My Mentor Dr. Hussein Zaki
This week, I learned about the passing of one of my great mentors from Pittsburgh. My mentor, Dr. Hussein Zaki, passed away this month. I have been feeling quite sad. And I couldn’t help but to reflect on our time together. He had played a such big part in my professional development during my time […]
Giving Hope To Society’s Rejects
When I first learn to make dentures, I felt so sad for those people who have to suffer from losing their full set of teeth. I thought to myself the least I can do is to learn how to make the most beautiful and the most comfortable set of dentures for them and perhaps I […]
Witnessing my Own Failures
Witnessing my Own Failures As a prostho resident, you never get to see your own follow up. So all those beautiful cases you did during your training will tell you nothing about long term follow up. One of my instructors in Grad Pros residency says if you want to have 100% success in your treatment, […]
Providing Treatment of Surveyed Crowns and Removable Prosthesis
I think many people underestimate how much work goes into planning a fixed removable combination case. There are many factors to consider logistically as well as making sure the patient knows what to expect during the process. For patients needing this type of treatment, they are obviously missing enough teeth that need to have a […]
Design Consideration for an Implant Bar
I must admit, when it comes to designing and fabricating an implant bar, I get a little lazy. I do all the initial planning, making sure I take a good impression capturing both the implant information and the soft tissue information. I go through my usual steps for taking jaw relation records, determining where I […]
What You Need to Know about Chairside Implant Attachment Pick up Procedures?
With the increasing use of implants in replacing missing teeth, their use can also be extended to retaining and supporting removable prosthesis. If the patient already has an existing removable denture, one way is to convert the denture to an implant supported one. There are many ways to achieve this goal. You can do that […]
Grateful To Have This Mentor In My Life
Being in the spirit of the upcoming American Thanksgiving, I want to dedicate this post to one of the people who have inspired me professionally and made me the prosthodontist I am today. This person is Professor John (Yahia) Ismail. Dr. John Ismail was the head of the department and the program director of […]
What is the Phase 1 of Your Prosthodontic Treatment Plan?
In treatment planning, the concept of phasing your treatment is not new. For example, in periodontics, after the initial examination and diagnosis, phase 1 therapy often involves a sanative phase of basic scaling and root planning, a review of oral hygiene and an identification and modification of risks factors. The goal is to remove all […]
When Do I Decide to Order A CT Scan?
I love the summer. It’s one of the seasons that I can enjoy the outdoors. It is also one of the seasons that many of my out of town friends tend to come back to Toronto for a visit and so many great get-togethers are happening this year. So I apologize for the lack of […]
Diagnostic Wax Up and Tooth Set Up: A Valuable Skill in Prosthetic Dentistry
Going through a prosthodontic residency program at the University of Pittsburgh, I was pretty lucky that I was exposed to a wide variety of prosthodontists, scientists and surgeons trained with different background and philosophies. Also, fortunately, my program director, Dr. John (Yahia) Ismail had given me the freedom and provided the support to allow me […]
