I just completed two more courses in pursuit of my MAGD certification. The Master’s program is designed to develop mastery in all aspects of general dentistry. I love this program because it forces me to focus on my weakest areas. I traveled to Portland, Oregon for a course on pediatric dentistry entitled Pediatric Dentistry for the General Dentist. The course was taught by Dr. Gregory Psaltis who is a pediatric dentist in Olympia, Oregon. The course was two days and covered many fine details in treatment of children. This course will help me recognize growth and development issues earlier so I can either start treatment before they get worse or decide to refer to the specialist. It was a long trip but well worth it.
The most recent course was this past weekend at UF dental school. It was my first time back to my old school in 20 years. The course was on removable partials. This is a dying art in dentistry. The focus was on less expensive treatment options for complicated dental issues. Many times when multiple teeth are missing and implants may not be an option because of cost, a removable option can be designed. This option is a fraction of the cost of a fixed non-removable treatment plan and when done with a solid design this removable option can be a great treatment plan for the patient. The course entitled Removable Partial Dentures at the Highest Level was taught by Dr. James Cassidy Jr. DMD, CDT from Macon, Georgia. He is a Master dentist and taught me many things over the 3 days we spent together.