Study Smarter, Not Harder: 7 Practical Study Tips for Dentists Taking Orthodontic Courses

Practical Study Tips That Help

As a dentist, you want to expand your scope of knowledge and continually improve your practice. Taking orthodontics courses helps with that. But they’re a big investment of your time and energy. 

You need the right study approach to help you retain the most important information and apply it to your practice. Here are some practical study tips to help you along the way. 

1. Set Clear Learning Goals

From the start, recognize the things you wish to gain from each course. It can help to make a small list of learning goals, including what you want to learn and how each subject area will help your practice. 

It’s best to focus on skills you can start applying right away. Think about the services you can add to your practice as soon as you finish your courses. 

If you’re not sure how your coursework will translate to your practice yet, that’s okay. Think more generally about which parts of orthodontics you’re interested in and the skills you hope to become proficient in. 

2. Break Content Into Small Sections

The best way to retain the material you learn is to break it into accessible chunks. It’s better to study in short, focused sessions than to cram a bunch of information over several hours of studying. 

Separate the course content into smaller categories that make sense to you. For more complex topics, break up your study sessions as much as you need to make sure you understand the basics before moving on. 

Set a timer if you struggle with short bursts of studying. Studying is most productive when done in 30-minute sessions or less. When you’ve finished one concept, take a short break (five to ten minutes) and then move on to the next subject. 

3. Connect Learning to Real Cases

As a dentist, you already work with patients on a daily basis. Think about how the course content you’re learning applies to your current patient base. What knowledge are you learning that could help improve their outcomes?

Work on building a bridge between theory and hands-on practice. Think about the cases that you used to refer out but now want to take on yourself. Focus on the course information that most directly applies in these cases. 

4. Review Notes Regularly

Information tends to get lost if you don’t brush up on important topics regularly. Never go more than a few days without reviewing your notes and other study materials. It’s a good idea to review everything at least once a day to get into the habit. 

This is especially important when it comes to high-value topics that directly apply to your current practice. Remember that you are helping your patients by actively reviewing and retaining the information you’re learning. 

5. Use Visual Aids and Models

Use the visual aids from your course to your advantage. Review graphs, diagrams, scans, and digital models to improve your understanding of each concept. You can even make your own diagrams when they aren’t provided to help reinforce your learning. 

Orthodontics is very visual by nature. Get comfortable visualizing three-dimensional spaces on two-dimensional materials (on paper or on a screen). 

6. Involve Your Team in the Learning Process

Your assistants and other staff are part of this process, too. Integrating orthodontic concepts into your dental practice is a team effort. 

Include everyone when sharing new insights and information. If orthodontics becomes a large part of your dental practice, everyone should be on the same page. 

Teaching other people helps reinforce the learning pathways in your brain. So when you share information, not only are you enriching your staff, you’re also studying! If you can teach something complex to someone else in simple terms, you probably have the basics down. 

7. Apply What You Learn Immediately

Real-life practice is the best way to hone your skills, and orthodontic cases are no exception. Make hands-on practice a priority to solidify the concepts you learned in your courses. 

You shouldn’t jump into the deep end right away. In fact, you may always need to refer more complicated cases out to other professionals. That’s okay! Start with simple cases to build your confidence. 

Once you understand the foundations of orthodontics, you can move on to more involved cases. Always ask for help from an instructor when you don’t fully understand something. They can help you nail down the basics and give practical study tips. 

American Orthodontic Society: Find the Perfect Orthodontic Courses for General Dentists 

Real results come from studying smarter, not necessarily studying harder or longer. These practical study tips will help you get the most value out of any orthodontics course you take. 

When taking orthodontic courses for general dental practitioners, you need intention and consistency. At American Orthodontic Society, we offer a wide range of continuing education courses to help satisfy your hunger for knowledge and improve your practice. 

Check out our course catalog today!