Things We’ve Learned Along the Way-From Residency to Retirement

Things We’ve Learned Along the Way — From Residency to Retirement

A Practical Journey Through Occlusion, Communication & Case Planning

With more than 70 years of combined experience as clinicians and technicians, Drs. Lane Ochi and Michael Melkers invite you into the course they wish had existed early in their careers. This is an honest, experience-driven program built on real cases, real mistakes, and the clinical pearls that only time can teach.

This is not another dry lecture on occlusion.

It’s the missing link—the chapter that should live between every treatment-planning course you’ve ever taken.

Why This Course Matters (Especially Early in Your Career)

Occlusion is often taught as complex, abstract, and intimidating. Communication is frequently dismissed as “soft” or secondary. Yet both quietly sit at the center of everything we do in restorative dentistry: diagnosis, treatment planning, predictability, longevity, patient trust, and your confidence as a clinician.

When these pieces click, dentistry becomes clearer, calmer, and far more satisfying—for you and your patients.

What You’ll Learn

• Why restorations fracture—and how to protect both your dentistry and your reputation
• A clear, usable understanding of the 5 critical components of occlusal design
• How to identify ideal patients—and spot the red flags before problems begin
• How your personal values shape patient trust and treatment acceptance (for better or worse)
• How to choose your first full-mouth rehabilitation, plan it, and deliver it predictably
• The difference between purpose and process in treatment planning—and why outcome-based thinking leads to better decisions
• How “The Why” clarifies The What and The How, making case presentations simpler and more compelling
• How to communicate efficiently and accurately with your technician—keeping details clear and stress low

The Experience

In this engaging two-day, highly interactive course, Lane and Michael strip away confusion and replace it with clarity, intention, and real-world practicality. You won’t just learn what to do—you’ll finally understand why it works, how to apply it on Monday morning, and how to avoid the common pitfalls that lead to restoration failure and dento-legal headaches.

Whether you’re fresh out of residency or refining your clinical identity, this course will help you move beyond “fixing teeth” to confidently planning care with intention, insight, and long-term success.

This program includes 16 hours of CPD:
180: Occlusion
610: Fixed Prosthodontics
780: Esthetic Dentistry

Tuition is  $1,575usd