Old-school dental education has taken a backseat to a new era of learning from your home or office with hands-on practice and direct coaching from mentor dentists.
How is this even possible?
Dental simulation kits!
A dental simulator gives dentists an opportunity to practice procedures safely. There are different types of simulators available, and most of them are connected through immersive technology that allows a dentist to interact with a virtual learning environment for coaching and collaborative purposes.
Our dental simulation kits — Sim Kits for short — are used for cloud-delivered, hands-on learning across multiple dental disciplines. When you enroll in one of our Virtual Dental Residencies (VDRs), we’ll ship you your very own Sim Kit.
Using a simulation kit to learn new dental procedures, such as sinus lifts, has the following benefits:
With our immersive learning platform, you can show the work on your manikin to your VDR mentor dentist for evaluation and coaching. Similarly, you can ask questions as you watch your mentor demonstrate procedures. This interactive experience means you can take what you learn and apply it directly to your practice.
The National Library of Medicine (NCBI) states that, “Scientific evidence presented the application of virtual technology in dental education and some recent publications suggested that virtual and haptic technologies may have positive effects on dental education outcomes.”
Although these learning experiences are fairly new, thousands of dentists have already benefited from virtual learning. One of the most common things we hear from our dental learners is that the Sim Kit helps them build confidence in their dentistry.
Dentists from around the world can access learning online and use their Sim Kits to complete CPD/CE credits and expand their skills. This type of education does not require transportation or the need to shut down your practice so you can learn.
Another perk is that a VDR — including your Sim Kit — is less expensive than similar in-person options, with a great payout of improving skills for more successful patient cases. All of our VDRs come with a guarantee, so you know that you can take what you learn and elevate your dental career.
A Sim Kit is designed to be appropriate for most dental disciplines. Each manikin has a full set of teeth that can be removed and replaced individually, so you can practice anything from placing TADs for aligner orthodontics to crown preps for restorative dentistry. A clamp and drainage hose make it easy to practice both at home and at your dental practice.
You can use your Sim Kit in conjunction with our virtual learning platform for your cloud-based, hands-on experience. New software and virtual environments are continuously evolving, so you can make use of cutting-edge technology as it happens.
Dr. Fauzia Khan, a fellowship student in America says, "The experience of doing the hands on course from my office has been one of the biggest benefits. Not only am I more relaxed because I'm in a known setting and I can do as much or as little preparation before the course to get myself ready, and then when I'm there I get to do the course work that's asked of me. But then I understand and I have the setup that I can replicate that time and time again."
Dr. Chip Payet, a Fellowship in Restorative Dentistry graduate and now RipeGlobal Educator says, "On a daily basis, the single biggest impact was learning how to deal with all sorts of challenging Posterior and Anterior composite situations. I no longer look at rotated or tipped teeth with trepidation, wondering how I’ll build solid contacts with good anatomy without having to grind away a lot of excess to get the bite correct. I know how to choose composite shades to make even large Class 3 or 4 composites blend naturally and smoothly, so I don’t worry about stained margins on recall."
When you learn through dental simulation, it’s deep learning. Your hands learn, your brain remembers, and you can succeed by trying until you get it right. Virtual learning opens the door to your future capabilities and puts your future learning and earning potential in your own hands. That leaves us with only one question:
Are you ready?