History was made in Skeletal Anchorage in Orthodontics!
On Saturday 7th February 2026, Sunil Hirani of Smilelux Orthodontics Milton Keynes, hosted a one day hands-on course. It was held in conjunction with its partners: Trycare, ESM, PSM and Flora Orthodontics.
We ran the world’s first Skeletal Anchorage course in Orthodontics where all the delegates placed TADS in a real patient (not a typodont!).
That’s right-you read correctly. Every delegate placed, under supervision, palatal TADs. It did not stop there. We then scanned the maxilla and also fitted the 3D metal printed appliance on the same day.
Never has this been done before. The average TAD course is held in a hotel which is unrealistic as the delegates are practising clinicians. Watching a presentation and practising on plastic teeth is not good enough.
Some courses are held in a clinic but only the host can place TADs on a patient whilst the delegates watch from a distance hoping to catch a glimmer. Again this is not the same as doing the technique yourself under supervision.
Nearly all courses involve the use of typodonts or plastic teeth where delegates practice TAD placement. This will never replicate the reality of placing TADs in a human being in a clinic setting. The delegate then leaves the course and shortly struggles in real life in the clinical setting.
This typically causes them to shy away or lose interest as they do not have enough confidence. If you want a clinical technique to genuinely work, ensure that the delegates are doing the clinical work from the very beginning so that it mimics their daily setting. This way their confidence is far greater than imagined.
The course involved theory with ample scientific evidence followed by typodont placement and then advanced to live placement on their own patient, scanning and fitting of the printed appliance. In other words a full turnkey solution.
The feedback from Dr Alastair Smith, Chichester was:
‘This TAD course is truly unparalleled, combining a strong theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience, not only on typodonts but also through live placement of TADs on patients. Sunil brings an incredible depth of experience in managing complex malocclusions using TADs. Quite simply, the course provides an exceptional insight into cutting-edge, modern orthodontics’.
This course has taken TAD placement to a new level. We have left other TAD courses far behind.
