Dr. Shankar Iyer earned his DDS from the New York University College of Dentistry, where he went on to complete postgraduate studies in prosthodontics and serve as a clinical assistant professor. Dr. Iyer is president of the AAID, directs the AAID Asia MaxiCourse, and currently, holds two appointments in the departments of periodontics and prosthodontics at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. A fellow of the AAID and diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, Dr. Iyer has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, lectures internationally, and maintains a private practice in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
This Presentation will review the recent advances that have been made in Implant Dentistry to enhance the outcomes for Restorative Dentistry. Emphasis will be made on comprehensive diagnosis and algorithms will be created where the utilization of technology and biology will be analyzed to see the merits of their incorporation.
This presentation will review the following principles:1- Enhancements of soft and hard tissues for restorative dentistry; 2- Development of ideal forms and contours through provisionals and customized emergence profiles with CADCAM technology; 3- Increasing precision with navigation; 4- Principle of comprehensive rehabilitation.

As you may have noticed, the mornings have started getting chillier and the weather is taking a turn towards fall. Although this means that the days are getting shorter and the sun is not out for long, it also signals the arrival of the holiday season and new year for many cultures. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur passed recently and the Festival of Lights-Diwali and Hindu new year is upon us. Pretty soon we will be dining on Thanksgiving and dreaming of a white Christmas.
It was very refreshing to hear Dr. Ross Kerr lecture on oral medicine. In our modern push for knowledge about everything digital or implants, oral mucosal diseases are often put on the backseat. It’s always great to get a refresher on them ever so often. I hope you were there for this and were able to enjoy it as much as I did.
Our lecture next month is “Impact of Biological and Technological Advances in Implant Dentistry” by Dr. Shankar Iyer. Dr. Iyer is a very accomplished speaker and has lectured and published extensively. He has been able to maintain a great balance of teaching and clinical practice. He is involved in organized dentistry and has just finished his term as the President of the AAID. I am proud to call Shankar a close friend and I hope you will make it to the meeting.
It has been encouraging to see some new members join our society and we continue our efforts to get AND maintain members. You may have noticed that we host some students from Rutgers University Dental School at our monthly general meetings. I encourage you to engage with them and tell them “your story.”
As a Member benefit, we have the MCDS study club which meets once a month. We try to bring a variety of speakers and topics so a large number of members can attend. Our next meeting in November is a special treat indeed! We will have a round table of experts and the discussion will be on cases that the members bring. This would be a great occasion to bring that challenging case you may need some advice on. I want to thank those experts who are on the panel for volunteering their time and helping fellow members.
All that we are able to achieve at MCDS would not be possible without the time and commitment by our MCDS board. We are indeed lucky to have members who serve so selflessly and for that I thank them. Dr. Ethan Glickman, who encouraged me to join the board, introduced me to the concept of TEAM- Together Everyone Achieves More. Nowhere have I seen it more appropriately in action than at MCDS.
I wish everyone a happy Halloween and hope you have a Spooktacular day!!

Attendance: Drs. Amit Vora, Mario Fiorentini, Antoinette Tauk, Devang Modi, Peter DeSciscio, Mitchell Weiner, Ira Rosen, Daniel Krantz, Richard Kahn, Robert Silverstein, Nima Mir-Madjlessi, Nicholas Diaz, Robert Ashmen, Deborah Brown, Mark Schambra, Steven Susskind, Alyssa Bernstein, Anil Ardeshna, and Stephanie Dowling,
Acceptance of 9/12/17 Minutes—vote unanimous
President’s Report – Dr. Amit Vora
Today, we welcome Mr. Jim Garnett to our meeting. Jim is the new Membership Director of the NJDA.
Treasurer’s Report – Dr. Mario Fiorentini
See full report on page 3
Editor’s Report – Dr. Robert Silverstein
The MCDS website was recently hacked. The hack redirects our site to one that claims to have found a virus on the person’s computer, and asks them to click on a link to get rid of the virus (the link downloads a file that is the actual virus).
I traced the problem to a script that I have been using to process the Life Member Bio Questionnaire. I re-uploaded the site and I am looking into a different solution for processing forms on our site.
NJDA Council Reports:
Dental Benefits—Dr. Devang Modi, Dr. Antoinette Tauk
The Council on Dental Benefits met on 9/13/17 and reviewed the CRP (claim resolution program) statistics. Coding for a frenectomy (D7960 and D7963) will no longer be covered by Delta Dental effective September 1, 2017. Their system is set to always deny on first submission. You can submit an appeal with a narrative and pictures indicating medical necessity and Delta MAY consider payment but no guarantee. Delta is considering several changes in 2018. FMS/ panorex will be covered once every 5 years. Bitewing radiographs once every 12 months on patients over 18 years of age but Delta will allow for exceptions. Delta is considering expanding coverage on second molar sealants to age 18. Crowns on single tooth implants for those groups that do not presently have implant coverage, posterior composites coverage, fluoride treatments twice in 12 month period, possibly removing preventive services from an individual’s annual maximum, if someone has at least one cleaning per year then they may be allowed to carry over 25% of the remaining maximum to the following year. Finally, a new code D0411 for HbA1c screening will be allowed once a year for patients at high risk of developing diabetes. This code is not to be used for a routine check or suspicion. There will be a strict protocol to follow.
Membership—Dr. Genevieve Fernandes, Dr. Nima Mir-Madjlessi.
The main concern of the council is the slow drop in the membership in NJDA. As of the August NJDA BOT meeting, there was a loss of 416 members (or $200,000 loss in revenue). Jim Garnett will be creating a component tool kit on the NJDA website, to help with scripting and other tools to help deal with recruiting non-renewal members. Monmouth-Ocean Dental Society is planning on taking out an ad in the New Jersey “Top Dentist” issue, to recognize their members. Everyone agreed that we need to find a way to recognize 5, 10, 15 year membership. There is going to be an attempt to attract more women and minority dentists. Furthermore, the New Dentist committee and Membership council will try to take advantage of our Rutgers connection as much as possible. The next meeting will be on 11/13/17.
Peer Review – Dr. Steven Susskind
There was one new case that was sent to peer review. The statewide Peer Review Committee had its annual course last Wednesday October 4 led by Dr. Sandy Goldstein. There were approximately 50 doctors from throughout the state in attendance.
Committee Reports:
Budget and Finance—Dr. Ira Rosen
The budget committee is comprised of our current and past-presidents, our current and past-treasurers and the chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee. Our by-laws require us to present the budget to the membership at the October General Membership meeting. A copy of the budget is then published in the newsletter and then it is voted upon at our November general meeting.
Corporate Sponsorship—Dr. Ira Rosen
I am pleased to announce that once again we have a “full slate” of corporate sponsors for our October meeting. We have our four gold sponsors (ZimmerBiomet, Provident Bank, Techspedient Networks and Zeiss), we have our silver sponsor (DentsplySirona) and one of our bronze sponsors (Benco Dental Supply Company) that will be joining us this month. In addition, we have nine corporate sponsors that have signed up to help support our full day continuing education course featuring Dr. Dennis Tarnow on October 20, 2017. We will continue having our raffles at each general meeting for four $25 VISA gift cards to entice our members to meet with our sponsors. All members are strongly encouraged to visit the sponsors and see the products that they have to offer and how they can help us and our dental practices.
Dental Shadowing—Stephanie Dowling
I have been in contact with 6 students since August that are utilizing a MCDS dentist to shadow for.
MCDS Study Club—Dr. Nima Mir-Madjlessi, Dr. Genevieve Fernandes
The 2017-8 MCDS study club began with our first meeting on September 27, 2017. Our speaker was Dr. Joan Monaco. She gave an overview of the new changes in the dental insurance in 2017-18. Our next session will be on October 25, 2018. Mr. Art Meisel will present “Breaking News in Dentistry-Q&A session with the Executive Director of NJDA.” As always, the study club will be held at the NJDA Building, registration at 6:30pm and the presentation will be from 7:00-9:00pm. On November 29, 2017 we will have a round table discussion, where members will bring up cases or any other challenges that they want to discuss. This will be an opportunity to learn from each other’s experience. Obviously, the more people that participate the richer the experience will be. The registration forms will be found on the MCDS website and Facebook page.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dr. Antoinette Tauk
Secretary

General Membership Meeting Business

The 2018 Proposed Budget was presented to the General Membership and the floor was opened for discussion. There being none, the budget will be voted upon at the next general meeting in November.

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Please email inquiries to [email protected].