Sharing Experiences to Help the Profession

Kazemi's fascination with oral and maxillofacial surgery began during his first week at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine when curiosity led him to visit a hospital on campus, and a group of residents invited him to observe a live surgical procedure. "I was very intrigued with oral surgery from that point on," Kazemi says. After he established his private practice in Bethesda, Maryland, he began providing continuing education, mostly through lectures, and in 2015, he started Facialart Dental Forum. He now has an educational facility where he teaches both didactic and hands-on courses for dentists from all over the country and a studio where he records media content for his websites. "Ever since the early days of my career, I have wanted to have a medium through which I could share deeply relevant information with both patients and professionals," Kazemi says. "My websites have evolved over the years. When patients go to my practice website, they get really in-depth information and solutions to help them understand treatment options. The same goes for clinicians who visit my educational website. I enjoy sharing my experiences in a format that can help someone. Helping people along the right path is just a part of my daily life."

Of course, as any educator knows, teaching others tends to increase the acumen of the instructors as well. "We learn more in the process ourselves because, by default, we need to research, look deep, see what is happening in the literature, and determine what is important to keep our lectures current," Kazemi says. "That is an ongoing dynamic."

Today, one of the most energized topics in oral and maxillofacial surgery is bone augmentation. Kazemi notes that bone deficiencies vary significantly in type and size. "There is no one approach, technique, or material that is appropriate for every site, and there are so many materials and techniques from which to choose," he says. "We need to pay attention to the anatomy, the biology, and other patient-specific factors to create customized strategies. However, through evidence-based dentistry, we have narrowed down what works the best and most predictably in certain sites."

For many extraction sites, Kazemi has found the best material to be Foundation^® from J. MORITA USA. Foundation, which consists of both fibrillar atelo-collagen and atelo-collagen that has been heat-denatured in order to achieve biocompatibility, is provided in a bullet shape in two sizes for easy placement into extraction sockets. The fibrillar atelo-collagen provides scaffolding for the surrounding cells, and the heat-denatured atelo-collagen stimulates the infiltration of these cells into the product. "I have been using Foundation for several years with great results in terms of bone augmentation and stimulation properties," Kazemi says. "In the right situations, it has really provided an excellent solution."

Kazemi cites handling as one of the primary advantages of Foundation. "It comes in an individually packaged form that is easy to manipulate and place," he says. In addition, the material does not require the use of a membrane, which helps with cost efficiency. The bone-stimulating properties of Foundation offer significant advantages. "Being able to regenerate the bone at an implant site even sooner than with some other materials can reduce the need for surgical intervention," Kazemi says. "We do not need extensive tissue flaps or major tissue closures. That helps to simplify the procedure and also enhance the patient's recovery." When applied to an extraction socket, the material develops and enhances the keratinized or attached gingiva as well. "Because the adjacent tissue isn't being moved to close over the material, the anatomy of the region is not being altered," Kazemi says. "The soft-tissue regeneration happens spontaneously as the bone regenerates and becomes mature. That biological advantage can really have a significant impact on certain cases."

Kazemi has observed Foundation to be particularly effective for indications such as extraction sockets with five-wall bony defects as well as in cases involving sinus perforation. "Using Foundation is a really great, easy way to repair sinus perforations and avoid chronic complications," he says. In addition, for extraction sockets in areas with mild bone loss, Foundation can help to regenerate it, potentially eliminating the need for guided bone regeneration techniques. It can also compensate for soft-tissue deficiencies. "If we do not have sufficient soft tissue to close over a bone graft because the patient has recession or a very thin gingival biotype, conventional guided bone regeneration techniques may not be very predictable," Kazemi says. "This is a great indication for Foundation."

Kazemi emphasizes that, as in many areas of dentistry, no one bone augmentation material is perfect for every case. "Patient selection and site selection are very important in obtaining success," he says. In the right cases, Foundation has helped Kazemi so much that he featured it in a recent podcast, sharing his experiences with other dental professionals as he loves to do. "The material's ability to stimulate the development of bone for augmentation is a very interesting characteristic," he says, "and with its other advantages, including ease of use and a minimal need for manipulation of the adjacent anatomy, especially the soft tissue, dentists can provide exceptional results and a great patient experience."

• Foundation is a collagen-based, bone-filling augmentation materialfor use after extractions.

• Promotes bone growth, allowing implants to be placed as early as 8 weeks

• Helps maintain bone following permanent tooth extraction.

• Bullet shaped, available in two sizes, and trimmable, it facilitates easy placement into extraction sockets.