Anyone have recommendations for hands-on CE that truly improves periodontal disease prevention in practice? I’m looking to sharpen subgingival debridement and closed root planing technique (Gracey 1/2 and 11/12 with thin ultrasonic inserts), tighten periodontal charting with calibrated probing depths and furcation grading, and get faster at full-mouth radiograph positioning; Midwest travel later this winter is doable.
And > depths and furcation grading, and get faster at full-mouth radiograph positioning; Midwest travel later VDF’s Tech Track wet labs nail calibrated probing/Grade I–III furcations, coach Gracey 1/2 + 11/12 with thin inserts, and run a timed full‑mouth rads station. If you need Midwest later, the Midwest Veterinary Conference in Columbus usually has a similar hands-on — book early; the rads stations fill first.
, getting faster on the radiograph series drove me nuts until I took Dr. Beckman’s IVDI technician wet lab — lots of reps on cadaver heads with ‘Gracey 11/12’ and thin inserts plus timed positioning drills. They also calibrate probing with a UNC-15 and furcation grading against a rubric, which tightened our charting.
One thing that tightened my ‘calibrated probing depths’ was practicing probe pressure on a kitchen scale until I consistently hit about 25 g, then confirming furcations with a Nabers on cadaver heads before touching live patients. If you want reps in a structured setting, the Viticus Group Oquendo wet labs in Vegas set a gram scale at each station and work radiograph positioning too, though it’s a pricier weekend: https://www.viticusgroup.org/.