Academy Of Chairside Assisting
Course Offerings
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ACA Course Offerings
DA Essentials
Chairside Essentials for Dental Assistants
Learn how to effectively assist the dentist with examinations and dental procedures. You will learn how to prepare the room, the instruments and the patient for dental procedures. You will become proficient in using the instruments that help keep the patient’s mouth dry and protected during dental procedures, administering topical anesthetics, taking dental impressions for study models other dental records necessary in the diagnostic and restorative processes.
3 CEU
Understanding Anatomy For the Dental Assistant
In order to give quality care to patients, the assistant must be familiar with the terminology by systems and how each system functions. The study of body structures in anatomy and psychology is the study of how the body functions. In this module a brief overview of the dental assistant you should be able to use proper terminology to describe, locate, and identify various anatomical features and landmarks.
2 CEU
The History of Dentistry
Scientists have discovered various forms of tooth replacement and evidence of other procedures from this time period, as well as dental tools such as forceps and dental picks. Many of the designs found in these artifacts are still used in instruments today, which is truly fascinating. These civilizations, including the Chinese, Egyptians and Greeks, designated healers to experiment with treating dental problems. As you go through this quick overview of dental history, you will learn about some of these ancient healers and how their accomplishments helped shape today's dental world.
2 CEU
Infection Control for the Dental Office
Dental assistants must thoroughly conceptualize the best means to comply with those minimum infection control requirements set forth for dental settings. Compliance is critical to adhere to state dental boards, laws, and regulations. The primary intention is to limit the threat of exposure for dental clinicians and the greater public.
2 CEU
Personal Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a necessary means of complying with standard precautions that determines the appropriate clothing items worn when processing instruments and treating patients. Protective clothing, eyewear, facemasks, and chemical resistant utility gloves provide a barrier against chemicals and contaminants. They should be changed at the earliest convenience if penetrated or compromised by blood and infectious fluids.
2 CEU
Instrument Processing and Dental Surface Cleaning
Cleaning and disinfecting rooms where treatment occurs, as well as all dental surfaces and instruments, is a vital facet of safety and health assurance in the dental practice. Dental health care providers (DHCP) must take full responsibility for patient safety by maintaining a remarkable degree of cleanliness.
2 CEU
Patient Information and Charting
As a dental assistant, it’s important to know how to chart properly, which includes taking detailed notes during and/or right after every patient appointment. These notes should include the reason for the visit, what treatment was completed, why the treatment was completed and the outcome of the treatment. Comprehensive charts, which also should include intraoral and extraoral images when applicable, provide dental teams with easy access to patient histories. This not only helps ensure the practice can offer the best care possible, it also covers the dentist from a legal standpoint if any issues ever arise.
2 CEU
Excellence In Dental Hygiene
Dental hygienists are the foundation of care in any dental practice. Their interactions with patients and willingness to engage in oral health discussions can drive cosmetic case acceptance and boost office morale. Each class consist of demonstrations and hygiene engagement designed to appeal to dental hygienists and support their success in the practice.
3 CEU
Oral Health And Prevention: From Fluoride to Sealants, Coronal Polishing and Home Care Instructions
Preventive dentistry should be incorporated into all treatment, with every team member able to discuss the various options with patients. Patients also must be willing to take responsibility for their own oral health, and the more educated they are, the more likely they are to do that. It’s also important to build a rapport with patients, because when they trust you and feel a connection to the practice, they’re much more likely to follow your recommendations.· Recognize the importance of early preventive care oral hygiene contributes to maintaining oral health in children and adults.
2 CEU's
Performing Procedures at the Chair: 4 Handed Dentistry Skills
As a dental assistant, your job is to help the dentist perform procedures as efficiently as possible, and to deliver high-quality patient care with optimal results. To do that, you need to be familiar with all the equipment and processes that are part of the office, as well as know how to properly position yourself and patients during treatment. In this module, you’ll learn basic equipment and their uses and be able to open and close the practice each day. Proper seating and positioning for the patient and assistant are critical for successful procedures, while mastering four-handed dentistry will help make these procedures more efficient—improving the practice’s productivity.
1 CEU
Ergonomics for the Dental Assistant
Dental Assistants maintain postures that require more than half of the body's muscles to contract and resist gravity. Muscle overload leads to reduced blood flow and increased pressure on joints and muscles. The human body requires constant movement to reduce friction and maintain the overall health of joints and muscles. An ergonomic operator chair should consist of a stable leg base, lumbar support, and adjustable footrests to encourage mobility and better patient access.
3 CEU
Radiology Update For The Dental Assistant
High-quality dental radiography images are vital to both patients and clinicians, contributing directly to diagnosis and treatment planning. Quality radiographs feature maximum detail to resolve fine objects. The images accurately show the teeth and anatomic structure without distortion or magnification. They also exhibit density and contrast further improving a dentist’s ability to diagnose and treatment plan. To ensure the dentist receives high quality radiographs every time, team members must focus on proper positioning, exposure, and processing during the acquisition process.
2 CEU
Alginate Impression Techniques for the Dental Assistant
Dental impressions are essential in dental practice for obtaining accurate representations of hard and soft oral tissues as scientific advancements continue to enhance impression materials and techniques, as well as impression taking process and ensure greater accuracy and material stability. However, a variety of materials represent long-lasting alginate impression material that can withstand more extended storage periods and times-before-pouring without losing its accuracy and detail.
1 CEU
Patient Consultations and Case Presentation
This course is designed to help the dental team develop verbal and non-verbal communication skills, patient interaction techniques, and case presentation approaches that can help them be successful when delivering exceptional patient consultations and case presentations. When dental team members build unique and trusting relationships with patients, they (patients) will be more likely to share their personal feelings, goals, and concerns about their oral health and appearance.
2 CEU
Understanding Various Isolation Devices for the Dental Assistant
Understanding the benefit of isolation techniques and materials is now more than ever, critical in dental practice. Isolation allows the clinician to have better visibility, provides more comfort to the patient, and keeps bacteria in saliva from the preparation area to avoid contamination. Understanding the proper use of the materials will allow them to be used more often during dental procedures to improve the quality of care delivered to patients.
2 CEU
HIPAA in the Dental Office
To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), included Administrative Simplification provisions that required HHS to adopt national standards for electronic health care transactions and code sets, unique health identifiers, and security. At the same time, Congress recognized that advances in electronic technology could erode the privacy of health information. Consequently, Congress incorporated into HIPAA provisions that mandated the adoption of Federal privacy protections for individually identifiable health information.
3 CEU
Dental Laboratory Communication for the Dental Assistant
A dental model is used in dentistry so the dentist can have a replica of the patient's teeth, gingiva, and surrounding tissues in the mouth. Models can be used for studying purposes to determine the patient's course of treatment. They can also be used for the fabrication of appliances like whitening trays, mouthguards, and more. In this learn, the dental assistant will be able to understand techniques to fabricate, pour, and trim diagnostic study cast along with facebow transfer and mounting that cast on a semi-adjustable articulator. Once the records are complete, we will then go into the communication between the dentist, assistant, and laboratory technician.
2 CEU
Making Whitening A Success In Your Practice
The course will cover practical techniques for in-office and take-home whitening. Fulfilling the desire and demand to have a bright and white smile is the ultimate goal for every dental practice. A bright smile not only presents a healthy and beautiful impression, but also increases one’s interest in oral hygiene, allowing the patient to have more social self-confidence and self-esteem. Before the patient can go through the whitening process, we must have a proper whitening consult to understand the patient and their desires—and determine which of the various product options to recommend.
6 CEU
The Art of Provisionalization: Single, Multiple and Missing
The role of dental restorations used for provisional and indirect restorative procedures has changed dramatically in the past several years. These restorations are no longer regarded as temporary restorations but rather as provisional restorations with distinct functions and purposes. Provisional restorations have become a vital diagnostic and assessment tool to evaluate function color, shape, contour, occlusion, periodontal response, implant healing, and overall esthetics. An accurate fit and margination is essential to insure and maintain pulpal health. With increased demands being placed on provisional restorations, new materials and techniques are being developed and some existing protocols are being refined to accomplish desired goals. This hands-on course is designed to report on current materials, techniques, and concepts in fabricating and maintaining long-term esthetic provisionals
9 CEUs
Excellence in Dental Lasers
From soft-tissue lasers to those designed for hard-tissue applications, and from lasers used for dental diagnostics to those approved for therapeutic indications, dental lasers today can serve many beneficial roles when used by properly trained professionals. An alternative to conventional treatment modalities, laser treatments reduce the number of necessary appointments and stress, increase visibility, improve patient comfort and reduce complications. As with any less-invasive treatment, laser therapy eliminates many of the complications associated with surgical treatment, providing regeneration effects.
2 CEU
Controlling Hemostasis: Cord, Paste and Laser
Tissue management is certainly one of the most important factors in ensuring a high quality impression and in turn, a properly fitting restoration. The margins ideally are supragingival, or above the gingiva, however, many may be subgingival, or below the gingiva therefore requiring gingival retraction. This section will discuss various retraction techniques and the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as the importance of achieving excellent hemostasis prior to taking the final impression.
5 CEU
PVS Impression Techniques For The Dental Assistant
Impression taking has been described as an art that requires capturing the exact dimensions of the preparation, soft tissue, architecture of margins of the preparation and the relationship of the prepared teeth to the surrounding dentition. Even the most experienced clinician can find impression-taking to be daunting, frustrating or difficult to perfect at times. This course provides an overview of the materials and techniques needed to master impression making.
1 CEU
DA's Rock the Block
The opportunity that Chairside CAD CAM Dentistry offers the modern dental assistant and whole dental team is limitless. From preoperative diagnosis and photography through scanning, designing, milling and preparing for delivery, this course will provide a valuable, efficient and economically productive roadmap for instant success in any office.
3 CEU
Excellence In Digital Photography
We all know we live in an extremely digital age and dentistry is no different. When your dental office needs to effectively communicate either with patients or a laboratory, digital photography is vital. This module will provide dental assistants with all of the necessary skills you need to shoot basic digital photographs for quick co-diagnosis, pre-treatment, during treatment, and post-treatment. We’ll show you the right angles to use for both documentation purposes for patient files and for sending them to the dental lab.
2 CEU
Malocclusion Conversations: From Aligner Therapy to Occlusal Splints
Occlusion refers to the alignment of teeth and the way that the upper and lower teeth fit together (bite). The upper teeth should fit slightly over the lower teeth. The points of the molars should fit the grooves of the opposite molar. The upper teeth keep you from biting your cheeks and lips, and your lower teeth protect your tongue. Malocclusion is most often hereditary. This means it is passed down through families. It may be caused by a difference between the size of the upper and lower jaws or between the jaw and tooth size. It causes tooth overcrowding or abnormal bite patterns. The shape of the jaws or birth defects such as cleft lip and palate may also be reasons for malocclusion.
6 CEU's
Becoming The Whitening Specialist
The Whitening Specialist will be committed to running the office’s whitening program, including handling all whitening patients and their treatment. The ideal candidate for this position is motivated, possesses leadership qualities and administrative skills, and is someone with strong communication and interpersonal skills to ensure superior patient care and satisfaction. This is a demanding and highly REWARDING position! This individual will be responsible for patient treatment planning, performance of all whitening services, including pre-operative and post-operative appointments, scheduling, and will maintain close communication with the doctor(s).
1 CEU
Balancing your Successful Career
Getting a handle on nutrition can seem overwhelming. We're constantly inundated with new diets, advice on what we should and shouldn't eat, and ever-changing health claims. It can be challenging to separate fact from fiction. Over time, the focus on eating has become more about pleasure than just about survival. People began to indulge, which lead to weight gain and obesity problems that are so common today. Put, nutrition is the food we eat and what our bodies do with it. Put all that together and being and working assistant, mom, and wife, we need to have the answers to simplify and put into our active, busy schedules.
2 CEU
Attachment Techniques: Placement to Retention
Popular for many reasons, aligners provide a more esthetic and functional option for patients of all ages, without using brackets, wires, or bands. Although indicated to correct several conditions, some cases require additional features to help achieve the patient’s anticipated treatment. Designed attachments are placed in strategic positions to help move the teeth in the specific directions planned by the dentist.
2 CEU
Becoming the Invisaleader In Your Practice
This is not just your everyday practice, so why not prove your skills to your patients. Learn how to conduct a consultation, present the case utilizing Itero and the best trainers to show you how it's done! In this course the dental team member responsible for digital scans and facilitate delivery and completion of successful aligner treatments, as well as saving the practice time and money.
28 CEU
Excellence in Aligner Therapy for the General Practice
This lecture series delivers valuable insights from the industry-leading hygienist, assistant, and treatment coordinator peer trainers to help attendees achieve optimal results for the malocclusion documentation and education process. Attendees will receive various topics to improve the efficiency and accuracy in their roles with a focus on effectively capturing the patient's issues with diagnostic records and using those records to successfully educate the patient to improve patient acceptance of orthodontic treatment.
2 CEU
Fundamentals First
As clinicians, we have a responsibility to ensure patient oral health and identify risk factors for periodontal disease and other oral health complications, including malocclusion. Fortunately, orthodontic aligners can be recommended for treating a variety of occlusal and misalignment problems in a comfortable, convenient, and esthetic way.
2 CEU
Maximizing Insurance Reimbursement For Orthodontic Treatment
Securing insurance coverage for your patients' we quires dental team members to have a basic understanding of dental insurance plans and the appropriate questions to ask to determine a patient's eligibility and benefits. Although deciphering insurance is challenging, it is the responsibility of the dental practice to offer a comprehensive summary of the patient's benefits and costs while being treated at your practice. By providing a complete picture of the treatment timing and fees, patients are more apt to accept the treatment, follow through with payment and be satisfied with your results.
2 CEU
Scanning For Effective Digital Impressions
iTero Element digital scans provide opportunities for data accumulation and diagnostics that allow for prevention-focused lifetime maintenance strategies. Ideally, the iTero Element can be implemented as innovative digital technology to engage, educate and empower patients to make great choices about their oral health while nurturing the clinician’s human connections that matter.
2 CEU
Team Huddles Accomplishments to Obstacles
One of the keys to any successful team is developing the right meeting rhythms. For leadership teams looking to scale the business, this rhythm is even more critical. Meeting too frequently will leave people frustrated and disengaged, but meeting to infrequently will result in a lack of alignment and coordination. In this course we will a strict outline of conducting the team huddle to create the momentum you need to accelerate your growth and improve your performance.
2 CEU
Scheduling for Profitable Dental Practice
Learning how to effectively schedule your patients leads to greater productivity, higher profits and improved patient outcomes at your dental practice. In addition, improved scheduling habits will improve your team’s workflow and facilitate a happier, healthier working environment.
14 CEU
Excellence in Aligner Therapy for the Orthodontic Practice Series
This lecture series delivers valuable insights from the industry-leading hygienist, assistant, and treatment coordinator peer trainers to help attendees achieve optimal results for the malocclusion documentation and education process. Attendees will receive various topics to improve the efficiency and accuracy in their roles with a focus on effectively capturing the patient's issues with diagnostic records and using those records to successfully educate the patient to improve patient acceptance of orthodontic treatment.
2 CEU
Anterior Direct Restorative
This course is designed for clinicians seeking to improve their skills to confidently restore anterior composite clinical cases, from simple to complex. Layering techniques taught in the course will enable the participants to create life-like esthetically pleasing restorations. Polishing and finishing techniques will be reviewed, as well as a step-by-step procedural approach to solving daily anterior challenges.
3 CEU
Becoming The Inventory Control Specialist
Disorganized and arbitrary inventory control and ordering leads to unnecessary practice overhead, wasted supplies, and loss of profit. Dental practices are losing hundreds to thousands of dollars due to disorganized inventory methods and too many employees authorized to purchase supplies. Introducing a fully integrated inventory system not only improves profit margins, but also increases communication among team members and facilitates a more convenient and efficient ordering protocol.
6 CEU
Becoming The Social Media Marketing Specialist
Social Media Marketing Specialists are responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring the practice’s social media strategy in order to increase brand awareness, improve marketing efforts and increase sales.
1 CEU
Charting and Communication for The Dental Team
As a dental assistant, it's essential to know how to chart correctly, including taking detailed notes during and right after every patient appointment. Chart notes containing the reason for the visit, what treatment, and why treatment was necessary for the completion and outcome. This course explores how the administrative assistant can process documentation to other parties involved in the patient's complete care.
How to Clean and Protect Removable Dental Appliance
Dental appliances can range from permanent fixtures to prosthetic or removable fixtures meant to help support, move, or even replace your teeth. These allow your teeth to work at full capacity while still remaining healthy, no matter the situation. The bonus to removable dental appliances is that they can be removed without a visit to the dentist’s office, making them easier to clean and care for
Patients should be informed that if they are not properly cleaned, over time they may begin to smell, develop stains, and most importantly, shorten their lifespan. Learn how a new product enables the patient to easily clean, store, and protect all types of removable dental appliances including retainers, aligners, splints, nightguards, sports mouthguards, sleep appliances, and dentures.
2 CEU
Increasing Case Acceptance from Whitening to the Esthetic Dental Procedures
As clinical procedures in aesthetic dentistry continue to expand and improve, the dental assistant’s role continues to evolve as well. As we connect with the patient and understand their desires, it allows them to become more open and honest with their expectations. Increasing case acceptance is easy when we know what to ask and say. This course takes the dental team through proper records gathering, treatment planning and case acceptance and how to include whitening and esthetic dental treatment.
2 CEU
Matrix Systems For Direct Composite Placement
Class II (interproximal) decay and/or a failing restoration that involves a posterior proximal surface is still a common finding in most dental patients. Many of these problems can be handled utilizing directly placed restorative materials. The challenge has always been to recreate contact to the adjacent tooth and at the same time restore proper interproximal anatomic form given the limitations of conventional matrix systems. In this course the dental assistant will be introduced to the latest matrix systems, wedge selection and dental instruments for proper Class II matrix placement.
3 CEU
Techniques For Creating Functional Provisionals
Provisional restorations provide an optimal situation for patients and clinicians in developing permanent restorations. They serve as a vital diagnostic and assessment tool to evaluate function, color, shape, contour, occlusion, and overall esthetics. With increased demands placed on provisional restorations, new materials and techniques have been developed—and some existing protocols are being refined to accomplish desired goals. This course is designed to teach current materials, techniques, and concepts in fabricating and maintaining functional Provisionals.
1 CEU
Whip Mix Occlusal Excellence in a Digital World
Until recently, it has been impossible to fully visualize many occlusal problems in a digital world. Now, however, mounting on a virtual articulator to do a diagnostic wax-up, assess a CR-MI slide, visually move teeth into a more stable relationship, design an occlusally correct orthotic, or perform a trial equilibration is not only possible, but it can also be done with far greater efficiency, accuracy, and predictability. Come listen to Dr. Cranham illustrate the workflows that have transformed his practice.
1 CEU
Whip Mix Occlusion 101 to 911-Keeping Your Restorations and Reputation Intact
This webinar by Dr. Michael Melkers will demystify occlusion and help you manage the destructive forces that threaten your restorative success making you feel more confident when you walk into your clinic each day. This webinar will help you understand the destructive forces that threaten the restorative success, and how to realistically manage those forces. It will also explain the relationship between function, parafunction, and aesthetics.
CE In A Box Hands On Kits
We remember 10% of what we hear, 20% of what we see, and 80% of what we do. We understand virtual learning is hard and having the ability of having the materials and supplies to following along builds the foundation of a good dental assistant and grow as a clinician.The Academy of Chairside Assisting will teach you the essentials in lecture presentation, video demonstration combined with the option of hands-on for our kinesthetic learner reinforces the action you are doing in clinical with the knowledge base to understand the information from lecture.
3 CEU
Posterior Direct Composite Placement
The placement of direct posterior restorations is one of the most frequently performed dental procedures.1,2 As such, materials with predictable handling for ease of use are vital to clinicians' armamentarium. Dental professionals must also ensure the long-term clinical stability of these restorations, since their location dictates that additional benefits, such as resistance to wear, are necessary for success and long-term function.
Understanding Periodontal Disease
Assessing the health and vitality of periodontal tissues is a fundamental aspect of patient care provided by dental hygienists. When utilizing simple yet effective screening modalities, comprehensive evaluation techniques, and quality tools or materials, hygienists can create an excellent patient hygiene experience that supports long-term gingival health.
Working With You Is Killing ME!
Chairside Assisting With Shannon Pace Brinker
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309 A 26th Street Va Beach Va 23451
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shannon@chairsideassisting.com
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757.285.9477
Academy of Chairside Assisting (ACA) is designated as an Approved PACE Program Provider by the Academy of General Dentistry. The formal continuing dental education programs of this program provider are accepted by the AGD for Fellowship, Mastership and membership maintenance credit. Approval does not imply acceptance by a state or provincial board of dentistry or AGD endorsement. The current term of approval extends from 1/1/2021 to 12/31/2023. Provider #: 387795
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