General Practice Dentistry Residency Program Curriculum: Highlights

Attending Staff

We have an attending (teaching) staff of more than 50 volunteer dentists who supervise and guide care provided by the residents. These local dentists treat the residents as colleagues while guiding them with experience and knowledge gained in private practice. All of the dental specialties are represented.

Restorative Dentistry

A large and varied patient load will allow the residents to gain experience using many different methods and materials. Esthetic procedures including metal free-crowns, vital bleaching and veneer cases are possible. The resident will have the opportunity to present cases to the entire department during monthly department meetings.

Endodontics

Rotary endodontics is accomplished using the Tulsa system, apex locators, an endodontic microscope and warm vertical gutta percha obturation.

Pediatric Dentistry

Residents will learn techniques involving treatment of pediatric patients, including proper diagnosis and planning and behavior management. Emphasis is also placed on the treatment of physically and mentally disabled children. Patients are treated both in the dental clinic and under general anesthesia in the operating room.

Oral Surgery

The residents each extract an average of 400 teeth in the year. Other highlights include operating room experience with our oral and maxillofacial surgery teaching staff on major trauma cases, pre-prosthetic surgery, biopsies and implant placement with and without bone grafts.

Prosthetics

The residents have an ample caseload, providing opportunities to treatment-plan and fabricate removable partial dentures, immediate and conventional full dentures, implant/tooth-supported overdentures, single crowns and fixed bridgework.

Periodontics

Each resident usually completes 12 periodontal surgeries during the year under the direct supervision of our attending periodontists. These include but are not limited to crown-lengthening procedures, bone grafts, soft-tissue grafts and implant placement.

Special Care

The resident will have an opportunity to become involved with the growing demand of senior citizens and medically compromised patients for dental care. Mentally and physically handicapped patients will be treated with guidance from experienced staff members. Cases can be completed in the clinic using various management techniques. At Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Muhlenberg, the department of anesthesia provides sedation in the dental center, allowing the resident and attending to provide comprehensive dental care. At LVH–17th Street, comprehensive care is often provided in the operating room under general anesthesia for those patients who cannot be managed in the clinic.

Implants

We have a comprehensive implant program that includes seminars, full-day lectures and individual case presentations. The resident will have the opportunity to place and restore several implants during their residency year, often at a reduced fee or no charge to our patients who qualify for teaching cases.

Orthodontics

The resident, with guidance from staff orthodontists, will have the opportunity to place space maintainers, correct minor crossbites and place removable appliances and other orthodontic appliances to correct minor malocclusions.

Cleft Palate Clinic

Residents will be involved in a cleft palate clinic one day a month comprised of a plastic surgeon, orthodontist and pediatric dentist. This is a phenomenal opportunity to be directly involved with comprehensive, multidisciplinary care.