Course Library is one of the three essential digital tools designed by Spear and created to help you achieve your vision of great dentistry. Sample our Occlusion and Bite Force lesson right now.
Let’s say you are to restore # 19 with an MO composite restoration so you have given a 2% Lidocaine 1:100k epinephrine inferior alveolar nerve block to the patient. After 10 minutes of waiting you start the prep on the … Read more
19 hours ago by Vivek Mehta 2 Comments
If there is one gift you can give the members of your team, it is clarity. Clarity for the overall vision for the practice. Clarity for how they fit into that vision. Clarity for your expectations. Clarity for how their … Read more
Yesterday by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
Recently I wrote about the importance of paying close attention to the pulpal spaces on radiographs. While the prognosis of the tooth discussed last time was hopeless, I would like to share another example from the same patient and fortunately … Read more
Yesterday by John Carson 2 Comments
You will always have some patients who choose to accept nothing more than having you “fix” their most immediate care concerns. But at the same time you’d be surprised how many will commit to ideal care—or at least a higher … Read more
2 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 1 Comment
Implant position is critical to esthetic success, especially when the patient has a high smile line and is esthetically aware. At times, using an angled abutment that changes the long axis of the restoration can be helpful, at other times … Read more
2 days ago by Steve Ratcliff 2 Comments
Continuing the discussion on the Nancy Case Study, this article will highlight the lab communication phase that began in Part I. A critical part in the lab communication for Nancy was contour and alignment. The tooth reduction was done after … Read more
22 days ago by Frank Spear 2 Comments
In a previous article I went over the treatment planning process of Nancy’s two central incisors that had old restorations and the completion of the full crown preparations. This article is going to highlight the lab communication phase. In order … Read more
26 days ago by Frank Spear 0 Comments
Continuing the series on the Nancy Case Study on malalignment, once the mock-up is approved, depth cuts and tooth preparation can begin. Whenever you’re prepping malaligned teeth that you desire correcting the alignment on, it’s impossible to know how much … Read more
35 days ago by Frank Spear 0 Comments
In this series of articles, I’ll be going over the treatment process of Nancy. At the time of treatment she was 79 years old, had no chief complaints except for having her two centrals treated. She had previously had her … Read more
40 days ago by Frank Spear 0 Comments
The need to alter the position of the gingival tissue is something we all commonly face as restorative dentists. We regularly see patients with recession on their natural teeth, as well as those who present with recession on teeth that … Read more
61 days ago by Gregg Kinzer 1 Comment
In previous articles I’ve covered the topic of mounted models and their importance in treating clinical cases accurately and efficiently. Once you have completed the process of producing the patient’s centric relation bite records, it’s now time to use the … Read more
12 days ago by Gregg Kinzer 0 Comments
We have all had patients in our practice that present with very complicated cases including broken teeth, excessive wear, and gingival discrepancies, that are eager to learn how they can fix these issues. It isn’t uncommon for us to look … Read more
21 days ago by Gregg Kinzer 1 Comment
Some erosive patterns are head scratchers. How does erosion occur in just one part of the mouth? With some bulimic patients, there is more wear on one side of the mouth because they turn their head to one side when … Read more
27 days ago by Steve Ratcliff 0 Comments
In previous articles, I covered the topic of producing centric relation records for a functional analysis. I’ve also mentioned multiple methods that can be used as a clinician, to help ease those patients that experience tension or tenderness when trying … Read more
28 days ago by Gregg Kinzer 1 Comment
Continuing our series on erosion and attrition, one of the more common causes of intrinsic erosion is Chronic Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. GERD is a condition where the esophageal sphincter allows stomach acids to leak out of the stomach … Read more
43 days ago by Steve Ratcliff 0 Comments
Let’s say you are to restore # 19 with an MO composite restoration so you have given a 2% Lidocaine 1:100k epinephrine inferior alveolar nerve block to the patient. After 10 minutes of waiting you start the prep on the … Read more
19 hours ago by Vivek Mehta 2 Comments
Recently I wrote about the importance of paying close attention to the pulpal spaces on radiographs. While the prognosis of the tooth discussed last time was hopeless, I would like to share another example from the same patient and fortunately … Read more
Yesterday by John Carson 2 Comments
As I stated in part I of this series, the Nancy case study was used as part of a three-day ceramic enhancement workshop. Each dentist who signed up for the course was given the shade photographs, final impression, the go … Read more
5 days ago by Frank Spear 1 Comment
In my previous articles, I’ve gone over the treatment planning and lab communication techniques regarding Nancy’s case. The case itself was used as part of a three-day ceramic enhancement workshop. Each dentist who signed up for the course was … Read more
7 days ago by Frank Spear 1 Comment
Maybe neither! The choice of ingot depends on: • The esthetic quality of the prepared tooth. • If you are doing multiple preparations, do they all appear the same color and value or are there significant differences between the teeth. • Preparation design: How … Read more
9 days ago by Bob Winter 1 Comment
Implant position is critical to esthetic success, especially when the patient has a high smile line and is esthetically aware. At times, using an angled abutment that changes the long axis of the restoration can be helpful, at other times … Read more
2 days ago by Steve Ratcliff 2 Comments
Sometimes it’s the little things that save time and aggravation and you wonder what took you so long to think of it. I always use the open tray technique when impressing implant sites for final restorations. I used to spend … Read more
29 days ago by Mary Anne Salcetti 0 Comments
When trying in an all-ceramic restoration on an implant abutment to confirm the esthetic outcome prior to its cementation, I suggest following these steps: 1. If the screw access hole is on the labial aspect it must be closed or … Read more
30 days ago by Bob Winter 1 Comment
Recently I had the not so pleasant experience of retrieving a broken implant abutment. This was a really challenging case. As a result, I would like to share some tips with you about what I learned. 1. First, the more … Read more
41 days ago by John Carson 2 Comments
The most critical factor when cementing an implant crown to an abutment is to avoid cement you may not subsequently detect, from getting into the sulcus. This undetected cement will cause peri-implantitis. To prevent this from occurring, prior to cementation … Read more
93 days ago by Bob Winter 1 Comment
You will always have some patients who choose to accept nothing more than having you “fix” their most immediate care concerns. But at the same time you’d be surprised how many will commit to ideal care—or at least a higher … Read more
2 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 1 Comment
Do you ever find yourself suddenly thinking about a patient you diagnosed several weeks ago—the one who agreed to your plan for a quadrant or smile makeover? Whatever happened to her? Well, she may have said yes to you, but … Read more
6 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
For a long time I used to naively reason that I don’t take clinical pictures as often as I should because I need to invest in product “X.” I thought when I have all the necessary armamentarium, I’ll be able … Read more
13 days ago by Vivek Mehta 10 Comments
We sometimes like to think that the people who reach the highest level of success in any field have somehow conquered failure. It seems as if these people have reached a level of mastery where they just keep getting it … Read more
16 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
The majority of patients believe that most dentists are good—and they’re right. Dentistry as a whole has demonstrated consistently high standards. Most people, regardless of how they may feel about having a root canal, are confident that wherever they go … Read more
47 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
If there is one gift you can give the members of your team, it is clarity. Clarity for the overall vision for the practice. Clarity for how they fit into that vision. Clarity for your expectations. Clarity for how their … Read more
Yesterday by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
You will always have some patients who choose to accept nothing more than having you “fix” their most immediate care concerns. But at the same time you’d be surprised how many will commit to ideal care—or at least a higher … Read more
2 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 1 Comment
Some of my favorite times in my career have come when I have taken the better part of a day and gone into “lockdown” with a number of my closest colleagues and creative advisors to develop a new program or … Read more
2 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
I often talk about the difference between “in practice” revenue-producing time and “on practice” clinical and professional development time, and how both are vitally important to success in dentistry. But I often find that when it comes to “in practice” … Read more
6 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
Do you ever find yourself suddenly thinking about a patient you diagnosed several weeks ago—the one who agreed to your plan for a quadrant or smile makeover? Whatever happened to her? Well, she may have said yes to you, but … Read more
6 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
If there is one gift you can give the members of your team, it is clarity. Clarity for the overall vision for the practice. Clarity for how they fit into that vision. Clarity for your expectations. Clarity for how their … Read more
Yesterday by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
You will always have some patients who choose to accept nothing more than having you “fix” their most immediate care concerns. But at the same time you’d be surprised how many will commit to ideal care—or at least a higher … Read more
2 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 1 Comment
Some of my favorite times in my career have come when I have taken the better part of a day and gone into “lockdown” with a number of my closest colleagues and creative advisors to develop a new program or … Read more
2 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
I often talk about the difference between “in practice” revenue-producing time and “on practice” clinical and professional development time, and how both are vitally important to success in dentistry. But I often find that when it comes to “in practice” … Read more
6 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
Do you ever find yourself suddenly thinking about a patient you diagnosed several weeks ago—the one who agreed to your plan for a quadrant or smile makeover? Whatever happened to her? Well, she may have said yes to you, but … Read more
6 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
If there is one gift you can give the members of your team, it is clarity. Clarity for the overall vision for the practice. Clarity for how they fit into that vision. Clarity for your expectations. Clarity for how their … Read more
Yesterday by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
You will always have some patients who choose to accept nothing more than having you “fix” their most immediate care concerns. But at the same time you’d be surprised how many will commit to ideal care—or at least a higher … Read more
2 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 1 Comment
Some of my favorite times in my career have come when I have taken the better part of a day and gone into “lockdown” with a number of my closest colleagues and creative advisors to develop a new program or … Read more
2 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
I often talk about the difference between “in practice” revenue-producing time and “on practice” clinical and professional development time, and how both are vitally important to success in dentistry. But I often find that when it comes to “in practice” … Read more
6 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
Do you ever find yourself suddenly thinking about a patient you diagnosed several weeks ago—the one who agreed to your plan for a quadrant or smile makeover? Whatever happened to her? Well, she may have said yes to you, but … Read more
6 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
“… Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Those famous words from the Declaration of Independence have long defined the ambitions of a free person in a free society. But there’s more to life than being happy. Everybody wants to … Read more
119 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 1 Comment
A favorite quote from Jim Valvano: “To me, there are three things we all should do every day. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number … Read more
174 days ago by Peter Virga 3 Comments
Remember that blog post from my partner, Dr. Glen Wysel, about his trip with his wife, Lisa, to Guatemala to visit the site of the clinic we’re helping to build there? Many of you were quite moved by his recounting … Read more
1 year ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
December is behind us; the time of year where our senses are inundated with the sounds, the smells, the language and customs of the holidays. And as the decorations come down and the parties end, the meaning of the season … Read more
1 year ago by Glen Wysel 1 Comment
Someone sent me the link to this video clip awhile back and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since.
I find it pretty hard to watch that without getting a little choked up, and going by the responses of the judges and the audience, I’m not alone. Read more
1 year ago by Imtiaz Manji 0 Comments
The Wall Street Journal is one of the most influential media sources and has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the country, with more than two million subscribers. Teen idol Justin Bieber shares his thoughts on Twitter. He has more … Read more
8 days ago by Imtiaz Manji 2 Comments
Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms today with more than 500 million users. Commonly referred to as a “micro-blog,” Twitter allows anybody to tweet a brief message in 140 characters or less in the world of … Read more
201 days ago by Denise Prichard 1 Comment
Do you think Facebook is just something “kids” use these days to keep the world up-to-date on every single step they take? Sure, there are definitely those people who abuse their Facebook privileges by uploading 80 pictures of their cat … Read more
211 days ago by Denise Prichard 1 Comment
I don’t know if you’ve heard from all of the experts in the industry, but social media is running for President, has cured the common cold and is currently the most popular Beatle. The attention around social media is unprecedented. … Read more
229 days ago by Matthew Petchel 0 Comments
Dr. Gary DeWood once told the story of the 20 (sick) sheep. If one dies, how many are left? Depending upon how or what is heard, the answer often is 25. The accurate answer is 19 live sheep. The moral … Read more
320 days ago by Jeffrey Bonk 0 Comments
I just returned from the CDS Midwinter meeting. As always, it was a great experience to see old friends and make new ones. We have a great profession filled with many like-minded dentists, assistants, hygienists, technicians and staff who converge … Read more
1 year ago by Martin Mendelson 0 Comments
We are pleased to announce Markus Blatz, DMD, PhD as a confirmed speaker at the 2012 Faculty Club Summit. Dr. Blatz is professor of restorative dentistry and chairman of the Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences at University of Pennsylvania … Read more
1 year ago by Martin Mendelson 0 Comments
This past week I was sitting in on the Facially Generated Treatment Planning workshop and Frank Spear was talking about possibilities. Possibilities as they relate to eliminating our filters when we treatment plan a patient. The ultimate objective is to … Read more
1 year ago by Martin Mendelson 0 Comments
After I spoke on social media at our Faculty Club event this June, I had many requests to begin contributing to the Spear Education blog. The time has finally come that I deliver on the request. Welcome to my first … Read more
1 year ago by Kaleim Manji 0 Comments
In the last eight years I have lived in four different states, owned four different homes and held four different distinct positions within dentistry. The single biggest life lesson out of this journey is that the learning never ends. Learning … Read more
1 year ago by Martin Mendelson 0 Comments
OK, this might look like an informercial, well, actually it is! I think every dentist in the U.S. should be in a Spear Study Club. Why? Because I know that most of us need support to move forward. We need … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 0 Comments
One of my last blogs talked about my consternation around seeing myself differently when Lee Brady and I looked at my photographs. Lee and I did her case about four or five years ago and now the tables are reversed. … Read more
2 years ago by Steve Ratcliff 0 Comments
This is a case that could occupy us for days if we chose to enter into discussion and debate. I look at this case and see every discipline in dentistry involved. And I am certain that if I attempt to … Read more
2 years ago by Steve Ratcliff 1 Comment
I met this person quite recently here in Scottsdale – what a beautiful smile! Those “laterals” are canines moved into the lateral position due to congenitally missing teeth and subsequently veneered to create this result. The maxillary first premolars are … Read more
2 years ago by Gary DeWood 0 Comments
From the Mediterranean, Frank and the Athens Spear Study Club prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that learning can be fun! If you cannot see this video, please visit speareducation.com/blog.
2 years ago by Frank Spear 0 Comments
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