Pursuing Excellence in Uncertain Times
WITH JAKOB JUST-BOMHOLT, CEO, 3SHAPE
While the ongoing pandemic has impacted dentists’ ability to attend in-person courses, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry is making sure they have access to the training and education needed to take their esthetic dentistry to the next level. Here, Dr. Salvatore Lotardo, AACD President, discusses the hands-on training, lecture-demonstration courses, and vast library of online videos and educational resources available through its new Hands-on @Home initiative and the AACD CEntral online learning platform
What should dentists know about the new Hands-on @Home initiative?
The AACD has a wonderful reputation for its hands-on workshop programs and giving dental professionals the real-world experiences that help them achieve esthetic excellence. With Hands-on @Home, the Academy has virtualized the educator/attendee dynamic to provide the same level of attention and advanced learning as our in-person workshops. I’m most excited about the variety of lecture-demonstration courses available—from direct composite resins and dermal fillers to bonding and ceramics to digital smile planning. The courses were selected so dentists can learn the latest tips, tools, and techniques in esthetics while getting maximum interaction with the instructors.
What’s been the response to the newly launched AACD CEntral?
AACD CEntral is unique in that the educational content is curated into Learning Paths so members can easily navigate to the courses that are most relevant to them. We’ve seen lots of activity in our Veneers Learning Path, as well as Critical Elements of Smile Design and Digital Dental Photography. Practice management and marketing topics are well traffi cked, too. Members have told us they appreciate how clean and relevant AACD CEntral content is, and that they can easily reference the material for use in everyday cases
Why should clinicians take advantage of virtual lectures and workshops instead of waiting for in-person CE to resume?
One need not exclude the other. The demands of the COVID era have forced us to reimagine how we de-liver education. As such, we have devised ways to keep our membership engaged until in-person continuing education becomes more robust. The education we provide not only improves knowledge and skills, but equally important is the motivation to pursue excellence. It is essential that clinicians have the oppor-tunities to maintain this pursuit, and the AACD has risen to this challenge.
Why might right now be the best time for dentists to start exploring AACD membership or Accreditation?
Now more than ever, clinicians joining together to learn, share, and innovate is essential for our profes-sion to advance. The AACD facilitates such camaraderie and provides a creden-tial that establishes standards in compre-hensive cosmetic dentistry. Dentists who wish to pursue excellence can continue their journey among the like-minded and avail themselves of all the AACD has to of-fer. Accreditation is more than an achieve-ment; it is a pathway to reach your full potential. I welcome anyone interested in becoming a member or learning more about accreditation to check out all the AACD has to offer at AACD.com.
