Dental News - Meeting review: 2018 AAO Annual Session in Washington, D.C.

Fred Michmershuizen / DTA

Tue. 8 May 2018

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WASHINGTON, D.C., USA: The theme for the 2018 Annual Session of the American Association of Orthodontists was “A Capital Destination, a Monumental Experience,” and judging by the enthusiasm shown among attendees at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the event lived up to expectations. Orthodontic professionals gathered from around the country and even from overseas to partake in an abundance of educational opportunities and to see the very latest products and technology.

By offering a wide range of scientific lectures offered by many of the specialty’s most distinguished speakers, meeting organizers put together a program that was sure to be of benefit to any orthodontic professional.

Topics in the lecture halls included facial esthetics, early treatment, sleep apnea, aligner therapy, accelerated tooth movement, biomaterials, lingual appliances, craniofacial morphology and retention.

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center is filled with orthodontic professionals at the beginning of the 2018 AAO Annual Session.

Brett Kowald, left, and Suzanne Wilson of Ormco demonstrate the company’s new Symetri Clear brackets.

Josh Somogyi, left, and Dan Elkin of Allure Ortho.

Meeting attendees get more information about the SureSmile aligner system at the Dentsply Sirona Orthodontics booth.

Dr. Dave Paquette offers a presentation on the digital ortho workflow at the Henry Schein Orthodontics booth.

Kelly Baker, left, and Andrei Kovacs of Myofunctional Research Co.

Matt Turner, president of Ormco Corp., speaks to members of the industry press during a news conference.

The gang at OrthoSynetics.

From left: Lauren Smith, Dr. Amanda Wilson and Jason Gooden of Orhto-Tain/Healthy Start.

Meeting participants attend an educational presentation at PracticeGenius.

Salvatore Rayca, left, and Karyn Bena of Propel Orthodontics.

Scott Hudson, left, and Paul Gange of Reliance Orthodontic Products.

Wearing Wonder Woman and Superman t-shirts and handing out buttons with fun sayings on them, the folks at topsOrtho get into the company’s superhero theme.

Dr. Mark Sanchez of topsOrtho.

Jeanne Hyatt, left, and Heather Ten Broeck of Bracket Ears.

Rich Hofmann, left, and Adam Winik of Planmeca USA.

Lisa Hull, left, and LeAnn MacDonald of Shofu Dental Corp.

The gang at American Orthodontists.

The team members at Cloud9ortho have plenty to smile about.

Orthodontic professionals attend a presentation by Dr. Lou Chmura at OrthoFi, one of many companies offering educational opportunities in the exhibit hall.

Orthodontic professionals visit the AAO exhibit hall.

From left: Brenda Page, Alisa Kemmerer and Mark James of G&H Orthodontics.

Tanya Wulkowicz of Henry Schein Orthodontics holds a model displaying the company’s new SLX Clear Aligners.

Carlos Nunez, left, of Invisalign iTero offers hands-on instruction to a meeting attendee during a one-on-one presentation.

From left: Luke Lumpkin, Mike Mattscheck, Joanne Padula and Bryan Epstein of OrthoAccel Technologies.

Michael Liebrock, left, and Tom Fraser of Rocky Mountain Orthodontics.

Sourena Ghandehari, left, and Steve Bigelow of Dentaurum USA.

Art Micheli of iCat.

Erica McKinny of Specialty Appliances shows off some earrings made of clear aligners.

In the exhibit hall, many companies launched new products or announced updates to existing systems.

Henry Schein Orthodontics introduced its proprietary SLX Clear Aligner System, a complete solution that incorporates Sagittal First/Motion 3D technology. According to HSO’s lead clinical advisor, Dr. Dave Paquette, Sagittal First/Motion 3D can significantly reduce the number of aligners needed for use in a typical case.

According to the company, this new and innovative system offers clinicians and patients an intuitive and simplified treatment process. The system uses patented manufacturing processes to achieve aligner clarity and a precise fit for greater comfort and improved tooth control, according to the company. The SLX Clear Aligner web portal will accept STL digital impressions from all leading intraoral scanners.

Align Technology has expanded its iTero Element portfolio with the launch of the iTero Element 2 and the iTero Element Flex scanners. According to the company, these additions build on the existing high-precision, full-color imaging and fast scan times of the iTero Element portfolio.

The next-generation iTero Element 2 is designed for greater performance with two times faster startup and 25 percent faster scan processing time compared to the iTero Element, the company said. The new iTero Element Flex is a wand-only device that transforms compatible laptop computers into a highly portable scanner that works anywhere, and it is ideal for practices with multiple locations that need a scanner that is convenient and easy to transport, the company said.

Ormco unveiled a number of products at AAO, including Damon Q2, the eighth generation Damon System bracket inspired by orthodontists from around the world. According to the company, Damon Q2 combines reliable Damon bracket features with a 2X improvement in rotational control and the convenience of ample under tie-wing area, providing the versatility to efficiently treat all cases with simplified mechanics.

Also new from Ormco is Memotain lingual retention. Developed by a German orthodontist and supported by evidence-based research, Memotain is a digitally designed and fabricated medical-grade Nitinol lingual retention wire manufactured to forestall fatigue and for precise, comfortable, microbe-resistant long-term therapy, according to the company.

Ormco offered hands-on product demonstrations, presentations by industry thought leaders and even personalized mentoring sessions at AAO.

The many offerings at Shofu Dental Corp. included the EyeSpecial C-III dental camera. Designed to be simple and easy to use for the entire dental team, the EyeSpecial C-III camera captures exceptional images for case documentation, diagnosis and treatment planning, patient communication and education, insurance verification, legal documentation, and dental laboratory collaboration, according to the company.

Packed with dental-specific, pre-programmed shooting modes, the EyeSpecial C-III offers clinicians and their team members an effortless navigation through photography tasks without the need of photography knowledge or experience, the company said.

These are just some of the many offerings that were available in the exhibit hall at AAO.