A Story of Transformation through Endodontic Training Courses

I always said that, if we don’t teach general dentists how to save teeth, we’re going to have a public health crisis on our hands. There aren’t enough endodontists to handle all the root canals in the world—so it’s been important to me, from day one, to help general dentists through my endodontics training courses. 

But a super-smart endodontist friend of mine, Dr. Lisa Tyler, helped me realize that E-School can be a valuable program for endodontists, too. In this blog post, I want to introduce you to Dr. Tyler to learn her story of transformation, and find out—in her own words—why E-School is so important for endodontists.

Endodontics Has Changed, and Dr. Tyler Wanted to Update Her Practice

Listen to Dr. Tyler in her own words:

Dr. Tyler graduated with her dental degree from Harvard University in 1992 and completed her post-doc in endodontics from Tufts University in 1994. Hand instrumentation was cutting-edge at the time, and rotaries and microscopes didn’t exist in endodontic practices yet. “I had done all hand instrumentation up until the time that I took E-School, which is when I opened my new office” in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Dr. Tyler told me.

New office, new her! She wanted to open her office with current, cutting-edge technology, procedures, and endodontic know-how. She was ready to transform everything, “soup-to-nuts.”

But making so many changes all at once felt a little daunting. Dr. Tyler wanted some guidance to make sure she was on the right track. “As a practicing endodontist for over 20 years, I didn’t have a professor to look over my shoulder. I was running solo, here. And there’s only so much you can read, so many YouTube videos you can watch. You need that extra little bit from a colleague.”

Enter: E-School.

“So Many Takeaways” from these Endodontic Training Courses

Dr. Tyler described her attitude as “like a nursery school student.” She went into E-School with an open mind and heart, ready to learn.

“I could learn. I had someone to lean on. I had someone to answer the questions that I had no one else to go to,” Dr. Tyler explained to me. 

First, Dr. Tyler enrolled in E-School with Coaching and dove headfirst into the curriculum.

She had several important takeaways from E-School’s online curriculum.

1. E-School was a chance for Dr. Tyler to go back to the basics for endodontic diagnosis. It’s easy to forget little details after being out of academia for a few decades. But, as I always like to say, endo is all about the details.
2. Dr. Tyler was able to feel confident about instrumentation through E-School. It can be tough to stay up-to-date on all the latest technology and literature. She soaked in all of my tips and tricks like a sponge.
3. My favorite takeaway that Dr. Tyler had was understanding the WHY. What are the concepts behind the treatments and processes that go into endodontics. When she told me this, I was like, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” This is so powerful, because when you understand the why, the other concepts fall into place.

Knowledge Only Goes So Far Without Implementation

One of the reasons I love Dr. Tyler is that she isn’t the kind of endodontist who’s content to take what she’s learned and stuff it in a drawer somewhere. She doesn’t get it and forget it. She uses it.

When I asked her about how E-School has made a tangible difference in her practice, this is what she told me:

1. 1. Number one is confidence. She wants to know what she’s doing and why in order to have a good result. Knowing her endpoint gives her that roadmap, which feeds into her confidence.
   2. Exposure to instruments and technology. When Dr. Tyler saw their immense clinical value, she was inspired to invest in an operating microscope and a CBCT. They have opened up incredible diagnostic skills for her and improved her practice, and the quality of what she offers.
   3. She’s also made smaller changes that add up to make a big difference, thanks to these endodontic training courses, including the burs she uses, her files, and other little details for day-to-day cases.

Going Next Level with E-School LIVE

After Dr. Tyler finished E-School with Coaching, she decided to re-enroll to get even more out of the program. 

Understanding the clinical concepts is different from seeing them in action within a practice setting. Dr. Tyler told me she wanted to see “the flow” of how things worked within Ballantyne Endodontics.

She explained, “I wanted to see how she goes from that patient sitting with the assistant, morphing into her starting to work with the patient. How does she work the rooms? How does she manage her time? I wanted to be able to talk with her receptionist, with her assistants. These are fine points that you can’t get necessarily from a Zoom call, you really have to watch it.”

So, Dr. Tyler decided to enroll in E-School LIVE, my 4-day, hands-on, in-person, live patient endodontic training course open only to E-School with Coaching students. This is the next level of my endodontic training courses, and it’s for serious students who already understand the concepts in E-School’s online curriculum and are eager to gain even more confidence and nuance.

At E-School LIVE, she watched my assistants pass instruments, learned how to improve upon efficiencies, and so much more than just perfecting her endodontic technique. “I could’ve used another month of E-School LIVE,” she told me.

E-School Endodontics Training Courses Have Had a Measurable Impact for Dr. Tyler

Not only has Dr. Tyler invested in an endodontic operating microscope and a CBCT, the operations of her practice have changed.

She told me, “My practice has doubled in the last 2-3 months, which I can directly relate to what you are doing to increase my efficiency.” She has hired an additional assistant to flip rooms a little faster, so she can see and serve more endo patients.

When you’re confident and efficient, the sky is truly the limit. I know Dr. Tyler’s practice is still in a transition period, but I’m so proud of the changes she has made, the leadership she demonstrates, and the potential she’s unlocked.

I’m so honored she chose to work with me, but to hear her tell it, it’s the only way forward.

“When you’re in a private practice—and I’m in a solo private practice,” she told me, “there’s no one to turn to. So, having a mentor, a colleague, that you can reach out to to ask where to go from here, is incredibly helpful.”

She added, “If you’re reading a textbook about something or watching a video, that’s only so much. But E-School goes so far above what you can get from what’s out there in the world. It’s just incredibly helpful. And I don’t think I could have gotten it anywhere else, honestly. Such a unique, niche product that she offers that I just don’t see that there’s anything that could rival it, to be honest.”

Dr. Tyler’s Advice for Dentists and Endodontists Enrolling in E-School

Dr. Tyler confided in me something that’s probably true of a lot of us: “One of the hardest things for me is to be vulnerable.”

But she is so wise. She added, “One has to be vulnerable to accept criticism and learn from what is being offered. So, one of the big issues I think any dentist has to get over is to allow themselves to really absorb all that Dr. Chopra has to offer, because it’s just so much, and it’s so wonderful, but you have to be receptive.”

She is so humble, and what she’s describing is definitely something I’ve experienced with my own CE learning, including a variety of endodontic training courses. It’s a two-way street; you always get more out of CE if you’re receptive to learning and absorbing and being vulnerable. Otherwise, you’re just going to spend money to hear it, but you won’t really be able to use it. “You’ve got to get over that uncomfortableness in order to soar. Otherwise, you’re always going to be held back by your anxieties of having to perform,” Dr. Tyler told me.

I want to thank Dr. Tyler for being such a phenomenal colleague, E-School alum, and friend. I appreciate her openness so much, and I’m so proud of all the progress she has made to update her practice and become more efficient and profitable. She’s a caring, savvy clinician, and she truly deserves the world.

Are you an endodontist or general dentist who’s ready to approach CE with openness, and are you looking for an endodontics training course like no other? I invite you to enroll in E-School with Coaching, where you can take your endodontic confidence and efficiency to new heights.

– Sonia