Continuing dental education at The Pankey Institute is more than a series of courses. It's an experience. Download Essentials PDF Brochure

That's why so many of our students return to the Institute over and over, taking Courses and Special Studies courses over stretches of many years. The sum total is always greater than the parts here.

The Essentials are the Core Curriculum (Levels 1-4) .   General dentists attending Interdisciplinary courses with their specialists no longer need to attend Core courses first.

Essentials I

Occlusion in Everyday Dentistry
Exploring occlusal disease and when its management is vital to the success of your dentistry and doctor-patient relationship.
Most classes are Sunday 12:00 Noon through Wednesday 3:00 PM Check our Course Schedule
38 AGD Lecture and Participation Credits
Tuition: $3,950 2008
Upcoming Schedule: 3/16/08**; 4/13/08**; 5/18/08**; 6/8/08**; 7/9/08; 9/21/08; 10/26/08; 11/16/08; 12/7/08; 1/11/09; 2/8/09
** Class is full

The stomatognathic system is complex, dynamic and elegant. We make changes to that system everyday. Most of these changes work but sometimes they don't. Add to that the challenges of everyday practice and working with patient and staff personalities. It is easy to understand how challenging our work is.This course will give you the tools to understand occlusal disease and equilibration. It will help you see the practice of dentistry as a lifestyle choice. Refining how you practice dentistry can provide you with the time, energy and resources to enjoy all that life has to offer.
We’ll help you:

1. See a long term vision for your practice that embraces comprehensive care and values t
he patient relationship.

2. Identify the constructs of Dr. Pankey’s philosophy and discover how they relate to your practice and life.

3. Refine your own philosophy of practice.

Seminars
& Clinical Exercises

• Occlusal disease – how to identify its causes and effects, when it is important and when it isn't
• Records you must have to fully evaluate a case
• Centric relation – where to find it, how to record it and why it is important.
• Involving your patient in the process – the co-discovery exam
• Equilibration – when it is important and when it isn't
• Lab and clinical techniques you can take home and put to use immediately
• Behavioral foundations that will elevate your practice to peak level
• Financial tools for financial freedom

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Essentials II

Bite Splints in General Practice
Becoming adept at utilizing bite splint therapy diagnostically, therapeutically and behaviorally for the benefit of your patients.

Most classes are Sunday 2:00 PM through Thursday 12:00 Noon Check our Course Schedule
43 AGD Lecture and Participation Credits
Tuition: $4,500 2008
Upcoming Schedule: 1/20/08**; 2/24/08**; 4/22/08; 6/1/08; 7/20/08; 9/14/08; 10/20/08; 1/18/09; 2/15/09
** Class if Full

After completing this course, you will be able to design, fabricate and deliver a bite splint, as well as identify the rationale for fabricating different types of bite splints. You will be able to use bite splint therapy diagnostically, therapeutically and behaviorally for the benefit of your patients. You will further develop a vision for your practice of dentistry.

We’ll help you:

1. Describe how using a bite splint will help patients come to a better understanding of the health of their mouth.

2. Collect practice financial data and enter it into a Management Income Statement (MIS) spreadsheet to monitor your practice.

3. Begin to develop a philosophically-based fee.

Seminars
& Clinical Exercises

• Become adept at muscle and joint examination.
• Become adept at obtaining appropriate bite records and mounting cases on articulators.
• Fabricate an acrylic bite splint shell on a mounted model.
• Utilize knowledge of TMJ diagnostic sounds, movements, and functional loading for appropriate bite splint therapy application.
• Reline the shell and adjust the occlusion of the seated bite splint.
• Evaluate and adjust the bite splint following wear.
• Define concepts of treatment planning with appropriately mounted diagnostic casts.

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Essentials III

Advanced Occlusion
Learning how to create harmonious function in even difficult occlusions with predictable, aesthetic results.
Sunday 2:00 PM through Thursday 12:00 Noon Check our Course Schedule
42 AGD Lecture and Participation Credits
Tuition: $4,680 2008
Upcoming Schedule: 1/6/08; 3/16/08; 4/6/08; 6/8/08; 8/3/08; 9/28/08;11/16/08; 1/4/09;

You've learned about occlusion and bite splints. Now it is time to put it all together so you can make it work for your patients. This course helps you refine the principals of anterior guidance and its effect on aesthetics. You'll learn the importance of exquisite provisionalization as a tool for both you and your lab technician. And, you'll learn how to organize the posterior teeth so that they are both beautiful and functional. Most important, you'll learn how to get your staff involved in the process of helping your patients choose comprehensive care.

We’ll help you:

1. Refine your philosophy of occlusion for your practice.

2.Identify methods to help staff embrace helping your patients choose health for themselves.

3. Identify specific goals for changing patient care in your practice.

Seminars
& Clinical Exercises

• Dr. Pankey's philosophy – a framework for creating your preferred future
• What you must know to create harmonious, beautiful anterior function
• Why anterior guidance directly affects the shape of the back teeth and how it is influenced by condylar guidance
• How to partner with your technician to create results that WOW your patients
• How exquisite provisionals will become your best marketing tool
• Vertical dimension – when it matters and how to change it
• Treatment sequencing increasingly difficult case

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Essentials IV

Predictable Restorative Success
Developing mastery with complex cases involving precise sequencing and interdisciplinary coordination.
Diagnosis, Planning and Completion of the Complex Anterior Restorative Case
Sunday 12:00 Noon through Wednesday 5:00 PM
43 AGD Lecture and Participation Credits
Tuition: $4,760 2008
Upcoming Schedule: 7/29/08; 9/14/08; 10/26/08; 1/11/09

After completing this course, you will be will able to define the role of periodontics and orthodontics in the comprehensive restorative plan. You will understand the nuances of tooth preparation and tissue management. You will be able to begin development of complex treatments and seek specialty support with confidence.
And, you will be equipped to complete a comprehensive, pre-clinical interview and co-discovery exam.
We’ll help you:

1. Start the process of developing statements of collaboration with specialists.

2. Engage in a pre clinical interview and exam that is patient-centered and relationship-based.

3. State your philosophy of practice as a result of being influenced by Dr.
   Pankey’s philosophy of dentistry.

4. Develop a philosophically-based fee for complex cases.

Under the expert guidance of our faculty, you will:

1. Define the role of biologic width in restorative practice.

2. Identify steps in managing tissue for impression making.

3. Identify steps in executing an excellent impression for lab-fabricated restorations.

4. Identify the role of the periodontist in developing complex restorative cases.

5. Identify the role of the orthodontist in developing complex restorative cases.

6. Differentiate between data gathering in an exam and creating a learning experience for patients.
7. Be able to work up a complex case and create a sequence of treatment.
8. Be able to prepare anterior and posterior teeth for a variety of full coverage restorations.

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