Session 2 of Our Comprehensive Ortho Course in Tulsa Was A Delight!

Delightful doesn't say enough about our weekend course in Tulsa.  We have such a bright and enthusiastic class of new students that were not only fun but also productive and focused.  In addition to our new students, a good number of monitors joined us for session two as well. A highlight of the weekend was a visit from Big Bob.  It was an incredible learning experience for all of us! Big Bob has always emphasized the importance of monitoring, not only for the continued growth of the student themselves, but their attendance and input as mentors contribute so much to the development of the newer students.

One of our monitors, Dr Michael Auld who graduated with our first class in Tulsa just 3 years ago, attended and offered to display models of his completed cases for our class to review.  We are so proud of Michael and the work he is doing, and can't thank him enough for sharing his successes with the class!  The highlight of the weekend was Big Bob reviewing Michael's cases with him, and giving him some pointers.

This ortho course is structured for the general dentist with no orthodontic training other than dental school. Each of our sessions builds on information, presented in the same sequence you will encounter in treatment delivery. Our format for each of the sessions is to have a blend of lectures, hands-on exercises, case review and group discussions. When our students complete this course, they will have the knowledge, skill, and confidence to treat 80% of the malocclusions that come into their office.

During session one our focus was on the initial stages of treatment which covered proper record taking, cephalometric analysis, diagnosis and treatment planning, treatment options, treatment sequencing and the proper placement of brackets and bands. We started session two with a review of these concepts and then focused on building on that foundation to introduce Big Bob Gerety's archwire sequence, force systems to include compensating curves, rotation wedges, open coil spring, cinch back bends and ties, utility wires, ligation methods, and the use of the Multi-Distalizing Arch. The MDA is our workhorse for predictably managing class II occlusions. 　It is a fixed appliance with bilateral adjustment to resolve the discrepancy of unbalanced malocclusion that we so often encounter. 　We had hands-on projects for each of these topics to reinforce the lecture material and it was a pleasure to see the teamwork and diligence as our group of doctors tackled these exercises.

On Sunday we had the case review segment of our ortho course which is an invaluable part of our program. It was thrilling for us to see all of the cases that our students brought to share during session two and appreciate the cases that our Monitors shared with the class, providing a perfect blend of beginning cases and cases well into treatment. The case review offers our students the opportunity to present cases for help with initial diagnosis, or cases that are in treatment, and provides them with the exposure to many different treatment objectives. We are looking forward to watching as these cases progress during our course!

We are always striving to improve our course and add features that will enhance our student’s experience in our program.  Our newest addition is  "The Clinician’s Corner" which is an area designated for us to spend individual time with our students. We have instruments and items on hand to demonstrate techniques and help you to improve your skills, we can answer your questions about your cases, or we can help with questions that have come up during the course. Don’t be bashful, visit with us at The Clinician’s Corner!

Our next session will be January 16-18, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Southern Hills Tulsa and we welcome all of Big Bob's past students to attend and participate as a Monitor and start off the New Year with a dedication to refreshing and increasing your orthodontic knowledge.  We are also looking forward to a Lunch & Learn during our January course, Dr Anne Mary Orr has been gracious enough to accept Kay's invitation to share her experiences as a student of Big Bob's with our class and show us how she has successfully incorporated orthodontics into her general practice.

Our ortho course is being held in Tulsa, OK at the Crowne Plaza Southern Hills. The dates for the remaining sessions are:

January 16 - 18, 2015

March 13 - 15, 2015

May 15 – 17, 2015

To register as a monitor please phone Straight Wire Seminars at 877-448-8606 or visit their website at www.StraightWireSeminars.com.