Last winter I had the privilege of attending the International Academy of Ceramic Implants annual meeting. The meeting was held in a suburb of Miami Florida. Several of the excellent speakers were from Europe. They have been working with ceramic implants for much longer in Europe than in the US. I learned the most from a German dentist who spoke about his simplified ceramic implant concept as well as his experience on the effects of metals and infections on the human body. At the end of his presentation he invited any of us to come and shadow him at his clinic while he does the procedures. What a great opportunity! Since my early years in dentistry I have focused on learning from the best and whenever possible, experience hands on learning and observation. An early mentor, George Eversal, taught me that what a doctor says in a lecture versus what they actually do in practice is often different. These are nuances that if overlooked can result in a completely different result.