Everything you ever wanted to know about the single tooth implant

Specialist prosthodontists Michael Mandikos and Tony Rotondo are holding the next instalment of their highly successful Prosthodontic Masters Series at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Friday February 20 and Saturday February 21, 2009.

Aptly titled "The Single Tooth Implant", the 2-day programme will cover all the skills and tips you need to treat patients with single tooth implants.

"Replacing a single tooth with an implant is the most common implant procedure but also very challenging, particularly if it is in the smile zone," Dr Mandikos said. "This intensive programme is designed to help general dentists involved in implant surgery and implant prosthodontics get the best possible aesthetic and functional outcomes from single tooth cases. It is literally an A to Z of single tooth implant dentistry."

The programme covers treatment planning (including when to use an implant versus a bridge); occlusal considerations; surgical stages including ridge preservation and augmentation; impression techniques and provisional restorations; screw-retained or cement-retained crowns; extraction and immediate tooth replacement; plus an introduction to the major implant systems and the advantages of each.

Dr Mandikos received his Bachelor of Dental Science Degree with honours from the University of Queensland. He completed a three-year residency program at the State University of New York at Buffalo (USA), graduating with a Certificate in Prosthodontics and Masters Degree in Biomaterials in 1998. He has presented continuing education programs at dental meetings throughout Australia and Southeast Asia and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, a Visiting Specialist Prosthodontist to the University of Queensland Dental School and the Royal Australian Air Force. He maintains a private practice limited to implant and restorative dentistry in the Brisbane suburb of Graceville.

Dr Tony Rotondo completed a postgraduate residency in Prosthodontics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1996 and is a registered Prosthodontist, currently practising in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. He has a special interest in aesthetic dentistry and has taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Queensland. He has presented continuing education programmes throughout Australia and internationally.