Heraeus Dental Symposium Presentations Encourage Outside-the-Box Thinking Regarding Facial Rejuvenation and Social Media

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Jan. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Of the 14 presentations given at the recently-completed 4th International Heraeus Symposium, most focused on advanced thinking regarding the use of dental composites, adhesives and desensitizers.  Two, however, dealt with much less conventional topics:  the use of botox, lasers and fillers to achieve facial rejuvenation, and the use of social media in dental practice marketing.  The symposium, which was attended by 68 prominent dentists, laboratory owners and researchers, was sponsored by Heraeus Kulzer, LLC, the worldwide leader in dental esthetics.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120103/DE29110 )

In a presentation entitled "A Wal-Mart Frame Around a Picasso Smile?", Warren Roberts, DMD, challenged dentists to pay attention to not only the patient's teeth, but to his or her face and neck when performing a "smile makeover."  By focusing solely on intraoral esthetic perfection, Dr. Roberts argued, dentists are merely creating "tooth makeovers" rather than true "smile makeovers."  He discussed how botox, lasers and fillers can be used to achieve facial rejuvenation by enhancing peri-oral lines, folds and lip position.  The result is much more effective smile design than would be the case if only the teeth were esthetically enhanced.

A University of British Columbia School of Dentistry graduate with over 30 years of dental experience, Dr. Roberts is a certified Botox Cosmetic and Dental Fillers Instructor and Provider.  He and his wife, Jane Roberts, DMD, founded and run the Pacific Training Institute for Facial Aesthetics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Rather than enhancing smiles, a presentation by Kaleim Manji focused on enhancing the ability of dental practices to communicate with current and prospective patients.  In a presentation entitled "Is Social Media a Fad?", the answer suggested by Mr. Manji was an emphatic "No!"  Manji colorfully and compellingly provided surprising facts and stimulating illustrations of how dental practices are increasingly using social media like Twitter, YouTube and especially Facebook, as cost-effective means of patient communications. For example, Manji pointed out that Facebook is rapidly becoming a major factor in online advertising, and that more and more dental practices are experimenting with this advertising medium.

Mr. Manji, who holds an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, is the president of Spear Education, known as the most innovative dental education company in the world. 

For more information on Heraeus, please visit http://www.heraeusdentalusa.com.

Heraeus, the precious metals and technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany, is a global, private company with 160 years of tradition. Our fields of competence include precious metals, materials, and technologies, sensors, biomaterials, and medical products, as well as dental products, quartz glass, and specialty light sources. With product revenues of euro 4.1 billion and precious metal trading revenues of euro 17.9 billion, as well as more than 12,900 employees in over 120 subsidiaries worldwide, Heraeus holds a leading position in its global markets.

SOURCE Heraeus