How Can Orthodontic Training Be the Right Choice for Your Career Development?
One of the best steps you can take in order to advance your clinical proficiency as a dentist and improve your perspectives for clinical development is to pursue extra orthodontic training and study for a diploma in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics provided by a reputable institute that’s accredited via EduQual and SQA. Ultimately, going for such a course could represent a strategic move, that will aid you in your career, and help expand your clinical expertise to levels that will make you competitive with orthodontists active in your local area. General dentistry is already a complex and highly specialised skill, which in the UK, will require at least a BDS or BChD degree from a GDC-approved dental school.
Orthodontists, however, are even more specialised, and the treatments they offer are some of the most in-demand such services in the dental field. According to 2740 Consulting, the global orthodontics market is expected to grow by 2026 to a staggering value of $14.7 billion. Meanwhile, highly specialised orthodontic treatments are lucrative, and command the highest ROI in the private dental sector. And it’s not like you will not have any clients either. Around 80% of all orthodontic patients are under the age of 18, and approximately 30% of all children in Europe received orthodontic treatment at some point before they reached adulthood.
What Is the Structure of Orthodontic Courses?
It depends on what you’re going for, but let’s take, for example, a 12-month orthodontic training course, divided into six units, encompassing 25 modules in total. During orthodontic courses like this you will learn everything from the basic biological foundations of craniofacial development to methods of assessment of orthodontic functions. On top of that, a 12-month course will also embrace topics such as maxillary photography, cephalometric analysis and methods of appliance for braces, aligners and complex lingual-aid systems.
During orthodontic courses like this, you will get familiar with the management of malocclusions and maxillary asymmetries, you will learn how to use self-ligating systems and you will master the basic fundamentals of fixed orthodontic devices, such as conventional braces, and clean aligners. You will also learn how to apply temporary anchorage devices, explore the ongoing transformative impact of digital examination technology in orthodontics, get familiar with the in-depth concepts of CAM software and 3D printing, and gain a detailed understanding of the role of Cone-bream Computer Tomography in orthodonticsand its advantage over conventional 2D imaging.
The credentials necessary for enrolment in an Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics postgraduate course will be different from place to place. However, as a general rule, you will be expected to hold a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree, be registered with the General Dental Council and have at least one year of dental practice in your name. Once you finish the program, however, the diploma you receive will be accredited as a level 7 EduQual. This will not be a specialist fixed orthodontics training course, but the diploma will offer the theoretical and practical skills to further advance your orthodontic skills and practice in this field.
What Are the Main Benefits of Orthodontic Training?
Once you graduate from a 12-month orthodontic training course and you receive your diploma in Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics, you will technically be equipped to practice orthodontics in the UK, as per your current competency level. The course you just finished will provide you with a Level 7 Diploma that’s accredited and internationally recognised by EduQual. And this diploma will be equivalent to a Master’s degree. Orthodontic courses give you the necessary knowledge to diagnose and treat ongoing, complex orthodontic cases, will make you familiar with dentofacial maladies, and will lay the foundations of practices like cephalometry.
Plus, you must think of the overall financial benefits of enrolling in such a course. General dentistry is a lucrative business, but by expanding your services to orthodontic treatments like fixed braces, clear aligners and dentofacial growth adjustments, you could significantly expand your earnings and also increase the overall reputation of your practice. Orthodontic treatments, at least in Europe, are long-term and can cost anywhere from $2000 for mild cases, to more than $5000 for complex ones.
Around one third of all children and teens in the UK need orthodontic treatment for overcrowded teeth or problems with biting alignment. It’s an industry that’s growing at a compound annual rate, in the UK, of 7.9%, and it’s therefore one of the best fields to get into if you’re looking for an early career monetary boost. Yes, 12-month orthodontic courses could set you back more than £9,500. But the ROI makes it worth it, as each case you treat might bring between £1000-£5000 per patient. So, in only a few days of work, the course will pretty much pay for itself.
One of the Best Choices for Your Professional Development
A 12-month online postgraduate diploma made possible by a reputable orthodontic training program will be pretty much equivalent to a Master’s, and it’s the perfect choice if you are a busy practitioner and you are looking for a flexible learning schedule, accompanied by an VLE, separate mobile app and a clinical simulation kit that can be shipped to your location. Plus, since the focus of these orthodontic courses is on practical learning, such courses often offer one-to-one mentoring. Orthodontics is one of the most resilient subsectors in dentistry, and it’s an industry in which 76% of practitioners have seen a general increase in adult patients in the last three years. So, you should get into it.
Orthodontic programs can be a way to gain first-hand experience in this dentistry subdomain, are one of the best tools to gain access to networking specialists who might have a positive effect on your career’s development, they can be a way to set up the foundations of your own dentistry practice and represent one of the wisest financial investments you can make for the further development of your professional reputation. Courses like this are the only way to reduce the number of external patient referrals, can help you develop strategies for integrating orthodontic services in the offers of your practice, and they are an efficient way to gain confidence in your skills.
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