“I was keen to take the Inman Aligner training course after attending an inspirational lecture by Dr. Tif Qureshi on ‘Align, Bleach and Bond’ at the FGDP,” says Dr. Rima Patel, who works at dental practices in Crystal Palace and Carshalton.

“Associates in both practices I work in had previously attended and begun offering the appliance to their patients – so there were always enquiries about it. I wanted to develop my skills, in order to also be able to offer patients what they wanted, rather than having to refer them to a colleague.

“I had expected there to be more people attending the course on the day – and the lecture to be more crowded. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that it was a small group, and that the lectures were of the highest quality. Everything was explained thoroughly and the hands-on element complemented the presentations.

“I would recommend the Inman Aligner training course to others, as I feel the IAS Academy has a structured learning pathway you can follow and the guidance and information provided was of a high quality and very detailed in nature.”

To discover what you could learn, contact the friendly IAS Academy team today.

For more information on upcoming IAS Academy training courses, including the Inman Aligner,

Dr. Rima Patel, who works at dental practices in both Crystal Palace and Carshalton, recently took part in the Inman Aligner training course, provided by the IAS Academy.

“I attended the Inman Aligner training course in December 2014,” says Dr. Patel. “I initially booked a place following an inspirational lecture given by Dr. Tif Qureshi on ‘Align, Bleach and Bond’, held at the FGDP. He was also offering a small discount to attendees of that lecture, so it presented a great opportunity.

“Several of my colleagues had already been using the Inman Aligner – so patients were always enquiring about it. As a result, I wanted to be able to offer my own patients what they wanted, rather than having to refer them to a colleague.

“I had thought that the course would be crowded, that a lot of people would be attending the lecture – but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a small group. The lecture was of the highest quality and everything was explained thoroughly; the hands-on element complemented the presentations very well.

“It was also great that there was a small trade fair running over lunch, which gave us the opportunity to meet and talk to different people from different companies.

“I would recommend the Inman Aligner training course to others, because I feel as though the IAS Academy provides a structured educational pathway for you to follow – and the guidance and information it offers is of a high quality and detailed in nature.”  

The IAS Academy provides a number of training opportunities, including the Inman Aligner course, that are designed to give GDPs the confidence and expertise to offer their patients more in the way of alternative anterior alignment orthodontics. A truly unique and dedicated learning pathway, the IAS Academy focuses on education as much as it does on effective appliances, ensuring excellent levels of competence and success.

For more information on upcoming IAS Academy training courses, including the Inman Aligner,

please visit www.iasortho.com or call 0845 366 5477

The BACD Twelfth Annual Conference is fast approaching – have you booked your place yet? Entitled ‘The Aesthetic Equilibrium,’ the three-day event in November is sure to be an exciting and inspirational opportunity for delegates across the entire dental profession.

With a dynamic line-up of internationally renowned speakers, the conference will cover a wide range of pertinent topics, including isolation techniques, veneer preparations, clinical photography, BACD Accreditation advice and implant techniques.

Certainly an educational opportunity not to be missed, the BACD Annual Conference is also the ideal occasion for delegates to network with enthusiastic, like-minded professionals, attain valuable CPD and reignite their passion for beautiful, high quality dentistry.

If you haven’t booked your place for the BACD Twelfth Annual Conference yet, make sure you do it today: you certainly won’t want to miss out!

The BACD’s 12^th Annual Conference runs from 12^th - 14^th November 2015 at The Hilton London Metropole Hotel. For further enquiries, go to www.bacd.com

With a diverse line-up of leading speakers, the BACD Twelfth Annual Conference looks set to be another exciting and inspiring event. Delegates will be treated to some of the best education the dentistry profession has to offer, from some of the world’s most prominent experts.

Like previous years, there will be a wide range of vibrant presentations and workshops to discover, covering topics including isolation techniques, veneer preparations, crown lengthening techniques, anterior composites and BACD Accreditation processes. Discussing his own involvement at this year’s event, Dr Oliver Harman says, “My sessions this year will be looking at the use of lasers in modern dentistry. Dr Mark Cronshaw and myself want to give delegates an overview of where we are today with this impressive technology, to explore some of the theoretical ideas and how they can be applied in practical scenarios to great effect.

“It sometimes takes a little while for technologies like this to transition from one sector to another. With already established applicability in medical situations, we want to show delegates how it is now time for lasers to be integrated more in dental work.

“We will be going through the wealth of evidence and research that has been conducted on the use of lasers to explain their viability in practice – as well as exploring a number of important cases that show how lasers have contributed positively to treatment.

“I think we’re very much at that point now – we’ve reached the critical mass where research, evidence and results have culminated to show how the use of lasers in dentistry can become truly mainstream.”

Dr Harman has extensive experience in all aspects of cosmetic and general aesthetic dentistry. Not only does he provide high quality treatment from his own clinic in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, he consults for clinics in Helsinki and Saudi Arabia. In 2010 he achieved the prodigious British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Fellowship Award. 

He says, “I think the BACD is a driving force behind the legitimising of cosmetic dentistry – for both professionals and patients. I also think the BACD is at the very forefront of cosmetic dentistry – and it’s bringing together the latest concepts from across the globe and has been a world leader in a minimally invasive approach. It really emphasises how we should not just focus on UK dentistry, but look worldwide for ideas and new techniques. It’s broadening our minds.”

With such a dynamic line-up of presentations and workshops to choose from, the BACD Annual Conference is an event which simply cannot be missed. For dental professionals of all levels, the three-day event will feature something for everyone – and is a great opportunity to meet and network with like-minded, enthusiastic and friendly colleagues. Be sure not to miss out: save the dates in your diary today!

The BACD’s 12^th Annual Conference runs from 12^th - 14^th November 2015 at The Hilton London Metropole Hotel. Go to www.bacd.com, email Suzy Rowlands at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0207 612 4166.

According to research, humans can process visual information around 60,000 times faster than text.[1] As such, the use of graphics and photos in presentations or posters can be an incredibly effective tool with which to deliver information to your audience.

This does not mean that text is superfluous. It is vital to provide context and deepen the explanation for the visual aids you decide to use. Nevertheless, text must be used sparingly. Long, compact paragraphs of it can be difficult to penetrate – especially from the distance at which most presentations or posters will be viewed. Text needs to be read and its meaning digested, and this takes time. Instead, consider using listed points and shorter sentences to expedite the process.

The type of font you use is also crucial. Avoid script-like fonts, no matter how attractive they may look. Serif fonts are far easier for the human eye to process and by using them, you can maximise the ease with which your audience can assimilate your written information.

You must also consider the colour of your font and of the background upon which you will display it. If poorly chosen, text can be difficult to read and will, most likely, be ignored. For example, harmonious colours like blues and greens are far more difficult to distinguish from one another so try to avoid using them together. Complimentary colours, on the other hand, are far clearer – yellows and purples, for example – but tend to seem a little garish and childlike. In most cases, light backgrounds and dark text work best together. They may be less striking but are, overall, the most effective. What’s more, when they are juxtaposed with good visual components, they can be unassumingly aesthetic.    

Therefore, you must also carefully choose your graphics or photos. Not only must they be eye-catching on their own, they must also compliment your text. Ensure that any photos are of high enough quality to be scaled up to a big screen if necessary. Pixelated images are simply awful to look at, as are those that are excessively blurred or out of focus.

Importantly, each image or graphic must earn its place. Unnecessary pictures undermine an otherwise effective presentation or poster, as do those that are not succinctly linked to the information you are giving. Remember to include figure numbers for each image to anchor them to your text; this way your audience will know exactly where they are required to look, and why.

Graphs and charts are similarly indispensible for conveying large amounts of data easily. Like your other images though, they must always be relevant. They must also be well labelled and easy to understand and, often, simplicity is the best way of achieving this. 

Less is more is almost certainly the way to create a concise, clear and stylish presentation or poster. Avoid crowded text and irrelevant material, garish or harmonious colours. By displaying your information in a way that is easier for your audience to understand, the more they will be able to process and remember.

These are exactly the types of considerations that entrants must keep in mind for the BACD’s inaugural Eposter Presentation. Calling on dentists who are no more than three years graduated, the Academy is excited to showcase some of the most progressive thinking in the industry through this presentation.

All accepted posters will be evaluated by an experienced committee comprised of Dr Anoop Maini, President of the BACD; Dr Donald Sloss, Chair of the BACD Credentialing Committee and Dr Simon Chard, Chair of the BACD Young Membership Committee.

They will be looking for posters that are clear, eye-catching and informative – and that concisely present a diverse range of research and clinical innovation.

The winners will be announced on the evening of Friday 13^th November, during the BACD Gala Dinner, where they will receive a variety of fantastic prizes including one year’s BACD membership and complimentary registration to next year’s Annual Conference.  

All submissions must be uploaded to the World Dental Posters website by Friday 2^nd October 2015 and entrants will receive notification of their submission no later than the end of that month.

For the opportunity to present some of your own innovative and progressive ideas to a wide and renowned audience, be sure to submit your entry for the BACD Eposter Presentation.

For more information about the BACD Eposter Presentation and for further enquiries about the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, go to www.bacd.com

To upload your completed posters on the World Dental Posters website, go to www.worlddentalposters.com

If you want to stand out from the crowd, think about joining a professional academy. This shows your patients your ongoing commitment to education, an outstanding quality of service provision and dedication.

The academy that you choose will depend on the education avenues available, so ensure that you select one that suits your learning needs.

A worthwhile academy should offer the latest in education, career support, assistance to find more patients and value for money. The larger academies will hold an annual conference, featuring internationally recognised experts in the field so you can find out about techniques and developments from all around the world, but close to home.

It’s not what you know, but who you know

Another important aspect of attending annual conferences is networking – you can meet with old and current acquaintances and catch-up on their news. But, you also get to the chance to connect with new contacts and opinion leaders that have similar professional interests, too.

It is at some of the better conferences that you can get access to the speakers on a one-to-one basis. This allows you to seek valuable career advice, clinical case counsel, get suggestions on specialist courses to attend and hear their experiences with particular products and materials.

The most talked about conference of the year!

The most influential conference in the aesthetic dentistry calendar is no doubt the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s (BACD) Annual Conference in November. As always, the 2015 event it is expected to be one of the most talked about conferences of the year! For the last 12 years, the BACD has staged professional educational conferences that have attracted the most eminent of dental professionals offering their insights into their specialist topics.

This year the conference is titled, ‘The Aesthetic Equilibrium’ and it seeks to achieve harmony between biology, science, technical aspects, aesthetics and mechanics, as well as balancing the patient’s emotional, financial and clinical needs. By using the finest national and international speakers, the BACD hopes the topics will inspire you and offer an insight on how to achieve this balance.

There is something for everyone at the BACD Annual Conference – technicians as well as clinicians will find something to interest them on the programme, which has also been carefully designed to be relevant to all levels of experience.  

As a dental professional, you will never stop learning, or training to be the very best that you can be. As well as honing your skills, keeping up-to-date with the latest research, equipment and materials is essential. When you join an academy, its programme of events can offer you all this and more. Contact the BACD to find out more about Annual Conference, and the other education opportunities it offers its members. 

The BACD’s 12^th Annual Conference runs from 12^th - 14^th November 2015 at The Hilton London Metropole Hotel. Go to www.bacd.com, email Suzy Rowlands at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0207 612 4166.