Frequently Asked Questions

Comprehensive dental implant education provides a thorough and in-depth understanding of the intricacies and complexities involved in implant dentistry. It encompasses a broad range of topics, including implant placement techniques, surgical procedures, prosthetic components, treatment planning, patient selection, and post-operative care. Such comprehensive education ensures that dental professionals have a solid foundation and knowledge base to deliver high-quality implant treatment with precision and confidence.

In contrast, short educational programs may provide a limited overview of dental implant concepts, focusing primarily on basic implantology principles or specific aspects of the treatment process. While these programs can offer valuable insights and introductory knowledge, they may not provide the depth of understanding necessary to address complex cases or handle unforeseen complications that may arise during implant procedures. Comprehensive dental implant education equips clinicians with the expertise and critical thinking skills needed to handle a wide range of scenarios and provide optimal patient care.

Moreover, comprehensive dental implant education emphasizes evidence-based practice, incorporating the latest research findings, advancements in technology, and best clinical practices. It encourages a multidisciplinary approach, a holistic approach ensuring that patients receive comprehensive care, taking into account their overall oral health, medical history, and individual treatment needs. A short educational program may not provide the same level of evidence-based knowledge or promote interdisciplinary collaboration, potentially limiting the clinician’s ability to offer the best possible outcomes for their patients.

In conclusion:

Three main reasons: official credentials, legitimacy and authority, and international recognition.

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) is an internationally renowned organization and a leader in the continuing education of dentists in oral implantology. The AAID sets the curriculum for all MaxiCourse programs around the world, and all MaxiCourse programs contribute to the written portion of the Associate Fellow exam. Completion of the Vancouver MaxiCourse earns you an AAID MaxiCourse Certificate.

The benefits to you: internationally recognized credentials and programs in place to continue your journey in implant dentistry. The MaxiCourse is an introductory program to the field of oral implantology. Upon completion of both the written exam (available at the end of the MaxiCourse) as well as the case presentation and oral exam, dentists earn the title Associate Fellow. With this title comes an official certificate, similar to your diplomas and degrees (see left).

Continuing education and surgical experience in implant dentistry can eventually earn you the title of Fellow with the AAID. Following that, the final step is to apply to become a board-certified oral implantologist with the American Board of Oral Implantology.

The Vancouver MaxiCourse is a highly comprehensive oral implantology program. Each single didactic module covers a wealth of material, and critical content builds on itself as the year progresses. Preparing for each module requires a commitment to reviewing chapters from Dr. Carl Misch’s textbook, Contemporary Implant Dentistry, as well as other texts selected by our speakers and course director.

Some of our modules also include two days of clinical work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own patients from their dental office to the program. There are many hours involved in preparing an implant surgery case; we have created a program that encourages collaboration through the sharing of case work-ups. Surgical mentors, fully credentialed by the AAID and ABOI, provide guidance and support for each participant and their treatment planning. The dialogue that this provides also takes time, so a month in between each session is important for both textbook review as well as in-depth treatment planning.

YES! The Vancouver MaxiCourse is proud to provide a robust surgical experience. Roughly 1/3 of the program focuses on clinical skills.

At any time within our surgical sessions, you have the opportunity to perform surgery, assist a fellow participant with their surgery, provide photography assistance to a surgery, or observe surgery. Surgical cases are discussed at length, with time spent discussing treatment planning, treatment options, surgical approaches, and the rationale behind everything we do. We firmly believe in planning with the end in mind and working back from that to achieve the desired result.

In addition to surgeries, we have numerous hands-on workshops on a variety of topics; in addition, we have the Surgical Anatomy cadaver course in Module 4 with hours spent in the Anatomy Lab on cadavers.

The short answer – any system you are interested in working with. While we have select implant companies actively endorsing our program and attending each session, you do not need to cater to any particular implant system. Implant dentistry is not a one-size-fits-all industry; we work to introduce participants to multiple points of view and multiple implant systems, each system with its own strengths and weaknesses. While you will have the opportunity to try our exhibiting implant systems on patients or models throughout the program, there is no requirement to buy their system or use it in your own office.

For specific questions regarding systems you’ve worked with and wish to learn more on, please inquire with our education coordinator.

We understand that many people begin their implant education in a surgical study club (having run our own surgical study clubs for many years) and we have seen the clinical growth of our members first-hand. That being said, we also recognize that the staff and time frame of most study clubs are limiting factors in providing a comprehensive foundation for dentists’ education in oral implantology. While there is tremendous value in taking surgical study clubs, as we cannot emphasize enough the importance of hands-on training and applying your knowledge, the vast majority of those clubs contain little or no didactic content and ultimately “you don’t know what you don’t know”.

We also welcome dentists to our program who have taken “weekend warrior” or smaller courses in implant dentistry, and while they perhaps appreciated the experience, they didn’t have time to build comfort level and confidence within the field. Additionally, they were given brief lectures on complex topics that only revealed their complexity during complications within surgery – complications they weren’t prepared for due to the brevity of their training.

Our program starts from square one and walks you through the process of gathering the knowledge and skills necessary to progress in this field of dentistry. As a result, if you are new or relatively new to implants [or feel you need to start fresh], this is the perfect place for you to start. We encourage our graduates to continue their education through the Vancouver Implant Continuum study club or other implant study clubs available; however, for the depth of knowledge and skills needed in oral implantology, our program is the ideal starting point. A typical study club cannot provide you with the one-on-one personal attention and depth of knowledge that this can. And as one of our participants has commented, “You hit the ground running on day one.”

Our philosophy: surgical study clubs are a means of building on the knowledge base of the MaxiCourse and come after the MaxiCourse. We are setting a foundation.

This is a fair question to ask, especially considering our response to the previous question. The simple answer – yes.

Our very first year of the MaxiCourse, the vast majority of our class were experienced clinicians. Many went on to become fully-fledged Associate Fellows of the AAID, with two Fellows amongst them and that number growing… and you do need 300 didactic hours of CE to challenge the Associate Fellow exam.

But beyond that, their feedback from that year:  Tremendous value from attending the MaxiCourse, regardless of their past experience and coursework. An analogy may help to illustrate why:

Elementary school teachers typically teach it all, the most difficult subject being math. A grade 4 student going into grade 5 is likely to have a few holes in their knowledge base, which only widen with a new curriculum if not caught and corrected. Now imagine that a student, yourself, only attended a third of those grade 4 math lessons. The holes in your knowledge can be significant, and you may not even be aware of it.

This is where the MaxiCourse comes in. Since our program starts from square one, we help to fill in the knowledge gaps that smaller programs, weekend programs, and primarily surgical study clubs simply don’t have the time to replicate – a solid, comprehensive foundation. Many past and present participants quickly realized the truth of these words: “You don’t know what you don’t know”.

Add to that, we assess each individual participant’s experience and competency and approve each treatment plan based on that assessment. The goal of any surgery performed at the MaxiCourse is to provide the means for you to practice your skills and stretch yourself, and the more experience you have, the more complex your mentored surgeries can be.

Each year, we strive to personalize the didactic curriculum, what we emphasize, what topics we cover, and so forth as much as possible. We get to know the incoming class and make changes and revisions to best suit the needs of that class. The curriculum is set out by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, designed to prepare you for a career or continued success in the field of oral implantology. Many times, our alumni have commented that despite their breadth of experience, there is still much learned, even in early modules of the program.

However, the clinical aspect of our program is completely personalized. You receive one-on-one mentorship from the treatment planning stage through to the surgery itself, which takes place at the UBC Oral Health Centre. Our goal is for you to stretch yourself by 5% each time you do a surgery; in that way, you are challenging yourself, but not so far that you encounter a situation that requires the mentor to take over in performing the surgery.

Those in the beginning stages of their implantology career tend to focus on tooth extraction, bone grafting, and single implant placement in the posterior. Those past the early stages can prioritize their learning, in consultation with our faculty. So in answer to the question: You can do any surgery that you and the faculty feel is within your capability, with the support you need. The only caveat is that the topic of your surgery must first be taught before you can apply that learning on a patient’s case.

The Vancouver MaxiCourse does have exhibitors in attendance at the program. Exhibitors are part of what allow our program to grow and expand, as they provide an avenue for us to connect with dentists through dialogue between corporate reps and dentists. They also provide quantifiable benefits to participating dentists: complimentary static surgical guides and implant components for your surgical cases at the program, exposure to biomaterials and instrumentation to help you equip your office, and so on.

However, the main difference between our MaxiCourse and many other courses out there – commercial interests do not influence our scientifically-based, rigorous curriculum. We pride ourselves on and work hard to remove commercial bias from our educational delivery, since it does not serve dentists to be indoctrinated into a singular approach to their implant practice. The exhibitors at our program are well aware that many systems and approaches will be discussed openly, sometimes in direct opposition to their interests. The development of critical thinking, a priority for us, does not flourish in a single-minded perspective.

Biased educational programs present a significant problem, as they can provide a distorted or one-sided perspective on a subject matter. When it comes to dental implant education, biased programs may promote certain products, techniques, or approaches based on commercial interests rather than objective evidence or patient needs. This can lead to a lack of critical thinking, limited exposure to alternative methods, and potentially compromise the quality of care provided by dental professionals. Biased educational programs undermine the integrity of education and hinder the development of well-rounded clinicians who can make informed decisions based on comprehensive knowledge and evidence-based practice. It is our belief that it is essential for educational programs to prioritize objectivity, scientific rigor, and patient-centered care to ensure the highest standards of education and patient outcomes.

Drs. William Liang & Jonathan Tsang, co-directors of the Vancouver MaxiCourse, truly believe in life-long learning. Both co-directors are active members in a Cast Gold Study Club under the great Dr. Tucker’s leadership. They also integrate laser dentistry into their implant practice, and Dr. Liang participates in the Vancouver Laser Dentistry Study Club. Dr. Tsang has expanded his teaching into 3D Printing – see our Decode Dentistry website for further details.

For over 12 years, Dr. Liang led his own implant study clubs, one a prosthetic study club and the other an advanced study club called the Vancouver Implant Continuum – the Continuum designed specifically for graduates of the Vancouver MaxiCourse. Dr. Tsang now leads the Continuum alongside Dr. Liang.

Upon completion of the program, we encourage all participants to join an implant study club to continue to build their skills and experience as well as benefit from continued one-on-one mentorship. The Vancouver Implant Continuum is designed specifically for that purpose. In this group, you are given the opportunity to attend all MaxiCourse lectures again as well as bring patients in for more advanced surgeries during study club days.

The College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia [CDSBC], now the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals [BCCOHP], can provide out-of-province participants with temporary licenses [application form link] to practice on patients within our program. For more details, please click HERE.

The CDSPI works closely with the College to provide malpractice insurance for each temporary licensure. The online application is HERE. The main website is www.cdspi.com/insurance/malpractice

Follow those application form links above to access the application forms for both.

American dentists:

If your current malpractice insurance covers Canada at $3 million or more per occurrence, you need not purchase more malpractice insurance from CDSPI; instead, have your insurance company provide proof of coverage for those conditions and have them forward it to the BC College. Your current provider may be able to augment your coverage to cover Canada and $3 million per occurrence, and this may be cheaper than CDSPI in Canada.

Note that your temporary license application to the College must be submitted 6 weeks prior to first surgery to process a criminal record check [we recommend filling out late November], and the application itself, once approved, is valid for one year. You only need to pay the fee for a temporary license [different fee from the application fee] for when you do surgery on a particular weekend module. You may need to get the criminal record check done again, and may need a new Letter of Standing; we are waiting on final word from the College on this item.

You do not need a temporary license for all weekends – only those you have a surgery booked.

Chloe Lo at the CDSBC/BCCOHP is a huge support for this important item. Feel free to call 1-800-663-9169 or 604-736-3621 or email her at clo@cdsbc.org for more details.

Each participant receives 300 hours of CE over the course of the year. It is comprised of the following:

• Lectures
• Clinical sessions
• Online recorded didactic material
• Textbooks reading
• Treatment planning
• Case presentation
• Literature review
• Case study

These 300 hours of CE are required to challenge the written exam, Part A of Associate Fellow credentialing.

We do have tuition payment plans available to all participants. Many past participants spread the cost of the program across the entire year, through post-dated cheques or multiple credit card payments. We do not charge interest fees. Please contact the education coordinator for more details.

In general, we do not. We cannot advertise for discounted implant dental work to the general public; moreover, from a learning standpoint, participants are not equipped with the skills and experience to manage their own cases back at their dental practice if they are not working up their own cases for the program. Simply put, it would be a disservice to you to be provided with a patient and never follow that patient before and after surgery.

Philosophically speaking, we feel it is vital for dentists to bring their own patients to a training course to perform dental implant treatment instead of being provided a patient during the course for several reasons:

1. Patient Familiarity and Relationship: Bringing their own patients to a training course allows dentists to work with individuals they are already familiar with and have an established relationship. This familiarity enhances communication, trust, and patient comfort during the treatment process. The dentist already has knowledge of the patient’s medical history, oral health condition, and specific needs, which facilitates better treatment planning and personalized care.
2. Comprehensive Treatment Planning: By treating their own patients, dentists can conduct a thorough pre-operative assessment, including diagnostic imaging, evaluation of bone quality, and analysis of prosthetic requirements. This comprehensive treatment planning is essential for determining the appropriate implant placement, selecting the right implant system, and creating a personalized treatment plan that aligns with the patient’s specific needs and expectations.
3. Long-Term Follow-up and Care: When dentists bring their own patients, they have the opportunity to provide long-term follow-up and care after the training course. Implant treatment involves a healing period, prosthesis fabrication, and maintenance over time. By continuing to care for their own patients, dentists can ensure consistent post-operative monitoring, address any complications, and deliver ongoing maintenance and preventive care as needed.
4. Continuity of Care and Accountability: Bringing their own patients to a training course allows dentists to maintain continuity of care throughout the treatment journey. They are accountable for the entire process, from initial diagnosis and treatment planning to post-operative care. This accountability ensures that the dentist takes responsibility for the treatment outcomes and provides optimal patient care.
5. Accountability and Ethical Considerations: Taking responsibility for their own patients in dental implant treatment ensures accountability and adherence to ethical considerations. Dentists are better positioned to provide informed consent, discuss potential risks and benefits, and manage post-operative complications effectively. This level of accountability safeguards patient welfare and upholds professional ethical standards.

The benefit of registering early with the Vancouver MaxiCourse is that you will have the lead time required to find patients. Dr. Liang, our program director, provides a framework for screening patients for the Vancouver MaxiCourse clinical sessions. Spending time over the summer and fall to screen patients, and consulting with our surgical mentors, will enable you to have patients lined up for the year.

We recommend that you reach out to family and friends for potential patients as well as to any colleagues, associates, and other dentists you know who do not already practice oral implantology and have their own dental practice patients in need of tooth extractions, grafting, implants, and so forth.

Additionally, our first live patient surgical session isn’t until Module 5, so there is plenty of time to prepare.