DR. BILL ROBBINS – Failures and Lessons in 50 years of Prosthodontics
Friday, January 23, 2026 @ 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
“A 50 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE – MY FAILURES AND LESSONS LEARNED”
J. William Robbins, D.D.S., M.A., maintains a full-time private practice and is Clinical Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Dental School in 1973. He completed a rotating internship at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas, and a 2-year General Practice Residency at the V.A. Hospital in San Diego, California. Dr. Robbins has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, Middle East, China, and Africa.
He co-authored a textbook, Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry– A Contemporary Approach, which is published by Quintessence and is in its 4th Edition. He recently co-authored a new textbook, Global Diagnosis – A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, which is also published by Quintessence. He has won several awards including the Presidential Teaching Award at the University of Texas Health Science Center, the 2002 Texas Dentist of the Year Award, the 2003 Honorary Thaddeus V. Weclew Fellowship Award from the Academy of General Dentistry, the 2010 Soul Schluger Award given by the Seattle Study Club, the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry 2015 President’s Award, and the 2016 Academy of Operative Dentistry Award of Excellence. He is a Diplomate of the Academy of Operative Dentistry, the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry, and the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
It has been said: “Success is a poor teacher.” In this presentation Dr. Robbins will show failures of his cases and lessons that he has learned in the past 50 years. Dr. Robbins will discuss several areas with possible solutions to failures that he has experienced.
This dynamic, full-spectrum session will review complex clinical and communication challenges at the intersection of restorative dentistry, diagnosis, and interdisciplinary care.
Topics include evidence-based decision making about whether to save or extract compromised teeth, contemporary considerations for post-and-core use, and the ongoing challenges of dentin bonding–especially when restoring subgingival margins in both anterior and posterior regions.
We will also discuss the often-overlooked clinical clues tied to supracrestal attachment (biologic width), treatment options for worn lower incisors, and the esthetic and functional considerations of implants in the anterior maxilla. Communication takes center stage with strategies for effective case presentation based on personality types, improved team collaboration, and critical conversations with orthodontists during pre-bonding planning.
The session concludes with diagnostic pitfalls that clinicians face -including a look at Global Diagnosis-and a demonstration of how Digital Smile Design (DSD) can elevate treatment planning and patient engagement.
Sea To Sky Dental Seminars
seatoskyds@gmail.com
DR. BILL ROBBINS
“A 50 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE – MY FAILURES AND LESSONS LEARNED”