It seems like it was just the other day that I was in the midst of taking the Spear curriculum. I was finishing up a course and was wondering what my next step was. I stopped an instructor and posed this question and was told Restorative Design. Now I have to tell you, I thought this was kind of funny. I had already been in practice for over 30 years and figured I already knew how to prep a tooth. And I told this to the instructor.

Restorative Design Course: The Key to Better Preps

And I was right. I did know how to prep a tooth. However, after taking the Restorative Design course, I came to find out I could learn how to prepare teeth even better. I had a system of preparing teeth. In the Restorative Design course I learned another system and this system proved to be better than the one I was using at that time. Part of the system I learned in the Restorative Design course was the burs that were used. At that time, I had my favorite burs that I used in preparing teeth for my CEREC restorations and other crown and bridge procedures. But I found the burs used as part the Restorative Design course helped me be more efficient when I was preparing teeth for the restorations I was doing. Now, I believe I’m one of the biggest supporters of this course. So, not only did I pick up a great new system by taking the Restorative Design course, I found out it is true ... you can teach an old dog a new trick!

Mark J. Fleming, DDS, Spear Visiting Faculty and Contributing Author.