BA-Ski-D 2026

How to relax your patient and master communication skills

Effective communication is fundamental to successful dental treatment, patient trust, and long-term compliance. This lecture explores practical, evidence-based strategies to help clinicians relax anxious patients while improving clarity, confidence, and rapport throughout the patient journey. Attendees will gain actionable techniques to enhance chairside communication, manage expectations, and create a calm, positive clinical experience for both patient and practitioner.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lecture, delegates will be able to:

• Recognise common causes of dental anxiety and how communication influences patient behaviour
• Apply practical communication techniques to help patients feel calm, informed, and in control
• Improve case acceptance through clearer explanations and expectation management
• Adapt communication styles to different patient personalities and levels of anxiety
• Develop a structured approach to confident, patient-centred conversations in clinical practice

GDC Development Outcomes

This lecture meets the following GDC Development Outcomes:

• A – Effective communication with patients, the dental team, and other healthcare professionals
• B – Management of self and effective team working
• C – Maintenance and development of knowledge and skills within the dental profession

Tooth Whitening: A Journey to the Dark Side and Back

Aim  

To provide dental professionals with a comprehensive understanding of tooth whitening, covering scientific principles, legal requirements, clinical decision‑making, and practical techniques for safe and effective treatment in the UK.

Learning Objectives  

• Explain the legal status of tooth whitening in the UK and outline GDC requirements for consent.
• Describe the science of colour perception and its relevance to shade assessment
• Explain why teeth darken over time, including intrinsic and extrinsic factors
• Identify contraindications and risk factors that affect whitening suitability
• Assess case difficulty and plan whitening approaches accordingly
• Compare different tray designs and understand their clinical indications
• Distinguish between whitening gels (carbamide vs hydrogen peroxide) and select appropriate concentrations
• Understand internal whitening techniques, including the inside–outside method for non‑vital teeth

Learning Outcomes  

• Understand the legal and ethical framework governing whitening in UK practice
• Apply colour science principles to improve shade communication and treatment planning
• Evaluate patient cases and tailor whitening strategies to individual needs
• Select and implement appropriate tray designs and whitening materials
• Integrate internal whitening techniques into restorative and aesthetic workflows

GDC Outcomes  

A: Communication of whitening options, expectations, and consent

C: Development of safe, evidence‑based whitening treatment plans

Digital Smile Design: Mouse to Mouth

Aim  

To provide an understanding of the principles of smile design, demonstrate the workflow from 2D design to 3D mock‑up, and explore the integration of face scanning for predictable clinical outcomes.

Learning Objectives  

1. Describe the fundamental principles of smile design
2. Illustrate the steps involved in creating a 2D smile design
3. Explain the process of transferring a 2D design to a 3D mock‑up
4. Discuss the application of face scanning in smile design
5. Demonstrate the method of transferring the 3D mock‑up to the patient’s mouth

Learning Outcomes  

• Participants will understand the key concepts and principles of smile design
• Participants will be able to create a 2D smile design using relevant tools
• Participants will be proficient in transferring 2D designs to 3D mock‑ups
• Participants will understand the integration of face scanning in smile design
• Participants will be able to effectively transfer the 3D mock‑up to the patient’s mouth

GDC Outcomes  

A: Effective communication with patients regarding smile design

C: Creation and execution of detailed treatment plans for smile design

Apres Ski Aesthetics – Injection Moulding made simple

Injection moulding has become an increasingly valuable technique in contemporary adhesive and aesthetic dentistry, offering a predictable, minimally invasive approach for aesthetic cases and toothwear rehabilitation. This lecture introduces the principles of injection moulding, with a focus on clinical indications, treatment planning, and workflow optimisation. Attendees will explore both analogue and digital approaches, including digital smile design, stent fabrication, and practical chairside execution. Common pitfalls and troubleshooting strategies will be discussed to enhance predictability, efficiency, and aesthetic outcomes in everyday practice.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lecture, delegates will be able to:

• Understand the principles of injection moulding and its role in composite bonding cases
• Understand the indications and contraindications for the technique
• Apply a step-by-step workflow from diagnosis to final polish
• Integrate digital smile design and trial smiles into treatment planning for aesthetic predictability
• Compare analogue and digital workflows
• Fabricate and utilise stents effectively to achieve consistent, chairside results
• Recognise common pitfalls and implement strategies to improve clinical efficiency and outcomes

GDC Development Outcomes

This lecture meets the following GDC Development Outcomes:

A – Effective communication with patients, the dental team, and other healthcare professionals
C – Maintenance and development of knowledge and skills within the dental profession

From Black Diamonds to Bright Smiles

Aim:
To develop clinicians’ understanding of how orthodontic and restorative treatments interact to optimise aesthetic and functional outcomes, alongside contemporary approaches to tooth whitening.

Learning objectives:
By the end of this lecture, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the principles of orthodontic–restorative treatment planning using the Align™ IDS digital workflow
2. Recognise how orthodontic tooth movement can optimise space, alignment, and occlusion for minimally invasive restorative treatment
3. Describe the workflow for integrating restorative objectives into digital orthodontic planning
4. Identify appropriate cases for interdisciplinary ortho–restorative treatment using digital planning tools
5. Understand the indications, protocols, and limitations of contemporary tooth whitening techniques
6. Apply principles of sequencing orthodontic treatment, whitening procedures, and restorative treatment to achieve predictable aesthetic and functional outcome

Learning content:
This lecture will explore the principles of interdisciplinary orthodontic–restorative treatment planning, focusing on how digital workflows such as Align™ IDS can be used to integrate restorative objectives into orthodontic treatment planning. It will examine how orthodontic tooth movement can optimise space, alignment, and occlusion to support minimally invasive restorative outcomes, alongside appropriate case selection and treatment sequencing in multidisciplinary care. The session will also review the principles and mechanisms of tooth whitening, including indications, techniques, and clinical protocols for both home and in-surgery whitening procedures, as well as the timing of whitening within comprehensive aesthetic treatment plans. Consideration will also be given to potential risks, limitations, and patient management, supported by clinical case examples demonstrating integrated orthodontic, restorative, and whitening treatment workflows.

Development outcomes:

• A – Effective communication with patients, the dental team, and other healthcare professionals
• C– Maintenance and development of knowledge and skills within the dental profession

Powder to Pixels: Photography Driven Smile Design

Aim:

To equip delegates with strong practical skills in dental and portrait photography, and to show how structured image capture can feed into visual smile storytelling workflows using tools like Smilecloud to enhance patient communication, understanding, and decision-making.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this activity, participants should be able to:

1. Select and use appropriate dental photography equipment and settings
2. Capture reproducible, high-quality clinical intra-oral and extra-oral images
3. Apply portrait photography techniques for contextual visual records
4. Understand how to organise images to tell a visual patient case story
5. Use visual narratives and smile design visualisation to improve patient engagement

Learning content

This lecture focuses on core dental photography principles — lighting, exposure, composition, and reproducibility — alongside portrait techniques that enrich the clinical story. Delegates will see how structured imagery can be used in visual workflows (e.g., Smilecloud) to create compelling before/after narratives and support patient communication and motivation.

Development outcomes

A, C, D

• A – Enhanced visual communication supporting patient consent and shared decision-making
• C – Development of clinical photography and visual documentation skills
• D – Maintaining patient confidence through professional visual evidence and storytelling