop: The Esthetic Zone Ratio of Smile Analysis and Design

Whether you are a beginner or a master at esthetic treatment planning, this course will teach you a systematic method to design smiles that is easier and more predictable that traditional methods. This practical approach does more than help you plan a better smile, it will allow you to determine the best smile possible for your patients. This course provides a scientific and technical basis for becoming a Smile Design artist.

Bonus:

Highlights:

Simple mathematical calculations to achieve artistic results
Understand the fallacy of Golden Proportion
Smile design principles that are practical and sensible

This is a hands-on course that is a great adjunct to the Transitional Bonding course. All hands-on courses require a corporate sponsor to provide the equipment, materials and the set-up.

Hands-on Workshop: Adding Incisal Length for Function and Esthetics

(NOTE: the Transitional Bonding lecture is highly recommended to make the most of this hands-on)

This program is aimed at the dentist who wants to offer a more practical and affordable option to patients who traditionally would be prepped for porcelain restorations to add incisal length to small or worn teeth. This experience will help you to immediately improve traditional resin restorations and understand how to use composite in situations typically only done in porcelain. Participants will complete their own composite restorations featuring one of the most common situations – making a worn tooth longer to look and function better.

Learning objectives:

Step-by-step procedure for lengthening a tooth to build or restore anterior guidance while achieving natural beauty in a composite restoration with little or no prep
the exercise will allow each attendee to build functional incisal anatomy using a practical template technique (i.e. a putty index)
Understand how composite materials are handled for results that will look great for years
Polishing technique for an incredibly natural finish

It has become evident after teaching composite technique for many years, that most courses cover so much information that very few doctors can actually incorporate most of what is taught. The following courses are on very focused topics and the response to this format has been very positive.

Composite Bonding: Undetectable Class IV Restorations

Beautiful and functional direct resin restorations don’t happen by accident. Much skill is required to achieve great results. This course will focus specifically on Class IV restorations although this predictable technique will improve your success with other composite cases as well. This course will improve your ability to achieve maximum function and ideal esthetics with Freehand Composite Bonding.

Learning Objectives:

Step-by-step procedure for Class IV restorations
How to create an invisible margin in a very visible portion of the tooth
Solutions for common problems such as translucency and contour issues
A simple, quick and practical method for predictable shade matching

This hands-on is a great exercise for creating Ultimate Esthetics in Class IV restorations.

Hands-on Workshop: Undetectable Class IV Restorations

(NOTE: the above lecture is highly recommended to make the most of the hands-on)

Using realistic models, you will restore a significant fracture on a central using a predictable technique to achieve an “undetectable” restoration. Step-by-step instruction will include how to prep conservatively, avoid tooth show-thru, and provide the patient with long-lasting restoration that can function as a natural tooth. This session will complement the lecture of the same title, which is highly recommended to assure you get the most out of the hands-on.

Learning Objectives:

Layering the resins, tints and opaquers to achieve natural translucency and color blending
Controlling the opacity and translucency to match any natural situation
Predictably invisible margins even when in the mid-facial of a tooth
Polishing technique for an incredibly natural finish

These new “stand alone” hands-on workshops are popular because a separate lecture isn’t needed to succeed. The focused topics allow for attendees to learn specific techniques that will enhance their composite restorations on aspect at a time – and the information covered is reinforced with effective hands-on exercises. Plus the fun titles draw attention!

Hands- on Workshop: Are Teeth Sexy? Only If They Have Great Shape!

Shape is key and contouring is critical to making restorations look great! This hands-on course will give you a systematic approach to contouring and polishing to achieve better restorations each and every time you restore a tooth with composite. A proper finish will also reduce recurring stains, white lines and visible margins.

Learning Objectives:

Learn an effective combination of burs and discs to quickly achieve primary and secondary anatomy
Why polishing should take less than 5 minutes
How to use contouring strips so proximal contact is maintained

Hands-on Workshop: Lingerie of the Smile? Yes – Incisal Translucency!

The right lingerie enhances a great shape – just like incisal translucency in a restoration. Learn how to create incredibly realistic translucency in composite. This hands-on course will give you a systematic approach to develop natural yet subtle effects to mimic a single tooth or for a smile makeover. Through observation and creativity, learn the key principles for successful replication of translucency and characterization tooth after tooth, case after case.

Learning Objectives:

Differentiate between using tints, opaquers, and translucent composite to create incisal translucency
Understand the difference in translucency patterns for each tooth
Avoid the common mistakes that often create a fake look

Hands-on Workshop: Open Wide! A practical, reversible technique to increase VDO

Teeth wear down and VDO is lost, but we can rejuvenate smiles – and faces – by adding back what’s gone. Some jaws never grow into ideal occlusion, and knowing how to open the bite can be the crucial element to resolving such problems. This course will simplify the steps to increasing VDO, and help you restore cases whether you can plan to complete the case in composite or porcelain.

Learning Objectives:

A method of opening Vertical Dimension that is practical and effective
Understanding how to maximize longevity and conserving tooth structure
Step-by-step procedure for building new centric stops to increase VDO with no prep