Journal of the American Orthodontic Society • January

AOS MEMBERSHIP NEWS AOS Upcoming Ortho Courses California Court It’s a new year! Time to freshen up your skills or learn some new ones? For more information, visit our website at www.orthodontics.com or call (800) 448-1601. Drs. Joseph Schmidbauer and Jordan Balvich will begin their five session Comprehensive Orthodontic Education course March 11-13 in Atlanta. Partici-pants will learn case selection, proper diagnosis, orthodontic records, non-extraction mechanics, and case finishing. Their course continues June 10-12, Aug. 5-7, Sept. 9-11, Nov. 4-6. (20 credit hours per session) March 18-19 Dr. Leonard Cara-pezza will conduct his Early Treat-ment of Malocclusion “ultimate” two-day class in Chicago! This hands-on utility archwire course will equip the clinician the knowl-edge to treat 90% of the common dento-alveolar problems that are evident in 7 of 10 pediatric patients. Seating is limited! (14 credit hours) Got the urge to delve deeper into the Early Treatment of Maloc-clusion than Dr. Carapezza’s two-day course? Then his four session course is for you! The “beginner” class starts March 3-5 in Wayland, MA, and continues April 28-29, July 7-9, and Sept. 8-10. The “advanced” tier begins March 24-26, continues May 12-14, July 14-16, and wraps up Sept. 15-17. (24 credit hours per session) For those of you who require a warmer climate, Dr. C will conduct his “beginner” class in Ft. Lauderdale, FL April 8-10, June 3-5, Aug. 19-21, and Nov. 18-20. Dr. David Jackson’s The Connection Update Weekend will be March 25-27 in Houston. This Update, on Palatal Expansion, will cover the nitanium palatal expander, the rapid palatal expander, and rapid expansion vs. slow alveolar remodeling. Stay Connected! (20 credit hours) Dr. Dave will conduct his popu-lar four-session Next Steps lecture and participation course in Dallas April 15-17, May 20-22, Aug. 12-14 and Sept. 9-11. This course is designed for the orthodontic practi-tioner who has recently completed a basic course or the doctor who may have been practicing orthodontics and would like an update in the latest concepts. (20 credit hours per session) Offered in conjunction with the first two sessions of Dr. Dave’s Next Steps will be The Empowered Course for Assistants. This two-session hands-on course covers every-thing from orthodontic terminology and patient care forms to actual band-ing and bracketing! (40 credit hours) And, finally, Dr. Dave is taking his “Connection” international! Beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico will be the site for his Interceptive Orthodontics Update Weekend June 9-11. This course will be three half-day sessions covering the many uses of utility arch wires, as well as expansion and repositioning appliances and retention after Phase I. Come learn a lot and live a little in Cabo San Lucas! (12 credit hours) Stay abreast of AOS courses on www.orthodontics.com! Rules Statute Unconstitutional The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Califor-nia recently ruled that the State of California and its dental board are prohibited from enforcing a provision in Cali-fornia’s law against allowing general dentists to advertise their legitimate credentials. The “Potts” lawsuit was filed and litigated by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). The Academy of General Dentistry filed a sepa-rate “friend of the court” brief in support of the proposition that general dentists should be allowed to advertise their Fellowship and Mastership awards. You may recall that AOS Executive Director Tom Chapman and Past-President Dr. Jordan Balvich teamed with the AGD in their national “Legislative Fly-In” in April 2010 to meet with Congress-men and Senators in order to advocate for legislative issues impacting general dentists and the industry at large. The Court further declared that the statute was unconstitutional, both on its face as well as in application. This ruling is good news for all general and pediatric dental practitioners. And while it currently applies only to Califor-nia, there is an adage which states that many trends start in Califor-nia and move eastward. For more information about this litigation and its implications, go to advocacy@agd.org. Meeting Schedule Conflict; Our Apologies The American Orthodontic Society/Academy of GP Orthodontics’ Annual Meeting, September 29-October 2, 2011, is regrettably in conflict with an important date on the religious calendar for those of Jewish faith. We work hard to avoid these scheduling conflicts but on very rare occasions, hotel availability and scheduling chal-lenges create problems. We respect the religious beliefs of all our members in this diverse association and will work hard to avoid this situation in the future. If you are unable to attend our meeting due to your religious practices, the AOS will try hard to produce copies of key lectures that will be provided to you. 46 January/February 2011 JAOS