By Digital Smile Design
⋅ 5 min read
⋅ 14 Jun 2023
In this article, we aim to guide you through the DSD educational portfolio so you can best understand the purpose and learning outcomes of our courses and find the best DSD offering for your needs right now.
To get the answer you need to take a few important factors into consideration: whether you’ve previously attended a DSD course, what your specialty is and what your learning preferences are. Read on to find out.
Which course is the entry point to DSD?
If you are prepared to start implementing what you learn through pragmatic solutions, we recommend the DSD Provider course.
Why? Because in addition to the DSD concepts, this course teaches simple and proven systems that are ready for you to implement and start using in your clinic right away. These are solutions that aim to help you make treatment planning simpler, receive consistently high quality results from your lab and connect more easily and authentically with your ideal patients.
In addition, as a participant you will also receive our support when it comes to implementation after the course is over. This includes:
- Free DSD App membership to create simple but inspiring smile simulations for patients.
- The option to work with the DSD Planning Center on your patient cases. To do this we will give you a complimentary product to try out our service as well as full training on how to use it.
As this course is available via livestream over 6 online sessions or as a 2-day, in-person event, it’s also easy to learn in the way that best suits your preferences and schedule.
To speak to a member of our team to get started with DSD or to browse our course dates and locations, choose one of these options...
In which order can I take the DSD Courses?
DSD Provider
As outlined above, the ideal way for dental professionals to dive into the world of Digital Smile Design and comprehensive dentistry is to attend the DSD Provider course.
We recommend beginning with this option as it will provide you with a solid foundation for further exploration. This will not only give you the knowledge and systems you need to start implementing DSD in your dental office but give you a strong basis from which to take advantage of other courses should you wish to participate in the future.
Attending DSD Provider is a prerequisite to participating in DSD Clinical.
DSD Clinical
DSD Clinical is designed for those who want to go even further in understanding DSD’s clinical solutions in a clinic setting. It provides an in-depth view of how DSD’s solutions can improve interdisciplinary planning and decision-making, as well as treatment outcomes.
Clinical courses
However, while DSD Provider is recommended as the starting point with DSD, it’s not a mandatory requirement to have attended DSD Provider to participate in our clinical courses, such as DSD Aligners.
Through our relationships with many dental professionals across the globe, we’ve found that most benefit greatly from learning about DSD before enrolling in these clinical courses. Having a solid understanding of DSD enhances the learning experience and allows for better integration of the clinical concepts.
I want to learn about the DSD methodology and protocols
If you’re interested in gaining a thorough understanding of the DSD methodology with practical implementation strategies, the recommended starting point is, once again, the DSD Provider course. This makes it the ideal launching pad for all of our other courses.
This course blends the theory about the DSD philosophy and methodology with the practical solutions you need to start making them a reality in your clinic. By choosing this course you will also benefit from the option to work with the DSD Planning Center and receive full training to be able to do so.As the next step, DSD Clinical further explains the methodology and showcases workflows behind DSD’s clinical solutions. However, this course is dependent on having first taken DSD Provider. The program will take your understanding of DSD’s clinical solutions to the next level and show you how to really maximize the benefits of working with the DSD Planning Center.
Furthermore, if you are a clinic owner who has already attended DSD Provider and intend to implement DSD in your clinic, then we offer the DSD Team Consultancy program.
The DSD Team Consultancy is a two-day program exclusively designed for clinic team members to learn DSD protocols and workflows, and ultimately take on the tasks of DSD implementation.
I’m looking for a clinical DSD course
DSD Aligners
For dentists looking for a focused course on specific DSD clinical solutions, the DSD Aligners program will enhance your skills and expand your clinical repertoire with DSD. The DSD Aligners course is a 9-class livestream format designed to shorten the learning curve for general dentists and orthodontists on mastering aligners and Invisalign® ClinCheck®.
Participants learn protocols used and validated by the DSD Planning Center's orthodontic team, an official Invisalign Treatment Planning Service (TPS), and over the duration of 5 weeks they will be guided through every step of the digital workflow: from the first appointment, to retention, to improving patient experience and increasing case acceptance.
Which course formats does DSD offer?
DSD offers two different course formats, each with distinct advantages:
Livestream
The livestream format brings the DSD educational experience to you with no need to take time off from your clinic.
This format typically consists of one or two online classes per week, spread out over 5-9 weeks. The weekly sessions are around two hours long and are broadcast live from the DSD headquarters in Madrid. Participants can also watch the recorded sessions if the live time slot is not ideal for their time zone or schedule.
These live sessions allow you to engage in continuous, paced learning with ample time to absorb and apply the knowledge gained in each class. As the need to travel is also eliminated, you can also seamlessly integrate your learning journey into your existing professional and personal commitments.
BeDSD
All of our livestream content is complemented through our online platform, BeDSD. Here you'll have the opportunity to connect and interact with fellow dental professionals around the world, and exchange ideas, seek advice, and share experiences with your peers, while still maintaining your daily routine. As a BeDSD+ member you'll also gain access to exclusive content to help you put our comprehensive care philosophy into practice.
In-person
DSD’s in-person course format is ideal if you enjoy taking time away from your clinical schedule to travel to events for an immersive and intensive experience with face-to-face networking.
The suite of courses in this category varies in length between 2-4 days and they range from pragmatic implementation solutions (DSD Provider) to over-the-shoulder observation (DSD Clinical).
The advantages of this format are the opportunities to be inspired by world-class presenters and feel energized alongside like-minded dentists who travel to participate from around the world. Where applicable, you will engage with the learning materials, observe experts performing clinical procedures and receive feedback and guidance in real-time, as well as participate in the social events – DSD is known for its great parties!
Which courses are best suited to my specialty?
Due to the variety of DSD courses on offer, we aim to guide participants towards courses they’ll get the most from. While this table reflects our recommendations by specialty, it is by no means a mandatory guideline. The order in which the courses are taken is ultimately up to you and your preferences.
What is DSD Day?
DSD Day is a one-day course hosted by a third-party company, in which Christian Coachman lectures and provides a condensed overview of the DSD philosophy. Find out here the dates and locations for the DSD Day World Tour.
It is important to note, however, that DSD Provider course covers a much wider range of topics and provides a more in-depth exploration of DSD.
Next Steps
If you're interested in more information about our suite of courses, along with course handbooks and free taster classes, check out our full range of courses in our DSD course menu.
We always highly recommend that you schedule a no-obligation call with one of our team members to have a conversation about what's the best course of action based on your specific needs.
Don't wait to get started on your DSD journey today.
