Course Description: "Fundamentals of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics"
Teaching Method: Lecture, Participation
Prerequisite Courses: General Dentists - OC Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 | Orthodontic Specialists - OC Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4
CE Credit Hours: 16
AGD Subject Code(s): 370 Orthodontics
The Course That Gives Every GNM Dentist the Orthodontic and Orthopedic Foundation They Were Never Taught
A 2-Day Masterclass and Hands-On Training with Dr. Clayton A. Chan
This is where your GNM orthodontic journey begins.
(Ortho 1 is offered in conjunction with Ortho 2 and 3.)
"Seeing the Big Picture - Orthodontics to Orthopedics"
Is Tooth Alignment Enough?
Straighter teeth are not the same as a physiologically correct bite.
Every restorative dentist has seen it — the patient whose teeth look aligned but whose bite never felt right. The jaw that never fully settled. The TMJ symptoms that appeared after treatment. The orthotic position that was carefully established — then lost.
Tooth alignment is only part of the picture. The missing piece is orthopedics — correcting vertical dimension to a physiologic position that requires actual bone development of the supporting structures. That is something no aligning device can do alone.
What every restorative dentist needs to know:
- Aligning teeth does not correct the orthopedic bite position
- Verticalization cannot be effectively achieved with aligning devices
- The stable orthotic position your patient worked hard to achieve can be lost without the right orthodontic foundation
- Bone grows — but only when the right forces are applied in the right direction
Ortho 1 is where restorative thinking meets orthopedic reality.
This Course Is For You — Whether You Do Ortho or Not
Whether you have dabbled a little in the ortho arena or do it regularly — the combination of GNM orthotics and orthodontic practice is critical to success in the dental practice. If you work with orthodontic specialists, want to enhance your restorative cases, or simply want to understand what ortho can and should accomplish for your patients — this course is exactly where you need to be.
Ask yourself — does any of this describe you?
- You have completed OC Levels 1-4 and are ready to extend your GNM knowledge into orthodontics and orthopedics — with or without a prior ortho background
- You have GNM restorative knowledge but have never confidently applied it to orthodontic treatment planning or case selection
- You have had some ortho training but have not successfully implemented it into your practice
- You work alongside an orthodontic specialist and want to understand, communicate, and oversee those cases at a completely different level
If even one of these resonates — Ortho 1 is exactly where you need to be.
Orthodontics Is More Than Brackets and Wires
True orthodontic mastery is about developing the knowledge, skills, and ability to visualize treatment orthopedically — moving and developing the osseous foundation non-surgically, and bringing the surrounding tissue and bony arches to a physiologic, quantifiable position.
At OC, the physiologic bite record sets the stage first — establishing the corrected orthopedic position before any fixed or removable orthodontic procedures are implemented. Comprehending and applying objective data strategically is key to developing and moving teeth and skeletal relationships in the right direction. Scientific methodology that satisfies bio-physiologic relationships is addressed from point A to point Z — putting the pieces together in an orderly, physiologically sound sequence toward stable occlusion and facial esthetics.
Diagnostic standards of craniomandibular and cervical homeostasis distinguish OC's orthodontic curriculum from everything else available. Objective documentation, records, and scan interpretation validate and support dentofacial alignment protocols — instilling in every student the clinical confidence that comes from knowing the orthopedic foundation is correct before mechanics begin.
This is the foundational course. The comprehensive manual is yours to keep and refer back to every time an orthodontic patient walks through your door — whether they are new cases, referrals, or returning hygiene patients.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:
- Introduce the clinician to comprehensive objective orthodontic and "orthopedic" diagnostics and treatment planning - "Seeing the Bigger Picture".
- Cephalometric analysis and measurements are presented to orient the clinician to foundational landmarks.
- An introduction to bracket placement and wire mechanics will be introduced along with case selection of the when and where to use the brackets and appliances?
- Angles Keys to Normal Occlusion - cuspid and molar relationships and their significance to orthopedic diagnosis and treatment planning.
- Straight Wire Bracketing and understanding various bracket prescriptions.
- Commonly Used Appliances including the "Orthosis Matrix"
- Practice Management - Implementing your cases
- Theories of Growth & Development
- Records for orthopedic and orthodontic diagnosis
- Growth Indexes
- Evaluating Diagnostic Factors
- When to initiate treatment
- Distinguishing between simple, moderate and complex cases.
- Keys to Proper Occlusion
- Importance of orthopedic and orthodontic integration to stability
- Overview of current bracket systems
- Overview of functional appliances
- When and how to use removables
- When and how to use fixed appliances
- How to select your first orthodontic case
- Begin the integration of an Orthosis into orthodontics.
- Introduced to GNM Verticalization work flow protocols.
About Your Teacher
Clayton A. Chan, D.D.S. Founder/Director — Occlusion Connections | The Center for Gneuromuscular Dentistry & Orthopedic Advancement
Dr. Chan's pioneering role in Gneuromuscular Dentistry extends into orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics — where he has developed a comprehensive GNM orthodontic curriculum that integrates physiologic occlusion principles with orthopedic diagnosis and treatment. No other orthodontic curriculum in the world combines GNM occlusal science with orthodontic and orthopedic mechanics at this level of depth and clinical precision.
Dr. Chan is the creator of the OC Fellowship, Mastership and Diplomate Award Program — the most rigorous and comprehensive credentialing pathway in Gneuromuscular Dentistry in the world. He has achieved Mastership standing with the International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics. He is the author of numerous published articles on GNM occlusion, orthodontics and neuromuscular dentistry.
"Not only is OC Level 1 an eye opener, but consider Clayton's "other" Level 1 course ie. ORTHO! Just completed the first 2 days of a 4 day journey into GNM Ortho - a fabulous presentation of well researched material, methodically delivered in an organized manner, with a comprehensive manual full of quality photos and diagrams, a couple of breakout sessions to gain some techniques and tricks on appliance usage and wire bending coupled with an open forum for questions and a comraderie with fellow doctors - can't say enough good things about how principles are presented for us to understand and diagnose without getting hung up on the myriad options of brackets, wires or appliances to use. Keeping the main thing the main thing tends to clear one's head of so many treatment possibilities and simplifies the approach to helping our patients orthopedically AND orthodontically.
"I also just completed ortho level 1 at OC last weekend. I haven't bent a wire since dental school, but I learned so much. And I can always contact Joe Liwag at Space Maintainers Lab for help. I feel confident enough to start some simple removable ortho cases (on the right patients with whom I'm comfortable), including my kids. I also asked the same questions you did, and don't want to waste my time taking ortho courses and learning about complicated appliances if it doesn't have to be that complicated.....I definitely feel I need to complete Level 2 and 3 prior to starting any fixed appliance therapy."
- Dr.
6170 W. Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89146 | Telephone: (702) 271-2950
© 2026 Occlusion Connections, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Leader in Gneuromuscular Dentistry
