Embracing a New Era
August 26-27 marked our 6th Annual Case Finishing Program and what an incredible weekend we had while we "Unraveled the Mysteries of Case Finishing Excellence!" So many people are responsible for the success of the meeting and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved. It was such a pleasure to see so many of our friends from past ortho courses as well as the opportunity to meet and make so many new friends too. Our objectives for the weekend were to present an inter-active educational program that was informative and enjoyable for our students, and to have some fun along the way, encouraging our students to share their experiences and knowledge with each other as we strive to carry on the orthodontic teaching of Big Bob Gerety. We achieved each of these goals and had an absolutely remarkable weekend!
In order to accommplish our weekend goals, it took the dedication and passion of an absolutely stellar team. We want to recognize and give huge high-fives to our spectacular group:
Dr Debra Ettle-Resnick
Dr Damon Huffman
Dr Joseph Schmidbauer
Our mission is to carry on the orthodontic teachings of Big Bob, who is one of the most respected instructors and clinicians in the orthodontic industry. The Gerety Orthodontic Education program is based on straight wire mechanics and on the principles and theories developed by Big Bob. It was very rewarding for two of our long time students to take the podium: Dr. Ettle-Resnick and Dr. Huffman, each sharing their version of Big Bob's teachings with others who have the desire to continue their orthodontic educations. The topic for this weekend was "Unraveling the Mysteries of Case Finishing Excellence" and Kay Gerety kicked off the weekend with a brand new presentation of Big Bob's 7-Steps to Case Finishing. What an amazing job Kay did detailing and explaining each of the steps:
1. Establish the lower arch - Level, Align and Rotate
2. Establish Class I posterior occlusion - Molars and Premolars
3. Begin individual root torque as needed - Cuspid to Cuspid
4. Establish Class I cuspid relationship - Independent of the anterior teeth
5. Anterior retraction, final bite opening and segmental root torquing
6. Reposition brackets, finish IRT, posterior finishing elastics
7. Retention - Upper and Lower
Big Bob established these steps to coincide with the 6-Keys to Optimal Occlusion as prescribed by Dr Larry Andrews. These 7-Steps are the actual treatment mechanics, procedures and sequencing to achieve the 6-Keys that we strive for with each case. Big Bob's 7 Steps to Case Finishing is a systematic, definitive and predictable outline as well as the clinical instructions for achieving the goals you have established for your orthodontic results.
Kay did an outstanding and thorough job of explaining Big Bob's case finishing mechanics and setting the stage for Dr. Debra Ettle-Resnick to show how she has applied these steps in her practice. Dr Ettle-Resnick is a multiple recipient of the Robert G. Gerety Case of the Year Award which is presented by the AOS as recognition for the highest level of clinical achievement in orthodontics, and the cases that she shared with us were just phenomenal! Dr Deb took us beyond the 7-Steps and shared with us new techniques and new products that she incorporates. Her presentation was thoroughly researched and documented and she presented outstanding cases that were initially challenging but the outcome of each case was finished to Big Bob's highest standards. We appreciate her dedication and contributions to making this weekend so outstanding for us!
During this weekend we were excited to welcome Dr Damon Huffman as a new member of our lecturing team and he shined in his lecturing debut! Damon took Big Bob Gerety's course in 1994 and incorporated orthodontics into his family dental practice in Houston. Over the last 20 years he has completed over 700 ortho cases following Dr Gerety's straight wire techniques. Damon is currently assisting Kay Gerety and Joe Schmidbauer to present the Robert Gerety Comprehensive Course in Tulsa and is doing an incredible job as the Forum Master of our website. If you haven't visited The Forum yet then you are missing out on tremendous information added by Damon and our students! During his lecturing debut Damon presented a predictable indirect bonding technique that was the talk of the weekend. We welcome Damon to our team!
"Another wonderful weekend course! Gerety ortho seminars are the finest instruction, best value, and the most relevant CE courses available today! I am a very satisfied Gerety student!"
Evan Clothier
Broken Arrow, OK
"It is always a great lecture and it is nice to see each instructor work well with each other and answering the group's questions. Great job!!"
Wanda Morgan
Decature, AL
"Love the learning experience from all the instructors - strongly recommend!"
Hanh Dang
Broken Arrow, OK
"Love the course manual, love the Q&A, love the multiple doctors present for case review."
Lan Hoang
Haltom City, TX
"Dr Deb is great! It's very refreshing to hear a women speaker, especially all the awesome things she has done, plus she is realistic!"
Bing Sihachack
Haltom City, TX
"Absolutely a wonderful update course! Recommend it highly for general dentists treating ortho patients!"
Paul Bishop
Decatur, AL
"I enjoyed it all! New manual is great!"
Bryan Fields
Ponca City, OK
"Always need a 'refresh' course - this is THE BEST! Great crew, very available and glad to help!"
Janet Hawes
S. Fulton, TN
"A very well done seminar, as always."
David Parcells
Dayton, OH
"The structure of all Gerety courses are the best I've ever experienced."
Bela Vincze
Bensalem, PA
"Great course, well organized, pertinent information. Thank You!"
Roberta Suhr
Millerton, OK