On September 28, Drs. Robert and Bobbi Stanley traveled to Los Angeles on behalf of Stanley Institute for Comprehensive Dentistry to speak at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry. In attendance were students, faculty, industry leaders and distinguished guests. Among those attending, many were postgraduate students in the specialty programs of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, prosthodontics, periodontics and the dental implant residents. UCLA is arguably one of the top dental schools in the nation with their prestigious implant residency only accepting two students per school year into the program.
The purpose of the trip was to attend the 3rd annual Welcome Reception for incoming Oral Surgery residents sponsored by Biohorizons and featuring Dr. Robert Stanley—the Smile Engineer, as the keynote speaker. In years prior, Dr. Andrew Farrier of Teeth Xpress and Santa Monica based Oral Surgeon Dr. Howard Park were guest speakers; Dr. Stanley is the first non-UCLA alumnus to speak at the event. Biohorizons, a worldwide leader in dental implants, is committed to improving the quality of life for patients with missing teeth by providing clinicians with innovative and evidence-based dental implants and tissue regeneration products.
Drs. Stanley were treated to a lovely cocktail reception at W Hotel in Los Angeles and had the privilege of being able to meet many of the evening’s guests prior to the presentation.
Dr. Robert Stanley spoke about dental implant design. As a PhD Mechanical Engineer, Dr. Rob is uniquely qualified to speak about the intricacies of implant design and how that foundation effects final patient outcomes in implant dentistry. “I am very passionate about implant design and it’s not a topic that is widely discussed in the industry”, said Dr. Stanley. “As an engineer I am trained to begin with the end in mind. As a dentist, I know the most important factor for patients (and dentists) is flawless delivery. Flawless delivery must start with a solid foundation.,” he continued.
In dentistry, there is a common perception that all implants are the same. Dr. Stanley recalls his advanced engineering training and contends that is simply not the case. While failure rates are not reported, it can be deduced that improved functionality is the reason dental implants are trending towards one similar common look & design. Successful outcomes are dependent upon many factors, such as health condition of the patient, including lifestyle choices and chronic medical conditions, where the implant is placed (location and bone density), healing time and whether or not the implant is placed using guided or non-guided surgical techniques, as well as design. The contributing factors are complex and multi-faceted yet the outcome is measured simply—success or failure.
It is nearly impossible to gauge the exact impact design has on final delivery but Dr. Stanley hypothesizes that the market shift in dental implant design is because the science behind the common design lends itself to better outcomes. Dr. Robert Stanley stresses that “clinicians should make wise decisions based on evidence and scientific research, not marketing.”
The audience was thoroughly engaged and Dr. Stanley continued his instruction with a lengthy Q & A session. “Dr. Robert Stanley has a unique way of presenting dental implants so that it is easy to understand for anyone. He approaches dental implants from an engineering point of view but presents it in a commonsense way” says Dr. Bobbi Stanley. After the speech concluded, the group was entertained with dinner and live music.
The trip wasn’t all work and no play. Drs. Stanley are training for the Louisville Ironman later this month and were able to enjoy a 4 hour bike ride along the California coast (started in Santa Monica).
Dr. Robert Stanley is a practicing dentist in Cary, North Carolina and founders of Stanley Institute. He and his wife Dr. Bobbi Stanley own one of the largest comprehensive dental offices in the state and are the proud parents of four.
