A Road Map to Live and Online Training in Dental Implants

Sharpen your skillset in implant dentistry with live courses, online CE and webinars.

November 16, 2021

Author

Smile Bulletin Staff

Glidewell

A Road Map to Live and Online Training in Dental Implants - Hero Image

As the optimal method of tooth replacement, dental implants have become an essential part of the modern dental practice. Whether you prefer to only restore implants or are among the many dentists who are adding implant placement to their practices, there is an array of live courses and online CE to help you meet your goals in implant dentistry.

For dentists who embrace the surgical placement of implants, this is a service that can both expand patient access to treatment and serve as a vehicle of growth for the practice. General practitioners who place implants find that patients are more likely to say yes to treatment when the entire procedure — from implant surgery to restoration delivery — is performed by the dentist they know and trust. As noted by Dr. Leif Löberg, who maintains a private practice in Laguna Hills, California, “Providing everything under one roof not only increases acceptance of treatment — it creates a robust, long-term relationship with patients.”

Dental continuing education is vital for dentists who place implants, but it is also invaluable to the restorative side of implant dentistry. For example, capturing an accurate impression, whether you’re using conventional impression materials or an intraoral scanner, is integral to a successful outcome. The final delivery appointment will ultimately determine the patient’s happiness with the treatment they receive. In addition, selecting the correct type of implant prosthesis can affect the esthetics and long-term health of the restoration.

Thus, taking advantage of the ample dental CE resources available to dentists, whether the focus is surgical or restorative, is imperative to performing implant procedures as efficiently as possible and ensuring your patients have the kind of experience that generates referrals and loyalty to your practice. The following training programs and dental CE content are available to help you along in your implant journey, from live, hands-on courses, to free online CE content that can be viewed at a place and time most convenient for you and your staff.

Implant placement not only helps more patients accept treatment, but it also helps drive business growth. - Image 1

Implant placement not only helps more patients accept treatment, but it also helps drive business growth. After learning to place implants, Dr. John Geasland of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, noticed a positive impact on his patients as well as his practice. “Patients would follow through with treatment more often and with less hesitation,” said Dr. Geasland. “This helped my entire practice and increased the case acceptance rate for implant treatment, which of course comes with some additional revenue.”

What Are Good Options for Live Dental CE Courses on Implants?

When learning to place implants, there is no substitute for live courses with hands-on exercises, which allow you to familiarize yourself with surgical procedures and protocols by placing implants in dental models, pig jaws or, in some cases, live patients. Live courses are frequently offered during weekends, allowing clinicians to acquire the necessary skills and confidence to place implants on a schedule and pace that works best for their practices.

Glidewell Clinical Education

As part of Glidewell’s longstanding commitment to helping dentists expand patient access to high-quality care, Glidewell Clinical Education offers an array of live courses taught by leading experts in their respective fields — with implant dentistry chief among them. Whether you’re looking to learn the basics of tooth extraction and bone grafting, how to place implants, or more advanced procedures like full-arch implant treatment and extraction with immediate placement, Glidewell can help you gain the skill and confidence to add valuable new services to your practice.

Dental CE courses are offered in various locations across the country, and in several courses the tuition includes surgical kits, implants, patient education models, and other valuable resources for dentists who offer implant services for their patients.

Dr. Stephanie Tilley, who operates a thriving practice in Pensacola, Florida, began placing implants after taking a two-day course in Louisville, Kentucky. “I sought out a comprehensive surgical and prosthetic implant training program that would get me on my way to performing surgical procedures,” said Dr. Tilley. “Because of the high reputation of Glidewell as both a dental lab and implant manufacturer, I was intrigued by their CE programs. I left the course excited to get back to my office to start treating my patients, and I am now able to confidently place most of the requested implants in my practice.”

The live, hands-on courses offered by Glidewell Clinical Education are designed to provide dentists with implant skills and knowledge that they can immediately put to use when they return to their practices.

If you’re a dentist whose focus remains on restorative procedures, Glidewell uses its expertise as the world’s largest implant lab and the experience of its instructors to help clinicians achieve a predictable prosthetic outcome, from single-unit restorations to full-arch implant prostheses. Dr. John Fish, who attended a Glidewell Clinical Education course on full-arch implant restorations, noted the unique combination of education and clinical support. “They’ve been refining the restorative workflow for full-arch cases for years, and they have a great technical support team in place that can provide you with any help you need in restoring these cases,” said Dr. Fish. “I’d also suggest taking advantage of Glidewell as a tremendous educational resource and attending one of their courses on full-arch implant treatment. Dr. Paresh Patel’s course was great, and it really opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities.”

To learn more about and register for the upcoming implant courses offered by Glidewell Clinical Education, visit glidewellcecenter.com or call 866-791-9539.

Misch-Resnik Implant Institute

Founded in 1984, the Misch-Resnik Implant Institute has set the gold standard for dental implant education. Originally established by the late Dr. Carl Misch, and now directed by founding member Dr. Randolph Resnik, the institute’s renowned surgical continuum has helped thousands of dentists successfully add implant placement to their practices. The Misch-Resnik Institute’s continuum is based on proven, research-based principles that lead to success in every facet of implant dentistry. An overwhelming majority of the dentists who complete the surgical continuum find great success with the skill set they bring back to their practices.

The First Year After Graduating From The MISCH International Implant Institute

The continuum is divided into five two-day weekend courses, and can be taken in any order, meaning that dentists can acquire a foundation of science-based skills and knowledge on a timeline of their own choosing. Dentists who complete the continuum are exposed to the full range of indications, from CBCT treatment planning, to implant placement in the edentulous arch, to advanced bone grafting procedures, to the management of implant complications.

For dentists seeking to offer new implant services for the good of their patients as well as their practices, the Misch-Resnik Institute teaches techniques that can be quickly adopted and then expanded upon as doctors complete more courses and acquire more experience. Dr. John Nosti, who attended the Misch-Resnik Institute as a well-respected educator in restorative procedures, immediately experienced benefits after attending his first weekend course. “Just in the first session alone, you learn enough about extracting and grafting to bring that back to your practice and add it to the services you offer,” said Dr. Nosti. “Being able to perform predictable bone grafting procedures for your patients can add enough revenue to your practice to pay for the entire continuum. And that’s before implant placement even enters the picture.”

Dr. John Nosti, who has established implants as a key pillar of his practice since attending courses at the Misch-Resnik Institute, noted the high level of confidence he attained during the continuum. “I actually started placing implants while I was doing the continuum. I felt that confident. It was after my third course. I was taught a very tried-and-true process of placing implants that gave me the ability to perform surgery in a way where it has already become very routine and predictable in my practice.”

Beyond the continuum itself, the Misch-Resnik Institute offers courses for clinicians of all experience levels, and its prosthetics program and “Avoiding Implant Complications” class are among the most popular in implant dentistry.

Many attendees find that their careers and practices experience a tremendous boost after completing courses at the institute. “We give these doctors the tools to take their practice to the next level and offer services that are so rewarding,” said Dr. Resnik, the institute’s director and primary lecturer. “I can’t tell you how many doctors have told me that their implant education has changed their lives and practices. Many doctors who previously thought about retirement now never want to retire. It’s a great discipline of dentistry, and I believe everyone should be doing it because it is so rewarding.”

Where Is Dental Implant Training Available Online?

Free Online CE

For dentists (and staff) who wish to learn more about surgical and restorative implant techniques and procedures during their free time, Glidewell Clinical Education offers an array of free online CE courses. These courses are taught by renowned experts in implant dentistry, and each allows you to earn 1 CEU when you take the test at the end of the course. The course offerings cover a wide range of topics and have something to offer clinicians of all skill levels, from basic impression-taking and implant restorative procedures, to immediate implant placement, to bone grafting, to full-arch implant treatment. Since Glidewell Clinical Education relaunched its CE platform in 2019, the program has provided more than 22,800 CE credits to more than 13,000 participants, with a substantial portion of that learning devoted to implant dentistry.

Glidewell Clinical Education offers a large collection of online courses that allow dentists to earn free CEUs while learning about surgical and restorative implant techniques and procedures. Available at glidewell.com/FreeCE, on-demand courses are available for dentists of all experience levels.

Glidewell also offers a collection of over 800 videos containing clinical tips and techniques, practice management advice, how-to video tutorials, and more. You can access these videos at any time, and many dentists move on to live, hands-on courses after exploring new services and procedures in Glidewell’s extensive library of on-demand CE.

To view Glidewell’s assortment of free online CE courses, visit glidewell.com/FreeCE. To access the comprehensive collection of educational videos, visit glidewell.com/education/videos.

Hands-On, Online Courses

Glidewell Clinical Education recently introduced an innovative concept: live, hands-on courses that can be taken from the comfort of your own office or home. Participants receive a hands-on model as well as the materials needed to complete the procedures taught in the course. For implant dentistry, a course is available on bone grafting and suturing — two techniques that are essential for any dentist considering adding implant placement to their practices. To register for the course, visit glidewellcecenter.com or call 866-791-9539.

Dr. Taylor Manalili online course on grafting and suturing

Dr. Taylor Manalili, who serves as director of clinical prosthodontics at Glidewell, teaches a live, online course on grafting and suturing, allowing dentists to acquire foundational skills in implant dentistry without having to travel to an in-person course.

Dental Continuing Education with the Glidewell Online Study Club

To keep up to date with the latest clinical techniques, treatment protocol and practice management strategies, Glidewell Clinical Education offers live, interactive webinars every Friday on a range of topics, including many important aspects of implant dentistry. The webinars, which are provided free of charge, provide virtual attendees with 1 CEU and have been viewed by over 40,000 dentists to date. Attendees appreciate the webinars for the tips and techniques that are presented, which can be put to use in improving your practice. “I’ve truly been enjoying these CE webinars,” noted Dr. Daniel Faltisco of Fredonia, New York. “I like that they are quick and to the point, and they are actually practical for a real practicing dentist.”

Each webinar is kicked off with a presentation by the study club’s Business Advisory Panel, which provides practice management advice to help you in your efforts to grow your business and find professional fulfillment. In addition, the webinars are archived so they can be viewed at a later time if you’re unable to tune in for the live event. Register and view the full collection of past webinars at glidewell.com/webinar.

Conclusion

Whether your aim is to enhance your restorative skills or advance into surgical procedures, there is an array of online and in-person dental CE courses and webinars that can help you make implants a cornerstone of practice growth and patient satisfaction. Dentists who wish to enhance or add to their implant services as a means of increasing case acceptance and patient access to treatment have flexible options to acquire the education needed to move forward with confidence.