Course Description:
Many clinicians approach implant crowns as direct replacements for teeth—but this mindset can lead to esthetic compromises, biomechanical failures, and long-term complications. In this compelling two-hour online course, you’ll learn why implant restorations require a fundamentally different design approach. Dr. Stevenson, an expert in evidence-based restorative protocols, will guide you through the critical differences between tooth-borne and implant-supported prostheses, and how to select the right abutment, impression technique, and material for each case. Whether you’re placing single units or restoring full arches, this course will help you make biologically sound decisions that protect your patient’s investment—and your reputation.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Evaluate how biological and biomechanical differences between teeth and implants influence restorative planning and design.
- Apply clinical decision-making principles to select abutments, retention methods, and materials that enhance long-term implant success.
- Design a workflow for implant crown delivery that emphasizes esthetics, occlusion, and long-term stability.
Richard G. Stevenson III, DDS, FAGD, FACD, ABOD
About the Speaker
Doctor Stevenson earned his DDS from the UCLA School of Dentistry in 1986. After practicing general dentistry for 7 years in Laguna Niguel, California, he accepted a full-time teaching position at the UCLA School of Dentistry in 1993 where he served as Chair of the Section of Restorative Dentistry for 17 years. He has published dozens of articles on dental materials, the principles of evidence-based dentistry, and restorative techniques has written several textbook chapters and syllabi. He is the inventor of several unique dental instruments which are used in dental education and clinical practice. Dr. Stevenson is Board Certified in Operative Dentistry. He practices dentistry in San Dimas, CA with a focus on Microscope, Implant and Esthetic Dentistry. Although he retired from UCLA in 2018 as Professor Emeritus of Clinical Dentistry, he says that he’s just getting started! After leaving UCLA he founded Stevenson Dental Solutions, a teaching institute dedicated to hands-on training where he serves as the Director of Education. Recently he established a non-profit corporation investigating best practices in dentistry and innovative methods of delivering quality care and pre-professional education to communities with the most need. He lives in La Verne, California with his wife Savi.
Membership is being verified. All registrants will receive a personalized webinar link. If you do not receive a webinar link 3 days before the class, please call the OCDS office at (714) 634-8944 or email srobers@ocds.org. This course will not be recorded.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Refund requests for meetings will only be honored up to 4:30 pm one week prior to the meeting. No refunds will be made for requests received subsequent to that time.