Among all the beautiful new developments in the profession, we would almost lose sight of the essence of periodontology. It is therefore high time to return to our roots during the NVvP Autumn Congress 2023, where the core, the vision and the development of periodontology over the years are systematically explained. And who can do that better than the old and new honorary members of the NVvP, headed by the periodontology celebrities Prof. Dr. Ubele van der Velden and Prof. Dr. Klaus Lang?