Bonded Porcelain Restorations in the Anterior Dentition

Dr. Pascal Magne recently joined Beverly Hills Dental Lab as Director of its Center for Education and Research in Biomimetic Restorative Dentistry (CER BRD), after a long and distinguished career in dental academia and research. Upon graduating from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, in 1989 with a Med Dent degree, he was offered a position as a lecturer at the dental school, while practicing and receiving further training in fixed prosthodontics and other technical skills. At the same time, he pursued two doctorates, one awarded in 1992 (DMD) and the other in 2002 (Ph.D.), the latter in conjunction with co-authoring the book Bonded Porcelain Restorations in the Anterior Dentition: A Biomimetic Approach, with his mentor, Professor Urs Belser, which has been translated into 12 languages. "The biomimetic principle refers to using technology and dental materials to preserve and replicate the structure and function of teeth," he explained. He would add to his research on dental innovations at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1997-1999, before returning to Geneva. His discoveries have been widely published, resulting in many awards.Before his graduation from dental school, Pascal had been captivated by the beautiful photos of the lifelike porcelain restorations created by his older brother, Michel, who was the in-house technician for a dentist. In 1991, Pascal started working with Claude Sieber using a new dental porcelain developed with Vita. It was a turning point. "For the first time I could see the porcelain of a master inside of the mouth of my own patients," he said. Pascal was recruited as a full-time tenured faculty of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California School in 2004, as the Don and Sybil Harrington Professor of Esthetic dentistry. During his tenure at Ostrow, Dr. Magne spearheaded a multitude of curricular innovations in the areas of biomimetics, minimally invasive dentistry, and bonding techniques. His scholarly activity during his years there yielded over 100 peer-reviewed publications and over 200 continuing education programs nationally and internationally. As the preclinical director (2012-2020) of the Dental Morphology, Function and Esthetics module at Ostrow, Dr. Magne has also developed an innovative approach to teaching dental anatomy and morphology. In 2021, Dr. Magne published the second edition of his bestselling book entitled Biomimetic Restorative Dentistry. It has already been translated into several languages. After 33 years in the Academia, Dr. Magne eagerly accepted the exciting opportunity of the CER BRD educational programs offered by Beverly Hills Dental Laboratory last year.

Prof Urs Belser graduated from the Dental Institute at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. He received postgraduate specialty training in reconstructive dental medicine (board-certified specialist) at the University of Zurich and was an Assistant Professor and then Senior Lecturer in the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics and Dental Materials there (Prof Dr Peter Schärer, MS) from 1976 to 1980. He was also a Visiting Assistant Professor from 1980 to 1982 in the Departments of Oral Biology (Prof Dr A.G. Hannam) and Clinical Dental Sciences (Prof Dr W. A. Richter) in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Between 1983 and 2012, Prof Belser acted as the Professor and Head of the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics and Occlusion at the University of Geneva School of Dental Medicine, serving as the president of the Swiss Association of Reconstructive Dentistry from 1984 to 1988. He was the recipient of the Scientific Research Award of the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics in 2002, President of the European Association of Prosthodontics (EPA) from 2002 to 2003, and Visiting Professor at Harvard University in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials Sciences (Prof Dr H. P. Weber) in 2006. Since 2012 he has been Guest Professor in the Department of Oral Surgery (Prof Dr D. Buser) and Department of Reconstructive Dentistry (Prof Dr Urs Braegger) at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Bern. In 2013 he became an Honorary Fellow of The International Team of Implantology (ITI). Between 2013 and 2017 he served as editor-in-chief of Forum Implantologicum (ITI), and in 2014 he became a lifetime honorary member of the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) and received the Lecturer of the Year Award. In 2018 he was presented the Morton Amsterdam Interdisciplinary Teaching Award (together with Prof Dr D. Buser). Prof Belser’s research is focused on implant dentistry, with special emphasis on esthetics and the latest developments in the field of CAD/CAM technology and high-performance dental ceramics, as well as on adhesive reconstructive dental medicine.