Journal · 2 min read
The Dental CE Course Test: Will It Change Your Next Case?
Most CE is easy to attend and easy to forget. One question sorts the courses worth your weekend from the rest.
I've been to a lot of CE in my time, and I've been to a lot of CE I never implemented. So before you book any dental CE course, ask one question: will this change my next case?
If the honest answer is "maybe someday," keep looking.
The test for any dental CE course
A good course is not measured by how many slides you saw. It is measured by what you do differently the following week.
I've sat in courses that ended with "take the next course and we'll tell you." That is a sales funnel, not education. The course worth your weekend gives you the full picture in the room.
Hands-on beats listening
Lecture has its place. But your hands learn differently than your ears. If a course is about something you do with your hands, you should spend real time doing it, with someone correcting you while you work.
Ask before you book: how much of the day is hands-on, and who checks my work?
The instructor should show their own cases
Look for an instructor who treats patients and shows you their own work, start to finish, including what they would change. Borrowed photos and textbook cases teach you what is possible. Someone's own cases teach you how they actually get there.
Monday is the real exam
My goal when I teach is simple: you go back to your office and implement what you learned. That is the standard I'd hold every course to.
Credit still matters. AGD PACE CE credits tell you a provider meets a recognized standard, so treat approval as the baseline, not the reason to go. If your interest is veneers specifically, I also wrote about how to choose a hands-on veneer course.
I'm based in Los Angeles and take one trip a month to our New York office. Wherever you train, pick the course you will still be using a month later.
Questions, answered.
How do I choose a dental CE course?
Ask whether it will change your next case. Look for hands-on time, an instructor who shows their own cases and material you can use the following week.
Are hands-on dental CE courses better than lectures?
For anything you do with your hands, yes. Lectures build understanding, but supervised practice is what changes how you work.
Does AGD PACE approval mean a course is good?
It means the provider meets a recognized CE standard. Treat it as the baseline, then judge the course on what you will actually use.
What should I ask before booking a CE course?
How much time is hands-on, who reviews your work, whether the instructor shows their own cases and what you will leave able to do.