Beginning with the principles that continue to determine denture success, the course progresses from conventional complete dentures into digital workflows, demonstrating how intraoral scanning, digital records and CAD/CAM fabrication can enhance—not replace—sound clinical judgment.
The program then moves from traditional implant overdentures to advanced overdenture concepts, including two-implant mandibular overdentures, angle-correcting Locator attachments, and Locator FIXED/AvaMax restorations. Through both lecture and hands-on experiences, participants will explore how the overdenture concept can be applied across an increasingly sophisticated spectrum of implant treatment.
The course concludes with a practical approach to complications, focusing on diagnosis, prevention and management of the problems that clinicians encounter in everyday practice.
Throughout the program, one principle remains constant: Technology changes. Principles don't.
Part I — BUILD IT RIGHT - Back to the Future: The Fundamentals That Still Matter
Digital dentistry doesn't eliminate prosthodontic principles—it amplifies the consequences of getting them right or wrong.
Synopsis
Before scanners, CAD/CAM, milled bases, printed try-ins and digital denture workflows, successful complete dentures depended on a relatively small number of fundamental clinical principles. Those principles have not changed.
The emphasis is not on teaching dentists how to make a denture from scratch, but on identifying the clinical decisions that determine whether any denture workflow—analog or digital—will succeed.
The session will also establish the framework used throughout the remainder of the course: technology should simplify and enhance sound clinical decision-making, not replace it.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this section, participants will be able to:
- Identify the fundamental anatomical, biological and prosthodontic factors that influence complete denture retention, stability and support.
- Evaluate the diagnostic information necessary to develop an appropriate complete denture treatment plan.
- Explain the clinical significance of accurate VDO and centric relation records and their relationship to predictable denture function.
- Assess tooth position, occlusal relationships and denture base extension as determinants of stability and function.
- Recognize common clinical errors in complete denture treatment and explain how they contribute to denture failure.
- Apply fundamental complete denture principles when evaluating both conventional and digital workflows.
Part II — BUILD IT DIFFERENTLY - Digital Doesn't Mean Different
Translating Complete Denture Fundamentals into a Predictable Digital Workflow.
The digital denture isn't a different prosthesis. It's a different way of manufacturing the prosthesis.
Synopsis
Digital denture technology has transformed the way complete dentures can be designed, fabricated, modified and reproduced. This session will explore the clinical-to-digital workflow, demonstrating how traditional complete denture principles are translated into digital data.
Participants will examine indications and limitations of intraoral scanning, digital records, reference dentures, CAD design and digitally manufactured denture bases and teeth. Particular attention will be given to what should be captured digitally, what still requires clinical judgment, and where the clinician must remain in control of the process.
The lecture will transition into a hands-on workshop in which participants will experience the digital workflow firsthand, including intraoral scanning and digital denture design.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this section, participants will be able to:
- Describe the clinical indications and advantages of digital complete denture fabrication.
- Compare conventional and digital complete denture workflows with respect to clinical records, fabrication, predictability and efficiency.
- Identify the clinical records and data required to create a predictable digital complete denture.
- Demonstrate appropriate intraoral scanning techniques for edentulous patients and recognize common scanning challenges.
- Evaluate a digital denture design for appropriate tooth position, occlusion, esthetics and denture base contours.
- Use digital design tools to modify selected aspects of a complete denture while maintaining fundamental prosthodontic principles.
- Integrate digital fabrication into a conventional restorative practice without sacrificing essential clinical controls.
Part III — ANCHOR IT – Overdentures Reimagined From Removable to “FIXED”
The Evolution of Implant-Retained Overdentures—from Two Implants to Overdenture “FIXED”
Implant overdentures have fundamentally changed the treatment of the edentulous patient, providing increased retention, stability and patient confidence while maintaining the advantages of a removable prosthesis.
This section will trace the evolution of implant-retained overdenture treatment—from the two-implant mandibular overdenture to more advanced multi-implant solutions and the emerging concept of an overdenture “FIXED” prosthesis.
The discussion will emphasize treatment planning, implant distribution, attachment selection, prosthetic space, angulation, maintenance and repair. Participants will explore the clinical rationale for conventional Locators, angle-correcting Locator attachments, Locator FIXED concepts and AvaMax hybrid restorations, with attention to when each approach is appropriate.
The hands-on workshop will allow participants to work directly with these attachment components and restorative workflows.
The goal is not simply to introduce new products or techniques, but to demonstrate how the overdenture concept can be leveraged across a spectrum of implant treatment options.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this section, participants will be able to:
- Explain the biomechanical and clinical rationale for implant-retained overdentures.
- Evaluate patients for appropriate two-implant overdenture treatment and identify factors that influence treatment success.
- Compare attachment options and select an appropriate attachment based on implant position, angulation, prosthetic space and clinical requirements.
- Describe the indications and clinical considerations associated with angle-correcting Locator attachments.
- Differentiate conventional removable overdentures from Locator FIXED and hybrid overdenture concepts.
- Evaluate implant distribution and prosthetic design considerations when progressing from two-implant overdentures to multi-implant/all-on-X treatment.
- Demonstrate selected clinical and laboratory steps involved in attachment-level overdenture workflows.
- Recognize maintenance considerations associated with implant overdentures, including attachment wear, loss of retention, component replacement and prosthesis repair.
- Determine when an overdenture approach may provide advantages over a conventional fixed implant prosthesis.
Part IV — FIX IT - When Things Go Wrong - Why Dentures Fail—and How to Fix Them
Diagnosing, Preventing & Managing Complete Denture and Implant Overdenture Complications
Synopsis
Even with careful treatment planning and advanced technology, complete dentures and implant overdentures can fail to meet patient expectations.
This session focuses on the diagnosis and management of complications, rather than simply identifying them. Participants will examine common clinical problems involving retention, stability, sore spots, occlusion, VDO, esthetics, phonetics, denture fracture, tooth fracture, loss of retention, attachment wear, implant positioning and prosthetic maintenance.
Particular emphasis will be placed on distinguishing between problems caused by clinical records, prosthetic design, fabrication, patient adaptation and maintenance, allowing clinicians to determine whether a prosthesis should be adjusted, repaired, remade or redesigned.
The session will use clinical cases to demonstrate a systematic approach to problem solving and will reinforce a central theme: The fastest way to fix a denture is to understand why it failed in the first place.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this section, participants will be able to:
- Identify common biological, mechanical and prosthetic complications associated with complete dentures and implant overdentures.
- Diagnose the underlying causes of poor retention, instability, discomfort, occlusal discrepancies and patient dissatisfaction.
- Differentiate between complications that can be managed through adjustment or repair and those requiring prosthetic remake or redesign.
- Evaluate complications associated with implant overdenture attachments, including loss of retention, component wear and prosthetic instability.
- Develop a systematic approach to troubleshooting complete denture and implant overdenture failures.
- Implement preventive strategies during treatment planning and fabrication to reduce predictable complications.
- Apply fundamental prosthodontic principles to the diagnosis and management of complex clinical cases.
Click here to download the brochure for this event, which includes information on workshops and the speaker.