The master of simplicity

Walter Devoto explains the Styleitaliano philosophy: beauty created by simplicity, backed by science

What makes Italian aesthetic dentistry some of the best in the world?

It’s no secret that Italian history is some of the widest and oldest, especially when talking about painting, sculpting, and music. Italians have developed a sense in these disciplines that characterises them worldwide.

As with many cultures, Italy has virtues and defects, but among one of the most outstanding virtues, and due to our historical background, we find the sense of art and design a characteristic of an Italian.

It is a cliché to hear that Italian men are handsome because of the way they handle their outfits and how they benefit from their good taste, but it is in their blood.

This Italian way of appreciation and artistic sensibility has not remained exclusively in what we know as the classical arts, but it has incised very much in dressing, automotive industry, architecture, interior design – just to mention a few disciplines that have made Italians become world leaders.

Dentistry is not an exception. All of that is the Italian style – the most valuable thing to ‘copy’ from Italians!

What does ‘Styleitaliano’ mean?

Styleitaliano was founded by myself and Angelo Putignano. It is more than a group of dentists or a technique. It’s an ‘idea factory’, a philosophy, an education project, a research group, a circle of lecturers, a website and a Facebook community with 120,000 followers.

Styleitaliano has developed – among many other things – four restorative techniques, 13 high-end products in collaboration with different companies, many clinical and research papers, and an innovative training centre in the beautiful landscape of Portofino in Italy. Every project is based on friendship, hard work and inclusivity.

How did Styleitaliano begin?

Styleitaliano began one summer evening when myself and Angelo met during a congress dinner. During a chat, we were discussing how layering techniques were evolving and becoming more complex. We stared at each other and without words we knew perfectly what to do and which people to work with to achieve our dream: to make high-end dentistry universal and at the reach of everyone.

Since then, a lot of hard work and dedication led to the development of the Styleitaliano ‘recipes’ and the controlled body thickness (CBT) layering technique. With that evolution, many products evolved together with the project and with invaluable partners.

Do general dentists have to produce perfect restorations to be part of Styleitaliano?

It’s not a matter of doing perfect restorations. If it was that way, we could have hundreds of members. Anyone can become a member – the requisite is hard work, and the skills to teach and share ideas. The most important thing is the self-proposal on how and where to fit in the project with your own work. Styleitaliano is a group of general dentists that are able to transmit their message to other general dentists.

What is the golden rule of highly aesthetic restorations according to Styleitaliano principles?

The golden rule is to be repeatable – and that means to know and master a method, believe in it, carry it out faithfully, and use it every day. That is the only way to anticipate a great result and/or correct it if something goes wrong. By mastering simplicity, we can explore the complex.


This article was originally published in the April 2017 issue of Aesthetic Dentistry Today. Read more articles like this in Aesthetic Dentistry Today and gain three hours’ verifiable CPD with every issue. Click here to subscribe or call 01923 851 777. Get in touch via Twitter @AesDenToday.

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