Meetings & Education
Educational Resources for Orthodontists and Their Teams

We are dedicated to improving the art and science of orthodontics for doctors and training their teams. Every March we offer many hours of continuing education at the FAO Annual Session for our member doctors, and we offer expanded duties certification courses for staff members throughout the year, across the state.
FAO 84th Annual Session
February 29 - March 2, 2024
Tampa, Florida

Meeting Registration is Now Open
Once a year, members of the FAO come together for a meeting that is filled with learning, exhibits and social/networking opportunities. Dynamic speakers with CE opportunity, cocktail mixers, delicious meals and a themed evening event are all included in the registration fee.
This year’s meeting theme is all about the Digital Orthodontist. Digital innovations continue to push orthodontists to stay agile and adaptive. The rise of an ‘intelligent practice’ is transforming everything from the tools and methodologies we use, to the way we see and communicate with our patients. We invite you to join us for the Florida Association of Orthodontists to meet with and learn from expert speakers and colleagues who are truly embracing Our Digital Future.
Visit the registration site for a complete agenda, bios of our speakers and descriptions of their lectures, plus registration fees and hotel info. We look forward to getting together in Tampa in 2024!
If you would like to join us as an exhibitor or sponsor, please email lissette@faortho.org. In this video, Dr. Angie McNeight shares what she values about time spent with exhibitors, seeing new products and forming relationships with the companies that provide the latest tools we need for patient care and practice success.
2023 Annual Session
Thank You to Our 2023 Annual Session Sponsors & Exhibitors
Expanded Duties Courses for Orthodontic Assistants
The FAO Offers the required Expanded Duties Course to train your orthodontic care team. Much thanks goes out to our Expanded Duties Committee, chaired by Dr. Richard Mariani, for the time and effort it takes to put on these essential courses.
Please note that the expanded duties course offered by the FAO covers six of the 9 delegable functions applicable to most orthodontic offices. The three not covered are: 1) radiology certification, 2) taking alginate impressions for diagnostic study models and 3) application of acid etch prior to bonding new brackets. If your assistant has received formal training, i.e. graduated from a certified dental assisting course, then they probably are covered for these three expanded functions. However, if they only received on-the-job training in these duties, then they are most likely not certified to perform these duties in the state of Florida. The Florida Dental Association offers a Radiography Training Program.
The following is a calendar of the offered expanded duties courses, with area directors, their contact information, and location. If you have assistants that need their expanded duties certification, please contact your area director for more information. Additional courses may also be set up for assistants in taking impressions and acid etch on an as-needed basis.
Fort Walton Beach
February
- Dr. Leigh Curtis
- 850-244-8604
- bcortho@braceteam.com
- Northwest Florida State College
Miami
September
- Dr. Richard Mariani
- 305-665-2402
- dogrm@atlanticbb.net
- Robert Morgan Educational Center and Technical College