2nd International Symposium on Ceramic

Upon his marriage in 1973, Willi Geller opened a dental laboratory in Switzerland, which even then possessed the world's highest standards of technology in the dental industry. Vita Zahnfabrik took notice of this young dental technician who had come to Switzerland from Austria, made contact with him, and Geller served as an advisor to VITA. Vita Zahnfabrik used this opportunity to launch an advertising campaign.

The Weiland Seminar was held every two years, and for the first four or so sessions, it was essentially a solo performance by Mr. Asami Tanaka. From this point onward, Mr. Geller's lectures and hands-on courses became increasingly frequent. Concurrently, major events like the German Weiland Seminar began to emerge within the dental technician community. The Weiland Seminar was held every two years, and for the first four or so sessions, it was essentially a solo performance by Mr. Asami Tanaka. His technique, marketed as the “One-Bake Technique,” involved thorough condensation after molar build-up, famously making restorations so durable they wouldn't break even if thrown onto the floor. This was an attractive technique for dental technicians of the time. Subsequent Wieland Seminars invited not only Mr. Asami Tanaka but also the dental world's most artistically accomplished dental technicians, with Geller being one of them. Geller recounted that during these lectures, he looked through a camera and saw a subject appear, gradually coming closer. It transformed into a woman, and finally, the image became a photograph of lips. He described this artistic presentation as a lecture with a strong impact that left a lasting impression (presumably Enrico Steger's lecture). 

Amidst these trends in the dental world, Mr. Geller was the first to show photographs of red lips alongside prosthetics during his lectures. When he first displayed those red lips, the audience was captivated. Why? Because no one had ever shown large red lips in a lecture before. At that time, he was the only one delivering such stimulating lectures. Geller intentionally used lip photos effectively for several reasons: to show the harmony between the patient's facial appearance and mouth area, to create a sense of sexiness, and to have the effect of waking up an audience that might otherwise become a little bored.

In 1984, the 2nd International Symposium on Ceramic was scheduled to be held in London. Willi Geller and Mr. Makoto Yamamoto were invited by Dr. John W. McLean to attend the symposium at the Barbican Centre in London, based on a recommendation from Mr. Asami Tanaka. At that time, Mr. Asami Tanaka was already a renowned dental technician, famous for his one-bake technique and the fact that his restorations remained intact even when thrown onto the floor after layering.

Dr. McLean visited Asia (Japan?) multiple times, and on his return trips, he would stop by Zurich to visit Geller's lab. During one such visit, he showed Geller photographs of Mr. Yamamoto's work (likely the opening photographs from Mr. Yamamoto's book The Metal Ceramics).

Geller was deeply impressed and later remarked, “I wanted to create something similar to Mr. Yamamoto's work.”

At that time, Mr. Yamamoto used “Matsukaze” porcelain powder, while Geller used “VITA” porcelain powder. Although their philosophies regarding porcelain differed slightly, Mr. Yamamoto respected Geller like a senior mentor. Geller also respected Mr. Yamamoto. While it may seem obvious, it's an interesting phenomenon that the more talented the dental technician, the more they tend to respect Geller. This occurs in any field. It means that only those who have worked hard themselves truly recognize another's effort, and only those with talent can truly see another's talent.

Later, this lecture became a turning point, serving as the catalyst for the dental world to recognize the importance of the dental technician's role.