Changing Lives - Prof. Eddie Scher at the ADI Team Congress 2025

24 July 2024

The Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) Team Congress 2025 promises to be a fantastic event for all attendees, with an unmatched line-up of expert speakers joining us to present a wide-range of sessions relating to dental implantology. Professor Eddie Scher will be presenting alongside his dental technician colleague Bryan Matthews, to explore the importance of digital tools in treatment planning. Professor Scher shares the inspiration behind his session title “Changing lives” as well as an insight into his lecture topic, and why clinicians should attend the Congress next year.

The theme of changing lives is poignant for Professor Scher. On the one hand, it relates to the stories of his patients who, once their treatment was finished, shared that he had changed their lives. On the other hand, Professor Scher’s own life has change; he wants to take this opportunity to highlight the crucial work carried out by the Anthony Nolan Trust, a charity dedicated to changing the lives of those with blood cancer who are in urgent need of a stem cell transplant.

Here Professor Scher gives us an insight into the themes he will discuss in his session:

 

The importance of treatment planning

Treatment planning is all important – everything relies on it. Before I actually start the treatment, I find that I need to be able to see the end result in my mind. It’s important for predictability that we are able to scientifically prove that we can do it before we begin, especially as there are so many things that might potentially go wrong during implant treatment.

Previously, clinicians might show patients a photoshopped image of what they hope their smile might look like. However, this might not necessarily be achievable. The only way to show the patient the end result is by using a diagnostic wax-up. This is a very expensive laboratory procedure and, in this presentation, Bryan Matthews will present the digital software which now replaces the diagnostic wax-up, enabling us to show patients exactly what their final outcome will look like.

 

Gaining informed consent

As mentioned, digital tools have changed the way we work. They allow the dental surgeon to create a treatment plan that they can then show the patient. This might be by showing a virtual model on the screen or, ideally, by 3D printing a model. Where possible, a before and after model should both be printed. Patients should then be able to look at each of these and also of course look in the mirror, see the comparison, and ask any questions they may have. Additionally, this is a great way for patients to request changes – pointing out where they might think that teeth are too wide, or long for example – enabling patients to get involved in the planning of their own treatment.

My main reason for choosing the title “Changing lives” is that, over the last couple of years, three patients have told me, “You have changed my life.” This is why I believe it’s so important that we have the knowledge and education to take on complex cases, and, conferences like this one will be part of your education to go to the next level of competence.

 

The relationship between clinicians and dental technicians

As part of my session, I will be inviting Bryan to present how the digital side of the process works in the lab, to help show and explain the whole process in a well-rounded way. I hope that delegates will come away from our session with a good understanding of the digital workflow. Digital dentistry allows clinicians to circumvent a diagnostic wax up, which would previously involve cutting down a physical model and hand-crafting them to the correct end result. Now, we are able to digitally create a real-life end result, helping us to obtain full consent.

Digital dentistry is definitely the future. It allows us to be very accurate in our diagnosis and treatment planning processes. It allows a workflow in the dental laboratory that enables technicians to create the end result and make it fit the patient’s occlusion as perfectly as possible.

 

Valuable lessons for delegates at ADI Team Congress 25

I hope that delegates attending my session will understand how important treatment planning is – patients are able to see the end result before we start. This is essential for medico-legal consent. I also hope that attendees will understand how digital software works, by improving accuracy and predictability for example.

I’m a teacher, I’m an educator. I believe that dentists performing implant dentistry must learn from many different sources about how to proceed with different treatment types. Drawing on their knowledge and experiences, clinicians must then develop workflows that work best for them. The only way to do this effectively is to attend a wide range of different lectures. The ADI Team Congress is perfect for this, allowing delegates to gain knowledge and different ideas of how to handle cases.

My father, who was a professor and dean of a dental school always told me, “We should always learn from other peoples’ mistakes and keep up to date with all the latest techniques.”

Find out more about the ADI Team Congress

 

Author Bio:

Professor Eddie Scher graduated from University College Hospital, London, UK in 1973. He is registered on the GDC Specialist List in Oral Surgery and Prosthodontics. He is a Visiting Clinical Professor at the Prosthodontics and Implant Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA, and visiting Professor at University College Cork Dental School. He is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Dental Implantology, School of Health Care Professions, University of Salford, UK, and lecturer at the Eastman Dental Institute. Professor Scher is a Fellow and Diplomate of the ICOI, and was a Director on its Board. He is also a founder member and past President of the Association of Dental Implantology, UK, and served most recently as its scientific chairman 2011 - 2013. He was made an Honorary Life Member of the ADI in 2013. He is the Director of the Osseointegrated Year Course (now in its 30th year), and is the Editor in Chief of Implant Dentistry Today. He is Scientific Chairman of Alpha Omega UK. He has published extensively in refereed journals. He has been on the Advisory Board at Tel Aviv Dental School since 2012; and he was appointed a Governor of Tel Aviv University in 2016

 

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