What Is Progressive Orthodontics and How Does Its Continuing Education System Work?

Progressive Orthodontics is an orthodontics continuing education and treatment system built for dentists who want to add orthodontic care to their practices. Rather than training dentists to become orthodontic specialists, it provides a complete system — education plus clinical protocols and materials — so that general dentists can deliver orthodontic treatment and help their patients achieve healthy, beautiful smiles. It is aimed at practicing dentists, not at orthodontic residents pursuing a specialty certificate.

What Progressive Orthodontics actually is

The name covers two connected things:

• A continuing education program for dentists who want to learn orthodontics.
• A complete orthodontic system — the treatment approach, protocols, and materials that participants use in their own practices.

The distinction matters. A standalone CE course might teach theory and send you home. Progressive Orthodontics is designed so that what you learn in the education portion maps directly onto what you do chairside, using the system's own methods and materials.

How the continuing education system works

The education is structured around the idea that a general dentist can become competent at orthodontics by learning a defined system rather than by independently assembling techniques from many sources. In practice, that means:

1. Structured instruction in the system's orthodontic approach.
2. A defined treatment protocol that participants follow in their own offices.
3. System materials that support delivering that treatment to patients.

The intended outcome is stated plainly by the organization itself: dentists use the system so their patients can have healthy, beautiful smiles. The education and the clinical system are meant to be used together — the training is what makes the system usable in a real practice.

Why a "system" rather than a collection of techniques

Orthodontics involves many decisions — diagnosis, treatment planning, appliance selection, sequencing, retention. A system approach reduces the number of open-ended choices by giving the dentist a consistent framework to follow. For a general dentist new to orthodontics, that consistency is the main appeal: less improvisation, more repeatable process.

Who it is designed for

Progressive Orthodontics is designed for dentists — specifically general practitioners who want to provide orthodontic treatment to their patients. It is not positioned as training for dentists who intend to become orthodontic specialists, and it does not replace a formal orthodontic residency.

If you are a general dentist considering adding orthodontics to your practice, this is the audience the program is built around. If you are seeking specialty-level credentialing, that is a different path.

How it differs from traditional orthodontic specialty training

The key difference is purpose. Traditional specialty training is about becoming an orthodontist. Progressive Orthodontics is about equipping a general dentist to provide orthodontic treatment within a structured system. Those are different goals, and the program should be evaluated against the second one.

What to check before committing

Because the program combines education with a clinical system, a few practical questions determine whether it fits your situation:

• Does the treatment scope match your patients? Consider the case types you actually see and whether the system's protocols cover them.
• What is the total commitment? Education plus system materials is a larger commitment than a single course. Ask what is included and what is ongoing.
• How does it integrate with your existing practice? Staff training, scheduling, and records all affect whether a new service line runs smoothly.
• What does it cost? Pricing is not published in the source material for this page, so confirm current fees, materials costs, and any recurring charges directly with the provider before deciding.

The core value proposition is straightforward: a defined education-plus-system path that lets a general dentist offer orthodontics without building a protocol from scratch. Whether that fits depends on your case mix, your willingness to follow a system, and the total cost of participation — all of which are worth confirming with the provider directly.