Description
Airway Focused Dentistry: Real-World Implementation & Protocols for Predictable Outcomes
A four-weekend lecture and hands-on course that will transform the way you practice!
Perturbed diurnal breathing and sleep disorders largely are anatomic illnesses caused by evolutionary changes in the human upper respiratory tract. This reality results in many common dental and medical conditions including TMD, bruxism, reflux, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, behavior problems in children, hypertension etc.
Once the airway concepts and assessment workflows are covered, this course will provide practical clinical techniques and protocols on how to predictably address both medical and dental co-morbidities. This includes practical techniques on how to decompensate the facial skeleton and dentoalveolar complex in addressing the constricted airway and optimizing facial esthetics. “Smile Design” will be taken to the next level transforming your patient’s outcomes and practice success way beyond straight teeth. There will also be detailed discussions on how to appropriate the space created by the various protocols for optimal dental restorative outcomes including full mouth rehabilitation, TMD/TMJ management, periodontal attachment loss and correction of the gummy smile beyond current outdated diagnostic algorithms.
Last but not least, the ability to deliver the airway focused approach for your practice requires an efficient workflow, and proper medical insurance billing including airway reports documenting medical co-morbidities. It makes no sense to understand airway concepts if you cannot succeed without increased case acceptance, more comprehensive interventions and patient referrals beyond your local community. We look forward to help you develop your practice within your practice !
Course Dates:
September 7&8, 2024
November 16&17, 2024
January 4&5, 2025
March 29&30, 2025
Course Instructor
Mark A. Cruz, DDS
Dr. Cruz graduated from the UCLA School of Dentistry in 1986 and started a dental practice in Monarch Beach, CA upon graduation. He has lectured nationally and internationally and is a member of various dental organizations including the Pacific Coast Society for Prosthodontics and the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry. He was a part-time lecturer at UCLA and member of the faculty group practice and was past assistant director of the UCLA Center for Esthetic Dentistry. He has served on the National Institute of Health/NIDCR (National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research) Grant Review Committee in Washington D.C. and served 2 terms on the DSMB (data safety management board) for the NPBRN (national practice-based research network overseen by the NIDCR) as well as on the editorial board for the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice (Elsevier) and a past reviewer for the JADA and current reviewer for PracticeUpdate (Elsevier). He currently is co-authoring the textbook, Airway Focused Clinical Dentistry: A Comprehensive Guide for Global Wellness Beyond Teeth, Gums & Joints to be published by Elsevier at the end of next year.
NOTE: Mark A. Cruz, DDS is a founding member of the Airway Collaborative, a California S-Corporation. All material presented will be based on the latest science and evidence available to the best of his ability.
Course Format
During each session, participants will receive lectures from Dr. Cruz in an informal setting, allowing for significant interaction and Q&A. Demonstrations will be given in our state-of-the-art operatory on numerous aspects of the airway examination and demonstration of the technology required to become a world-class airway dentist. After each weekend session, we will conduct a 60-minute debriefing where additional questions will be answered along with case presentations. As a graduate of the course, you will gain the credentials required to join the Airway Collaborative, where numerous additional resources exist.
Topics
1. The Great Leap Forward-The anthropologic standard
2. Ontogeny and Craniofacial Development
3. Epigenetics
4. The Sleep- Breathing Spectrum
5. The Important Role of the ANS (autonomic nervous system)
6. The Clinical exam: medical sequelae
7. The Clinical exam: dental sequelae
8. The Pediatric Patient
9. Skeletal expanders for adults
10. Non-retractive clear aligner training for the GP and orthodontist
11. Orthognathic surgical planning
12. Myofunctional therapy
Learning Objectives
After the eight-day, 68-hour course, participants will learn how to:
- Compile a standardized airway report for patient case presentation, team communication and tracking progress with treatment, & document long-term outcomes
- Use of skeletal expanders and clear aligner treatment in combination
- Facially driven smile design
- Build a successful team for an integrated workflow that optimizes case acceptance and increases the bandwidth of the clinician via staff support
- Establish efficient workflow & interdisciplinary treatment coordination with step-by-step instruction
- Set up optimal financial arrangements that make sense for the clinician & patient.
- Weigh various surgical & non-surgical approaches to establish optimal breathing and sleep with a fully informed patient that fosters trust & referrals
- Determine appropriate and relevant photographic, radiographic, and medical metrics to accurately phenotype the patient’s airway risk factors in a detailed, step-by-step process
- Properly triage and coordinate interventions addressing the TMJs, oral volume, and nasal function (structure, function, and behavior) with a focus on the medical indications for treatment while recognizing current dental orthodoxy.
- Set-up win:win independent contractor relationships to enhance case acceptance and treatment efficiency.
Course participants will each receive a link to all sessions which will be recorded and information on additional resources to continue learning and applying the techniques presented in the course.
Approved for 68 UNITS of CE by ADA/CERP
