Andre Chen

The First Day of Summer The Last Teeth Standing: Preserving Architecture in the Transition from Natural Teeth to Implants Today is the first day of summer. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and somehow the day already feels different. I started the morning with 10 kilometers on the treadmill, trying to simulate what the mountain will demand from me in fifteen days. A treadmill is obviously not a mountain, but preparation always begins long before the climb itself. And then came the best...

Last Friday evening, driving home after another intense week, I found myself reflecting on something that surprised me. We had treated cases that, honestly, I believe are difficult to see anywhere else in the world. Challenging situations, complex reconstructions, unexpected problems. The kind of cases that demand not only knowledge, but courage. And somehow, together, we solved them like lions. Yet, as I drove home, I realized something strange. I wasn’t particularly proud of myself. What...

There are days in implant dentistry when everything goes according to plan. And then there are days when biology reminds us who is really in charge. Today was one of those days. The case seemed straightforward. A patient presented for the placement of two implants in the mandibular first molar area. Because of the available mesio-distal space, the restorative plan was to replace the missing molar with two premolar-sized crowns rather than creating an oversized restoration. Prosthetically, it...