From the training room to your next complex case

You finish a course excited about what you’ve learned. Back in your treatment room, you start thinking about how to put it into practice.

Which cases could you take on? Where would mentoring help? And how will you talk through new treatment options with your patients?

If you’re ready to develop your skills and offer more complex treatment, choosing the right education is an important step. You want the time and money you invest to make a difference to the care you provide.

Choose education that supports your next step

Start with the cases you see and the skills you want to build. Perhaps it’s surgical extractions, implant placement or feeling more confident in treatment planning.

Then look beyond the course topics to understand how you’ll learn:

• Will you observe, assist or treat patients under supervision?

• How involved will you be in assessment and treatment planning?

• Who will mentor you, and how much individual feedback will you receive?

• How are patients supported before, during and after treatment?

• What guidance is available when you return to practice?

Hands-on experience matters, but so does the opportunity to discuss decisions, ask questions and learn from feedback.

“A useful question to bring to training is, ‘How would I know whether to take this case on in my own practice?’ That opens up a conversation about planning, judgement and confidence where you might need mentoring and support.” -Dr Yohan Thomas

Think about your return to practice too. Having someone to turn to for guidance can help you build on your learning, choose suitable cases and recognise when you need further support.

Develop the conversation alongside the clinical skills

As your skills grow, you may have more treatment options to offer. Your patients still need time to understand what those options mean for them.

While you’re thinking about the procedure, they might be wondering about discomfort, time off work or cost.

Start by understanding their perspective. What are they hoping to achieve? What concerns do they have? Listen before moving into explanations, and discuss options, benefits, risks and limitations in language they understand.

This is the focus of Primespeak, Prime Practice’s patient communication training program. It helps dental professionals understand the patient’s perspective and have ethical, patient-centred conversations that support informed decisions about care, without pressure.

The aim is for patients to feel heard and understood, with space to make a decision that is right for them.

Bringing both sides of your development together

Prime Practice’s new industry partnership with the Advanced Dentistry Institute (ADI), led clinically by Dr Yohan Thomas, brings these two areas of development together.

Our focus has always been on the business, communication and team side of dentistry. ADI’s ethical approach to clinical education and hands-on mentoring complements that work.

ADI’s India program offers five days of intensive clinical training at the University of Chennai, with options including implant placement, surgical extractions or rotary endodontics as well as porcelain veneers, full dentures and crown preps. Dentists plan and perform treatment on patients with individual mentorship and close clinical supervision. The beginners implant program offers the opportunity to place around 12 implants under supervision.

ADI also offers advanced level implant courses and All on X.

While ADI helps dentists develop the clinical capability and confidence to provide more advanced treatment, Primespeak helps them have better conversations with their patients.

“We want dentists to get lasting value from their education. That includes developing their clinical skills and feeling better equipped to listen, explain options and give patients space to decide. That’s why we see such a strong fit between ADI and Prime Practice.” -Michelle Gianferrari, CEO, Prime Practice

Through this two-way partnership, every ADI attendee will receive a $1,000 Prime Practice training voucher to use towards Prime Practice training or a future Primespeak event.

Considering ADI’s India implant program? Primespeak alumni and future attendees can access an exclusive $500 course discount, valid for 12 months from their Primespeak event.

If you’re interested in hearing more about it, email our team at info@primepractice.com.au.