The 53rd Annual Scientific Congress of the Korean Association of Orthodontists PASSION FOR A LONG JOURNEY :
Nature vs Nurture

Online
November 5(Thu) - 6(Fri), 2020
Precongress: November 1(Sun) / VOD: November 7(Sat) - 8(Sun)

Current stream of orthodontics

Interdisciplinary treatment in digital era
Dr. Kelvin Wen-Chung Chang
  • 1996 DDS degree from School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
  • 2003 Certificate of orthodontic training, orthodontic department of National Taiwan University Hospital
  • 2005 MS degree from Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
  • Dr. Kelvin Wen-Chung Chang is an adjunct clinical instructor of the orthodontic department at National Taiwan University Hospital since 2004. He held a private group practice center in Hsinchu, Taiwan in 2007. He is the chairman of academic committee of Taiwan Association of Orthodontists (2016-2020) and is an advisor of the World Implant Orthodontic Association since 2016. His interests focus on self-ligation system, TADs application, interdisciplinary treatment, aesthetic dentistry and digital orthodontics.

Because of the increasing adult orthodontic patients nowadays, it is more and more frequent we need to collaborate with other specialties to complete a case successfully. The key to achieve a good teamwork of interdisciplinary treatment relies on a thorough communication. With the assistance of the digital technology, we can express and deliver our idea or plan from physical to virtual, from analog to digital and from 2D to 3D. Therefore, we can make the planning and operate the procedures in a more comprehensive and smooth way.
For prosthodontists, we don't need to guess what's the real inclination of the abutment tooth under a prosthetic crown. And the provisional crown could be manufactured with the CAD/CAM technique in advance to save the labor work. For surgeons, we can foresee the treatment result through the simulation software. All the preparation procedures could be done in a new digital workflow effectively and efficiently.
In the digital era today, new technology continuously changes everyone and each profession. But we must keep in mind that they are just tools. Tools to enhance our treatment quality and patients' welfare. If you don't want to be left behind, it's time for us to learn and adapt to this new world.