CU Dental Student’s Innovative Treatment Plan Advances Dental Education - University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

“You don't recognize however important your backmost teeth are until they’re not there,” said fourth-year dental pupil Minh-Tom Van (DDS '23) arsenic helium reflected connected a caller case. His diligent had been experiencing symptom successful his backmost molars, incapable to chew oregon devour decently for 8 months. While this is not an antithetic situation, Van was inspired by a module subordinate to contiguous an exceptional thought for treatment.

When learning however to instrumentality impressions, plan crowns and reconstruct implants, students astatine the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (CU SDM) are taught 2 processes: integer and analog. Van thought, wherefore not larn some astatine once?

“This is an breathtaking lawsuit due to the fact that it's a mode to measurement into the advancement of dentistry,” said CU SDM Clinical Associate Professor Brian Brada, DDS. “Students tin larn however to instrumentality a traditional, analog content connected 1 side, and a integer content connected the other. This is the archetypal clip we’re doing thing similar this present astatine CU Dental.”

Van's people was the archetypal cohort of students to instrumentality a caller people called Advanced and Digital Prosthodontics, wherever they get the accidental to larn however to usage a 3D scanner to instrumentality integer impressions. After getting his toes bedewed with an introduction, Van was anxious to enactment it into practice. He worked with 1 of his mentors, Clinical Associate Professor David Gozalo, DDS, MS, to enactment unneurotic a attraction plan.

“This wasn’t a accepted aesthetic lawsuit wherever the extremity is to make a grin that looks nice,” said Van. “This was much astir restoring the relation of the patient’s teeth and mouth. It was hard for him to devour well. You don’t recognize however important your backmost teeth are until they’re not there.”

Lifelong Learner Embraces Students' Innovative Ideas

Patient Dennis Thomas, a Vietnam War seasoned and University of Colorado alumnus, needed six implants total: 3 connected 1 broadside of his rima and 3 connected the other. He has ever been an advocator for continuing education, truthful erstwhile Van presented him with the accidental to beryllium a portion of thing caller and elevate students’ learning, helium was much than blessed to help.

“I was successful the U.S. Army Medical Command, truthful I recognize what it’s similar to beryllium a student. That’s portion of the crushed I decided to get my dental enactment done present astatine the school; I’m blessed to beryllium a portion of their acquisition and the aboriginal stages of their careers.”
- CU Dental diligent Dennis Thomas

Thomas traveled the satellite with the subject for 23 years from Colorado to Missouri, Hawaii, Germany and back. He adjacent spent clip successful a radiology subject medicine programme astatine the historical Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, which is present the cornerstone gathering connected the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

Dennis Thomas successful beforehand of the historical Fitzsimmons Building

As a lifelong learner, Thomas likes to enactment busy—to accidental the least. Currently, helium is simply a pilot, a formation instructor, a martial arts instructor, a skier and snowboarder, a photographer, a jazz musician, and a scuba diving instructor.

“Education doesn’t stop. I’m successful my seventies and each time I privation to larn thing new.”

This awesome acceptable of interests created a unsocial interest for his dental care: helium had to beryllium perfectly definite determination were nary aerial pockets successful his mouth. If helium were to alert excessively precocious oregon dive excessively heavy with an aerial pocket, the buildup of atmospheric unit changes could origin utmost discomfort, oregon worse, it could burst and rupture the tooth.

“My dental attraction squad is precise attuned to my needs,” said Thomas. “Like a bartender remembering your drink, they retrieve I'm a scuba teacher and a pilot, and they ever inquire however everything’s going. I tin archer they’re not conscionable asking to spot however my rima feels, but besides due to the fact that they attraction astir maine personally. It’s rewarding to spot wellness attraction providers wage attraction similar that.”

Thomas and Van particularly enslaved implicit their Colorado upbringings: Both were calved and raised present successful the Centennial State and attended the University of Colorado Denver for undergraduate education.

Student Minh-Tom Van and diligent Dennis Thomas successful the CU School of Dental Medicine Student Clinic

Digital versus analog, from the pupil and diligent perspectives 

“I expect the semipermanent results betwixt the analog and integer implants to beryllium precise similar,” said Van. “It's similar 2 antithetic paths towards the aforesaid goal.”

In a accepted analog process, the pupil takes gooey impressions of the patient’s rima and sends the carnal content to a laboratory to make the implant crowns.

In a integer process, the pupil creates a 3D rendering of the patient’s rima utilizing a TRIOS 3Shape integer scanner. The implants are past designed successful a machine programme and milled utilizing an Ivoclar milling machine, which creates an identical carnal replica of the integer design, acceptable to beryllium delivered to the diligent successful minutes.

“[Thomas] enjoyed the full integer process,” said Van. “It's overmuch quicker for the patient. Although it’s much enactment for maine arsenic the pupil and for the advising practitioner, it’s good worthy it, successful my opinion, to supply prime attraction successful a much businesslike manner.”

Students larn the process of integer impressions arsenic portion of their curriculum, but historically they’ve sent the integer files retired to the labs to make the implants. In this case, however, Van ordered each the implant parts, digitally designed the crown with his module supervisors, and milled the implant crown to abutment himself.

This is the archetypal clip a pupil has completed the afloat milling process, from impressions to delivery, each successful the pupil clinic.

The last measurement is making definite the implants acceptable correctly, consciousness good, and relation arsenic adjacent to earthy teeth arsenic possible. “That’s the goal,” said Van.

At his archetypal follow-up appointment, Thomas told Van, “I consciousness great. My wound feels natural, the alignment gives maine a bully smile, and each the implants consciousness similar my existent teeth. I’m arrogant of the enactment that [Van] has done. I truly admit him and the full team.”

When asked what he’s going to devour first—now that helium has afloat functionality successful his backmost teeth—Thomas said, “I’m going to fume immoderate brisket and ribs for my household this weekend. I can’t hold to excavation in.”