Track lead
Dr. Dt. Hasan Çınarcık — Orthodontic Specialist (PhD)
Dental observership · Turkey · 1, 2 or 3 weeks
Clear Aligner & Orthodontic Observership records, digital treatment plans and refinement in Turkey
Observation for qualified dentists of how aligner cases are recorded, selected, planned digitally and reviewed mid-treatment, with records review bridging treatments that last far longer than a placement.
- Qualified dentists
- Observation only
- 1, 2 or 3 weeks
- Working clinical English
- Duration
- 1, 2 or 3 weeks
- Format
- Chair-side observation only
- Who
- Qualified dentists (DDS, BDS or equivalent)
- Setting
- ATDERA Care Network partner practices, Turkey
- Language
- Working clinical English
- Certificate
- Attendance — issuer stated on the document
What can a dentist observe in Orthodontic & Aligner Planning?
- New-patient orthodontic consultations and records: photographs, intraoral scans and radiographs, and how a diagnosis is built from them.
- Case selection for clear aligners: which tooth movements are predictable, which are harder, and when fixed appliances or referral are preferred.
- Digital treatment plan review: staging, attachments, interproximal reduction and the planned final occlusion, checked against the diagnosis rather than accepted as proposed.
- Mid-treatment and aligner-replacement reviews: tracking, wear compliance and the signs that a case is drifting from its plan.
- Refinement decisions: when to rescan, how a refinement plan is set, and when to change approach.
- Conventional and shape-memory aligner workflows used at the partner practice, discussed for case selection rather than as products.
- Discussion of non-surgical maxillary expansion and orthodontic compensation of skeletal Class III patterns, where such cases are on the list.
How are aligner cases selected, planned and kept on track?
Aligner treatment depends on diagnosis before software. The orthodontic track starts with records, including extraoral and intraoral photographs, intraoral scans and radiographs, and a diagnosis covering the skeletal pattern, crowding, the transverse dimension and the periodontal condition. Case selection asks which tooth movements aligners deliver predictably and which are harder to achieve, such as extrusion, large rotations of rounded teeth and substantial root movement, and whether fixed appliances, referral to a specialist or an interdisciplinary plan would serve the patient better.
The digital treatment plan is a proposal to be checked, not a result. Staging, attachments, interproximal reduction and the final occlusion are reviewed against the diagnosis, and changes are requested where the simulated movement is unrealistic. Once treatment begins, review appointments compare tracking with the plan; when teeth fall behind, the clinician decides whether to wait, recover tracking or rescan for refinement aligners. Much of the clinical judgement in aligner therapy sits in these refinement decisions, and observers can follow them at review appointments on the list and in records-review sessions.
The orthodontic track is led by Dr. Dt. Hasan Çınarcık, orthodontic specialist (PhD), and is observation-only by design. Because the interval between appointments suits case review more than continuous chair-side time, a structured share of the schedule is spent on records review and 3D planning walkthroughs. That structure makes it possible to discuss patients at different stages of treatment within a short stay, which following a single long case could not offer.
How this page differs
The dental observership page describes all three tracks; this page is limited to orthodontic and clear aligner planning. Aesthetic restorative work belongs to the aesthetic dentistry and veneers page, and scan-to-guide implant planning to the digital dentistry and guided implant surgery page.
Who this focus suits
Qualified general dentists and orthodontists who use or are considering clear aligners and want to see how records, case selection and refinement decisions are handled by an orthodontic specialist.
Tracks and duration
This focus sits in the orthodontic track led by Dr. Dt. Hasan Çınarcık, orthodontic specialist (PhD). A 1-week placement is a single-track introduction, a 2-week placement allows orthodontics as the primary track, and the 3-week option includes orthodontic review across several phases of treatment alongside the other two tracks.
What an observer does not do
The programme is observation-only by design: observers do not place implants, prepare teeth, fit prostheses or carry out any clinical intervention on patients, regardless of their home qualifications.
- Observation-only: observers do not take records, fit aligners, bond attachments or carry out interproximal reduction.
- No clear aligner brand certification or provider status is conferred, and no planning software licence or tuition is included.
- One patient's treatment is not followed from records to retention within a placement; longitudinal learning comes from records review across patients.
- The certificate records attendance; it is not an orthodontic qualification and does not extend your scope of practice.
Before you enquire
- Open to qualified dentists holding a DDS, BDS or equivalent; final-year dental students and dental therapists are not currently eligible.
- Working clinical English is required; observers self-assess to CEFR B2 or above and language readiness is confirmed at review.
- Enquiries go through the contact form. ATDERA reviews each one individually and asks for a current CV and two professional references.
- Specific case types are aligned with the partner clinician's list at scheduling, not at application; four to eight weeks from application to a confirmed placement is typical.
What do dentists ask about Orthodontic & Aligner Planning?
Can general dentists apply?
Yes. The programme is for qualified dentists holding a DDS, BDS or equivalent, and an orthodontic specialist qualification is not required; orthodontists are equally eligible. Final-year dental students and dental therapists are not. The placement does not confer a specialist title, and whether you may provide aligner treatment at home is governed by your own regulator and indemnity arrangements. For general dentists the case-selection discussion is particularly relevant, because it shows which cases a specialist would plan differently or advise referring.
How can a short placement cover a long orthodontic treatment?
By following many patients at different points rather than one patient throughout. Orthodontic treatment usually runs for months to years, so the orthodontic track combines new-patient consultations, mid-treatment and aligner-replacement reviews and refinement planning with structured records-review sessions. Reviewing a case's initial records, digital plan and progress scans together lets you discuss the whole course of treatment, even when you meet the patient at a single appointment. Longer placements add more review appointments, but none spans a full treatment from records to retention.
Are digital treatment plans reviewed in detail?
Yes, at the level of clinical decisions. Observers can see how a proposed set-up is checked against the diagnosis, including staging, attachment design, interproximal reduction and the planned final occlusion, and where the orthodontist asks for changes before approving it. Structured 3D planning walkthroughs form part of the schedule. These are demonstrations and discussion; the placement does not include software tuition, a licence, or a session in which you design a plan yourself.
Which aligner systems are discussed?
The partner practice uses a conventional clear-aligner workflow and a shape-memory aligner system, and both are discussed in terms of case selection, staging and review. Systems are not named or endorsed on this page, and the placement carries no manufacturer certification or provider status. The aim is to understand the clinical reasoning that applies whichever aligner system you use in your own practice, from records through to refinement.
Are complex cases such as Class III or maxillary expansion discussed?
Where they are on the list. The orthodontic track includes discussion of non-surgical maxillary expansion in growing and adult patients and of compensatory orthodontic mechanics for skeletal Class III patterns. These cases illustrate the limits of orthodontic camouflage and the point at which a surgical-orthodontic opinion is needed, which matters for any dentist offering aligners. They can be requested when you enquire, but availability is confirmed at scheduling.
Interested in this focus?
Tell us which focus and duration you are considering. ATDERA's coordination team reviews every enquiry individually and proposes a placement window aligned with the partner practice's clinical schedule.