Australasian Dentist Magazine Nov Dec 2021

Category 110 AustrAlAsiAn Dentist Clear SPeak ACAS Society News i t’s hard to believe that ACAs2020 in sydney, Australia was 21 months ago but the whole ACAs team would like to thank the iCC, all of our 50 plus sponsors (including our platinum sponsors, the straumann Group and invisalign), esteemed speakers and most importantly our delegates! For a very long time in Australasia, the only way to get clear aligner education was via company driven courses. And although there is a need for these courses, they also run the risk of not covering the whole picture. Our 650 plus delegates had come from all across the world with a desire to learn about clear aligners honestly and impartially and we wanted to make sure that not only will they learn from the very best, but they will also experience our society ethos in action. ACAs2020 had 35 brilliant speakers coming from overseas and Australia ranging from academics, non-dental as well as highly experienced clinical orthodontists and general dentists. All speakers shared their expert knowledge openly and delegates benefited greatly. it was an incredible event full of the highest quality education mixed with fun, prize give-always and a huge exhibition. such was the experience that more than 150 delegates left ACAs2020 event having pre-bought tickets to ACAs2021 As it turns out, ACAs2020 was the last major dental event in Australia before COViD-19 brought the world to a grinding halt. the next few months led all of us, whether clinicians, education providers or suppliers finding a way to navigate through very uncertain times – both personally and professionally. As ACAs2021 was to be held in Melbourne in February 2021, we were faced with a difficult to decision to either run the event online or postpone. By this time, everything was moving online and Zoom was ubiquitous. We made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone our event to August, 2021. We knew then, just as we know now, that what makes ACAs so special isn’t anything in isolation – but it is everything in combination: world class education, exploring new products, networking, camaraderie and of course – our social events. in the meantime, we wanted to find a way to reward all our members who had stayed by our side – and also who were reaching out to us saying they have seen a huge spike in interest from their patients to undergo aligner and cosmetic treatment. sowe ran an additional complimentary online day of absolute world class aligner education in February – which was attended by our members all across the world. We were shown the future of aligners by Dr tony Weir while Dr Morris, Dr steve, Dr rhonda, Dr Cory shared with us knowledge we all implemented in our practice the next day. We were also lucky to have Prof Ali and Prof Mah showed us the possibilities of pushing aligners to the limits. Our members left the online event thrilled and excited about our physical symposium planned for August 2021. in the meantime, we added more resources to our online portal, renewed our Australian exclusive partnership with Journal of Aligner Orthodontics and extended all delegate memberships for an extra 12 months free of charge. the whole country again lived relatively free of any major restrictions for the next few months and momentum was building for our August symposium – including a rush in ticket sales! As history wrote it, August was the start of a complete change in theAustralian pandemic battle. With nsW in lockdown and the rest of the country on edge – we were again faced with postponing our physical event. And again, we were so fortunate to have the support from our delegates, speakers and sponsors who made us feel like all this hard work was and is worthwhile. the country went through difficult times and as our vaccination rates went up, slowly our two biggest states in nsW and Vic began to open up also, this time with a bit more confidence. ACAS2022 is now on! Confirmed dates: ACAs2022 Clear Aligner symposium: 11– 12 February 2022, Melbourne, Australia. Pre-symposium workshop: 10 February 2022. there is been an insatiable demand of patients presenting to our clinics asking for clear aligners or smile improvements over the last five or so years. Figures just being released now show this demand has spiked over the last 12 months. the reason for this recent spike is still being debated but common theories include: u increased Video/Zoom session mean more people are seeing their teeth and smile on camera. u Money that was otherwise spent on overseas holidays has been redirect to health and beauty. u Further consumer facing advertising on tV, radio and social media via doctor driven aligner companies (eg invisalign) and direct to consumer companies (eg smile direct club) as well as dentists/orthodontists. u the continued increase in emphasis on straight and white teeth in the community explained by the selfie generation. u Cross referral from a friend/colleague who went through their own aligner journey and are happy with their results. Whatever the reason, and there may well be many more, the profession has found itself continuing to search for answers to improve safety, quality, predictability, efficiency and convenience of our aligner treatments. We are very fortunate in Australia to have absolute trailblazers and leaders in this field who are finding out these answers for us every day. Particularly as these answers are continually evolving. so whether you have been involved in aligners for five plus years, just starting out or even thinking about starting out – join us at ACAs2022 for a weekend of fun, learning and camaraderie. We have some of Australia’s (and the world’s) best clinicians talking about treatment planning, aligner mechanics, case selection, troubleshooting and everything in between. there will be three rooms running concurrently with the main room being scientific lectures, the software hub having hands on session such as clinchecks, attachments, iPr and retention wires – and the third room focusing on practice development/management growth. Your ticket will have access to all rooms. included in the ticket price is also our official ACAs cocktail party event at Crown on the Friday night with a very special guest guaranteed to be a night of fun. To purchase your ticket visit www.acasociety.com or alternatively scan the code right: