Prof Dr Dr h c Christoph Hämmerle
For decades, restorative dentistry has been dominated by mechanistic therapeutic concepts and simple material sciences aspects. However, in more recent years, these concepts were severely challenged and replaced by biologically oriented treatment concepts. “To maintain, rather than to extract a tooth” became the paradigm for restorative dentistry. In this respect, the placement of implants became a concept to replace missing teeth rather than to replace teeth. The teeth experienced a renaissance in their significance and priority in the concept of total patient care and maintaining the dentition for a lifetime.
The periodontal aspects of abutment teeth and final restorations receive great attention when restoring a mutilated dentition. It was realized that oral diseases, with the exception of trauma and malignancies, represent opportunistic infections that have to be successfully treated before restorations can be incorporated. The principle of “never building a house on sand, but rather on a solid foundation” was introduced and consequently implemented in restorative dentistry. This, in turn, meant that periodontal and endodontic treatment had to be successfully completed prior to prosthetic rehabilitation.
At the same time, tremendous progress was made in developing dental materials that were able to mimic the natural dentition in terms of esthetics and function. These techniques require highly skilled laboratory technicians and profound knowledge of dental materials in order to be applied in clinical work.
It is evident that a modern textbook on restorative dentistry has to be based on the biologic principles discussed above. While a plethora of texts address single aspects of prosthetic restorations, there are only a few textbooks that present a comprehensive view on the entire field of oral rehabilitation. Moreover, only occasionally do we encounter a textbook with a clear biologic background. The present text is such an exceptionally rare documentation of a biologically based treatment philosophy. The numerous case documentations are testament to the feasibility of individually optimal restorations centering on the patient’s needs rather than on idealistic and hardly affordable concepts.
Irena Sailer, Vincent Fehmer, and Bjarni Pjetursson are a trio that has successfully established international recognition in the field of oral rehabilitation. They have worked together for over 10 years and are well known from their annual Icelandic Education Weeks. These have been very successful 1-week events with an international attendance of enthusiastic participants. Both Irena Sailer and Bjarni Pjetursson are clinically highly competent and skilled clinicians. They unite the fields of Periodontology and Restorative Dentistry in a unique way. Vincent Fehmer is a well-known master dental technician who completes the trio and contributes to the technical aspects of restorative dentistry. It is fortunate indeed that this trio has taken the time to provide the profession with such a unique textbook on all modern aspects of restorative dentistry.
Prof Dr Dr Niklaus P Lang
Prof Dr Irena Sailer, Prof Dr med dent, Hon Prof (U Aarhus)
Chair, Division of Fixed Prosthodontics and Biomaterials, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Honorary Skou Professor, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
MDT Vincent Fehmer
MDT, Division of Fixed Prosthodontics and Biomaterials, Clinic of Dental Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Prof Dr Bjarni E Pjetursson, Prof Dr med dent, DDS, MAS Perio, PhD
Professor and Chairman, Department of Reconstructive Dentistry, and Dean, Faculty of Odontology, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland Invited Professor, Division of Fixed Prosthodontics and Biomaterials, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Co-author
Prof Dr Jens Fischer, Prof Dr med dent, Dr rer nat
Division of Biomaterials and Technology, Clinic for Reconstructive Dentistry, University Center for Dental Medicine UZB, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Prof Dr Irena Sailer, Hon Prof (U Aarhus)
Prof Dr Irena Sailer received her Dr med dent degree from the University of Tübingen, Germany (1997/1998). She received an Assistant Professorship at the Clinic of Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics and Dental Material Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland (2003), where from 2010 she was an Associate Professor. In 2007, Prof Dr Sailer was a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Biomaterials and Biomimetics, Dental College, New York University, NY, USA. Since 2009 she has held an Adjunct Associate Professorship at the Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences, Robert Schattner Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA (Head: Prof Dr MB Blatz).
Prof Dr Sailer is Head of the Division of Fixed Prosthodontics and Biomaterials at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. In 2019, she received an Honorary Skou Professorship at Aarhus University, Denmark. She is a Specialist for Prosthodontics (Swiss Society for Reconstructive Dentistry), and holds a Certificate of focused activities in Dental Implantology (WBA) of the Swiss Society for Dentistry. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the European Association of Osseointegration (EAO), Vice President of the European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (EAED), member of the Swiss Society of Reconstructive Dentistry, the Education Committee of the International Team for Implantology (ITI), and the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics (GNYAP), and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Prosthodontics. She is widely published and holds several patents on esthetic coatings of dental/medical devices, and on a digital dental splint.
MDT Vincent Fehmer
MDT Vincent Fehmer received his dental technical education and degree in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2002. From 2002 to 2003 he performed fellowships in the UK and the USA in Oral Design certified dental technical laboratories. From 2003 to 2009 he worked at an Oral Design certified laboratory in Berlin, Germany, at Zahntechnik Mehrhof. In 2009 he received his MDT qualification in Germany. From 2009 to 2014 he was the chief dental technician at the Clinic for Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics in Zurich, Switzerland. Since 2015 he has been dental technician at the Clinic for Fixed Prothodontics and Biomaterials in Geneva, Switzerland, and runs his own laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland.
MDT Fehmer is a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology, an Active member of the European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (EAED), and a member of the Oral Design group, the European Association of Dental Technology (EADT), and German Society of Esthetic Dentistry (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ästhetische Zahnheilkunde, DGÄZ). He is active as a speaker at a national and international Level. MDT Fehmer has received honors including the prize for the Best Master Program of the Year (Berlin, Germany). He has published numerous articles within the field of fixed prothodontics and digital dental technology. He also serves as reviewer for several international journals and is a section editor for the International Journal of Prosthodontics.
Prof Dr Bjarni E Pjetursson, DDS, MAS Perio, PhD
Prof Dr Bjarni Pjetursson received his DDS from the University of Iceland in 1990. From 1990 to 2000 he worked as a general dentist in his private clinic in Iceland. In 2000 he started his postgraduate training in Periodontology and Implant Dentistry at