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Two weeks ago, I attended the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s annual meeting in Dallas. Traffic is up, people are happy, and the positive atmosphere I noticed in January and February has continued. It’s especially good to see because there are more dentists at the AACD meeting who focus on elective procedures in their practices. The  temperature showed that things in even cosmetic dentistry are looking up. When you see patients coming back for elective services, it indicates consumer confidence and a positive trend.

The one piece of technology that I saw (and had already purchased) was Discus’s new diode laser, the NV,  that’s extremely small and cordless. The booth was crowded, but I took my friends over to show them because I  am so pleased with my NV laser. It’s great to get rid of the octopus-like units and replace them with a fountain-pen-size laser that works well.

I also saw Newton Fahl speak, and I hadn’t heard him in a few years. His presentation on composite resins was wonderful before, but it’s even better now. The quality of the presentation and the learning style he uses is above and beyond others I’ve seen. It’s particularly impressive.

Another hot topic was a full-day program on Botox and dermal fillers. The room was packed and the audience enthralled. This subject seems to continue to be of interest to dentists. The 200-300 seats were all filled, even though many states haven’t yet decided if dentists can even offer Botox. I think the writing on the wall is, dentists will push states to approve dentists use of Botox and fillers. It falls within the realm of cosmetic dentistry – and it also works for TMJ and headache treatment.