Thomas K. Hedge D.D.S., F.A.C.E.
Pending Publication

So what have you heard about the Seattle Institute?

Questions like these are often the topic of discussion between dentists. We have precious few weeks per year to devote to bettering ourselves at courses and we want to be as efficient and cost effective as possible. We ask this question of one another because there is no review process available to dentists. I have written the following article to tell you about a three day course entitled "Advanced Treatment Planning" given by Dr. Frank Spear at the Seattle Institute for Advanced Dental Study.

I have had the opportunity to attend courses by most of the great minds in dentistry. Over the last decade I have had over 250 hours of C.E. per year. The lineup includes the Pankey Institute, the Pete Dawson lecture series, the Profitable Dentist lineup, the Las Vegas Institute, Rosenthal, Leinfelder, Kanka, Mopper, etc. I feel very well qualified to review this and other courses with respect to content and value.

The "Advanced Treatment Planning" course was held Monday through Wednesday at Dr. Spear’s office. The beginning of the week course was not convenient with respect to loss of clinical time at my office and the lack of a Saturday night stay over to keep airfare reasonable. I avoided the high fares by using a frequent flyer ticket, although I would have preferred to save it for personal travel. The cost of the course was $3000. I must tell you right now that it was worth every penny.

I arrived in Seattle on Sunday at noon and had a wonderful afternoon walking around the downtown. Seattle is a beautiful city sitting between Puget Sound and the Cascade mountains, both of which were part of the breathtaking view from my room at the Madison Renaissance Hotel. That afternoon, I shopped at the stores along Fifth Street, including the headquarters store for Nordstrom. Just a few blocks away was the Pike Street Market where amazing produce, souvenirs, and fresh seafood are sold in an open air environment. I concluded the afternoon at the festival market piers on the waterfront with a dinner of Pacific Northwest seafood chowder, oysters, and a Seattle Microbrew.

The Seattle Institute recommends that you stay at the Madison Renaissance which is very nice. I would recommend upgrading your room to the club level for an addition $20 per day. Additional amenities included use of the club lounge on the 26^th floor, complete with concierge, bar, hors d’euvers, large screen television, and use of the hotel’s town car within three miles. The room rate was $170 per night for a club level room. The Madison has a health club, pool, and Jacuzzi on the 27th floor with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Puget Sound. The three hour time change left me awake each morning at 6.00 a.m. to enjoy swimming and the Jacuzzi as the sun rose over the Cascade mountains. What a great way to start the day. The Seattle Institute, on the fourth floor of a six story office building, is a short cab ride or ten minute walk from the Madison. As one might expect in Seattle, there is a gourmet coffee stand in the lobby. A stop here was unnecessary because the Institute had a wonderful continental breakfast complete with great coffee, and believe it or not… sushi! I just happen to love sushi. We’re off to a great start.

Dr. Spear’s office has to be one of the most beautiful offices in the country with a very open and spacious design. The reception area has a fireplace as a centerpiece with a beautiful glass sculpture over it. Four other pieces of glass sculpture are prominently displayed throughout the office. This subtly conveys the message that "we make beautiful artwork in the mouth". The office has four large operatories with floor to ceiling windows. A well equipped conference room and laboratory complete the office. Everything is clean and neat as a pin.

The lecture series consisted of three days of slides and discussion with Dr. Spear and twelve students. A gourmet lunch was provided each day.

The course outline was as follows:

Day One

Restoration of Endodontically Treated teeth – when to restore versus extractDiagnosis and Treatment PlanningEsthetic Management of Anterior Edentulous RidgesTreatment Planning the Single Missing Anterior Tooth

Day Two

Indications for Resin Bonded BridgesConcepts for Planning and Placement of Single Tooth ImplantsClinical ManagementPrinciples of Soft Tissue Management with Provisionals

Day Three

Restoration Design in Complex Fixed Prosthodontics

• Types of Splints
• Clinical Management
• Design Considerations for Implant Reconstruction
• Methods of Offsetting Occlusal Force on Implants
• Splinted Implants versus Single Units
• Implants and Natural teeth
• Paragraph describing interactions and discussions. How Dr Spear conducts the course.

This seems like a lot to cover in three days, but I assure you there was never a dull moment. I would highly recommend this course to anyone with a reasonable background in the fundamentals of dentistry.