Carolina Center for Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry

Our team’s hygienists and assistants attended the South Carolina Dental Associations annual meeting this April.  The courses offered clinical and management enhancement that proved to be valuable.  Top notch continuing education like this keeps our team members at their best for their patients.

Dr. Colson’s passion to help new dentists entering the profession has earned her the honor of representing the South Carolina Dental Association at the American Dental Association’s annual New Dentist conference.  As co-chairperson of the SCDA’s Committee on the New Dentist, Dr. Colson has helped establish a mentoring program and other areas of support to dental students at the Medical University of South Carolina and also dentists new to South Carolina.  The conference, held in June, is a forum for state dental associations to exchange ideas, improve existing programs and establish new ones. 

Dr. Chad Colson has completed the rigorous requirements to earn himself the honor of Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry.  The Fellowship Award is a symbol of Dr. Colson’s dedication to the pursuit of dental excellence through education and training.  Dr. Colson will attend the annual Academy of General Dentistry meeting in July to receive his award in a special ceremony.  Dr. Chad Colson joins Dr. Jill Colson and Dr. Jeff Horowitz who are also Fellows.

The South Carolina Dental Association had the honor of hosting Dr. John Kois for a full day seminar at this year’s annual meeting.  Dr. Kois is a world renowned clinician with specialty training in periodontics and prosthodontics.  Through his research, Dr. Kois is able to offer sound and reliable information that helps dentists manage advanced restorative cases.  Dr. Jeff Horowitz, Dr. Chad Colson, Dr. Jill Colson attended the educational seminar which added new insights to several current dental issues.

On Friday, April 18 the team members of Carolina Center for Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry participated in the Conway’s Relay for Life event in support of the American Cancer Society.  From 7 PM until 7 AM team members shared the task of walking continuously on the designated course.   Those who had succumb to cancer were memorialized and survivors were honored.  The office raised nearly $3,000.  Thanks to Christi Rutherford, our team captain, who helped organize the event. 

Drs. Jill and Chad Colson along with team members Amy Stalvey and Leslie Gore, traveled to Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, to attend a Dental Implant Course led by Dr. Norman Ickert, an internationally renowned dental implant and restoration expert of more than 20 years.  Dr. Ickert is a mentor, clinical instructor and advisory board member at the Kois Center in Seattle, WA.   The doctors and team members completed over 24 hours of classroom and hands-on surgical experiences involving the most current techniques of implant placement and restoration.   The training incorporated the practice’s state-of-the-art I-CAT Imaging machine which allows for the most comprehensive treatment planning and placement of implants. 

Donna Meyers, RDH recently became certified in local anesthesia, joining team member hygienists Monica Price, RDH, Jennifer Brown, RDH, Kim Brown, RDH, and Angie McClellan, RDH with this great achievement.   Ms. Meyers’ training included the psychology of pain management, pharmacology of anesthetic agents, emergency precautions and management plus a review of anatomy and physiology as they relate to the administration of anesthetic agents.  Ms. Meyers successfully completed rigorous classroom, laboratory, and clinical instruction followed by a written examination given by the state of South Carolina.  This advanced certification allows Ms. Meyers to provide dental cleaning procedures for our patients with the comfort of local anesthesia as necessary.  

On February 9-10 2008, Dr. Jeff Horowitz, Dr. Chad Colson and Dr. Jill Colson completed an educational course with the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, of which they are members.  The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) is a professional membership organization promoting the use and research of oral appliances and oral surgery for the treatment of sleep disordered breathing and provides training and resources for those who work directly with patients. AADSM members collaborate with colleagues to learn about oral appliances and the role they play in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders. The organization builds bridges and forms relationships with the medical community, especially in sleep centers, and other professional groups who play an integral part of the sleep disorders treatment and research team. The AADSM helps educate practitioner dentists through clinical meetings that keep leading-edge ideas accessible and establishes and maintains appropriate treatment protocol. The AADSM also reaches out to the community at large, working toward the creation of a positive public awareness of sleep disorders and the role of the dentist in recognition and treatment of sleep breathing disorders.

In January, Dr. Horowitz traveled across the country to attend an advanced course in treatment planning, focusing on rehabilitating the most complex of restorative dental problems.  The course, given at the prestigious Kois Center for Advanced Dental Studies in Seattle, Washington, is one of many taught at that location that focuses on using all of the current literature to provide the most modern “evidenced based” treatment available.  Dr. Horowitz brought many “pearls” back with him to share with the team at the Carolina Center.  He plans to attend more courses in the future.

The Carolina Center for Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry sponsored Conway’s Theater of the Republic this spring.  The theater group performed the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, which opened on April 2, 2008.  It was a great show!