Functional and Airway Focused Pediatric Orthodontic Care – Level 1
AOS Institute, Dallas, TX
64 CE Credits*
or call 972.234.4000
Workshop Overview
Course Overview
Traditional orthodontics has long prioritized straight teeth and balanced smiles, but modern diagnostic science reveals that a child’s facial growth, airway health, and overall quality of life are fundamentally linked.
Pediatric Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB), myofunctional disorders, and compromised airway architecture can have devastating, lifelong effects on a child’s cognitive development, emotional well-being, systemic health, and family dynamics. As dental and healthcare practitioners, we possess a unique opportunity to identify these red flags early and intervene when growth guidance is most powerful—from infancy through age eight.
This immersive course equips you with the clinical insights, diagnostic tools, and practical protocols needed to move beyond traditional occlusion and deliver truly transformative, life-changing care.
What You Will Learn
Through evidence-based science and real-world clinical application, this course delivers actionable strategies to elevate your diagnostic precision and treatment outcomes:
- Identify & Evaluate Myofunctional Disorders: Master the early clinical signs of pediatric myofunctional dysfunction from infancy to age eight and understand their downstream impact on dental and orofacial arch development.
- Master Tethered Oral Tissue (TOT) Protocols: Evaluate tongue and lip ties in infants, assess their systemic and oral health ramifications, and implement effective management and therapy strategies.
- Implement Age-Based Expansion Protocols: Learn precise, age-appropriate maxillary transverse skeletal expansion techniques that promote proper facial growth while directly enhancing the nasal airway.
- Early Orthodontic & Orthotic Intervention: Understand the clinical rationale and timing for orthodontic and orthotic management during the primary and early mixed dentitions to mitigate pediatric SDB.
- Leverage Advanced Diagnostics (CBCT): Use 3D ConeBeam CT imaging to evaluate airway volumes, analyze skeletal structures, and design targeted growth-guidance plans.
- Build Multi-Specialty Collaborative Networks: Learn how to create comprehensive, step-by-step treatment plans that incorporate key allied professionals—including myofunctional therapists, physical therapists, chiropractors, ENT physicians, and allergists—for holistic, lasting success.
Who Should Attend?
This course is specifically designed for forward-thinking practitioners eager to lead the paradigm shift toward airway-centric healthcare:
Pediatric Dentists & General Dentists seeking to expand early interceptive care and improve systemic patient outcomes.
Orthodontists ready to integrate functional airway dynamics and skeletal guidance into early-treatment philosophies.
Myofunctional Therapists looking to deepen their clinical understanding of hard-tissue development, tethered tissues, and interdisciplinary referral pathways.
Why Attend?
By attending this course, you will transform your practice from one that simply manages dental alignment to one that actively restores airway function, enhances sleep quality, and safeguards a child's developmental trajectory. Gain the knowledge, confidence, and interdisciplinary network to recognize hidden airway dysfunction early—and provide solutions that give young patients a lifetime of healthy breathing.
Course Sessions
Course Schedule
Registration begins at 8:00 am on Friday
Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Continuing Education Credits*
- A total of up to 32 continuing education hours of credit may be earned (16 per session).
- 32 additional CE credit hours of monitoring during the following year.
- An AOS Membership is required for 1st year participants and monitors.
Pre-Course Preparation
What to Bring
The following is a list of items to bring with you:
A laptop or tablet to access course materials, digital manual, and take notes.
Magnification if you are accustomed to using them in your treatment. (Loupes)
Supplies and instruments for exercises (Shared in separate list via email)
Transportation Options
Visit the Campus Info & Tour tab for transportation options.
Accommodation Options
Visit the Campus Info & Tour tab for accommodation options.
Food Options
Breakfast
- Coffee, tea and light refreshments are offered in the AOS Institute reception area.
- Contracted hotels also offer full breakfast options for an additional fee.
- Local area restaurants offer delivery via Doordash or Uber Eats.
Lunch
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Lunch is provided with each course.
Dinner
- An optional class dinner is coordinated on the first night of each session. This dinner is optional and each participant is responsible to settle their own check. This is a great opportunity to connect with your peers.
- Other dinners are on-your-own.
Food Delivery
- There are many local restaurants offering options to meet most food preferences. Food delivery via Doordash and Uber Eats are convenient and recommended. Allow 30-45 minutes for delivery or schedule your delivery.
- The AOS Institute address for delivery services is:
1785 TX-26 Suite 130
Grapevine, Texas 76051
Dress Code
- The dress code for the event is business casual.
- We recommend bringing a layer like a sweater or light jacket in case the classroom is cooler than you prefer.
Campus Info & Tour
Lodging Options
AOS has negotiated preferred rates for our course participants at the following hotels.
Hilton Garden Inn (Grapevine)
2240 Bass Pro Court, Grapevine TX 76051
This hotel is walkable from the AOS Institute and offers a convenient shuttle from the DFW Airport. View campus map to see it in more detail.
Courtyard by Marriott (Grapevine)
2200 Bass Pro Court, Grapevine TX 76051
This hotel is walkable from the AOS Institute and offers a convenient shuttle from the DFW Airport. View campus map to see it in more detail.
Additional hotels are convenient to the AOS Institute but do not have preferred rates. You can see them on the AOS Campus map by clicking here.
- Hilton DFW Conference Center
- Embassy Suites by Hilton
- Gaylord Texan Resort
- Great Wolf Lodge and Waterpark
Transportation Options
Air Travel
Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport
5 Minutes from the AOS Institute
Most Direct Flights in the US
Free Shuttle to AOS Preferred Hotels
Dallas Love Field (DAL) Airport
29 Minutes from the AOS Institute
Primarily Services Southwest Airline Flights
Requires local transit or rideshare to access AOS Institute
Ground Transportation
Hotel Airport Shuttle
Complimentary - Available 6AM - 11:30PM
Shuttle Available by Request
Once you arrive and have all of your luggage. Call the hotel front desk to request a shuttle pickup. Make sure you know your terminal and pickup area before calling.
+1 817-601-8280
Lyft Rideshare Service
Available through the Lyft App
Download from the Google Play or Apple App Store
An account is required as well as a payment method on file. Some additional verification is required when setting up your account.
Both Airports have Designated Rideshare Pickup Locations
A map with information will also be available through the rideshare app.
Uber Rideshare Service
Available through the Uber App
Download from the Google Play or Apple App Store
An account is required as well as a payment method on file. Some additional verification is required when setting up your account.
Both Airports have Designated Rideshare Pickup Locations
A map with information will also be available through the rideshare app.
Leisure Activities
More details coming soon.
Restaurant Recommendations
More details coming soon.
Checkout the Interactive AOS Institute Campus Map
Jeffrey Dahm
DDS
Upcoming Course Dates
Click on a start date to see summary of all session dates.
The American Orthodontic Society is designated as an Approved PACE Program Provider by the Academy of General Dentistry. The formal continuing education programs of this program provider are accepted by the AGD for Fellowship/Mastership and membership maintenance credit. Approval does not imply acceptance by a state or provincial board of dentistry or AGD endorsement. The current term of approval extends from 10/1/2024 to 9/30/2026.
Provider ID# 217410
The American Orthodontic Society is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.
Concerns or complaints about this CE provider may be directed to the provider or to ADA CERP at ada.org/cerp.
