Two clinicians. Two disciplines. One shared clinical question.
Airway is not a separate topic — it is part of how we diagnose, sequence and treat complex patients.
A narrow maxilla. A retrusive mandible. A patient planned for implant treatment or full-mouth rehabilitation. A case where the teeth can be restored — but the underlying skeletal and functional problem may still remain.
For surgeons and implantologists, the key question is not only how to operate or where to place the implant, but also whether surgery or implant treatment is the right step at that moment — and what should come before or after it.
For orthodontists, prosthodontists and general dentists, the same patient raises different questions: when to intervene, when to refer, how to sequence treatment and how to build a plan that works across disciplines.
AIRWAY FIRST brings these perspectives together in one clinical day — connecting airway, skeletal relationships, occlusion, orthodontics, surgery, implantology and prosthetics through real cases and interdisciplinary treatment planning.
Airway-centred dentistry is no longer a niche conversation - this is the moment when it is breaking into mainstream clinical thinking.
Through real clinical cases and practical treatment strategies, we will explore how airway, growth, occlusion, orthodontics and surgery can work together to create more comprehensive and predictable outcomes. At the same time, digital diagnostics, AI and interdisciplinary treatment are changing how we understand and treat patients.
Whether you are the clinician who first identifies the problem, the orthodontist planning growth and occlusion, the surgeon managing skeletal or implant treatment, or the restorative dentist completing the rehabilitation — the outcome depends on how well the whole treatment journey fits together.
Why your specialty should be in the room
We don't claim to have all the answers. But we want to bring together the people who are asking the right questions.
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons
Explore where orthodontics ends and surgery begins, how skeletal discrepancies and airway considerations influence surgical planning, and how surgical and orthodontic treatment can be coordinated more predictably.
Prosthodontists & Restorative Dentists
Complex restorative cases rarely exist in isolation. Understand how facial structure, occlusion, function, airway and orthodontic positioning can influence restorative planning, risk management and long-term outcomes.
Orthodontists
Airway and skeletal development are increasingly influencing how contemporary orthodontists approach diagnosis, growth, expansion, treatment limits and long-term stability. Hear directly from clinicians working at the forefront of this discussion and challenge the way you currently plan complex cases.
General Dentists
You are often the first clinician to see the patient. Learn which clinical findings and risk factors deserve a closer look, what questions are worth asking, and when collaboration with orthodontics, surgery or other specialists may change the treatment pathway.
ENT Specialists
Dental and medical disciplines increasingly meet around nasal obstruction, sleep-disordered breathing, craniofacial development and airway function. This is an opportunity to understand how dental clinicians approach these patients — and where medical and dental expertise can complement each other.
Myofunctional / Speech Therapists
Understand where functional therapy fits within evidence-based interdisciplinary treatment planning, and how breathing, oral function and muscle patterns can be assessed alongside structural and orthodontic findings — without treating any single factor in isolation.
FROM DIAGNOSIS TO COLLABORATION
Understanding airway, growth and function is only the beginning.
The real challenge is translating the diagnosis into a coordinated treatment plan - and then making that plan work across disciplines.
How do we decide who should treat what, how and in which sequence?
How do restorative dentistry, surgery, orthodontics, sleep medicine and other disciplines fit together?
TICKETS ARE LIMITED / SECURE YOUR SEAT
THE PROGRAM
08:30 - 8:55 / Morning Coffee & Registration
08:55 – 09:00 / Opening Remarks
09:00 – 10:30 / Session 1: Airway-Centered Diagnosis
Coffee break
10:45 – 12:15 / Session 2: Orthodontic Planning for Airway Improvement
Lunch
13:15 – 14:45 / Session 3: Surgical Interventions for Airway Improvement
Coffee break
15:00 – 16:15 / Session 4: Case Studies
16:15 – 17:00 / Panel Discussion x Kliinik 32 & Q&A
WHAT WILL YOU TAKE HOME?
After AIRWAY FIRST, you should be better able to:
/ recognise skeletal, functional and airway-related factors that may influence complex treatment planning;
/ understand when orthodontics, surgery, implant treatment or prosthetic rehabilitation should come first;
/ identify findings that may require referral or a change in the planned treatment sequence;
/ integrate implant timing and positioning into the wider interdisciplinary treatment plan;
/ recognise when surgical correction may create a more stable foundation for restorative and implant treatment;
/ approach complex and full-mouth rehabilitation cases with a more structured interdisciplinary mindset.
THE LECTURERS
Dr. Dr. Florian Six
MD, DMD
Dr. Florian Six is an Austrian dentist and specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, based in Wels, Austria. He holds both a medical degree (Dr. med. univ., University of Vienna, 2007) and a dental degree (Dr. med. dent., University of Vienna, 2012, with distinction). He completed his specialist training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at AKH Vienna and became a board-certified specialist in 2014.
His clinical focus includes implantology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, functional dentistry and interdisciplinary treatment planning. He founded his own dental practice in Wels in 2015, which has since developed into a multidisciplinary team.
Dr. Six is particularly involved in interdisciplinary approaches to modern dentistry, connecting orthodontics, surgery, implantology, function and overall patient health. He is a member of the European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry, Seattle Study Club and the Austrian societies for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry. He is also a co-founder of the Vienna Study Club and has been involved in the Vienna Airway Congress since its early editions. Awarded multiple DocFinder Patient's Choice Awards and recognized among top Austrian dentists by outlets like Formatand Kurier.
Dr. Christian Leonhardt
Dr. Christian Leonhardt is a German dentist and orthodontist based in Augsburg, Germany, and the founder and owner of Zahnärzte am Perlach, a multidisciplinary dental practice established in 2016. His clinical focus is on functional and aesthetic rehabilitation, airway-focused treatment planning, orthodontics, implantology and minimally invasive dentistry.
He completed his dental studies at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and subsequently pursued extensive postgraduate education in orthodontics, implantology, prosthodontics, periodontology, functional dentistry and airway medicine. He completed an M.Sc. in Orthodontics, graduated from Kois Center in Seattle and has undertaken advanced airway and airway-radiology training in the USA.
Dr. Leonhardt is particularly known for his facial-, functional- and airway-driven approach to treatment planning, combining orthodontics, restorative dentistry, occlusion and airway considerations when managing complex patients. He is also internationally active as a lecturer and educator and is a Kois Center mentor.
He is a founder of Open Airway, an educational initiative focused on bringing airway-oriented, interdisciplinary concepts into everyday dental practice. His current teaching focuses on breathing, airway health, functional diagnostics, myofunctional therapy, orthodontic and restorative treatment, and interdisciplinary management of complex cases.
WHY ATTEND?
/ SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE
Move beyond isolated dental problems and understand how diagnosis, function, orthodontics, surgery, implantology and restorative dentistry connect.
/ LEARN HOW CLINICIANS THINK
Not only what treatment was performed, but why that treatment was chosen.
/ TAKE IT BACK TO YOUR PRACTICE
Recognise complex cases earlier, structure referrals more logically and make interdisciplinary treatment planning more predictable.
VENUE
Fotografiska Tallinn is an internationally recognised contemporary cultural venue located in the heart of Telliskivi Creative City. Its inspiring architecture, creative atmosphere and panoramic views over Tallinn create a setting designed for fresh thinking, meaningful conversations and new perspectives.
This is where AIRWAY FIRST brings together modern dentistry, interdisciplinary thinking and forward-looking clinical concepts in a setting that feels as inspiring as the ideas being shared.
INFO
TIME / DATE: April 2, 2027
LOCATION: Fotografiska Tallinn (Telliskivi 60a-8)
LANGUAGE: English
PRICING:
/ Early Bird until January 8, 2027: 540€
/ Regular Bird until February 28, 2027: 600€
/ Late Bird until the event: 650€
SEE BEYOND THE SMILE / THINK AIRWAY FIRST
Join us in Tallinn for a clinical day that goes beyond teeth and available bone — connecting diagnosis, treatment sequencing, surgery, implantology and prosthetics into one interdisciplinary treatment pathway.
For cancellations made less than 30 days before the event, 100% of the participation fee will be charged and the fee is non-refundable.
A participant may be replaced by another person upon prior notice to the organiser.
Photography, Video & Marketing
Please note that photography and video recording may take place during the event. By attending AIRWAY FIRST, participants acknowledge that photos and video footage taken during the event may be used by the organisers for marketing, communication and promotional purposes, including websites, social media, newsletters and future event materials.
If you do not wish to appear in identifiable photos or video footage, please inform the organisers before the event.