A year of Aesthetic Update

From Volume 1, Issue 3, November 2024 | Pages 105-107

Authors

Shamir B Mehta

BDS, BSc

BDS, BSc, MClin Dent (Prosth), Dip FFGDP (UK), PhD, FCGDent, FDSRCPS (Glas), FDSRCS (Eng), FDTFEd (RCSEd), FHEA, Programme Director MSc in Aesthetic Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London; Visiting Professor, Department of Dentistry, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands

Articles by Shamir B Mehta

Email Shamir B Mehta

Article

It gives me immense pleasure to write this editorial as the Editorial Director of Aesthetic Update, which is completing its first year of publication. With the support of the Editorial Board and contributors, I will strive to provide our readership with interesting, meaningful, and thought-provoking content. As a longer-term ambition, Aesthetic Update will evolve into a primary-choice resource for matters relating to aesthetic dentistry, supporting the provision of high-quality patient care. On that note, I would like to welcome the new members of our Editorial Board.

This third issue of the Aesthetic Update introduces international authors and a new type of article – ‘Top Tips’ – with the first from Kyle Hogg in Michigan, USA. In this piece, Kyle shares his valuable experience and expertise in controlling white and pink aesthetics in implant restorations, with a focus on restoration contour to achieve predictable outcomes. This ‘Top Tips’ theme will continue in future issues.

Additionally, we feature the first article of a series on aesthetics without dysfunction by Raj Raja Rayan. In this instalment, Raj uses a case report to describe his approach to developing the required anterior guidance for a patient with tooth wear. Continuing with the theme of tooth wear, the third most common form of oral disease in the UK, my colleagues Subir Banerji, Bas Loomans from Radboud UMC, and Jose Saurez Feito from Spain, and I have reviewed the evidence base for the options for technique and material selection for the restorative rehabilitation of tooth wear using tooth-coloured dental materials that I hope our readers will find useful in their day-to-day clinical practice.

Attaining highly desirable outcomes with resin layering can be challenging, even for very experienced and accomplished clinicians. Dipesh Parmar, Stephen Bonsor, and the late Louis Mackenzie present the second of their three-part series on the art of shade matching for resin composite materials. This article focuses on the factors to consider when choosing the most appropriate shade guide, offering practical recommendations for achieving predictable and accurate shade matching of resin composite materials to dental hard tissues. This dovetails nicely with an article by Pantelis Kouros from Greece, who describes an approach to the traditional layered application of resin composite. His technique offers a simplified method for restoring incisor teeth. Commonly, however, patients will seek aesthetic treatment on multiple teeth and, with some of the limitations of resin composite materials, may opt for the use of dental ceramics. Gary O'Neill details the step-by-step management of a patient seeking aesthetic-restorative rehabilitation of her aesthetic zone. He discusses the use of pre-restorative orthodontic intervention followed by porcelain veneer restorations to provide a minimally invasive treatment plan.

In this issue, Stephen Bonsor has provided some very helpful tips and practical advice on how to go about putting together an article for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. This guide will hopefully serve as a valuable resource for those potential contributors who would like to showcase their skills, knowledge, and experience in a way that will be informative to our readership.

Finally, Subir Banerji and I have focused our views on the shifting trend of dentistry from a profession to an industry primarily driven by profit. We explore the potential drivers for these changes and the possible consequences if this trend were to continue. This topic resonates among many of our colleagues, and we hope it will spark a much-needed debate about the changes in UK dentistry in the post-pandemic era.

I hope you find these articles insightful and beneficial to your practice.

Shamir B Mehta

BDS, BSc, MClinDent (Prosth) Dip, FFGDP(UK), PhD, FCGDent, FDSRCPS(Glas), FDSRCS(Eng), FDTFEd, FHEA

Shamir graduated with a BDS from King's College London (KCL) in 1996, having also attained a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from KCL in 1993. He furthered his education with a Master's in Clinical Dentistry (Prosthodontics) from the University of London in 2005 and attained a PhD in 2021 from Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands (tooth wear).

Currently, Shamir is the Programme Director for the MSc in Aesthetic Dentistry at KCL. He is also a Visiting Professor, PhD supervisor, and researcher at the Department of Dentistry, RadboudUMC. In addition to his academic roles, he owns two dental practices in London and is the Senior Clinical Dental Advisor to the General Dental Council, where he manages the Clinical Dental Advisory Team. His previous positions include being a professor (full) at the College of Medicine and Dentistry (CoMD)/Ulster University and leading the MSc in Restorative Dentistry at CoMD.

Shamir has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, including significant research on tooth wear. He has co-authored and co-edited two textbooks on tooth wear and aesthetic dentistry and contributed several chapters to other books. His expertise is recognized internationally, as he is a panel member for the European Expert Consensus Panel on Severe Tooth Wear and Chair of the Careers Pathways Reference Group at the College of General Dentistry.

As a dedicated researcher, Shamir is part of the renowned Radboud Tooth Wear Project (RTWP). He also serves on the editorial board of BMC Oral Health and reviews manuscripts for several dental journals. His contributions to the field extend to lecturing at numerous conferences both in the UK and internationally.

Aws Alani

BDS, MFDS, MSc, FDS RCS, LLM, MFDT, FHEA, Specialist in Restorative Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Endodontics

Aws qualified from King's College London (KCL) in 2003. He completed vocational training in Essex and held junior hospital positions at Guy's Hospital and King's College Hospital, before completing an MSc in Endodontics at the Eastman. He moved to Morriston Hospital in South Wales to work in the Maxillofacial Unit, and subsequently completed his specialist training in Restorative Dentistry in Newcastle. During his training he lead relief work trips to Romania and Ghana with ‘Young Smiles for Romania’ and ‘Global Brigades’.

In 2013, Aws became the International Team for Implantology Scholar in Toronto, Canada, working at the Hospital for Sick Children and Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. He returned to London in 2014 as Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at King's College Hospital. His main remit is the management of congenital and acquired defects within a multidisciplinary team environment, working alongside Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics. He was appointed Associate Professor in Restorative Dentistry at Peninsula Dental School in 2022.

He has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and textbooks, and maintains an active interest in current clinical issues and research. He has won grants from the British Endodontic Society and the Royal College of Surgeons to examine novel tooth filling materials with associated patents. He is a previous British Society of Restorative Dentistry and British Endodontic Society council member and prize winner. He completed a master's in medical law in 2017 from Cardiff University. He is Programme Director for the blended learning MSc in Endodontics at the University of Plymouth and the Postgraduate Diploma in Operative Dentistry at King's College London, both of which look to upskill in a multifaceted manner through seminars, hands-on simulated exercises and mentored clinical treatment.

Steve Bonsor

BDS(Hons), MSc, FHEA, FDS, RCPS(Glasg), FDTFEd, FCGDent, Senior Clinical Lecturer/Programme Director MSc in Restorative Dentistry, University of Edinburgh; GDP, Teviot Dental Practice, Hawick, Roxburghshire

Steve graduated with Honours from the University of Edinburgh in 1992 and gained an MSc at the University of Bristol in 2008. He was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 2016. He was admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh's Faculty of Dental Trainers as a Member in 2017 and a Fellow in 2022. He is a Fellow of the College of General Dentistry.

His background is in general dental practice, having worked in the northeast of Scotland for 30 years, where he owned a private practice accepting referrals for restorative and surgical cases.

Steve is heavily involved in dental education, having lectured throughout the UK. He taught restorative dentistry at the Universities of Dundee and Aberdeen. He is the Programme Director of the MSc in Restorative Dentistry at the University of Edinburgh and holds a Senior Clinical Lecturer position at Edinburgh Dental Institute. He is currently the external examiner for the MSc Aesthetic Dentistry programme at King's College London.

He has published over 40 papers in peer-reviewed journals and a textbook entitled: A Clinical Guide to Applied Dental Materials. Steve sits on the editorial boards of two journals and is a reviewer for a number of others.

Christopher CK Ho

BDS Hons (Syd), Grad Dip Clin Dent (Oral Implants) (Syd), MClinDent (Pros) (Lon), DClinDent (Pros) (Syd), MRACDS (Pros), FPFA, FACD, FCGDent, FICD, FAANZP

Christopher Ho is a Specialist Prosthodontist who received his Bachelor of Dental Surgery with first class honours at the University of Sydney. He completed postgraduate studies in the Graduate Diploma in Clinical Dentistry in Oral Implants at the University of Sydney, a Masters of Clinical Dentistry in Prosthodontics with distinction from the University of London, and Doctorate in Clinical Dentistry in Prosthodontics from the University of Sydney. He is a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, a Fellow of the International College of Dentists, a Special Field Member of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons in Prosthodontics, a Fellow of the College of General Dentistry, a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Prosthodontists and a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.

He lectures extensively on aesthetic and implant dentistry, both nationally and internationally. He is a visiting lecturer to the postgraduate programmes at the University of Sydney, Adjunct Faculty at Tufts School of Dental Medicine, University of Puthisastra and King's College London. He is Head of the School of Postgraduate Dentistry at the Australasian College of Dental Practitioners and is the author of numerous publications, as well as editor of the Wiley textbooks Practical Procedures in Aesthetic Dentistry and Practical Procedures in Implant Dentistry.

Bas Loomans

DDS, PhD, FCGDent, Professor Oral Function and Restorative Dentistry, Department of Dentistry, Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands

Bas Loomans obtained his PhD degree in dentistry in 2007 and in 2008, was a visiting researcher at BIOMAT, KU Leuven, Belgium. He was appointed as Professor of Oral Function and Restorative Dentistry in 2021, and Research Group Leader at the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands in 2024, where he is involved in research and undergraduate and postgraduate education. His main research interests are the management and treatment of severe tooth wear, diagnostic criteria, development of smart dental materials, translational research, intra-oral sensoring of gastric acid, and decision-making processes using artificial intelligence. He has become a nationally and internationally recognized expert in adhesive and restorative dentistry and is the project leader of the Radboud Tooth Wear Project'. He also works in a general/referral dental practice in Nijmegen and is interested in reconstructive dentistry using minimally invasive treatments. Additionally, in 2019, he received the international Steve Bayne Mid-Career Award of the Dental Materials Group of the International Association of Dental Research. Bas collaborates with several top-ranking international universities and is also an External Examiner of the Master of Clinical Dentistry in Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics. He has published more than 110 international and national articles and is (co-)author and editor of multiple book chapters. Bas is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Dentistry, Journal of Adhesive Dentistry, and now, Aesthetic Update.

Raj Rattan MBE

BDS, FCGDent, FICD, FFFLM, PgDip MDE, MA(Phil)

Raj graduated from University College Hospital, London. He owned and operated a small practice group, combining this with his interest in postgraduate education and focusing on foundation training. His career portfolio includes consultancy and advisory services to the NHS, corporate and private sectors. He is a former Policy Adviser at the Department of Health.

He has been heavily involved in postgraduate dental education for over 25 years. First as a Programme Director, and later as Strategic Associate Dean in London. His publications include articles, contributions to books and e-learning resources. He is the author/co-author of several textbooks on various aspects of general dental practice. He has sat on several editorial boards and travelled extensively as an international speaker. He has worked at Dental Protection for over 20 years and is currently the Dental Director.

Andrea Shepperson

BDS (Otago), Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry, Lumino City Dental at Quay Park; Shepperson Education

Andrea Shepperson is a recognized leader in aesthetic and restorative dentistry, with a referral-based practice focused on the management of tooth wear and interdisciplinary reconstruction.

Author of Managing Tooth Wear: A Comprehensive Guide for General Practice, Andrea graduated from the University of Otago in 1984 and is the owner of Shepperson Education, a dedicated teaching facility in Auckland, New Zealand.

Andrea is a mentor and alumna of the Kois Center in Seattle, a Past President and Honorary Life Member of the New Zealand Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a key opinion leader for Ivoclar and 3Shape. A contributor to Practical Procedures in Aesthetic Dentistry, she actively participates in global education through publications, podcasts, webinars and expert panels, advancing the field of dentistry worldwide.