LearnDentistry

30/09/2026

Great case at the office today. A patient had a lateral incisor with a post and core that had a guarded prognosis. We are opening the bite for increased prosthetic space to replace with an implant. The tooth was lost unexpectantly with a vertical root fracture. Luckily the patient was in clear aligners so I could add a pontic the same day the tooth was extracted.

I tried something new today using a bulk flow composite Visalys Bulk Flow by Kettenbach Dental USA. The higher level of fill particles and thickness of the material made it easy to place into the aligner quickly, and because it holds the shape it is extruded in, I could underfill the area slightly so it will not bond at the contacts. The high level of filler particles also gave a natural shade and appearance. Always great when I find something that makes my chairside work easier and gives the patient a great experience.

In this case I am using Medit aligners made with tri-layer Zendura Dental Zendura FLX. The rigidity of the material and aligner design limits aligner distortion and retains the pontic when the patient places and removes.

Kettenbach Dental International Kettenbach Dental Germany

23/09/2026

23/09/2026

Adult aligner cases with fixed restorations always have an added twist to the aligner set-up. In this case, I am treating an adult that has an implant at tooth #6 (UR3), and we need to align the teeth and close spaces without the ability to move the existing implant. The patients chief concern is to close the spaces and prevent food impaction. In this example I am using ClearCorrect for the high extended trimline and tri-layer material, to minimize the number of attachments in my set-ups for adult patients. Ortho-restorative cases are one of my favorite challenges!

ClearCorrect Pro Straumann

21/09/2026

🎉 Live Surgery ZestMasters in Las Vegas!

A highly rated course over the weekend in Las Vegas together with Dr Kelly Olsen and Dr Cher Chang Balducci!

In our ZestMasters course series we focus on the latest in full arch Locator cases. This past weekend didn’t disappoint…. We brought in a live surgery to demonstrate a 3D approach to implant surgery.

The focus is hands on courses with emphasis on incorporating skills you can use the next day in practice.

Find out more at www.zestdent.com

Zest Dental Solutions

17/09/2026

Did you see my interview in Dental Product Shopper for the Reader's Choice Awards??? We celebrated the 20th anniversary of ClearCorrect and discussed the evolution of the aligners and the digital ecosystem that has been build around the aligner system. Check out my interview and how twenty years of progress has been developed to improve the patient experience and improve clinical outcomes. Straumann

14/09/2026

Join me this evening 7:00 pm EST on Viva Learning! We will be discussing changing aligner systems or implementing aligners into practice. Emphasis will be given to team communication and minimizing office disruption. Special thanks to ClearCorrect for supporting this event.

Registration Link: https://vivalearning.com/login.asp?x_classID=5409&rurl=%2Fmember%2FregisterLive%2Easp%3Fx%5FclassID%3D5409

27/07/2026

Class II Div 2 can be some of the most satisfying results to see with patient progress. These are ideal cases I treat in my practice with DentalMonitoring because the patient stays motivated both with the results they see day-to-day and with the before/after video simulation. With this patient I am utilizing ClearCorrect aligners to minimize the number of attachments with adult treatment. Aligners and remote monitoring is definitely a winning combination for patient motivation!
ClearCorrect

14/07/2026

Setting patients up for success! I often feel that patients underestimate the time it takes for proper oral hygiene in orthodontic appliances. I like to give my patients the tools for proper home care to set them in a path to success before placing braces or aligners! It was an honor to discuss this topic at the Academy of General Dentistry! Thank you to Crest and Oral-B for the opportunity to speak at this event!

09/07/2026

It had been a great honor to join the faculty teaching at UNLV Dental and to teach the orthodontic residents! Looking forward to the future and continuing this incredible chapter in my career!

10/06/2026

My full article is now available online! See all the details of how I utilized CClearCorrectaligners and VVatech Americaimaging for complex adult treatment, using a fully digital workflow.

SStraumann

In this article, Dr Melissa Shotell discusses the use of aligner treatment in adult patients and factors that support the use of aligners.