Australasian Dentist Issue 89

114 AustrAlAsiAn Dentist Clear speak t he first six months of 2021 has certainly provided more stability in the Australian and new Zealand landscape. Both countries have, to a large degree, been able to minimise the effects of this very serious virus. Although we are absolutely not in the clear yet, we share a sense of optimism that we will once again able live a “normal” life – albeit with slow steps. Many ACAs members have now commented that they are well and truly back to work. We have received many comments or contact in the last six months from members who have noticed a sharp increase in the number of patients who have expressed interest in aligner treatment and cosmetic treatment as a whole. this has also been confirmed with a number of aligner companies who have indicated to us that their numbers are absolutely growing. there is a lot of speculation as to why this increase has occurred – whether it be patients focusing on their teeth during Zoom meetings, realigning life goals, using funds that would otherwise have been spent on travel, advertising, or further WOM referrals from friends or family who have had successful aligner treatment. Whatever may be driving this surge in demand, we must all view this as an opportunity. Withopportunitycomes responsibility, and that is why i would like to thank all of our members who tuned in to ACAs2021 Virtual earlier this year for their commitment to education and training to improve their patients’ outcomes. i would also like to extend a very special thank you to Drs Coyne, rapaport, Weir, semaan, Costanzo and Professors Darendeliler and Mah who brought an incredible wealth of knowledge, energy and expertise to the virtual symposium, we are honoured to have had such an eclectic mix of amazing academics, international and local orthodontists who share the ACAs vision and ethos. A reminder that all members are able to re-watch these presentations at their leisure on our online portal. i would like to thank our society sponsors, who have continued to support us in what is no doubt a difficult period for them! their commitment to support our organisation and their support for our impartial education is very much appreciated. lastly, and most importantly, i would like to thank our members who supported us in general, and particularly throughout the last year and a half where we’ve had to change, adapt and modify. We hope you have benefitted from our society and we are excited to continue to develop our society to achieve more and achieve better. We would like to take the opportunity to remind all member that that you can find current and backdated copies of Journal of Aligner Orthodontics , all copies of Clear Idea magazine as well as ACAs webinars, podcasts and discounts for a wide range of upcoming aligner courses on our portal. Our locality guide is updated weekly, so if you haven’t put your clinic details on it yet, please contact members@ acasociety.com . looking forward, our whole team is now working hard in the background to ensure that ACAs2021 in Melbourne, Australia is a complete success and an event that continues to uphold ACAs’ high standards. We absolutely cannot wait to welcome everyone to ACAs2021 at Crown, Melbourne in December! it has taken a lot of planning and commitment from the whole team, and we are very excited to hold this symposium – in what will one of the first major dental events since the start of the pandemic! We have an absolutely jam-packed schedule with incredible topics and speakers as well as a cocktail party on the Friday night with the hilarious comedian, Dave Hughes. if you haven’t got your ticket yet, please do so AsAP as we are already 70% sold out! We ask for your continued support, feedback and participation in our events and publications. it is obvious that the dental community has accepted this society and want to see it flourish. For the more active members who would like to contribute further, please get in contact to see if we have a suitable role for you. We are always on the lookout for ways in which we can broaden our horizon and serve our members more. u Not an ACAS member? Now is the time to join us – with more benefits and educational content than ever before! Visit us at www.acasociety.com.au The ACAS column