Continuing Education Update by Howard M. Goldstein, DMD

Welcome to 2017! We just finished another great year of CE on Dentaltown, and I would like to thank all of the amazing educators that have contributed and have made Dentaltown the No. 1 location on the internet for quality dental continuing education. Here are some great new courses to check out:

Next Level Endodontics: Endodontic Fundamentals
by Dr. Martin Trope
Based on their decades of academic and clinical expertise, Dr. Martin Trope and the Next Level Endodontics faculty have created a curriculum on the fundamentals of predictable clinical success. This series emphasizes the biologic requirements for successful endodontics. Strategies discussed include cutting-edge instrumentation and root-filling technologies that promise excellent results for prevention and treatment of apical periodontitis, as well as for the tooth’s long-term survivability. Completion of this program is a prerequisite for Trope’s world-renowned, hands-on courses. 

New-Economy Cosmetics (Filmed live at Townie Meeting)
by Dr. Eric Jones
The days of cashing in the home equity for 20 porcelain veneers may be over, but elective dentistry is not dead. Learn new treatment options, tips, and strategies to reinvigorate the elective portion of your practice, do more meaningful dentistry, and even boost your bottom line. This lecture discusses how function now drives acceptance in aesthetic cases, and shows real-world examples of cosmetic dentistry for any budget—from simple ortho you can do tomorrow to staging complex treatment.

Handbooks and Policies: What Every Employer Needs to Know
by Paul Edwards
Every year, hundreds of employment laws are added or changed at both the federal and state levels. As an employer, you must be 100% compliant with all of these laws 100% of the time. But if you don’t keep your policies up to date, it can spell disaster in terms of government audits, employment lawsuits and more. Learn how to protect your practice from the common problems that lead to liability by watching this course.

Guided Surgery, Ridge Splitting and Sinus Lifts for Success in Implant Surgery (Recorded live at the CAD-Ray Symposium)
by Dr. Jay Reznick
Reznick goes into details on how to split the ridge to increase bone for implants, and when and how to use BMP. He also discusses the protocol when a bone graft fails, and provides information and videos about how to perform sinus lifts. Reznick shows how guided surgery makes implant placement more predictable and more efficient as well as how to use guided implant stents.

To Pull or Not to Pull: Apical Surgery Versus Implant Replacement
by Dr. Daniel G. Pompa
With the introduction of new surgical approaches in apical surgery, and a systematic approach to the diagnosis and treatment of compromised teeth, clinicians should be able to more accurately determine the long-term prognosis of a surgical, nonsurgical or replacement treatment option, and determine its potential success, by taking this course. 

Improving Patient Care by Improving Practice Performance
by Lance Jacob with Tim Lott
The course explains why it's important for dentists to understand how their practice is performing and how that performance affects patient care. Topics covered include production versus collections, and their relation to cash flow; expense classifications and overhead; revenues and overhead; why it's important to be able to compare your practice to industry benchmarks.

Inside Secrets to Grow Your Practice (Filmed live at Townie Meeting)
by Sandy Pardue
This course will teach steps to help you gain control and grow your practice. Learn what it takes to avoid practice-management blunders and myths that may be working against you and the systems that top-producing practices use to increase efficiency, productivity and profitability. Tools are provided to close the back door so that new patients stay and existing patients get back in the chair.

Next Level Endodontics: Anesthesia and Pain Control
by Dr. James G. Hupp
This course describes strategies to obtain profound anesthesia to perform comfortable endodontic treatment. Also, current evidence will be presented regarding the use of analgesics and antibiotics for posttreatment care of endodontic patients. 

The Standard of Care: What Is It? What Is It Not? Key Information Both Specialists and General Dentists Need to Know
by John Dovgan
This course will educate you on the definition of the “standard of care” and how to meet it, as well as key legal terms you need to know. Guidelines are given for what is looked for in dental board cases and malpractice cases, as well as local anesthetic and sedation mistakes that dentists make. Learn which lines should not be crossed, and typical treatment notes you should incorporate into practice.

Pediatric Dentistry: Anesthesia, Pulp Therapy and Stainless Steel Crowns
by Dr. Josh Wren
With the Affordable Care Act mandating dental coverage for those 19 and younger, more than 3 million pediatric patients will be added to 150,000 dental practices. Treating children may become a necessity for your dental office. Pulp therapy and stainless steel crowns are procedures often considered complex when performed on pediatric patients—this course will alleviate any fear of the unknown that leads to this misconception. Indirect pulp therapy, pulpotomy and pulpectomy are discussed, with emphasis on diagnosis and technique. Stainless steel crowns are also discussed, with procedural steps explained and shown. The course also discusses Wren’s process for using nitrous oxide, appropriate topical anesthesia and local anesthesia to achieve painless injections.

Appropriate Analgesic Prescribing for the General Dentist
by Dr. Mark Donaldson
Wouldn't it be great to be known as the dentist who offers excellent pain-free, postoperative care without the use of narcotics? Wouldn't you like to be more confident in evidence-based, guideline-driven prescription writing?  This is the program to help you be just that.

Fundamentals of Fixed Prosthodontics
by Dr. Lane Ochi
Successfully treating patients with fixed prosthodontics requires a mastery of materials and mechanical concepts, as well as a respect for tooth structure. We need to be aware of the interactions between preparation design, margin configuration, core buildups or posts, and the luting agent. After viewing this course, you’ll be able to identify the causes of failures and prevent them from recurring.