Seminar 1, Sequence of Study A. McGann opening comments: Welcome to the Internet Assisted Training (IAT) program of Progressive Orthodontic Seminars. This method of training has been in use since 1996 with more than 1000 dentists, and has been a very successful method of learning orthodontics. Different than a live seminar teaching, the IAT training, a) Can start at any time you wish, is held in your personal location, can be studied at your own pace, reduces travel to attend a live seminar, and does not require as much time away from your practice. You should understand that IAT does require more personal discipline to study than attending a live seminar. b) Academics are studied at home, then after each section of 4-seminars, you travel (4 times) to a central location for the hands-on part of the training. Each of these live seminars is called a Live Module (A, 1, 2, or 3) training. c) One POS instructor will be assigned to your IAT class, and will not only follow your training progress, but will be the one to assist you in the diagnosis of your personal cases for treatment. People study different ways, and there are two ways of navigating through this material: a. Seminar (streaming) videos, taught live by Don McGann, as the method to guide you through the process of study. For this you need a good, reliable internet connection. Our server will read your internet connection type and adjust for the speed. Audio has priority, video is second and can be chopped up if your internet connection is not fast. b. Follow my WRITTEN directions on this site, telling you which task to do next. c. I would strongly recommend following the written directions and following the live presentations on video. Sections, Modules and Seminars: POS offers two formats to study within the program: Internet Assisted Training (IAT) and the Traditional Live Series. These were designed to allow all types of dentists the ability to study the highest levels of orthodontics. The formats are equivalent but are labeled slightly differently: IAT Live Series Section 1 Tools to Start Your Bread & Butter Ortho Cases Module A Seminars 1-2 Section 1 Tools to Start Your Bread & Butter Ortho Cases Module 1 Seminars 3-4 Section 2 Expanding the Range of your Ortho Capabilities Module 2 Seminars 5-8 Section 3 Multidisciplinary Ortho Module 3 Seminars 9-12 Section 4 Dentofacial Ortho (after you graduate) - optional Module 4 Seminars 13-16 The content is organized into 4 sections of 4 seminars each, and in the live seminar teaching, 4 days to each seminar. This totals 64 days, of which the first 48 days (3 sections) is considered the basic series. Learning orthodontics is NOT a few weekends effort, but is a broad subject that takes time AND practice to learn. I consider this amount of study necessary for you to become competent in servicing the orthodontic needs of your patient. By yourself, you can be expected to fail in the beginning, and for
this reason we have established a comprehensive case diagnosis and support system that is available to you for your entire career. Experts that know the system and have personally been successful will assist you with the diagnosis and treatment planning of your personal cases, and then be available for questions and case reevaluations, to assure your success. The software developed by me will not only help you with the diagnosis of your case, but will allow you to send these digital files to instructors no matter where in the world you are located. To effectively learn orthodontics, you must be practicing along the way, under the guidance of another that already knows. You need to accept cases early in your training, so you can practice the principles you are learning, and then move-on to more principles to build your overall understanding. In the first year, most cases are in the alignment stage, straightening teeth, so there is really not much to worry about. A few simple principles and you are enabled for the first year. Remember that this is not heart surgery! If you put a bracket on a tooth in the wrong place, you will have time to reposition it and nobody dies! Please put the brackets on AS FAST AS YOU CAN, and then adjust them in the following months as you can better visualize the best positions as the tooth movement progresses. ** Please attempt to bring records of 5 cases to your Module 1 live seminar. They should all be nearly class I. Complete the IPsoft file to the best of your ability. You will be learning to place the brackets and can start these cases immediately following Module 1 live. Finding cases and 1 st consultations with patients will be a priority at the Module A seminar. Another valuable support and learning system that should be a part of your learning effort is the POS forum. http://forum.posortho.com To see the pictures and reply to posts you must be a member. To avoid spam, we have to ask you to not only register on-line, but also to send an email to support@posortho.net so they will know you are legitimate! The content you are about to study is the result of my 35 year career in orthodontics. This is the best way I know you to teach you, and I will show you everything, holding nothing back. You will not only be educated on what works, but also what does NOT work and how to recover from mistakes. I consider this real orthodontics! I have documented every step of the way, showing you what you can expect to see in your practice, and reflects what YOU can do, not what only the experts can do. The case quality is reproducible to the entire POS family. The case histories are REAL cases, REAL people that wanted to look better through orthodontic treatment. Many of these were treated in the Progressive Orthodontic clinic in Manila, Philippines, since this is where I developed the Individual Patient (IP) appliance, the skeletal anchorage systems, and many other parts of today s diagnosis and treatment system. I went to Manila as a consultant with the purpose of experiencing orthodontics on more difficult cases than were available in California. I got my wish, and found the straight archwire system to be VERY inadequate when treating very difficult cases. Thus I had to develop even better systems and an appliance capable of managing these most difficult cases. If you can treat these cases, you can definitely treat Caucasian cases, but if you can treat Caucasian cases, it does not mean you can treat Asian cases!!
By studying the principles found in these case histories, chosen specifically for clarity of the concepts that need to be part of your training as your skill level increases, you will be able to visualize the concepts you need to treat your own cases. Personalize these learning cases as if they were your own, and as treatment progresses, as if you needed to make the decisions on when to come in next for the appointment and what needs to be done for a successful finish. **If you do EXACTLY as I say, NO SUBSTITUTIONS, I can guarantee your success (as 1000s of others found before you). **The 10 cases in this section (Seminars 1-4) are cases that everyone can do, they are near class I. Please fill up your practice with this type of case!! We call them bread and butter type cases. I have also made a list of expectations for each seminar. Use these as the guide to your learning, being certain that you can answer these questions. If you can, you will be learning at a VERY high level of orthodontics! I would suggest printing these questions and answers as a study guide. I will show you everything, making available to all dentists in our family what was previously made a secret. In respect for this effort, devoting my career to your success, I only ask that you send us another dentist to educate. Do NOT keep this information to yourself, as this is what the specialty did to you, or I will be very offended. The information is intended to be spread for the good of dentistry and the patients we service. I am excited to see and hear of your success. ** Protect the confidence shown to you by your patient. Protect YOUR CONFIDENCE (at all costs), as this can affect your career in orthodontics, which is worth MILLIONS! Use the experience and support offered by the POS instructors to build your confidence. B. Here is what you need for Section 1 (or Module A): 1. laptop computer with 4.0.42 IPsoft installed and licensed. Send an email request to our computer support department at support@posortho.net 2. optical MOUSE and mousepad is highly recommended. Any brand. 3. Microsoft office on your laptop. You will need Microsoft OFFICE any version 2003-13 (installed from a CD). You will be using Powerpoint, Excel, and Word to do the exercises. 4. Screenhunter 5 plus program for making screenshots installed on the computer http://www.wisdom-soft.com/products/screenhunter.htm US$19.95. download, run, register with product key they send to you, then follow the instructions found in the student materials download book (zip) for the specific setup. This enables you to make screenshots at lightning speed, very important in our system of high tech orthodontics. If you cannot get Screenhunter, you may also use the more basic Snipping Tool offered in Windows 7 and 8.
C. Sequence of Study Your training is organized in the most practical way for you to integrate orthodontics naturally into your practice. You will start by studying 10 cases, as if they are your own patients. When studying these cases, you will be learning key orthodontic principles within the corresponding Powerpoint case slides. You will learn heavily through these cases, since you will be practicing the analysis and computer techniques that you will do on your own cases. By watching these cases you will progress through the most basic clinical evaluation (Seminar 1) to more advanced topics such as mechanics (Seminar 4). Before proceeding, please watch the short Study Roadmap video tutorial which will help guide you through the how to begin your studies. Step 1: Video: If you wish to navigate through this course using the streaming video of either Dr. Wier or Dr. McGann teaching Seminar 1 in the Traditional Live Series, you will find it in the My Video section on the green column on your left side of the page. It is suggested that you watch this video during or after your exercises to pick up different tidbits from the same lecture and principles. You can click the + to expand and see all 4 days of this seminar. Step 2: Download the zip folder Seminar1.zip found under Course Files & Materials Student Materials Download Book on the website. Open Setting up your computer from this zip folder. This pdf will take you through the steps necessary to add the first 10 cases; creating individual patient files for each. Step 3: Open IPsoft, create the patient file for pos 1010 and review the tabs. **Again, use instructions from the setting up your computer chapter downloaded within your Seminar 1.zip student textbook. Now, get ready to start your first exercise!
Step 4: Import the Case 1010 records into the IPsoft picture tab (right click, add/edit picture). You may find the pictures in the digital file download on your USB stick, section 1.case records or on the website under Case Records. Then repeat for the first eight (8) cases, the basic data to start each file is found in the setting up your computer document. (Repetition will make you learn this task). Step 5: Classify the first 8 cases in the classification 1, classification 2 tabs, then create some expectations for this patient and what you might tell her (yellow tab), then set some goals and limitations. *Watch the case Powerpoints (in the Instructional Cases section on the website), esp. 1010, for full discussions on how to classify
Step 6: Complete the last 2 cases (Cases 1000 and 1001) start to finish, importing photos through classification and setting goals. Time yourself and push a little to see how fast you can do this. Step 7: It is recommended that you watch and listen to the 1 st consultations given in the McGann or Wier live seminar 1 via streaming video. This will teach you how to talk to a patient or parent (and what not to say). On McGann s video it is discussed on o Day 1_03 Slide 185 (01:31:45) o Day 2_01 Slide 32 (01:29:10) o Day 2_02 Slide 169 (00:54:52) On Wier s video it is discussed on o Day 2_02 Slide 80 (00:53:25) ** if you do not know what and how to discuss orthodontics with a patient, you will NOT need many brackets!! Be an expert at talking.
You will also find many business principles discussed that may or may not apply in your location. Adapt and listen with an open mind to change your career for the better! I suggest you act as an advisor to your patients, NOT giving a sales pitch that will make them think you are only interested in their money. Give an ortho screening (download "Screening Form" from Practice Management section on the website), on all your patients, including this in your comprehensive dental health examination. This will give the positive impression to the patient that you are doing your work well and completely, with some actually asking to start orthodontic treatment. Many will not start treatment now, but will have the possibility put into their mind for a future decision. BE sure that you establish a financial policy that will be affordable to your patients and that they know that orthodontics is affordable in your practice (especially important if you have a fancy office!). Payments can be made for affordable quality. ** Do ortho well, do NOT cut corners, and you will find the JOY of orthodontics. Step 8: optional: Review the McGann discussion videos and clinical videos plus all that you have downloaded and is on this website. There are also extra cases for study and literature reviews. Step 9: Download the section 1 treatment plans from the website, and import into IPsoft (file-import) the patient file (1.sect1.plans.pos). This is a patient file with 300+ draft treatment plans to enable you to do world class orthodontics. These plans will be discussed and used in the upcoming seminars. IN the live seminar 1 streaming video, you will see reference to the consultation key points, choose your words, a section found in the g6 treatment plans. Step 10: Take the seminar 1 exam. Multiple choice questions taken from your expectations sheet. This is self graded and a copy sent to your IAT instructor. To receive AGD (academy of general dentistry) continuing education credit for self study, you must have a 70% score or higher.
Step 11: complete the evaluation so you and your instructor know how you are doing! Please review any concepts you had trouble with. Step 12: optional: Review the principles you learned in this seminar, download the answers to the expectations on the website answers.seminar1.expectations (doc). You are now ready to move on to Seminar 2! Congratulations. These 10 cases have accepted you and have taken a set of orthodontic records, paying a fee to do so. You now must process those records in preparation for the 2 nd consultation.