20 Years of Growing Smiles Together: A Look Back at the Implant & Aesthetic Academy’s Journey

2024 marks a big milestone for the Implant & Aesthetic Academy – it’s our 20th anniversary!
It feels like just yesterday I was on a European train with my good friend Mark Otto (may he rest in peace) and Professor Andre Van Zyl . We were all fired up about taking dental education in South Africa to the next level, and that’s where the idea for the Academy was born.

It all started with a simple dream – to make a real difference. We had no idea back then what an incredible journey we were about to embark on.
From Humble Beginnings to a Thriving Academy

Our very first course? We crammed eight amazing students into a tiny room at Mark Otto’s practice. Talk about small beginnings, right? But even then, the passion for dentistry was burning bright! Over the years, that passion only grew stronger, and so did the Academy.
We moved around a bit—from Mark’s place to Johannesburg and back to Cape Town to Zevenwacht and Wright Millners, to name a few—before finally settling into our incredible home at the Enamel Clinic. Now, we’ve got cutting-edge equipment, a fantastic faculty, and enough space to train 36 students at once.



The Dream Team: The People Who Made It Happen
None of this would have been possible without some truly amazing people. We have managed to grow thanks to the contributions of talented individuals like our current team of senior lecturers Dr Bradley Bredekamp, Dr Riaan Wolfaardt, Dr Mark Bowes and more, but we could not have grown without those that have lectured and been apart of our Academy history, Dr Johan Lochner, and Dr Jonathan Du Toit to name a few.

We’ve also been lucky enough to have incredible sponsors on board, like MegaGen, Southern Implants, and Ustomed who helped us build our incredible IAA facility, and we are grateful to be supported by multiple brands, in addition the likes of Wright Millners, Zumax, Megadent, Dentsply Sirona, Straumann, Bicon, Dental Warehouse, Henry Schein, and multiple others. A huge thank you for believing in our mission and helping us provide the best possible education for our students

Looking to the Future: A Legacy of Learning

The past 20 years have been incredible and we look forward to many more! We’re always looking for ways to innovate and bring our students the latest and greatest educational resources to keep them ahead of the curve.
Here’s to sharpening dental knowledge and surgical skills for many years to come!
