Dr. Levi Hunt, a general dentist practicing in Landrum at Wood Creek Dental, recently was awarded the title of Fellow in the American Dental Implant Association (ADIA). The goal of the American Dental Implant Association is to encourage collaboration and communication among the top dental professionals placing dental implants.
The ADIA Fellowship certification is a six-step program culminating in the title of fellow. Dentists must complete at least 150 hours of course credits in implant dentistry, pass written and oral exams, be recommended by current ADIA Fellows and submit a current curriculum vitae and a review of implant cases completed to date.
The title of Fellow gives Hunt the ability to add a few more letters after his name: FADIA (Fellow of the American Dental Implant Association).
When asked about the new letters, Hunt replied, “I’m thrilled to have been awarded a Fellowship, but dentistry is not about awards and designations, it is all about meeting each patient’s individual needs and building a strong patient-doctor relationship. All the awards in the world won’t make a patient more comfortable in the chair.”
Dental implants are surgically placed to replace missing teeth or to stabilize dentures and partials. In this training course, Hunt became proficient in “guided surgery,” which uses the newest advancements in three-dimensional imaging to more accurately and safely place dental implants. This technology encouraged Hunt to purchase the machine that takes these 3D images for his office.
Hunt said, “This machine allows us not only to gather the information necessary for accurate implant placement; it greatly increases my diagnostic ability in all other areas. Traditional X-rays simply give us 2D images, which is often enough, but the third dimension is greatly beneficial in more complex scenarios. Now that Wood Creek Dental owns a 3D cone beam machine, patients will not have to travel out of town to receive this high-tech service.”
– article submitted by Kim Wohnig