Blazing the Trail for BOPT

The run-up to the Annual Conference of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD) is always marked by keen anticipation. Not least among the draws is the valuable opportunity to network and share with peers, finding out how they overcame particular issues in their practice and learning from their experience.

There is also the excitement of discovering ground-breaking techniques and approaches that will enhance the field of cosmetic dentistry, the very principles of knowledge sharing upon which the BACD was founded.

Making his debut as a lecturer at the 2017 BACD Annual Conference is Dr Stefano Conti, one of Italy’s foremost experts in implantology and aesthetic dentistry. After receiving his D.D.S at the University of Medicine and Surgery, School of Dentistry in Parma, he has continued to actively broaden his knowledge on implant dentistry, implant surgery and aesthetic dentistry. He completed the one-year Master Clinician Programme in Implant Dentistry at the UCLA School of Dentistry in the United States and speaks regularly at international events.

In addressing the challenge of achieving aesthetic results on natural teeth and implants, Stefano will focus on the biologically oriented preparation technique (BOPT), a new prosthetic protocol for vertical preparation for the tooth, and a new prosthetic emergence profile for implant/abutment.

“Tooth preparations for fixed prosthetic restorations can basically be done in two ways: with a defined margin – shoulder, shoulder with bevel, inclined shoulder, chamfer, chamfer with bevel – and the so-called vertical preparation or feather edge,” says Stefano, whose private practice in Parma is restricted to implant surgery and aesthetics for natural teeth and implants.

“BOPT is a combined VERTI-PREP technique with a prosthetic approach that allows the Prosthodontist to position the final finishing line at different levels with a controlled invasion of the sulcus, and modulate the crown emergence profile for a new ideal aesthetic gingival architecture.”

Although the presentation is aimed at beginners, he said it is also relevant for expert dentists seeking to achieve excellent aesthetic results on natural teeth and implants with a minimally invasive approach, focusing on preserving as much as possible of the biological structures involved.

“The creation of a new prosthetic cementum enamel junction is key for the clinician and the laboratory technician to interact with the surrounding tissues, modifying their shape and scalloped architecture regardless of any pre-existing dental or gingival limitation,” he says.

There are many other advantages to be gained from understanding and implementing the BOPT techniques, he believes. “The BOPT technique, if compared to the other preparation techniques, such as the chamfer, shoulder, etc., is simpler and faster in preparation, impression taking, temporary crowns’ relining and creating the crowns’ profiles up to the final prosthetic restoration,” he says.

“For selected cases, the BOPT can be the solution for retrieving, with ease and predictability, the harmony between white and pink tissues, which is also essential for aesthetic success.”

A lecturer in the Master’s Program of Implantology and Master’s Program of Facial Aesthetics at the University of Parma, Stefano is looking forward to his first trip to the BACD Annual Conference, which is widely known for its spirit of togetherness and yen for learning among delegates.

“Although this is my first time at this conference, I definitely hope it will not be my last,” he says.