Outline of the Course – the 18 day program - $4900, not including supplies.  Equipment leasing available.

IDP 18 day.docx

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Bear in mind that the course is highly flexible and often students are choosing to focus more on a particular type of restoration than others.  But the basic design is as follows, and it has been found to well serve the vast majority of students:

 

Class 1:  Class II amalgam preparations.  We start with the basic approach that will quickly give the most ideal preparation in ANY tooth.  We emphasize the use of the mirror to optimize results.  A well designed and tested strategic approach to the preparation is taught that allows students to finally master this preparation in all four quadrants.

 

Class 2:  Class II amalgam preparations.  We continue with the development of skill in this area, practicing on premolars and molars in all four quadrants.  The approach we take will allow preparations to be done quickly and efficiently, and without risk to the adjacent tooth.  You can use the same technique and dramatically increase your productivity in clinical practice.  Safe ways to extend a preparation in any direction are practiced, for it is often the case that students are afraid to extend to where a wall really needs to be.

 

Class 3:  Class II composite preparations.  The strategy for successful, fast and safe class II amalgam preparations is applied to this more conservative design.  Again, examples are done in all regions of the mouth.  This preparation will advance the class II technique to a significantly higher level.

 

Class 4:  Occlusal and axial reduction for posterior gold crowns.  Conservative preparation methods for occlusal reduction are developed – working with appropriate clearances and reductions as appropriate.  A routine for precise cutting of the occlusal surface to match the anatomy of the opposing tooth is taught and practiced extensively.  Axial reduction on this day is restricted to lingual surfaces into the lingual embrasures, but not entering the proximal contact areas.

 

Class 5:  Axial reduction of the preparations from the previous class is continued into the proximal area, but the facial reduction is not yet done.  We develop the skills necessary to work only from the lingual – looking across the arch using direct vision on the mandibular arch, but using the mirror to full advantage on the maxillary arch.  Having extended the axial reduction to the facial embrasures, we stop and place retentive grooves on the mesial and distal surfaces in order to replace the retention and resistance that would have been provided by facial reduction.  The use of the ¾ crown is discussed, indicating that many times dentists do them without even realizing it.  We complete several ¾ crown preparations, then convert them into full gold crowns by doing the facial reduction.

 

Class 6:  Complete ¾ crown preparations, including for maxillary and mandibular premolars.  The premolars strongly emphasize the need for very well executed proximal reduction in order to enable finishing the retention and flares with any ease, finesse and success.

 

Class 7:  Full gold crown preparations – complete, including maxillary and mandibular first molars and second molars. 

 

Class 8:  Review of class II preparations – including all of the tooth types on the maxillary and mandibular arches and all four quadrants.  Emphasis on speed and efficiency – but we prepare complete preparations, including definition of line angles with hand instruments and placement of adequate retentive features.

 

Class 9:  Ceramometal crown preparations.  We discuss and execute the principles of the PFM preparation for anterior teeth and posterior teeth.  The technique for always getting the appropriate facial reduction is developed, and we learn how to determine whether the facial reduction is actually enough.  Shoulder design is generally poorly understood, and we work carefully through this.

 

Class 10:  Full gold crown and PFM preparations – as retainers for fixed partial dentures (bridges).  Two schools have indicated a desire to see these preparations, and in this longer course we can spend time on it.  Of course, the FGC and PFM parts are exactly as we did for the single unit preparations, but we need to discuss mutual draw and learn how to evaluate it, using the mirror.

 

Class 11:  Review of class II amalgam preparations – emphasizing again speed and accuracy, and avoiding damage to the adjacent teeth.

 

Class 12:  Class III composite preparations and full ceramic crown, and review.  The class III is a simple and small preparation, but one that many students struggle with.  We emphasize the identification of where the lesion is likely to be, and how to make a conservative preparation that will fix the tooth.  The use of bevels to allow minimal-size preparations that completely remove surface demineralization is discussed and I illustrated.  We will also take the PFM preparations we did in the last class and convert them into full-ceramic crown preparations in a simple fashion.  Review exercises for full gold crowns and class II amalgam preparations will also be done before the end of the day, in order to prepare for the Mock Board.

 

Class 13:  PFM and full ceramic (FCC) preparations – including anterior and posterior preparations with angled shoulders and shoulder-bevel, depending on the location in the mouth and the supposed tissue characteristics.

 

Class 14:  Review of class II and III composite preparations – all quadrants.  Stressing absolute control of exit angles, axial wall contours and protection of adjacent tooth.

 

Class 15:  The Mock Board.  A variety of preparations will be assigned, and after a designated time-frame, will be graded by Dr. Duggan.  Generally there are seven preparations to be completed in seven hours.  The grading will be done under a high-magnification video camera and a DVD of all the results and explanations will be presented to the students by the end of the class.  Dr. Duggan has undoubtedly graded more preparations than any other dental educator in the world, and is renowned for missing not detail that will benefit the student’s learning experience.

 

Class 16:  Review of weak areas. The class will be spent making changes in the preparations turned in for the Mock Board – so that they will be clinically acceptable if they were not before.  It is emphasized that students must actively look for errors before they can develop the skills to correct those errors.  Specific areas where problems were found will be practiced without attempting to complete preparations – just doing segments of the work that emphasize the specific skill that needs work.

 

Class 17:  While the gold onlay is not used as much today as in previous decades, there is no reason why it should not be.  We will discuss when it is appropriate to do an onlay rather than the much more aggressive PFM or FCC.  An only will be prepared, so that the basic concepts are well illustrated.  Although the use of this preparation on a school practical exam may be unlikely, it has been found valuable in at least one school. 

 

Class 18:  Review of weak areas.  A variety of preparations will be executed, emphasizing the areas that are the weakest for each student.  Preparations will be done in stages so that problems can be corrected before they lead to bigger problems.  Time will be spent with this interceptive approach, to identify and correct errors in approach that have not been found previously in the course.