Dentistry in a Nutshell

What does good dental hygiene look like? When should wisdom teeth be removed? And where do the discolorations on your teeth come from? These and many other questions are discussed in the YouTube series “Die Zahnprof(i)s – The Teeth Prof(essional)s” by Uniklinik RWTH Aachen.

Two clinic directors, Professor Stefan Wolfart from the Clinic for Dental Prosthetics and Biomaterials, Implantology Center and Professor Michael Wolf from the Clinic for Orthodontics are the creators of the series. The first season was launched in September 2022 on Uniklinik’s YouTube channel with 14 episodes, and new episodes are scheduled to go online in the fall of 2023.

Relaxed and Casual

The two professors share their knowledge and clinical experience in a relaxed, collegial manner, providing information about a wide variety of dental topics. At the beginning of each episode, like in a lottery draw, the day’s topic is picked from a tooth-shaped box. The goal of the show is to provide patients with useful information on various dentistry topics, presenting treatment options and offering tips and advice. As a rule, the show revolves around everyday topics such as proper dental hygiene or dealing with wisdom teeth. The professors also take a closer look at phenomena such as teeth grinding and tooth discoloration. However, they also provide insights into more specialized issues and more complex treatments options from their daily clinical routine, such as the question of how to fix a missing incisor.

Close Interdisciplinary Collaboration

In the field of dentistry, oral and maxillofacial medicine, the four dental clinics of Uniklinik RWTH Aachen are well-connected and engage in interdisciplinary collaboration. At Uniklinik there is a Clinic for Orthodontics, a Clinic for Dental Prosthetics and Biomaterials, a Clinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and a Clinic for Dental Preservation, Periodontology and Preventive Dentistry. Since 2018, Professor Wolf has headed the Orthodontics Clinic, which deals with the prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment of malocclusions of the jaws and teeth. In addition to traditional treatment options, the clinic also offers functional orthodontics and innovative methods such as treatments using the almost invisible Invisalign aligners or lingual braces. Since it is not always possible to correct malocclusions using orthodontics alone, interdisciplinary collaboration is essential. Wolf’s team closely collaborates with the Clinic for Dental Prosthetics and Biomaterials, headed by Professor Wolfart since 2008, whose clinical focus, in addition to conventional tooth replacement, is on all-ceramic crowns and bridges, minimally invasive preparation techniques, and digitally fabricated dental restorations. Together, the two clinic directors provide a broad spectrum of treatments and deal with numerous – and sometimes highly complex – cases that they encounter in their daily clinical routine.

New Episodes in the Fall of 2023

As the YouTube format was very well received by viewers, it is now being continued. The second season continues to offer the tried and tested format – a lively dialogue between two experts – but also adds some new features: The episodes are even shorter, simpler, and more focused on patient services.

– Author: Jana Schruff