If you’re anything like me when I started practicing dentistry, you feel trapped in a system that’s failing you and your patients. 

You’re overwhelmed with student and office loans, tired of struggling to keep up with the “insurance game”, or—worse—fearful of not solving a patient’s problem and losing your reputation. 

You care deeply about your patients. They’re not just bodies in a chair, they’re people. And you want confidence in your capability to heal them at a deep level. The whole system—breathing, posture, nutrition—not just the teeth. 

I'm here to show you there's a better way to treat patients and have a profitable practice.​

Course Descriptions

Occlusion 101:
​Physiology, Anatomy and Biomechanics of Occlusion

Mastery of dental occlusion is prerequisite to acquiring the confidence to build your ideal dental practice.   The first step on the pathway to mastery of occlusion is acquiring a strong conceptual understanding of its scientific basis. Restorative dentistry and orthodontics always change the patient’s dental occlusion whether the dentist is aware of it or not. Even minute changes to the height or shape or the position of a tooth, change force patterns on the entire masticatory system. In turn, every change in force patterns impacts oromotor behavior.

This course guides attendees through the scientific principles that are the foundation of dental occlusion. It will provide a deep understanding of neurophysiological, anatomical and biomechanical principles that dictate how and where the teeth occlude, facilitating the treatment of simple and complex dental problems such as bruxism, clenching, TMD and sleep apnea.

Learning Objectives
  • Understand the neurophysiological mechanisms that regulate occlusion
  • Identify the signs and symptoms of occlusal dysfunction
  • Understand the anatomical and biomechanical parameters that govern jaw movements.
  • Recognize the differences between mechanoreception, proprioception and sensory motor integration
  • Learn how the biomechanics of malocclusion causes tooth wear and abfractions
  • Appreciate the functional anatomy of the TMJs, AOJs, and muscles of the head, neck and pharynx
  • Understand the pathological processes underlying TMD, bruxism and sleep disorders
  • Understand the relationship between malocclusion and breathing problems
  • Learn why creating ideal dental anatomy should be the goal of every treatment plan
  • Learn how to develop a phased approach to treatment
  • Develop the skills for effective treatment communication

Occlusion 201:
​Diagnosis and Treatment Planning​

The second step on the pathway to mastery of dental occlusion is acquiring the knowledge to diagnose and treatment plan solutions to the systemic problems that plague patients and cause many of their dental problems. Occlusion 201 builds upon scientific information learned in Occlusion 101 and utilizes this information to diagnose dental, orofacial and airway problems.
​ 
This course has been built around giving students a clearer vision and broader perspective on the states of health and disease in their patients. What do your patients faces and dentitions really look like? How are they different than those with optimal oral health? How can patients help themselves and how can we help them to acheive optimal oral health?

What do I SEE when I examine my patients? What do you SEE? Dental schools teach us to see pathologies including dental caries, periodontal disease, oral infections and gross malocclusions. They usually do not teach students to see bigger picture systemic problems. This “blind spot” in our education has allowed the insurance industry to dictate “usual and customary” standards of care which has limited innovation and trapped the majority of dentists into performing“single tooth dentistry.

This course is about teaching the dentists to SEE the reality right in front of their eyes. Because when you can SEE you can diagnose, and when you can diagnose you can treat. And when you can diagnose you may be able to figure out how to prevent. Furthermore, when you develop these skills you may just be able to create your ideal dental practice! 
​
Learning Objectives:
  • Develop an improved new patient examination process
  • To be able to identify normal and abnormal occlusion and facial form
  • To be able to use the prophy/case discussion visit to improve the patients understanding of their health problems.
  • To be able to use photographs, anterior jigs, mounted diagnostic casts and x-rays to understand and communicate structural and systemic oral health problems.
  • To understand the basics of diagnosing and treating pharyngo-orofacial problems with occlusal splints.
  • To understand the basics of using dental and medical specialists as “subcontractors” in the design and rehabilitation of the oral and systemic health solutions.
  • To understand the dentist’s role in providing lifelong oral maintenance and health.

Course Dates

Occlusion 101: 
​Physiology, Anatomy and Biomechanics of Occlusion

May 8-9, 2020
The Beverly Hilton
Beverly Hills, California

The Physiology of Occlusion in Clinical Practice

January 24, 2020
​Toronto Crown and Bridge Study Club
Toronto, Canada

The Physiology of Occlusion in Clinical Practice

February 1, 2020
DentaNet Symposium 2020
Copenhagen, Denmark

Upcoming Courses

Occlusion 301:
​Stabilization of the Teeth, Joints and Airway

Occlusion 401:
Stabilization of Physiologic Systems

Occlusion 501:
Comprehensive Prosthetic Restoration
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards of the Academy of General Dentistry Program Approval for Continuing Education (PACE) through the joint program provider approval of Comprehensive Treatment Seminars and Levy Occlusion Seminars. Comprehensive Treatment Seminars is approved for awarding FAGD/MAGD credit.

"The course is filled with "Aha!" moments, as Dr. Levy demystified many complex topics that I had previously struggled to comprehend. I've learned a new conceptual framework and practical applications I wasn't able to find anywhere else!”
DR. SAM ZINK JR, DMD

Let me guide you to the predictability, profitability and patient satisfaction you’ve been seeking.
​I’ve been there. The overwhelm, the debt, the bowing to insurance companies, the fear of harming patients. I earned my Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from New York University in 1982, and shortly after opened a practice in NYC. I wanted predictability in my practice and patient care, but felt that all the processes and systems I’d been taught prevented this.

My dental career changed dramatically when I took my first Dawson course in 1991 and began to learn and practice the science and art of dental occlusion under the expert guidance of Dr. Peter E. Dawson. It was the beginning of a life-long journey exploring the scientific foundation of occlusion and how it affects the whole chewing system.

With a background in mechanical engineering, I started to examine teeth from an engineering-stress-strain-bite force perspective while considering the reality that teeth are inherently complex histologic structures.

I sold my practice in NYC and moved my young family to Portland, Oregon, to join the faculty at Oregon Health and Sciences University, where I could further explore the sensory properties of teeth and the chewing system.

My perspective as a dentist and neurophysiology researcher is that the occlusion of the teeth shapes the streams of tactile sensory information that are elicited from dental mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors, which in turn alter oromotor behaviors. ​
Very few dentists are currently aware of this reality.

We are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic of collapsed facial form. Into this paradigm of facial collapse comes the litany of health problems that healthcare practitioners in different fields are attempting to address (e.g. speech problems, malocclusion related tooth fracture, airway breathing problems, etc.).

As I initiated my first occlusal treatments I observed that the elimination of occlusal interferences enabled many patients to open and close their jaws faster, move more freely through excursive jaw movements, and feel more comfortable.
 
My research led to a radical new understanding of oral health and a new model for treating the chewing system. The result? A total paradigm shift in my approach to patient care. 

In 2004, I opened my practice in Portland, Oregon. My philosophy is to offer the finest quality dentistry that considers the whole patient and the whole chewing system. To achieve this, I’ve developed a business model that doesn’t have insurance companies dictating patient care, or require a revolving door of patients.

"If you want a practice that looks beyond one tooth at a time, and focuses on healing the whole person, this course is for you. It's a total game changer, and a prerequisite to the future of dentistry.”
DR. GABRIEL MALOUF, DDS

Start building the foundation for your ideal practice today.

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Contact

503-222-2157
511 SW 10th Ave #1102
Portland, OR 97205
Hours: Mon—Thu: 8:30 - 5:30
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