As individuals, dental professionals will have different preferred learning styles. Some are visual learners, some auditory, whilst others learn by doing (kinaesthetic learning).
Kinaesthetic learners learn best by physically interacting with their environment, and prefer practical situations over theoretical concepts. Trial and error is a big part of this learning style, enabling individuals to explore their new skills and discover new techniques for themselves.[i] Often, a mixture of theoretical and practical learning is appropriate, particularly within dentistry.
Hands-on learning is a great way for clinicians to pick up skills in a safe and effective way. As such, courses which incorporate a hands-on aspect, enabling clinicians to solidify their theoretical learning, are valuable and improve their ability to use the skills they have learned when they return to the practice.
When seeking out a dental training course, it’s important to consider the types of training it will provide, and the impact this will have on your learning.
Develop your practical skills
By opting for a course with a hands-on aspect, you’ll be exposed to a more immersive learning experience. Hands-on learning aims to simulate real-world scenarios, therefore helping you to develop skills that can be used in the practice. This is the ideal way of learning, in a safe environment, where you are able to ask the trainer questions, and learn from your mistakes without any harmful consequences.[ii]
Critical thinking for improved decision making
Taking part in hands-on training also enables clinicians to develop their critical thinking skills, relating to the new technique they are learning. During this aspect of training, dental professionals must make decisions in order to meet the goal of the treatment. These decision-making skills are essential across all areas of dentistry and, when learning a new procedure, it’s essential that these decisions can first be made in a controlled environment.
Building confidence
Building confidenceAccording to the GDC Standards for the Dental Team, dental professionals must only carry out a task or a type of treatment if they are appropriately trained, competent, confident, and indemnified.[iii] As such, building confidence during clinical training is extremely important, and a hands-on training aspect is a fantastic tool to facilitate this. As is ongoing support, so seeking a mentor when learning new skills can be extremely helpful in building confidence and ensuring a clinician is competent to perform real treatment.
Retaining information
Often, when undertaking a training course, there is a lot of new information to absorb. A great way to solidify your knowledge and really take everything in is through a practical element. By practising the new treatment type step by step, clinicians are able to better memorise their new skills. Repetition is the key here, so practising as much as possible and shadowing a more experienced clinician are great ways to commit the technique to memory.
Making mistakes – and how to prevent them!
Another major benefit of practical learning is the opportunity it creates for making mistakes. When learners make mistakes during practical training, they create opportunities to receive immediate feedback from an expert as they learn, correcting them as they learn. This is incredibly helpful for enabling learners to better understand where they are going wrong, what to do in this scenario, and how to prevent it happening again.
High-quality dental training
A varied educational approach is essential for the best learning outcomes, and ensuring you select a high-quality course provided by the experts is equally important.
The Advanced Horizontal & Vertical Augmentation course from the ASHA Club provides clinicians with a comprehensive overview of the processes involved in both hard and soft tissue augmentation. This course is ideal for clinicians who already provide dental implant treatment and want to expand their capabilities, with hands-on aspects provided throughout the four-day course.
Further to this, course delegates are able to solidify their learning through mentoring opportunities provided by ASHA Club founder, Dr Selvaraj Balaji, and gain access to an exclusive ASHA Club WhatsApp group for further support. New course dates for the two-part course have been announced for 2025: 9th-10th May and 11th-12th July.
If you are seeking a new dental training opportunity, ensure it provides the support and learning styles you need to develop your new skills and ensure you are confident to perform them in your practice. Practical training is an excellent way to do this, and courses which incorporate this into their programme enable you to learn from your mistakes and seek immediate assistance from those who are best placed to help you.
Find out more at https://www.ashaclub.co.uk/courses
Advanced Horizontal & Vertical Augmentation
9th and 10th May / 11th and 12th July 2025
To book, please call: 07974 304269 or email: info@ashaclub.co.uk
[i] https://bau.edu/blog/what-is-a-kinesthetic-learner
[ii] https://www.educate-me.co/definitions/hands-on-learning
[iii] https://standards.gdc-uk.org/pages/principle7/principle7.aspx
