Getting continuing education on a consistent basis is really helpful for your dental practice. When your team members know more, they become more effective, efficient, and productive. That makes changing patient lives and growing your dental practice easier.But, like any aspect of dentistry, continuing education is constantly changing. New alternatives are constantly being come up with, and dentistry has been getting really creative. There are two trends emerging that every dental team member will soon know if they don't already.

Online Courses for Dental Practices

Traveling to a traditional dental conference can take a lot of effort and cost a lot of money. You need to spend money on travel expenses. And all the traveling can be tedious and, for some, something they prefer not to do. The learning environment isn’t ideal, either. Many people don’t like sitting in stuffy ballrooms or classroom environments, and that’s what many dental conferences are like.At dental conferences, tables and uncomfortable chairs are crowded into a room. The presenters, while often offering valuable knowledge, often fly in for the day, jump on stage, and fly out. There’s little time to get to know them or ask follow-up questions if something comes up the following day. The setting makes networking uncomfortable and awkward. And because people fly in and out in a matter of days, travel anxiety only makes things worse.Because of those reasons, and others, many CE providers have transitioned to offering online CE courses for general dental practices. Practice professionals check their CE boxes from the comfort of their own home. No stuffy conference room. No fly-in presenters. Just the CE. It’s much more comfortable, too.For many dental professionals, sitting at home in their pajamas and learning from the comfort of their living room is tempting. Dressing up, getting jet-lagged, and sleeping in a hotel room—in order to get that same education—isn't so tempting.

At Smiles at Sea, we know how fun it is to be able to learn in pajamas. That’s why we have Pajama Day on each of our dental cruises. It sets a relaxed tone where everyone knows they can be comfortable when they learn. They don’t have to worry about being presentable or be put under the guise that the learning process has to be a formal matter. But if you aren’t on a dental CE cruise with us, having fun, spending a whole week with your presenters, and learning in shorts, pajamas, or Hawaiian shirts, online courses for dental practices might have to do.

Something Different: Dental CE Cruises for General Dental Practices

As convenience as online dental CE courses are, they are also often boring. Yes, they’re easy to attend. Yes, they don’t require a bunch of effort to attend. But they are also not very fun.So, what’s a better alternative to boring online courses or stuffy dental conferences? Dental CE cruises. Working in a dental practice is hard and can be stressful. Your time away from the office should be either of those things.That’s where dental CE cruises come in. Sure, some dental professionals love to learn and go to regular CE conferences. But for most of us, we go there to learn and then leave. We don’t expect to have a blast.That’s why the second major trend in General Dental CE is to combine CE credits with a fun time to get better learning while having the time of your life. And dental CE cruises are the ideal way to achieve all of those things.

Dental professionals are sick of being bored and stressed. They have good questions they want to ask experts. And they want to have fun. That’s why dental CE cruises have become so popular. It’s a novel approach and unique experience that teaches outside of an ordinary classroom setting. The speakers share several days with you, sitting by the pool or enjoying a drink. They’re not rushing to get home and are there to teach and enjoy just like you. While on the cruise, you can learn in your pajamas on Pajama Day or experience a fun workshop paired with other events, like wine tasting, going to restaurants together, or hosting a meeting at a popular port of call.The experience is so fun and relaxing you might even forget you’re earning CE.

What trends do you see happening in general dental CE?

Many new General Dental CE courses are falling under these two categories. That way, more and more something people actually want to go to them. They no longer look at CE at CE as an obligation. With dental CE cruises, it can even feel like a vacation.If you’re interested in an alternative that your team would really love to attend, then you should consider the Smiles at Sea cruises as an option. Not only do our dental CE cruises provide great opportunities to learn, but they also are a lot of fun. So, come on aboard!