WDA Symposium

When Dr. Gupta graduated from the University of Michigan in 2004, he learned very little about sleep disordered breathing, AI radiographic interpretation, patient communication software platforms, or digital dentures.  In this half-day course, Dr. Gupta explores the incredible advances in tech, diagnosis, practice management and patient communication that make dental practice more enjoyable and predictable.

Learning objectives:

• Discover the many benefits that AI radiographic interpretation can bring to the diagnostic encounter
• Challenge the audience to put themselves in their patient's shoes to better understand the communication limitations in the typical dental office
• Outline the steps to truly transform your office from ordinary to extraordinary
• Discuss several highly relatable clinical scenarios that can be highly simplified using the most current and up-to-date technology and resources

In this 90-minute breakout session, Dr. Gupta will have each team break out to create highly relevant, vulnerable, systematic thought-provoking solutions to increase team harmony, efficiency, and cohesion.  Please note, this breakout will be relevant for anyone, though, the people who bring their teams will benefit greatly.

Learning objectives:

• Identify your own personal limitations, how they affect your team, and how to best attack them
• Identify the most common and overlooked sources of frustration and resentment in a dental office, and the best ways to mitigate their effects
• Discuss the best and most effective ways to run a meeting
• Learn very simple yet highly effective ways to immediately improve culture and morale in a messy dental setting

Join Polly Sackett, yoga teacher and mental health therapist for a workshop to learn strategies for downregulating your nervous system including practical techniques to combat stress. This workshop will be a mixture of short lectures and practices, including:  

• Physical calming practices (such as breathing and meditation techniques specific to regulating and soothing our nervous system)
• Visualization practices (to help contain stress and build resources)
• Short mobilization practices (similar to yoga sun salutations)

The intention of this workshop is to have participants walk away with tangible practices that they can use in daily life. The skills in this workshop are a combination of tools Polly has brought together in her training as a therapist, somatic EMDR practitioner, and yoga teacher.

Dentists are managing temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) at a time when newer interventions often gain traction before the evidence catches up. This session emphasizes an evidence-based framework for clinical decision-making and ADA/AADSM consensus guidance, rather than anatomic intuition or marketing-driven claims.

For OSA, discussion will focus on the limitations of CBCT airway measurements and the current evidence gap for newer treatment modalities as primary sleep apnea treatments. For TMD and bruxism, the course will address bite-related symptom hypervigilance, and the importance of conservative, reversible management endorsed by academic consensus. The goal is to provide practical guardrails for ethical counseling and evidence-aligned care while remaining open to future innovation as data may evolve.

Learning objectives:

• Identify high quality evidence in dental literature
• Explain current ADA consensus guidelines on management of sleep apnea in dental practices
• Recognize the limitations of CBCT airway measurements and anatomic markers in diagnosis and prediction of sleep apnea
• Summarize conservative, reversible treatment modalities in managing TMD
• Critically analyze emerging airway-based interventions in dentistry

More patients do not always mean more profit, and for many practices, PPO participation is the hidden reason why.

This session challenges the common approach of simply signing up for plans and instead introduces a strategic framework for using PPOs to drive profitability. You will gain clarity on how dental insurance works, where your production dollars are actually going, and how to better identify your businesses profit margins. Ultimately, you will learn how to make smarter, more intentional insurance decisions.

If your practice is busy but your profitability is not where it should be, this session will show you why and what to do about it.

Learning objectives:

• Better understand how dental insurance works, and why some patients pay their full fee while many do not
• Identify the four key financial gaps and understand exactly where production is being lost in their practice
• Understand how PPO participation truly impacts profit margins, both positively and negatively
• Be introduced to the idea of “true profit” margin and how to evaluate whether their current strategies are building profit or quietly eroding it
• Learn how to build a clear, strategic approach to PPO participation, moving beyond reactive decisions and building a practice that wins long into the future.

Dental professionals spend countless hours in sustained, forward-focused postures that place significant stress on the neck, shoulders, and upper back. Over time, these positions can lead to “tech neck,” shoulder pain, headaches, nerve irritation, and decreased career longevity. This 90-minute course provides an evidence-informed, practical approach to understanding why these issues develop and how to proactively address them.

Participants will learn how common dental working positions influence spinal alignment, muscle balance, and joint health, as well as the long-term effects of repetitive postural strain if left unaddressed. The course will cover key principles of proper posture, ergonomic awareness, and movement variability—focusing on realistic adjustments that can be implemented chairside without disrupting workflow.

The interactive session will conclude with a guided review of seven simple, effective exercises and stretches designed specifically for dental professionals. These movements target the neck, shoulders, upper back, and thoracic spine to reduce tension, restore mobility, and build resilience against daily demands. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies they can immediately incorporate into their workday to reduce pain, improve comfort, and support a long, sustainable career in dentistry.

Learning objectives:

• Identify common postural patterns and repetitive positions used in dental practice that contribute to neck and shoulder pain.
• Understand how sustained forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and asymmetrical working positions impact muscles, joints, and nerves over time.
• Recognize the long-term consequences of unmanaged postural stress, including chronic pain, reduced mobility, headaches, and career-limiting injuries.
• Demonstrate optimal seated and standing postural positions to reduce strain during patient care.
• Apply ergonomic mindfulness strategies and small workplace adjustments to improve daily comfort and efficiency.
• Perform seven targeted exercises and stretches designed to counteract tech neck and shoulder dysfunction and support long-term musculoskeletal health.
• Integrate simple, time-efficient movement strategies into the workday to promote recovery and longevity in practice.
  

All-on-X full-arch rehabilitation is a transformative treatment modality that restores function, esthetics, and patient confidence. However, successful outcomes depend not only on surgical and prosthetic execution, but on a well-structured, patient-centered workflow that begins at the initial consultation—where expectations are established, trust is built, and treatment acceptance begins.

Patients presenting with failing dentition often experience functional limitations, aesthetic concerns, and significant psychological impact. This makes clear communication, transparency, and realistic expectation setting essential for achieving predictable outcomes and long-term satisfaction.

This presentation outlines a comprehensive, real-world approach to All-on-X treatment, integrating clinical protocols with effective communication strategies throughout every stage of care—from initial consultation and diagnosis to surgical execution, provisionalization, and final prosthetic delivery. Key components include patient evaluation, digital and photographic records, vertical dimension assessment, smile and transition line analysis, and structured treatment planning.

Special emphasis is placed on aligning patient expectations with clinical reality, improving understanding of treatment phases, and enhancing compliance throughout the treatment journey. Drawing from real-world clinical experience, this session demonstrates how combining technical excellence with a patient-centered approach leads to improved case acceptance, reduced complications related to unmet expectations, and consistently high-quality outcomes in full-arch implant rehabilitation.

Objectives

• Perform a structured evaluation for full-arch rehabilitation. 
• Apply patient-centered communication in treatment planning and setting realistic expectations to improve clinical outcomes. 
• Incorporate key pre-prosthetic planning principles and structured All-on-X workflow. 
• Utilize prosthetically driven planning and understand the step-by-step surgical workflow
• Implement immediate provisionalization techniques
• Execute final prosthetic fabrication protocols
• Enhance patient experience, compliance and long-term satisfaction