CE Program - "Materials and Techniques to Improve Your Conservative, Adhesive Dentistry" with Nate Lawson, DMD, PhD

In-Person Continuing Education

Full Day - 6 CE hours

Registration will open September 1, 2025

Description:

Conservative dentistry aims to remove as little tooth as possible during restorative procedures in order to better extend the lifetime of each tooth. Adhesive dentistry helps us achieve this goal.  Adhesive dentistry allows us to bond to tooth structure such that minimally invasive preparations may be performed.  The goal of this course is to discuss conservative treatment options as well as the materials and techniques used to perform these treatments. For direct restorations, diagnosis, isolation, caries removal, cavity preparation, use of liner, matrix and wedge placement, bonding technique, composite placement, and finishing and polishing will all be reviewed.  For indirect restorations, this course will discuss how to select, handle and bond contemporary dental ceramic materials. The presentation will be based on current evidence collected at the UAB School of Dentistry as well as the current literature, however, the information will focus on tips that can be applied directly in the dental clinic.

Objectives:

• Learn bonding protocols for lithium disilicate onlays and zirconia resin bonded bridges
• Learn cementation and bonding protocols for zirconia crowns with self-adhesive or RMGI cements
• Discuss design considerations with posterior and anterior bridges
• Discuss the thresholds for operative treatment for incipient carious lesions and treatment of deep caries
• Review the research on the best adhesive system to use for direct composites
• Learn new materials and techniques for Class II restorations
• Review materials and research for different materials for adjustment and polishing techniques for composites

Biography:

Nathaniel Lawson, DMD, PhD, is the Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and the program director of the Biomaterials residency program. He graduated from UAB School of Dentistry in 2011 and obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. His research interests are the mechanical, optical, and biologic properties of dental materials and clinical evaluation of new dental materials. He has published over 200 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and research abstracts. He was the 2016 recipient of the Stanford New Investigator Award and the 2017 Innovative Research Fellowship both from the American Dental Association.  He served on the American Dental Association Council of Scientific Affairs and is on the editorial board of The Journal of Adhesive Dentistry and Compendium. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the subject of dental materials. He also works as a general dentist in the UAB Faculty Practice.