Speaker Biography
Dr. Karla Soto has focused on sharing the power of Digital Dentistry, Facially Generated Comprehensive Treatment Planning and the impact of having an emotional connection with patients. Karla has presented in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and North America on fully embracing the digital dentistry revolution to transform her practice into a more productive and fulfilling experience. She is a DSD KOL, Align Global Faculty & Advisory Board, Ivoclar KOL, NSK KOL and VHF KOL. An award winning clinician, Karla received the 2020 DSD Speaker of the Year award, the 2021 Straumann Purpose award and Align Case Shootout champion at the 2021 GP Summit live competition. Dr. Soto is the cofounder of Smile Again, a nonprofit to help give smile makeovers to survivors of domestic violence and leads dental/medical missions overseas.
A bonafide CE addict, she is a Kois Graduate, Spear Alumni and a member of AACD, AGD, DSD, AACA, and LEAD Mastermind. Passionate about learning and sharing, Dr. Soto launched an interactive educational platform called Key Elements to help colleagues connect the dots of digital dentistry.
Dr. Soto practices as a cosmetic, implant and general dentist in her private practice in Boca Raton, Florida. She graduated from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in 2006 and completed a GPR at the Baltimore VA.
Karla loves living life to its fullest by experiencing the world with her husband and her two daughters.
Course Description
Today’s digital tools don’t just make dentistry faster — they make it better, more predictable, and more interdisciplinary than ever before. In this immersive session, Dr. Karla Soto will guide you through a full-spectrum digital workflow — from scanning to planning to performing — that bridges orthodontics, surgery, and restorative care. Central to this framework is a facially generated smile design philosophy that places esthetic evaluation at the very beginning of every workup — because the most successful interdisciplinary cases always start with the end in mind.
Through real patient cases — spanning worn dentition rehabilitation, minimally invasive ortho-restorative scenarios, combination implant cases, and fully digital All-on-X workflows — Dr. Soto will break down the diagnostic thought process, esthetic evaluation principles, and team communication strategies that streamline even the most complex cases across the entire interdisciplinary team.
Whether you are a generalist building your interdisciplinary network or a specialist looking to collaborate more seamlessly, this lecture will expand your capabilities — and your confidence — when integrating comprehensive, esthetics-driven care in your practice.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand the end-to-end digital workflow from scan to final delivery across multiple case types, using facial esthetic analysis as the diagnostic foundation that guides every interdisciplinary decision from the outset.
2. Leverage digital diagnostic tools to evaluate esthetic parameters, enhance treatment visualization, and sequence pre-restorative alignment and gingival recontouring — recognizing that this shared digital language is a key element in facilitating clear communication and seamless collaboration across specialties.
3. Develop patient communication and case presentation strategies that translate complex interdisciplinary treatment plans into a clear visual narrative, improving treatment acceptance and strengthening interdisciplinary team coordination.
AGD PACE Subject Codes
Primary: 690 – Implantology
Secondary: 780 – Prosthodontics (Fixed)
Secondary: 034 – Dental Informatics