Level 3 - ADVANCED GNM TREATMENT PLANNING
A 2-Day Masterclass Intensive and Hands-On Training with Dr. Clayton A. Chan
Course Description: "Refining the Mandibular Position"
Teaching Method: Lecture and Participation
Prerequisite Course: Levels 1 and 2
CE Credit Hours: 16
AGD Subject Code(s): 180/185 Occlusion/Appliance Therapy | 010 Basic Sciences | 200 Orofacial Pain | 250 Operative/Restorative Dentistry | 610 Fixed Prosthodontics | 670 Removable Prosthodontics
Most dentists who fabricate GNM orthotics know how to deliver them. What they do not know — what no classical neuromuscular program in the world adequately teaches — is what happens next.
How do you adjust it? How do you know it is working? How do you manage a cervical case differently from a primary TMJ case? How do you take a Class II Division 2 patient from Phase I stabilization all the way through Phase II finalization — with a clear, confident plan guiding every step?
If you cannot answer those questions with certainty — you are not alone. And Level 3 was built for exactly this gap.
- You have delivered the orthotic. Now what? Do you have a systematic, reproducible protocol for every adjustment appointment that follows — or are you improvising?
- Do you know the specific orthotic design parameters required for cervical problems, primary TMJ disorders, Class II Division 2, and anterior open bite cases — or are you using one approach for every patient regardless of their presentation?
- Can you look at a mounted case and communicate a complete, sequenced treatment plan — from first orthotic delivery through final restoration — with the confidence of a clinician who has done it a hundred times?
- Do you know exactly when to equilibrate and when not to — and why getting that wrong is one of the most expensive mistakes in occlusal practice?
- Are you ready to stop learning GNM and start executing it — at the chair, on the cast, and in the treatment plan you present to every complex patient?
If any of these stop you — Level 3 is where you get the answers.
Classical neuromuscular education gave you a foundation. It taught you to lower the EMGs, use TENS, and capture a bite. But it left critical gaps — gaps that become painfully obvious the moment a complex orthotic case walks back in for its first adjustment and you are not sure what to do next.
No other program in the world addresses what happens after orthotic delivery with the clinical depth, specificity, and hands-on precision of OC Level 3.
This is not a review of what you already know. This is the course that fills in everything classical NM training left out — and gives you the hands-on skills to execute GNM treatment from the first orthotic adjustment to the final restoration.
Level 2 gave you the comprehensive diagnostic framework — the records, the interpretation, the forensic clinical reasoning. You left knowing how to examine, document, and diagnose with a precision most clinicians never develop.
Level 3 takes that diagnostic clarity and transforms it into action.
Because diagnosis without a treatment plan is an incomplete service to your patient. And a treatment plan without the hands-on skills to execute it is just theory.
This is the clinical knowledge that separates GNM-trained clinicians from everyone else — and it is knowledge that no other program in the world teaches with this level of specificity.
Classical NM education treats orthotic therapy as a largely uniform process. GNM recognizes what clinical reality demands that:
- Cervical problems,
- Primary TMJ disorders,
- Class II Division 2 cases, and
- Anterior open bite conditions
Treating them all the same way is one of the most common — and most costly — errors in neuromuscular practice. Level 3 shows you exactly how to tell them apart and exactly what to do for each one — helping you become the expert achieving clinical patient success and satisfaction.
Mandibular Positioning and Orthotic Management
- How to establish and verify a proven physiologic optimized bite repeatably
- How to use K7 jaw tracking instrumentation and TENS to locate and confirm the bite with precision
- How to resolve clicking and popping and interpret CMS and ESG data in treatment context
- How to clinically analyze maxillo-mandibular cast relationships physiologically
- Orthotic delivery — what to do, what to look for, and how to manage every adjustment that follows
- How to transition the orthotic through Phase I stabilization into Phase II finalization for each of the four occlusal problem types
The Four Occlusal Problem Types — Specific Protocols for Each
- Cervical problems — recognition, orthotic design, and management
- Primary TMJ disorders — how they differ from cervical cases and what that means for treatment
- Class II Division 2 — the specific parameters that make or break these cases
- Anterior open bite conditions — the unique challenges and the GNM solutions
"Now I know what I am seeing in my scans, why they look that way, and what to do when certain symptoms do not resolve. Understanding the four different types of occlusal dysfunction changes everything."
— Dr. Jerry E.Y. Lim, BDS, FRACDS, Singapore/Australia
Cast Mounting and Laboratory Communication
- How to orient the maxillary cast for proper smile design and laboratory assessment
- How to take a proper Fox Plane record — and when not to use it
- How to mount the maxillary cast using the OPI index
- Specific records required to communicate effectively with the laboratory technician for predictable, consistent results
Treatment Planning and Sequencing
- How to establish and communicate a complete treatment plan from Phase I stabilization through Phase II finalization
- How to determine when not to equilibrate or adjust the occlusion — and why
- Introduction to Micro-occlusion (Coronoplasty) — the rules of adjusting the bite
- Converting a case from orthosis to reconstruction
- Visualizing the complete treatment process before a single tooth is touched
The Highlight of Level 3 — Dr. Chan Demonstrates Orthotic Delivery and Adjustment
Level 2 introduced you to Dr. Chan's live orthotic adjustment demonstration. Level 3 takes it further.
With actual cases and mounted models in hand, Dr. Chan demonstrates the full orthotic delivery and adjustment process in precise clinical detail — showing exactly what to look for at each appointment, how to adjust for each of the four occlusal problem types, and how to know with confidence that the orthotic is progressing toward stability.
This is not a repeat of Level 2. This is the next layer — the hands-on, case-specific application of everything you diagnosed and planned in the previous two levels.
This demonstration also serves as direct preparation for Level 4 — OC's advanced hands-on Micro-occlusion course — where the orthotic adjustment skills introduced here become the foundation for the most precise occlusal refinement work in the entire OC curriculum.
No other program in the world provides this level of direct clinical demonstration across multiple course levels — building your skills systematically and deliberately with each course you complete.
Understanding GNM is one thing. Executing it with confidence — at the chair, on the cast, and in the treatment plan you present to your patient — is another.
Level 3 gives you the hands-on skills, the clinical protocols, and the treatment sequencing framework to move from knowing what GNM is to doing what GNM requires.
No more uncertainty after orthotic delivery. No more guessing at adjustment appointments. No more patients cycling through treatment without a clear plan guiding every step.
Just precise, systematic, physiologically-grounded treatment — from the first orthotic adjustment to the final restoration.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Execute dependable, comprehensive, three-dimensional dentognathic diagnosis before treating functional and aesthetic problems
- Establish an optimal mandibular position and stabilize it using a properly designed lower anatomical GNM orthosis
- Identify and apply specific orthotic design parameters for the four distinct occlusal problem types: cervical problems, primary TMJ disorders, Class II Division 2, and anterior open bite conditions
- Communicate a complete treatment plan managing the orthosis through transitional phases from Phase I stabilization to Phase II finalization
- Establish and verify the optimal physiologic bite using K7 jaw tracking instrumentation and TENS
- Apply Fox Plane technique for maxillary cast mounting and determine when it is and is not indicated
- Mount maxillary and mandibular casts physiologically using the OPI index
- Implement the lower anatomical GNM orthosis for four distinct clinical problem types
- Apply introductory Micro-occlusion (Coronoplasty) principles and rules of occlusal adjustment
- Establish a sequenced treatment plan and visualize the complete process prior to any tooth preparation
- Convert a case from orthosis to reconstruction using established GNM protocols
- How to establish and verify a proven physiologic optimized bite repeatably
- How to use K7 jaw tracking instrumentation and TENS to locate and confirm the bite
- How to implement K7 jaw tracking to optimize the bite
- How to resolve clicking and popping and interpret CMS and ESG data clinically
- How to perform electronic instrumentation procedures for dynamic relational study of teeth, TM joints, and muscles
- How to clinically analyze maxillo-mandibular cast relationships physiologically
- How to orient the maxillary cast for proper smile design and laboratory assessment
- How to take a proper Fox Plane record and when not to use it
- How to mount the maxillary cast using the OPI index
- How to determine when not to equilibrate or adjust the occlusion — and why
- Specific records required to communicate effectively with the laboratory technician
- How to convert a GNM bite case from orthosis to final restoration
About Your Teacher
Clayton A. Chan, D.D.S. — Founder, Director, and Teacher Occlusion Connections — The Center for Gneuromuscular Dentistry and Orthopedic Advancement
Dr. Chan's leadership and pioneering role in both Gneuromuscular and Neuromuscular occlusal teachings has been recognized by peers worldwide for his ability to deliver outstanding care to patients and present the most advanced principles of dental occlusion and TMD treatment with clarity, precision, and genuine clinical depth.
"Home again. I agree totally with what Myles has already posted. Clayton always brings his A game. I wonder how naive I could have been to have thought at one point that all I needed was to get to Level 5, learn this optimized bite and move on. At each level I am humbled to learn how much I still have to learn. Tomorrow will be a new day, with bites to revisit where once I thought they were pretty good, and now I am pretty sure that they can be greatly improved — and they will get improved. I am envious of the younger docs like Ramsin and Amy who will have so many years to help so many patients. I would just say to anyone on this forum who thinks they know what they don't know but haven't been to OC — you might want to rethink your strategy. Thanks to Clayton and Jane for another five star experience." — Dr. Greg Yount, D.M.D., Mattoon, IL
"I am so glad that I came to Level 3 instead of starting out at Level 5. It ranks as one of the best lectures I have attended and cleared up much of my confusion in NM. Level 3 really is the foundation of NM understanding as it pieces together all the clinical things that we all see daily with the academic aspect of NM that we all must know. I was quite lost as I knew NM in clusters of knowledge, not knowing how to link them together. Clayton in Level 3 really puts it in perspective — and not only that, went into details of many scans and treatment angles of cases that present themselves in our practice. The best part is that now I know what I am seeing in my scans, why they look that way and then what to do if certain symptoms do not resolve. Understanding the four different types of occlusal dysfunction changes everything." — Dr. Jerry E.Y. Lim, BDS, FRACDS, Singapore/Australia
"On a weekend when a lot of college teams needed to have their game on — Clayton definitely had his game on. I feel this was the most powerful course at OC I have taken. Maybe rivals the first course in NM I took with Clayton way back when, to begin my journey. Thank you Clayton for the delicate missing pieces — the word will spread. Looking forward to Level 4 and becoming even more a master of the DOTS. I know there are many NM K7 docs out there who have no clue. I was one of them and not ashamed to admit it. I will be better on Monday. Extremely grateful." — Dr. Myles Preble, D.M.D., Salt Lake City, UT
"I am amazed at what I learn each time I attend a new course. Clayton revealed another very insightful piece of the Scan 4/5 puzzle. The interesting part is that it is something that we all have seen but no one has ever picked up on — and it makes perfect sense differentiating Primary TMD from cervical issues. The course was typical of what I expect from OC — full of information delivered in a very relaxed style with plenty of good thoughtful questions and discussion." — Chris Mohler, D.D.S., Beaufort, SC
"I truly learned so much at our last course. We have been taking better bites and classifying our cases so that Mona can make the appropriate style orthotics." — Gregg Ueckert, D.D.S., Austin, TX
"Thank you once again Clayton for a great course. I have never enjoyed learning before like I do when attending your courses. Your passion and humility are the character traits that complement your knowledge and understanding — and that opens the floodgates of learning. I cannot express my appreciation in mere words. I am sharing my experience with everyone. Thank you to Jane for being his partner in life and all she does to make our learning experience even more comfortable and enjoyable. Together you make us feel like part of your family. I wore my adjusted orthotic last night and I have not slept that well in many years. My wife said I did not snore." — Dr. Andrew Krause, D.D.S., New Baltimore, MI
"A lot of valuable information that I was not aware of before. I feel more confident treating difficult cases. Dr. Chan is very knowledgeable and an extremely capable teacher. I am very happy with the quality of the handouts and my opportunity to participate in the hands-on portion of the course. The schedule of the courses is very convenient and cost effective. The facility, audiovisual equipment, and food were great. I was very satisfied with the staff, support, and guidance." — Michael Nemec, B.Sc., D.D.S., Nova Scotia, Canada
"I just wanted to take a moment and express my sincere gratitude to both of you for having me at the course. It was a very powerful and solid presentation in the company of a fervent and intelligent group of colleagues and friends. I feel that I now have a much broader knowledge of the instrumentation and the practical aspect of taking and confirming the correct physiologic bite. It was enormously helpful, Dr. Chan, to observe you taking so many bites and understanding your thought processes. Thank you for all the tidbits and insightful information you shared." — Maryam Douraghy, D.M.D., Sharon, MA
"After two years away from neuromuscular continuing education, this course was exactly what I needed. Clayton has an engaging style and the small classroom size was very approachable. Learning the optimized bite has helped me truly understand the nuances of neuromuscular dentistry. To truly appreciate the refinement of the neuromuscular bite, attendance at Clayton Chan's course is a must." — Erik S. Bradley, D.D.S., Wilmington, DE
"There was a lot of opportunity to ask questions amongst the details presented. There was a lot of opportunity throughout the program to implement and test the procedures. A wonderful facility with a great atmosphere and audiovisual equipment. A powerful course that every student needs to take in order to improve their clinical skills and augment their treatment of chronic pain patients." — Al Winchar, D.M.D., Winnipeg, Manitoba
"Dr. Chan is a dedicated educator. He offers information that cannot be found anywhere else. These are imperative to the serious NM dentist." — Tom Pillar, D.D.S., Sioux Falls, SD
"This has been the most helpful of all the OC courses I have taken thus far." — Todd Buzbee, D.D.S., Springfield, MO
