Dental Lunch and Learn Ideas for Orthodontists

The best dental lunch and learn ideas for orthodontists are short, practical talks that help a general dentist's whole team spot a case and refer it smoothly, like early screening at age 7, which aligner cases to send, and how to make a referral easy. Keep it to 45 minutes, invite everyone in the office, and follow up within a week.

Below are ten topics, a sample agenda, invite copy, the basics of offering CE credit, and what to do in the months after.

What lunch and learn topics do general dentists actually want?

Topics that help them make a call at the chair. In a 2019 to 2021 AAO Foundation study of 373 general dentists, 42% said they provide some orthodontics, and 68% of those said their dental school orthodontic training was not enough. The same dentists said they refer complex cases and growing patients, and that the best way to boost referrals was better communication (AAO Foundation final report).

That points to teaching, not selling. Ten topics that fit:

The age 7 check. The AAO recommends every child see an orthodontist no later than age 7 (AAO). Show what the hygienist can look for at a recall visit.
Aligner cases: keep or refer. A friendly guide to which cases a general dentist can handle and which tend to go better with a specialist. Respect that many of them treat some cases themselves.
Airway questions for the hygiene chair. Keep it to screening and the right next step. A 2024 article in Progress in Orthodontics describes screening as part of the orthodontist's role, with suspected sleep apnea referred to a physician specialist (Kazmierski, 2024).
Crossbites and oral habits in young children. What a parent might notice, and what to tell them.
Erupting canines on routine radiographs. What to watch for on the films the office already takes.
Restorative work before and after braces. Timing for implants, veneers and bonding on shared patients.
Retainers at recall visits. What the hygienist will see years after treatment, and when to call you.
Making a referral easy. What to send, who to call, and how fast they will hear back. In the AAO Foundation study, email (40%) and phone (30%) were the preferred ways to communicate.
A front desk session. How to answer a parent who asks about braces, and how to hand off the call.
Open case questions. Let the doctor bring cases they are unsure about, with identifying details removed.

Ask the office manager which two sound most useful. The topic they pick tells you what the team is working through right now.

What does a 45 minute lunch and learn agenda look like?

Most offices give you their lunch hour, so plan to finish early. A sample:

Minutes	What happens
0 to 10	Food is set up before the team walks in. Everyone eats and talks.
10 to 15	The orthodontist introduces themselves and the rep, and says what the talk will cover.
15 to 33	The talk itself, with a few clear photos and no more than a dozen slides.
33 to 42	Questions, including from the hygienists and front desk.
42 to 45	A one page handout, a direct phone number, and thanks.

Leave room for the schedule to slip. If the first afternoon patient arrives early, the team should not have to choose between you and their day.

How do you invite the whole team?

Invite through the office manager, and make it clear the lunch is for everyone. Hygienists, assistants and the front desk often spot cases and field the parent's questions, so a talk aimed only at the doctor misses half the people who make referrals happen.

Sample invite, with fictional names:

Hi Maria, Dr. Patel would love to bring lunch for your whole team one day next month and do a quick 20 minute talk on what to look for at a 7 year old's recall visit. We'll keep it under 45 minutes and work around your schedule. Any day that suits you best? And are there any food allergies or preferences we should know about?

Bring enough food for the full team, including part time staff, and ask ahead about dietary needs. A thoughtful lunch says as much as the talk does.

Can you offer CE credit for a lunch and learn?

Only through an approved provider. The two national programs approve organizations, not individual talks. AGD PACE approves continuing dental education organizations, "not speakers or individual course content" (AGD). ADA CERP likewise recognizes organizations and "does not approve individual educational activities" (ADA CCEPR).

That leaves three practical paths:

Skip the credit. A useful talk with a good lunch is enough for most offices. Just don't call it CE.
Partner with an approved provider. A study club, dental society or school that holds PACE approval or CERP recognition may sponsor the talk under its own process.
Become a provider. Worth it only if you plan a regular series, since both programs expect ongoing planning and record keeping.

State boards set their own rules for what counts toward license renewal, so check with your board or the sponsoring provider before you promise hours.

What should you do after the lunch and learn?

Thank them within a week. A short note to the whole team, signed by the doctor, works well, and our thank you letter samples include one written for this moment. Send the handout you promised and answer any question you could not get to.

Then write down what you learned while it is fresh: who attended, which topic landed, the names of the hygienists who asked good questions, and anything the doctor mentioned about their plans. If the office just hired someone, our welcome plan for a new associate has next steps.

Give it a few months before judging the result. Referrals move slowly, and one lunch rarely changes much on its own. Look at that office's referrals over the next three to six months next to your other visits, and plan the next touch on your regular weekly visit list.

Fictional example: a rep hosts a lunch on the age 7 check at a family practice that refers a few patients a year. The doctor sends a thank you letter the next week, the rep drops off extra handouts a month later, and by the following quarter the office has sent two young patients for an early evaluation. Not a guarantee, just one way steady follow through can play out.

Keeping track of all this is where most teams slip. Occlu reads the referral reports you already export and shows who refers, how that is trending and who has gone quiet, so you can see which offices to invite next and how each one is doing afterward.

Plan your next lunch with the right offices

We're setting up a small group of founding practices now. We take the reports you already export, do the setup, and show who referred, who has gone quiet and which new offices to welcome, with thank you texts drafted for you to send. Become a founding practice.

Or email us at info@getocclu.com

Dental lunch and learn ideas for orthodontists