GAP Australasian Dentist Sept Oct 2020

What’s stopping general dentists from learning orthodontics? How to avoid wasting time and money on education that underdelivers The Australian orthodontic market is worth around $200 million and growing and, according to a recent report by Meticulous Research®, the Asia-Pacific orthodontics market is expected to grow 36.4% per year from 2019, reaching $4.2 billion by 2025. Despite a clear demand from patients, many general dentists are yet to learn this profitable skill. Many dentists don’t feel confident due to poor training experiences in the past and a lack of ongoing support to take on more challenging orthodontic cases. And most dentists have been led to believe they need to be a specialist with several years of post-graduate training in order to provide orthodontics successfully. After 10 years of teaching orthodontics to over 700 general dentists, we can safely assure you, this isn’t the case. With the right training and support, we’ve seen general dentists with no previous experience able to take on comprehensive cases within weeks of starting tuition. For many, it’s the fear of a case going wrong, having to refer a problem patient to a specialist, and not only losing money and the patient’s trust, but also attracting unwanted attention from AHPRA . Choosing the right educators is critical for your long term success in orthodontics. To help avoid subpar tuition, there are 7 red flags to look out for. Why this is a problem: If the lecturer or course is biased towards one tool, technology or approach, your skills will be narrow and you’ll be unable to treat a variety of cases to the best possible standard. By understanding the principles and not following a cookie-cutter approach, you won’t be locked into a system that may not be the best approach for that individual patient. Red flag #1 - The orthodontic training is based on a single system that the lecturer has a vested interest in. Why this is a problem: Without ongoing mentoring from a local specialist orthodontist, you’ll have a hard time taking on cases with confidence and continuing to learn and apply your knowledge in the real world. Red flag #2 - There’s no ongoing mentorship, with ongoing, direct access to your mentor. Want to learn orthodontics and get the best possible outcomes for your patients? Here are 7 red flags to avoid when choosing the best tuition for you.