Benefits of attending an AOS Orthodontic Assistant Training Course.

Providing quality orthodontic treatment for your patients is a team effort involving both the dentist and their staff. Dental assistants and hygienists require specific orthodontic skills to fulfill their roles effectively. 

The American Orthodontic Society’s upcoming Orthodontic Assistant Training Course is an excellent opportunity to cross-train your staff and help them develop important skills.

1. Maximize Staff Potential Through Cross-Training

You count on your dental assistant and hygienists to carry out a wide range of essential tasks when treating patients. If you’ve added orthodontic procedures to your practice, your team faces a new set of requirements that they’ll need the right orthodontic courses to tackle effectively and with confidence.

The AOS Orthodontic Assistant Training Course expands your team’s skill set to prepare them to support orthodontic treatment plans. That includes both general principles to develop a foundation and skills involved in specific tasks and orthodontic procedures.

The course covers a wide range of fundamental topics, including: 

• Orthodontic terminology and instruments
• Phase I and Phase II treatment
• Class I, II, and III malocclusion 

Your team will learn the important theory underlying these concepts, along with the practical use of straight wire treatment and other appliances to resolve them.

Dental assistants and hygienists will also gain an understanding of critical administrative tasks surrounding orthodontic treatment. For instance, they’ll learn proper record keeping and mirror photography across the stages of orthodontic treatment plans, which typically take place over longer periods than general dentistry procedures.

Your team will be prepared to fully support orthodontic treatment, ensuring smooth operations at your practice. Continuing education for your team sets your practice up for success.

2. Designed by Experts for Dental Assistants

It’s important to remember that a dentist and their team have unique roles in orthodontic treatment. The best insights come from a course tailored to their individual perspectives. The AOS Orthodontic Assistant Training Course provides just such a personalized experience, one made for and by dental assistants.

The course has been carefully created by experienced orthodontic assistant and instructor Susan Coffey, RDA. Susan has spent her career as a registered dental assistant specializing in orthodontics, developing the unique insights and experience to prepare others for the practical challenges of supporting orthodontic treatment.

Dental auxiliaries and hygienists don’t require any existing orthodontic training to join and benefit from this course. It’s been developed specifically for dental assistants with little to no orthodontic training. The course gives them the solid foundation they need to fulfill their roles in orthodontic care.

3. Ensure Consistency Across Your Team

Keeping everyone on the same page is essential for ensuring smooth orthodontic operations. If you are a dentist who has gone through orthodontic courses with the AOS under the instruction of Dr. Brad Williams, you’ll be glad to know that this course has been developed based on the same materials and techniques.

Having continuing education for both dentists and their teams provides a variety of benefits. Your team will develop knowledge and skills focused on the use of the specific oral appliances and techniques that you have learned through AOS courses. When you implement them into your practice, everyone will be on the same page from the start.

The benefits extend across the orthodontic treatment process. The specific standards and workflows of diagnosis, treatment planning, oral appliance installation, adjustments, record keeping, and follow-up will be the same. Your practice will come away with a streamlined treatment process that helps you deliver consistent patient care.

4. Improve Efficiency and Increase Practice Productivity

Ensuring efficient operations at your practice is essential, both to improve revenue and deliver a positive patient experience. You don’t want your team to struggle to adapt to orthodontic treatment options, leading to inconsistency and inefficiency. Instead, training prepares them to work as efficiently as possible.

The AOS Orthodontic Training Course brings your team the knowledge and skills to carry out key tasks efficiently and reliably. Whether supporting you in orthodontic procedures or carrying out administrative roles, your team will know the best way to approach each task.

This leads to fewer delays and better orthodontic treatment overall. Handling each individual patient will require less time, providing a better experience on their end, and increasing the total number of patients you can see. In turn, this can bring a boost to your practice’s revenue.

Develop Your Staff With Orthodontic CE Courses

Orthodontic continuing education plays a key role in preparing dentists and their staff for the practical challenges of treatment. The AOS Orthodontic Assistant Training Course gives dental assistants and hygienists the skills needed to reach their potential, boost performance, and improve patient care. Consider registering your team members for this upcoming course.