Industry Heats Up in Frigid Chicago
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
April 1, 2020
Volume 11, Issue 4, April 2020
Page(s): p. 8
Lake Michigan may have been freezing over, but as the dental community converged on its southwestern shore during the third week of February, the buzz around the dental laboratory profession was red-hot. From the Motor Row District to the New Eastside neighborhoods of Chicago, Illinois, education and technology were around nearly every frigid corner.
The night before the major shows began, approximately 150 dental professionals attended the IDT Roundtable: Removable Prosthetics, hosted by Robert Kreyer, CDT, and Stephen Wagner, DDS, on Wednesday evening at Maggiano's Little Italy. Three panels with a total of 13 people addressed the clinical, educational, and technical aspects of next-level collaboration in the denture arena. A number of audience members participated in the open-mic-style discussions, with one of the highlights being an impassioned speech from Kamilla Siekierski, believed to be the first female laboratory owner in the US, about the future of the profession.
The AEGIS Dental Network hosted the eighth annual Women in Dentistry Breakfast on Thursday morning at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park. Women representing each of the event's commercial sponsors addressed the group, and AEGIS CEO Karen Auiler shared details for the future of the Women in Dentistry organization. For more information, go to widrise.com.
Nearly 30,000 people attended the Chicago Dental Society's 155th Midwinter Meeting at McCormick Place, with the exhibit hall opening Thursday morning. Clear aligners and smart technology were among the most popular developments on display.
The Cal-Lab Association held its 94th Annual Meeting at the Westin Michigan Avenue on Thursday and Friday. Highlights included a series of short presentations in which four laboratory professionals outlined how they have successfully implemented different digital denture processes. Various business-themed lectures also contributed to a positive, optimistic feeling for attendees.
"Extreme Digital" was the theme of the 92nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Prosthodontic Society on Thursday and Friday at the Swissotel. Multiple laboratory professionals lectured at the meeting, whose organizers have long emphasized the importance of collaboration and encouraged technician membership. Veteran laboratory owner Andy Jakson was honored with the 2020 Kenneth D. Rudd Award, given to a dental technician or dentist who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of prosthodontics and dental laboratory communities.
Various products were on display in two exhibit halls at LMT Lab Day Chicago on Friday and Saturday at the Hyatt Regency. Among the most talked-about technologies were automation, 3D printing resins, and clear aligners.
More than a dozen members of IDT's Editorial Advisory Board gathered Friday morning at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park. The group discussed the importance of experienced dental laboratory professionals passing along their knowledge to the next generation via articles and other avenues, and the best strategies to do that.
