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A vote of confidence in clear aligners!

A vote of confidence in clear aligners!

Vandana KatyalBOSS Courses, Dr Katyal’s Publications, Uncategorised

Last weekend in Sydney I was thrilled to share some of the latest advances in clear aligners technology and best practice with a large group of fellow dental professionals.

If you’ve ever met me, you’ll know how passionate I am about raising standards in the quality of service, and in the outcomes, that dentists and orthodontists can deliver to patients who have taken the big step of straightening their teeth with Invisalign.

On Saturday, as the rest of the country was going to the polls (we’d already cast our ballots!), I welcomed a roomful of dentists dedicated to enhancing their skills in the field of clear aligners.

As the group got comfortable in the Pullman Hotel overlooking Sydney’s beautiful Hyde Park, we started the 2-day ‘Clear aligners beyond accreditation’ course by exploring exactly why clear aligners are the future of orthodontics, and looking at how remote monitoring can increase treatment efficiency.

I’m a huge proponent of technology and am something of an early adopter – whenever I discover some new equipment or software that improves the way we do things, I have to have it! Remote monitoring is a perfect example of this, as it allows dental professionals to efficiently monitor patient’s teeth straightening progress remotely, via a phone app and software. The course attendees were keen to hear about the findings of my AAO-accepted research in this area, and to learn tactics for implementing remote monitoring with their patients.

Next up was a session on how to individualise treatment plans based on smile design principals, featuring 3D simulations and case presentations, after which the biomechanics of aligners were under scrutiny. Attendees learnt how to effectively and efficiently use clear aligners to a higher standard, which included insights into the best attachments for various situations, finishing with aligners, and understanding aligner efficiency.

We wrapped the first day with a look at clear aligner attachment protocols, exploring how to identify treatment aims and biologic limits of tooth movements, estimate appropriate arch form, and understand the effect of expansion/extraction on space, attachment and treatment sequencing protocols.

Sunday morning kicked off with an overview of Invisalign Teen, always an area of great interest, in which attendees learnt the basics of facial growth and timing for various treatments, and how to apply growth modification principles.

Day two also covered how to deal with vertical problems in clear aligners, before concluding with a workshop featuring group-based case discussions and treatment planning for clear aligners, which brought together aspects of the multiple areas that had been covered during the weekend.

By the time the course ended on Sunday afternoon, attendees had developed not only a thorough understanding of the growing evidence for using clear aligners, but also an informed appreciation of how it will impact their treatment planning in the years to come.

It was a superb weekend, packed with learning and practical skills for attendees to implement in their practices, and the feedback has been fantastic, with many echoing the sentiments of previous attendee Dr James Zvirblis, a NSW dentist; ‘Vandana’s BOSS course gave me a much better insight into clear aligner systems, what they’re good at and what they’re not so good at. The biomechanics section was particularly useful, and she went over a lot of troubleshooting which I had no idea about previously. Would highly recommend course 2 for anyone starting out with Invisalign or other clear aligners!’

I am in my absolute element when I am surrounded by industry peers eager to gain the benefits of my extensive experience with clear aligners, and I can’t wait to do it all again soon!

What People Are Saying

  • I completed the BOSS UK Diploma in 2021 and when it became available, signed up for the AU course as well. I completed the AU course at the end of last year and can honestly say BOSS (now Digital Orthodontic College) has completely changed my approach to clear aligner treatments and increased my confidence with treatment planning immensely. The fact that the course is 100% online was a huge drawcard for me initially since I have two young children, work clinically part-time and run my own business. It allowed me the flexibility to study when I had the chance and didn’t result in any loss of clinical time. Dr V is extremely passionate about orthodontics and more importantly sharing her wisdom and that comes through in her approach to teaching. The course is extremely comprehensive (NB: the AU course has quite a few complex assessments) and covers everything starting from the basics of tooth movement, which sets a good foundation and is therefore suitable even for beginners. The monthly/bimonthly webinars allow students to share cases and is a safe space, non-judgmental and therefore an incredible learning platform. I had been doing clear aligner treatments prior to starting this course, but BOSS helped me see patients with new eyes and has overhauled my treatment planning approach. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone interested in learning, or to extend their knowledge about, clear aligner treatments.

    Thank you so much Dr V!

    Dr Lora Banicevic, Dentist NSW
  • The Australian accredited 10905NAT Graduate Diploma of Digital Orthodontic Treatment offers comprehensive training in the field, gives the candidate the opportunity to do things in a self-paced manner, while getting a personalised 1-on-1 learning experience with Dr Vandana Katyal. It was an excellent choice for me and gave me the flexibility to get the well-designed training done in my own time frame. I would strongly recommend the course to any practitioners who is looking to upskill themselves with a no-compromise high quality course, while also having to juggle between busy practices and family schedules.

    Dr Charles Sun, Dentist WA
  • I started this course unsure of how much I would benefit. The in-person lectures were fantastic (although the course is now 100% online) where I made good friends and learned a lot. The online resources are extensive and second to none, accessible at your convenience. The webinars were great – usually with the right mix of teaching, cases demonstrated and the attendees’ cases being discussed. I was also invited to deliver a webinar on intra-oral scanners, 3D printers and in house aligner manufacturing (from a dentist’s point of view) – which I enjoyed.
    Most of all the course gave significantly more confidence what can be done with aligners, how plan the setup efficiently with the end in mind and how to make the processes to get there smoother. As a result, a MUCH larger chunk of my work is now aligner based. My conversion rate for aligner treatments has definitely increased along with my confidence. The course has easily paid for itself. Full disclosure: I was invited to deliver a webinar on intra-oral scanners, 3D printers and in house aligner manufacture to my BOSS batch mates, which I also thoroughly enjoyed doing. I declined any remuneration for this, although it was offered.
    Dr Shammi Moopen, Dentist VIC
  • Since I have joined the postgraduate diploma in orthodontics I have noticed all the applied practical learning/knowledge on my patients and I am only half way through the year. Dr Vandana is a genuine educator. She goes way beyond to simplify every lecture and I really like her evidence based information and that is available for us 24/7. Her webinars helped a lot for busy dentists and loved the feedback we get in the one on one sessions with our cases. It make us think every step of the way. But the best thing I like is to see she is giving back to the community and her association with Smile Train in helping children with cleft palate is just beyond words. Thank you so much for being nice and approachable.

    Dr Claudia Braybon, Dentist NSW
  • Received my Diploma in Digital Orthodontics from BOSS and couldn’t be more stoked! Huge shout out to Dr Vandana Katyal and the BOSS team for a wonderful year. I would recommend BOSS to every dentist no matter their level of experience with Orthodontics and clear aligners. Starting off with barely any orthodontic experience, I have commenced about 9 cases in the matter of months and BOSS gave me the confidence to predictably deliver results for my patients through clear aligners which are the future of modern orthodontics.
    Dr Sarang Sathe, Dentist NSW
  • I chose Boss’s clear aligner diploma because I wanted to know the latest evidence based practice to enhance my treatment planning and case execution. I now have a much better understanding of how to diagnose, what movements can be done and what will get me into trouble. The flexible nature of the course delivery also fit perfectly into full time work and my otherwise packed schedule. The monthly case presentation webinars are also great to not only get feedback from Dr Katyal, but also to validate your own thoughts self-assess and see how you are tracking with your learning.

    Dr Gregory Nguyễn, Dentist NSW

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