In the past, I have blogged about implant courses and what dentists should consider when choosing one. In case you missed it, please read the blog post.
Make your concerns known
A primary concern of dentists is the ‘quality’ of the patients they will treat on an implant course. It’s a fair question, as registering for an implant course is an investment in your career.
Like any investment, you should make careful considerations when it comes to choosing a course. It’s why we receive questions about topics, implant systems, patients, qualifications and fees.
These are all critical points that dentists are rightly concerned about.
Exploring implant training models
There is an established UK training model where delegates bring their own patients from their practice. Usually, the patient fees are then collected by the training organisation. Most major course providers do this.
I have also previously mentioned the ‘mentorship’ model, which involves some training organisations charging separate fees for delegate support.
Some training providers also take their delegates abroad to place implants on patients. I have always been concerned about the legal and ethical implications when UK dentists go abroad to treat patients. This is especially true when delegates visit developing countries.
Unlike Tipton Training, there are some providers who indulge in these training methods. My recommendation? Avoid these organisations altogether.
What happens after training?
Once delegates finish their course, they are often unsure if they can place implants without supervision.
Immediately transferring skills into a practice setting is critical, as dental implants are one of the fastest growing patient treatments in the UK. It’s why Tipton Training courses – including The Implant Course – include practical-based learning modules.
An element of The Implant Course focuses on patient selection. The logic is simple: if you can’t identify suitable patients, you can’t book dental implant treatments in your practice.
This brings me to the reason for this blog. If a training organisation provides your patients, they reduce your ability to identify implant patients and sell treatments.
The importance of selling treatments
I spoke to Professor Paul Tipton and several of our esteemed faculty about their successful dental practices.
One aspect that put them ahead was their ability to create treatment plans and sell treatments. The value of this experience is unquantifiable.
“When I was studying, we considered education as a character building experience. You went to college to learn skills you could use in the real world,” explains Professor Paul Tipton.
“Somehow, it seems to have turned into a checklist or CPD exercise. It’s for that reason I think Enhanced CPD’s are good – they force a dentist to consider what outcome they want to get.
“For dentists who don’t know much about dental implants, pitching implant treatment to patients might be a challenge. However, isn’t that the reason why you are doing a course?”
Why choose Tipton Training?
On The Implant Course, we go through patient selection and ethical selling on day one of the course.
Once you have the skills, you can then focus on character building and using it in the real world. Obviously, we have the treatment planning support to help delegates sort through things. That’s where a lot of valuable conversations associated with patient selection happen.
First of all, you look at an individual case. Then you assess it to find out whether the patient is suitable for implant placement. If not, this might be because they need prior hygiene treatment or further investigation.
That’s why patient-provided courses, in my view, lead to a significant loss of learning and long-term earnings.