Die Dogma, Die!
New Solutions to Old Problems
By Timothy Mickiewicz, DDS
General Membership Meeting

The growth and developmental issues of patients are often neglected in our quest for that perfect smile. Collaborative efforts with various specialties in dentistry rarely cross over into the multitude of dental and medical specialties. What are you overlooking?
Are you considering comorbidities and arcane relationships from:
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Skeletal Malformation
- Cervical Degeneration
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- Endocrinology
- Neuroplasticity

Shouldn’t education on temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD), orthodontics, OSA, and fundamental medicine be less dogmatic, and more about new solutions based on evidence-based medicine? Time to up your game!

Advancements in technology, the move towards telemedicine, and artificial intelligence to improve treatment algorithms based on sound, evidenced-based information will be presented. The goal is an immediate takeaway of information that will enhance treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction, and to provide a truly patient-centric experience that is ethically, professionally, and financially rewarding.

We will travel back in time to go forward. Presented in a fast paced intellectually and visually challenging format, your intelligence will not be insulted with a series of slides that are read to you. Rather, we will take a deep dive through visual cues intended to stimulate creativity and outside-the-box thinking. Motivate yourself to thirst for more, not to regurgitate dogma. Put down your notebooks and join us for collegiality and a philosophical review of complex issues. Old-school colleagues collaborating on new-school approaches on how to improve the greatest profession.

Our educational goals:

• Identification of the relationship between the airway, cervical posture, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) complications.
• Brief anatomical update on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) systems.
• How the manifestation of disease relates to breathing, tongue posture, and occlusal issues.
• Orthodontic and restorative complications related to airway compromise.
• Collaboration with medicine to achieve idealized results using a medical model for diagnosis.
• Is there such a thing as an acceptable “compromise treatment plan”?