DentistryOnline courseRestoration
Michael Melkers makes occlusion practical — load, shear, worn dentitions and fee talks in 12 case-driven sessions
General dentist and Pankey Institute visiting faculty member Michael Melkers teaches Occlusion in Everyday Practice through real restorative cases rather than abstract theory. The 12 sessions, totalling 11 h 20 min, explain why restorations fail under load, how to seat crowns with accurate contacts, how he handles CR and CO chairside, and how to rebuild worn dentitions without creating new problems. Three Q&A segments add pearls on porcelain contacts, fee presentation and DAASA appliances.
- 12sessions
- 11 h 20 minof video
- 3Q&A segments
What you’ll be able to do
- Design restorations around load distribution and shear reduction
- Check and refine contacts with articulating films of different thickness at crown insertion
- Use a leaf gauge to screen muscle-guided jaw position and recover restorative space
- Plan worn dentition cases including vertical dimension, anterior guidance and appliances
- Recognise and manage fremitus and cases lacking posterior support
- Present fees and treatment options for large cases with confidence
Inside the course
The mechanics of failure
Melkers begins with why crowns chip and teeth crack, then shows how contact adjustment, articulating film choice and treatment visualisation fit together from single units to full-mouth work. The CR/CO session addresses the disagreements around centric relation and the role of muscle activity in condylar seating.
Wear, open bites and rule-breaking cases
Screening and stability lessons cover muscle behaviour in different excursions, appliance design and vertical changes. Later parts use custom incisal guide tables, parafunction analysis and axial loading strategies to show when textbook rules can be bent safely.
Planning, equilibration and high-risk patients
Structural, engineering and aesthetic priorities are weighed through diagnostic wax-ups and equilibration. A severe-wear case is followed from wax-up and provisionals to material selection and long-term review, and a second high-risk patient is followed from surgery to final delivery with attention to phonetics and lab communication.
Built for
- General dentists placing crowns every weekStraightforward occlusal habits that reduce remakes and adjustments.
- Clinicians starting to treat worn dentitionsCase-based guidance on vertical dimension and protective appliances.
- Restorative dentists unsure about CR debatesA pragmatic, muscle-based take on jaw position.
Curriculum
All sessions (11 h 20 min) 12 lessons
- Part 1: Why Occlusion Fails (1 h)
- Part 2: Occlusion in Crown Insertion (1 h 04 min)
- Part 3: CR, CO & the Leaf Gauge (42 min)
- Part 4: Screening & Stability in Worn Dentition (1 h 31 min)
- Part 5: Breaking Rules with Case Studies (1 h 27 min)
- Part 6: Sound, Feel & Individualized Occlusion (1 h 09 min)
- Part 6 Q&A: Clinical Pearls in Occlusion (12 min)
- Part 7: Challenging Occlusion Assumptions (1 h 26 min)
- Part 8: Risk Patients & Functional Aesthetics (1 h 08 min)
- Part 8 Q&A: Talking Fees with Patients (14 min)
- Part 9: High-Risk Case Reviews (55 min)
- Part 9 Q&A: DAASA & Complex Bite Management (27 min)
Before you buy
Does Melkers follow one occlusal philosophy strictly?
No, he encourages adapting guidelines to each patient and openly questions several common assumptions.
How long are the Q&A segments?
They are short, between 12 and 27 minutes each, and follow parts 6, 8 and 9.
Do I get CME credit or a certificate?
No. Clinicapedia provides the educational content only — no CME or CE credits, MOC points or certificates of completion are included with this product.
Specifications
| Format | Online video course |
|---|---|
| Instructor | Michael Melkers, DDS, MAGD |
| Contents | 12 sessions (9 parts, 3 Q&As) |
| Duration | 11 h 20 min |
| Access | Lifetime, self-paced |
| Department | Dentistry |
| Delivery | Instant download · lifetime re-download |
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