To celebrate 25 years of Dentistry magazine, we’ve asked leading dental professionals for their game-changing innovation that shaped their career. In this article we asked Zaki Kanaan what his game-changing product is.
Zaki is a highly experienced and respected dentist, working at Bow Lane Dental since the start in 2001.
Zaki achieved a masters degree from the world renowned Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital in 2001.
He also has a diploma in sedation, a diploma in hypnosis and is a licentiate of the Faculty of Homeopathy.
His main area of interest is dental implants, where he has designed some innovative techniques featured in The Times.
He was also the first person in the UK to carry out a live All-on-4 procedure on TV.
He regularly appeared on Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies programme carrying out complex implant treatments.
Dental implants
The most ground-breaking dental product or procedure for myself in the last 25 years, which really helped me in surgery as well as helping me shape my career, is dental implant therapy.
Dental school does not teach how to place dental implants.
Yet I was lucky enough to embark upon a career pathway that led to me completing a masters degree in dental implants at Guy’s Hospital back in 2001.
It was without doubt the single most important thing that I did in my career to date.
Not only has it helped me on a personal level by allowing me to practice the dentistry that I want to do.
But it has also helped my patients complete the smiles that they have always wanted in a minimally invasive way.
Being able to place dental implants rather than prepare teeth for bridges is a must in this day and age.
I find carrying out dental implants virtually on a daily basis keeps my interest in dentistry up.
Whilst routine procedures such as fillings, crowns and periodontal therapy are the mainstay of oral health, I find surgical procedures far more interesting and rewarding.
The landscape as far as dental implants are concerned has changed dramatically since my MSc days.
With the advent of implants like Megagen’s Anyridge system and digital technology used to plan cases, a tooth can be extracted, an implant placed and a crown placed on this all on the same day.
A far cry from what dentistry was like when I qualified.
