Meet Dr. Jerry Gildner, Expert Instructor with over 25 years of Orthodontic Experience

If you are looking to grow your dental practice into the field of orthodontics, TMJ, and sleep, you may meet long-time expert in the field Dr. Jerry Gildner at Rondeau Seminars. Gildner has been treating patients in the area of orthodontics for over 25 years. He came to Rondeau Seminars as an experienced teacher, and it shows in the classroom—he is a former clinical instructor at Marquette University School of Dentistry. Read on to get to know Dr. Gildner, why he is passionate about adding orthodontics to your dental practice, and how he approaches teaching fellow dentists at Rondeau Seminars.

What is your background?

Since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a dentist because I admired my grandparents’ best friend who as a dentist. When I went to college, I knew I would enjoy working with people and wanted to do something in the medical field, so I chose dentistry. I was doing ortho in my private practice for about 15 years and didn’t seem to have a good system from front door to back door with patients—I didn’t know the best way to take them from diagnosis to treatment to finishing. I took the course to learn the system. The next year, Dr. Rondeau asked me to come on as an instructor.

What is your favorite thing about working in this field?

I like working with children—I like to see kids get better. I like orthodontics in the practice because it completes the entire dental picture. If I have it in my practice, I can take care of TMJ and child pediatric sleep apnea patients. I can work on both aesthetics and function. It helps me complete the entire picture of dentistry.

Do you have any standout individual cases or success stories you’d like to share?

I had a patient that came to me at 6 years old. He wasn’t sleeping, had ADHD, was doing poor in school, and had many behavioral issues. We determined it was an airway and tongue-tie problem. We referred the child to an ENT for tonsil removal, and then we did arch development with the upper and lower arches. Within one year, he was off of all medication and is now a stellar student. This is what happens when you get them sleeping and breathing, and this story repeats itself in my practice every day.

What inspires you in your work?

The fact that I’m making a difference in people’s lives.

What’s your favorite thing about ortho, TMD, and sleep education?

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and dental experiences with young practitioners. This way I know that when I retire, there will be people who continue providing the same quality of services that we are. And I like working with the other dentists—I like being part of big dental groups as a forum to share ideas. I learn from them as much as they learn from me.

How would you describe your teaching style and the classroom experience?

I try to be very interactive. I try to teach by telling a story. I have an objective before I go into the lecture room—the points I want to get across. I try to tell a story as I go through the day showing cases and examples, data and facts that support the story I’m trying to tell. I’ve had a very good response with this way of being interactive with my students.

Who should consider taking Rondeau Seminars?

Anyone who wants to expand their practice toward orthodontics, sleep, TMJ, and total patient health.

What do you hope is the number one take away or outcome from the seminars?

I hope students get a different perspective on what orthodontics can really do to change people’s lives—beyond just straightening teeth.

If you could give one piece of advice to a dentist starting out today, what would it be?

Open your mind beyond what you learn in school.

Tell us more about your interests outside of the office…

I enjoy cycling, golf, and most of all snow skiing. I make it a point to ski with my children every year out west—Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge. We have never missed a year in 20 straight years—I got them started at 3 and 5 and now they are 23 and 25. I also like to travel to scuba dive—my favorite place is St. Lucia—the coral formations at the Pitons are like nothing else I’ve ever seen.

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Are you interested in learning more about Rondeau Seminars? Contact us today we’ll ask you questions about your interests and practice, and tell you more about the courses!