AGpO MEMBERSHIP NEWS Unusual Times Create Opportunity for Virtual Events & Training Having just returned from my marvelous virtual travels of Machu Picchu and the wonderful British Museum, I am ready to get back to the business of dentistry and especially orthodontics! This Coron-avirus threat has really thrown a wrench into the planning of our summer course work. Fortunately, technology now allows continuing education to press on. Just like my virtual travels, we can harness the power of the internet and keep up our professional education while staying home. While in-person courses are preferred, we realize the expenses of travel and taking time away from the office (anybody remember working four days a week?). So, the AGpO held our Advanced Tip-Edge Course as a live webinar on July 31 -August 1. The course will soon be available as a four session on demand webinar! After surveying members, the Assistant’s Course was deemed very important to keep in person training for the hands-on training labs Thursday October 15-Saturday October 17. We can use our newly learned skills of social distancing, using facemasks, and wash-ing our hands often to keep everyone healthy! Our Board has decided to hold the AGpO Annual Meeting virtually this year. As Winston Churchill said, “It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see”. So, we will be Ronald B. Cass DDS, FAGD, DAGPO presenting our meeting as a webi-AGpO President nar on September 25-26 and will reschedule next year’s meeting to be held in Austin, TX. We hate to miss the camaraderie of an in-person meeting but myself, the board and staff agree that this is the most prudent thing to do in these unusual times. Check out the newly relaunched MyAGPO.com for a more user-friendly platform.You will find more details about the upcoming events there. AGpO: we will get through this together in these unprecedented times, I just had to say that! Now it’s time to get back to virtual tours, see you online! Yours in good health, Ronald Cass, DDS, FAGD DAGPO Three-Day Dental Assistant’s Course Moved To October 2020 Dr. Charles Young will be teaching the Academy’s three-day Dental Assistant Course in Plano, TX. Due to the pandemic, this course was rescheduled for October 15–17, 2020 at the Renaissance Legacy West in Plano, TX. The valuable hands-on lab portion of this course makes it impor-tant to continue to offer it as an in-person course. The Dental Assistance Course is intended for assistants with little orthodontic training as well as a refresher course for more experienced assistants. The course will give the chair-side dental assistant a better understanding of orthodontics and the Differential Straight Arch (Tip-Edge) Technique. System. Dr. Young will cover the Tip-Edge stages of treatment, tracing cephalometric x-rays and model analysis for the diagnosis of arch length discrepancy. The Academy will supply a T.P. Orthodon-tics supply kit that includes bracket kits, archwires, and a carousel dispenser. A list of additional supplies that will be needed from your office will be sent with course confirmation. Mark your calendars now and call the Academy at 1-800-634-2027 and speak to Adam or Jennifer to reserve your space for this popular yearly course. Dental assistants will be work-ing in pairs on study casts from your office along with typodonts from the Academy. Assistants will learn how to apply brackets, bands and auxiliaries using the Tip-Edge www.orthodontics.com Summer 2020 43
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Summer 2020: Page 43
