On November 19, 2016, the Periodontology Study Club invited guest speaker Dr. Samuel Lee to speak to the group on new concepts in sinus augmentation techniques. What he delivered was much more than that – he gave an inspiring talk on ingenuity and encouraged students to be innovative in our careers and to be service-minded so that we may help others that may be less fortunate.
Dr. Lee harbors a palpable passion for teaching and developing new technologies, and currently serves as the President of the International Academy of Dental Implantology. He emphasized the importance of lateral thinking versus vertical thinking so that we may not only think creatively in treating our patients but also be forward-thinking and push advancements in dentistry. Dr. Lee teaches around the world and conducts international CE courses, and he encouraged the group to consider global service learning to increase access to care in other countries and to open our minds and learn from experts across the globe. The main overarching theme of the morning was innovation. He discussed some of his inventions, including a tiny radiography system that decreases radiation and improves angulation, a hollow bur that decreases heat and decreases operating time, and demonstrated the crestal window sinus grafting technique, a hybrid technique that decreases complications which he created based on the existing lateral window and crestal approach techniques for sinus augmentation.
He ended his talk by sharing a case of a patient who had visited 11 dentists in hopes of getting that “Hollywood smile”, only to be told over and over again that she would need a full mouth extraction. Dr. Lee was able to turn around what seemed to be a hopeless case and give her the beautiful smile she was looking for without a single extraction through thoughtful use of implantology and orthodontics in just 2 short years. Our students were left with a renewed excitement for our futures in dentistry and periodontology!
If you are interested in events like this and would like to join the Periodontology Study Club, please e-mail Joshua Dobbins and ask to be added to the e-mail listserv.
Written by: Nari Park (D19)
