While many excellent implant training programs exist, some clinicians are frustrated with trying to find a practical implant program that works. Some courses are taught by multiple faculty members who have differing opinions on implant procedures. This will often confuse the beginning implant surgeon. Other courses offer a consistent message, but no clinical opportunities to learn in a mentored environment. Still others offer a clinical opportunity, but only if you bring your own patient. Other courses ask you to leave the country to work in areas of unknown security, vague legal systems, and unfamiliar oral care delivery models.
We made strong efforts to build a program that offers all the crucial elements necessary for effective learning: strong didactic education, hands-on skill buliders, and valuable mentored clinical experiences. Because we include live patient surgery in our courses, our groups are small, generally less than 20 clinicians. Our coures are taught in a relaxed and caring environment, and the small group size offers plenty of opportunities to ask questions, interact with other clinicians, and develop friendships within the group. Patients are aware this is a teaching facility, and not surprised to see interaction between our faculty and course clinicians. We provide the patients and manage follow-up care with you. You get an educational experience that is similar in style to any University-based residency program in the country. We develop the treatment plans with you, and then review the cases after surgery to complete the learning loop and provide an effective learning experience. Some clincians have said this is the best learning experience anywhere in the world.
The course is taught primarily by two clinicians, Dr. Michael McCracken and Dr. Guy Rosenstiel. They are a perfect pairing of academic approach and private practice practicality. Their biographies are listed below.
Our goal is to teach general dentists how to effectively treat patients with dental implants. Our graduates place dozens to hundreds of implants in their practices each year. If you are ready to get serious about dental implants, and take your practice to a new level, this is the course for you. Thank you for your interest.
Michael McCracken, DDS, PhD
Dr. Michael McCracken is a professor at the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, and executive director of the Foundry Dental Center, a nonprofit dental clinic that serves as a safety net for people in need in Bessemer, Alabama.
Dr. McCracken lectures internationally on topics related to implant dentistry and the restoration of complex dental patients. He is known for his ability to explain difficult concepts in a way that is easy to understand, and for a practical approach toward continuing education. He has mentored hundreds of students in surgical implant placement, earning a reputation as an approachable and capable teacher who enjoys helping dentists successfully integrate implant dentistry into their practices.
Dr. McCracken received his dental degree from the University of North Carolina and completed a prosthodontic residency at UAB School of Dentistry. He also earned a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at UAB, focusing on research related to growth factors and the healing of implants in compromised hosts. His past roles within the University include: Director of Graduate Prosthodontics, Director of Graduate Implant Training Program, Associate Dean for Education and Curriculum Development, Director of Biomaterials, and Director of Pre-Doctoral Implant Education.Guy Rosentiel, DMD, MAGD
Dr. Guy Rosenstiel is a graduate of the UAB School of Dentistry, and completed a residency in general dentistry at the Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital. He earned a Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry in 2007 and has gone on to build a successful private practice with a strong emphasis on dental implants. His clinical mentoring is among the best in the field, and he has helped dozens of dentists in the Birmingham community refine their skills in implant surgery and oral medicine. He has particular strengths in oral medicine, medical evaluation of patients, and site development skills including ridge splitting techniques.
Dr. Rosenstiel has a passion for continuing education, completing coursework in dental anesthesiology, dental implants, endodontics, and CAD/CAM restorations. He has served as President of the Alabama Academy of General Dentistry, and teaches part-time at the UAB School of Dentistry. He brings a wealth of practical experience with him to the courses he teaches, including insight on how to implement dental implants into a private practice setting, and how to manage the business aspects of implant dentistry.