Well, I did it! I recently returned from Los Angeles, California having completed the final session of my year long course in Advanced Dental Implant Treatment. When I finished the course, I received a double diploma issued by both Loma Linda University in California and the Global Institute for Dental Education. This new diploma shows that I have successfully demonstrated that a mastery of new techniques for dental implants.

This course covered restoring dental implants, but it also included the skills to successfully and predictably place implants into both basic sites and complex sites that require multiple procedures to achieve the desired goals of aesthetics and function. As discussed in my last blog post, this course consisted of four sessions including hundreds of hours of lectures, 8 written exams, and additional hours of lecture format videos. It also involved presenting 2 case studies about patients that I have treated. Whew!!!

You’re probably wondering: what does this mean for you, my patients? Well, it means that you can rest assured that I really know what I am doing, and that I am up to date in new techniques! Not only does this mean I can place dental implants, it also means that they will look like teeth when completed. That’s more than can be said for some of the unsightly implants that have shown up in my office for consultations.

This course is now behind me, but I look at my continuing studies as an opportunity to become a better dentist and to learn how to better serve my patients. As always, I plan to continue my training because things are always changing in dentistry. I believe that if one doesn’t move forward, they are going backwards, and I want to make sure I’m always able to bring the newest and best procedures to bear on my patient’s needs and concerns. That means that I still have more courses on the horizon, but I choose to think of any new courses as working to fine tune what is already very successful.

Stay tuned in for more about this.