During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ADA and state officials have temporarily limited in-office treatment to emergency and urgent care needs, encouraging safety and keeping dental emergencies out of the traditional healthcare system to help reduce stress on an overburdened system. This restricted care guidance combined with shelter-in-place protocols that are evolving across states, have cut many dental practices’ schedules, creating an opportunity to pursue professional development and earn credits toward CE unit requirements.
The online learning portal features CE credits in clinical, business and leadership skills across a range of tracks, including Practice Management, COVID-19 and Infection Control, Implant Placement, Direct Restoratives, and advances in crowns, bridges and veneers, giving dental providers access to education content that can improve patient care outcomes. To-date, more than 1,500 dental professionals in 51 states and territories have registered for over 370 different courses via www.AspenDentalCE.com. Over 400 dental professionals have already completed courses for credit, and more than 1,500 credits have been awarded:
The most popular course categories include:
• Direct restoratives
• Endodontics
• Crown, bridge, veneers, indirect
• Digital imaging
• Adhesives & cements
• COVID-19
• Practice management
• Implants
The top ten most popular courses (in order) are:
• The Restorative Decision Tree: What Products When and Why
• Simplifying Adhesion and the Placement of Direct Composite Restorations
• Three Dimensional Imaging and Three Dimensional Endodontics
• From Vital Pulp Therapy to Anatomically Directed Root Treatment: Everything is Changing
• Orthodontics: Early Treatment and When to Refer
• Learning to Trust Bulk Filling for Class II Restorations
• Update on COVID-19 and Infection Control
• Responsible Radiation: Separating Fact from Fiction
• Teach Me to Be a Laser Dentist: A Crash Course on Diode Lasers and Restorative Dentistry
• Canceled Appointments Are Holding You Back
Through the first quarter of 2021, dental professionals can access the free online CE content at www.AspenDentalCE.com/welcome. Participants create an account and then register for online courses for CE credits. New virtual programs for those across the Aspen Dental network support implant and clear aligner training
For the network of independent Aspen Dental practitioners, ADMI has also pivoted to offer CE and extensive coursework for two
common and effective treatment options: clear aligners and dental implants:
• The online implant coursework follows ADMI’s February commitment to offer implant learning to Aspen Dental professionals in
the U.S. The “Implant Continuum,” a three-part web-based, self-paced program offers support with treatment planning and
dental implant restorations:
Ø Parts one and two include an average of 40-50 cumulative hours for a total of 24.5 CE credits.
Ø The third track includes a live series of learning webinars with Dr. Sundeep Rawal, Senior Vice President, Implant Support
Services at ADMI. Participants must complete parts one and two to move onto these advanced live courses.
• ADMI offers the Aspen Invisalign Academy with a full roster courses that include “Case Selection Guides,” “Attachment
Identification,” “Fixing Posterior Open Bites,” “Orthodontic Virtual Care,” and more. These courses are supported by Dr. David
Galler, Senior Vice President, Orthodontic Support at ADMI, a leading lecturer on clear aligner therapy.
Quote from Dr. Arwinder Judge, ADMI, Chief Clinical Officer: “Learning is something that can never be taken away. It’s an essential element of being able to offer top quality, state-of-the-art patient care and in this unprecedented time, we want to encourage all dental professionals to build their leadership, practice management, and clinical skills. Every day, Aspen Dental clinicians have access to our library of credited ADA CERP-approved CE and by opening access broadly to all dental professionals across the U.S., patients and doctors benefit.”
Quote from Dr. David Galler, ADMI, Senior Vice President, Orthodontic Support: “Doctors can attend hour-long live classes that are scheduled during the day and evening to accommodate doctors’ schedules for maximum impact. Each live course covers a stand-alone topic and ends with a Q&A session. As of today, doctors have completed more than 850 hours of learning and the average class size exceeds 40 practitioners.”
Quote from Dr. Sundeep Rawal, ADMI, Senior Vice President, Implant Support Services on Implant Education: “Across the U.S., 150 million people are missing at least one tooth and more than one million of these cases go untreated each year. The dentists who own and operate Aspen Dental practices view implant treatment as a viable option for denture patients and those missing some teeth because their patients tell them implants look, fit, feel and function like natural teeth. A portion of the implant education available to Aspen Dental doctors was already available online and we quickly adjusted, making the in-person, hands-on learning available as a live virtual session, so stay-at-home guidelines do not prevent practitioners from having access to the learning tools they need to offer patients quality care.”
About Aspen Dental Offices
Aspen Dental branded offices are committed to breaking down the barriers to oral care, getting patients the care they need today. Dentists and team members across the Aspen Dental network believe everyone has the right to quality, affordable oral health care. In more than 800 offices, covering 41 states, these dentists supported 5.5 million patient visits in 2019. Each location offers patients a safe, welcoming, judgment-free environment to address their dental challenges, including comprehensive exams, cleanings, extractions, fillings, periodontal treatment, whitening, oral surgery, crown and bridge work, denture and implant services, and clear aligner therapy.
About Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI)
ADMI helps streamline and consolidate business support services across more than 800 Aspen Dental branded practices, allowing offices the benefit of shared infrastructure and technology. Most importantly, offering consolidated support services, from location selection, leasing, outfitting each practice with state-of-the art equipment, accounting and marketing, allows the dentists and support staff in every Aspen Dental office to focus on what they do best: practicing dentistry with clinical autonomy, while delivering the quality of care that patients expect in today’s changing healthcare landscape.
