Dr. Randolph R. Resnik, director of the Misch International Implant Institute

For more than 35 years, the Misch International Implant Institute (MIII) has set the standards for dental implant education. As a founding member, director, and primary lecturer of the MIII, Dr. Randolph Resnik provides us with an inside look at the MIII, its detailed, literature-based curriculum, and the success attendees have gained after graduation.

What is the Misch educational philosophy?

The Misch philosophy is based on integrating all aspects of implant dentistry, including the surgical, prosthetic, and maintenance disciplines, into easy-to-understand, comprehensive protocols. We teach literature-based, universally accepted classifications and procedures that allow clinicians to easily integrate into their practices. I truly believe every general dentist should be placing dental implants and performing bone-grafting procedures. Implant dentistry is one of the fastest growing areas in medicine and is projected to continue at an increasing rate in the future. Therefore, general dentists just need to acquire a strong foundation of basic implant skills and time-proven principles that will allow their practices to go to the next level.

How does the MIII training directly impact graduates’ practices?

Our graduates become part of the Misch family, and many attendees acquire lasting relationships with our faculty and their fellow students. I am most proud of what our graduates accomplish after our training. In a recent graduate survey, which we conduct a year after students complete our program, the results show a significant benefit to their practice: 98.5% of grads are placing implants, 97% of grads are performing bone-grafting procedures, and attendees report an average of 22.7% increase in office production in the first year after graduation. In addition, many graduates of our program easily become Diplomates and Board-certified in Oral Implantology.

Could you give us an overview of your courses?

The MIII provides courses in Surgery, Prosthetics, CBCT, Complications, and live Hands-On Surgery. Our goal is to provide the clinician with a well-rounded education that minimizes the possibility of complications. Each course is comprised of 2 to 3 days of didactic lectures and hands-on lab sessions. All PowerPoint slides are provided to the attendees in an easy-to-follow colored handout.

How would you explain your course curriculum?

I am a huge advocate for giving doctors as much information as possible. My belief is to expose doctors to every aspect of implant dentistry and, in addition, to build their skills in performing procedures they have never previously been exposed to. During each course, approximately 4 hours per weekend are dedicated to learning clinical procedures via hands-on labs. Attendees get extensive training in soft-tissue management — such as suturing, tissue stretching, reflecting tissue — along with flap design, exposing vital structures, and CBCT-guided procedures. In addition, we expose our doctors to freehand and fully guided implant surgery with respect to single, multiple, fully edentulous, and immediate-load implant protocols. Our doctors are provided with  step-by-step handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and a detailed video of each lab procedure.

Why are these hands-on lab procedures so valuable?

It is most beneficial if students are able to perform procedures they have just learned about in lecture. For instance, over the years, one of the most common complications doctors experience early in their learning curve is incision line opening. Almost every weekend of our surgical program, we emphasize tissue stretching and incision procedures. Therefore, our doctors get very proficient at handling soft tissue, and this decreases their complications in their office and increases their procedural success rate. In fact, our faculty come in at night or early in the mornings to work with doctors one-on-one to increase their skill level with any particular procedure of interest.

Tell us about your supervised, hands-on surgery program.

Misch students are able to perform live surgery on patients for almost any type of implant or grafting procedure (extraction/socket grafting, single and multiple implants, ridge augmentation, and crestal- or lateral-wall sinus augmentation). The hands-on courses are given in Tampa, Florida, and state dental licenses are provided for all of our doctors. Doctors are allowed to select what type of procedures they would like to perform. Specific details are provided at misch.com.

What do you see in the future for implant dentistry?

I believe the outlook for the Misch Institute and implant education is excellent. I believe the demand for dental implants will only increase as more general dentists will become active in the surgical placement of implants. Currently, studies show that 80% to 90% of general dentists worldwide place implants; however, only 10% to 15% of general dentists in North America are involved in the surgical phase. A significant trend I am seeing is that more and more general dentists are getting involved with implants; however, very few have formal training. Therefore, because our curriculum is tailored to the general dentist and is the most comprehensive in the industry, the Misch Institute will remain at the forefront of dental implant education.

What is your goal for the MIII graduating students?

My goal is for all of our graduates to integrate our protocols and classifications into their practices that will lead to their practices becoming more successful and profitable. My favorite saying is: “What is the difference between a good Implantologist and a great Implantologist? The answer is that a good Implantologist is very good at surgery; a great Implantologist knows when not to perform surgery.” Therefore, at the Misch Institute, we train our doctors to be successful and give them the knowledge that is needed to understand when it is not advisable to proceed with a procedure.