Skip to main content

Renew your AAO Membership Today

Home > Wharton-AAO MBO Program

Mastering the Business of Orthodontics Program

In partnership with Wharton School – the #1 business school in the United States – the AAO has developed Mastering the Business of Orthodontics to help you build skills in financial management, strategic marketing, operations and human resources.

Next Cohort Begins September 10, 2025

Benefits

  • World-Renowned Wharton Professors: Comprehensive Business Content taught by Wharton professors coupled with orthodontists and orthodontic practice experts.
  • Personalized Learning Format: Flexible, virtual learning with new content released each week over 8 weeks for you to take when it fits your schedule.
  • Relevant for All Career Stages: Highly relevant and applicable content, whether you are just starting out or are highly experienced.
  • Year-Long Content Access: Enjoy unlimited access to program materials for a full year, giving you ample time to absorb and implement new skills.

Open to AAO Members and their office managers
Price: $995 ($100 discount when Doctor and Office Manager register together)

Register Today!

Mastering the Business of Orthodontics Program

In partnership with Wharton School – the #1 business school in the United States – the AAO has developed Mastering the Business of Orthodontics to help you build skills in financial management, strategic marketing, operations and human resources.

Next Cohort Begins September 10, 2025

Benefits

  • World-Renowned Wharton Professors: Comprehensive Business Content taught by Wharton professors coupled with orthodontists and orthodontic practice experts.
  • Personalized Learning Format: Flexible, virtual learning with new content released each week over 8 weeks for you to take when it fits your schedule.
  • Relevant for All Career Stages: Highly relevant and applicable content, whether you are just starting out or are highly experienced, per survey results from past participants.
  • Year-Long Content Access: Enjoy unlimited access to program materials for a full year, giving you ample time to absorb and implement new skills.

Open to AAO Members and their office managers
Price: $995 ($100 discount when Doctor and Office Manager register together)

Register Today!

Flexibility

Asynchronous, 30-day grace period, and access to the content for a full year

Results

Upon completion of the program, you will earn a Wharton certificate and 18 units of CE.

Achievable

Commit approximately 3 hours per module for course work

Explore the Program

Click on each module to view its summary, learning objectives and topics and bio for each instructor.

Welcome to Mastering the Business of Orthodontics

Welcome to the Wharton-AAO Mastering the Business of Orthodontics program! This eight-module online program offers a powerful learning experience for orthodontists like you who are looking to significantly grow their existing practices.

Dr. Myron D. Guymon

Dr. Myron D. Guymon has practiced orthodontics in the Northern Utah area since 1990. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.  He received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and attended dental school at Baylor College of Dentistry.  He graduated from Orthodontic residency at Baylor and received his Master’s degrees from Baylor University in 1990. Dr. Guymon has been active in organized dentistry his whole career serving on the Boards and as President of the Utah Association of Orthodontists, and the Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists. He has served as the chairman of the AAO Council on Communication, where he has been active in the National Consumer Awareness Campaign and has appeared on several AAO Public Service Announcements, Podcasts, webinars, and live television on behalf of the Association.  Dr. Guymon has been a guest lecturer at Baylor College of Dentistry, Utah State University, MCV, Iowa and UNLV Orthodontic Depts, Bridgerland Applied Technology College, AAO annual sessions and the Utah Dental Assistant Association.   Dr. Guymon enjoys Skeet Shooting, fly fishing, horses and the outdoors. He lives in River Heights, Utah with his lovely wife Melinda, a trio of grandchildren and a dog named Juicie.

Productivity of Your Practice

Learn methods of practice level productivity and service optimization.

  • Gain a foundational knowledge of health care operations and methods of optimization.
  • Examine the provider-patient relationship.
  • Learn how a provider can improve performance measures by analyzing the different types of performance metrics such as patient-centric, operations, and financial measures.

By discussing inefficiencies such as waste, variability, and inflexibility, you’ll be able to optimize performance and service. You’ll also learn how to gauge patient flow by flow rate, flow time, inventory, and map processes using a flow diagram and a Gantt chart.

Following Professor Terwiesch’s lectures, Travis Beamish, Director of Operations at Corus Orthodontists, will provide a practical overview of patient flow, scheduling, and capacity management. By the end of this module, you’ll be better able to calculate the financial viability of a health care provider using Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and create a framework to assess and optimize performance.

CE earned in Module 1: 2.25

Learning Objectives and Topics:

  • Assess the provider-patient relationship to improve performance measures
  • Evaluate your financial viability as a health care provider using Key Performance Indicators
  • Determine the balance and flow for your practice
  • Examine the methods of practice level productivity and capacity management
  • Review treatment plan methods and service optimization

Christian Terwiesch

Wharton Professor

Andrew M. Heller Professor at the Wharton School Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions Professor of Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine Co-Director, Mack Institute of Innovation Management.

Travis Beamish

AAO Instructor

Operations leader with extensive experience driving improvement with healthcare organizations. Travis has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration from Ivey Business School.

Practice Level Financial Management

Learn how to actively manage revenue and expenses to maximize profitability.

  • Gain an overview of financial planning and budgeting.
  • Learn about short- and long-term planning for small enterprises.
  • Discuss cost and revenue structures, learn how to build a budget, and establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to manage your progress and adjust your finances.

Chris Bentson, Partner at Bentson Copple & Associates, LLC, will then apply these concepts to specific examples, such as which expenses to consider within your orthodontic practice. Learn how to establish financial objectives within your practice and to measure your success by assessing a variety of metrics.

CE earned in Module 2: 1.75

Learning Objectives and Topics:

  • Develop foundational understanding of financial planning and budgeting
  • Identify the financial variables that impact your practice’s budget
  • Manage revenue and expenses to maximize profitability for your practice
  • Determine importance of major expense categories and your average budget allocations
  • Assess the profit and loss statement for your practice

Mirko Heinle

Wharton Professor

Teaches Managerial Accounting in the undergraduate program. Mirko’s research interests concern accounting disclosure in capital markets, the regulatory process of such disclosure, and internal capital allocation.

Chris Bentson

AAO Instructor

Partner at Bentson Copple & Associates, LLC. The company serves the orthodontic community by performing practice valuations, providing recruiting services, and negotiating transactions with both buyers and sellers within the United States.

Financial Acumen and Practice Transition Planning

Understand key financial statements, EBITDA and practice transition options.

  • Gain a foundational overview of financial statements and visibility into practice transition options.
  • Identify and analyze balance sheet equations and key components such as assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity.
  • Learn how to calculate income, revenue, and expenses transactions, and see how the income statement is linked to changes in the balance sheet.

Then, Dan Wicker, CPA and Managing Partner at Cain Watters & Associates, will do a deep dive on the key tools and practices for successfully managing your practice’s finances. Then Dan Wicker and Chris Bentson will explore practice transition options.

CE earned in Module 3: 2.25

Learning Objectives and Topics:

  • Analyze balance sheet key components such as assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity
  • Generate an accurate income statement for your organization
  • Develop an understanding of cash flow statements and the difference between cash flow and tax estimate
  • Examine EBITDA and practice transition options

*Contains general orthodontist compensation and practice valuation financial information.

Richard A. Lambert

Wharton Professor

Professor Lambert’s research examines topics within financial and managerial accounting.
In particular, he explores how information is related to the cost of capital in firms and how firms use information for performance evaluation.

Dan Wicker

AAO Instructor

Oversees the financial planning process as well as the financial planners as the managing partner of Cain Watters and Associates. He regularly shares his knowledge at the CWA Practice Transition Seminar, dental society meetings and study clubs nationwide.

Chris Bentson

AAO Instructor

Partner at Bentson Copple & Associates, LLC. The company serves the orthodontic community by performing practice valuations, providing recruiting services, and negotiating transactions with both buyers and sellers within the United States.

Patient Focused Marketing Strategies

Learn how to build a strong patient-centric brand.

  • Explore the foundational concepts in marketing strategy and brand positioning, including not only the cognitive associations with brands, but also the social, behavioral, emotional, and cultural associations.

Dan Bills, DMD, MS elaborates on these concepts and applies them directly to orthodontics and orthodontic marketing.

Then Professor Ron Berman presents concepts and strategies for customer acquisition and retention using digital marketing.

To conclude, Herb Hughes, DDS will examine the patient journey via a variety of digital strategies, including website, search, online reviews and social media, to acquire customers and create loyal customers who market for you. By the end of this module, you will be able to relate basic marketing concepts and digital marketing strategies to your own practice.

CE earned in Module 4: 2.75Learning Objectives and Topics:

  • Identify key concepts and strategies for successful marketing
  • Explore the multifaceted customer branding experience
  • Apply general marketing concepts to your orthodontic practice
  • Examine omnichannel opportunities for orthodontic marketing
  • Craft an effective brand for your orthodontic practice

Barbara Kahn

Wharton Professor

Patty and Jay H. Baker Professor of Marketing and the Director of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center. Barbara is an internationally recognized scholar on variety seeking, brand loyalty, retail assortment issues, and patient decision-making

Dr. Dan Bills

AAO Instructor

Honored as “Teacher of the Year” by the University of Pennsylvania Department of Orthodontics and regularly lectures at academic institutions and orthodontic meetings. One of his greatest passions is teaching his colleagues how to work smarter and, consequently, live better.

Ron Berman

Wharton Professor

Ron Berman is an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School. He focuses his research on online marketing, marketing analytics and the marketing actions of startup firms. His research has been published in top marketing journals such as Marketing Science and the Journal of Marketing Research.

Dr. Herb Hughes

AAO Instructor

Dr. Herb Hughes has been practicing orthodontics in Alexandria, VA for over 35 years and is the Chair of AAO’s Council on Communication. Dr. Hughes is currently a speaker and key opinion leader for 3M. He also has a strong interest in marketing and a desire to better understand the mindset of a buyer.

Dr. Grant Collins

AAO Guest Speaker

Founder/owner and orthodontist of Collins Orthodontics in Rochester, MN. He is better known online as The Braces Guy® (@thebracesguy), where he creates fun and educational braces videos. Via Instagram and TikTok, The Braces Guy® has over 2 million subscribers.

Building an Intentional Culture

Learn strategies to build an intentional culture in your practice.

  • Focus on organizational culture: what it is, how it works, and the best ways to align it advantageously with your organizational goals.
  • Explore the critical reasons why organizational culture emerges, and the various layers that exist in analyzing what that culture looks and feels like from a cognitive and emotional perspective.
  • Gain insight about how a strong culture is derived from values and embraced and modeled by leadership.

Dr. Cole Johnson, owner and operator of his independent practice, will then further exemplify the benefits of defining a strong culture in orthodontics. By the end of this module, you will learn how to analyze and evaluate your organizational culture.

CE earned in Module 5: 2.25

Learning Objectives and Topics:

  • Build a foundational understanding of organizational culture
  • Identify tools to align culture with your organizational purpose and objectives
  • Assess your office culture and discover ways to improve employee engagement

Sigal Bersade

Wharton Professor

An award-winning researcher and teacher whose academic expertise enables her to integrate cutting edge research tools and knowledge into practical use. She has published in the top academic research journals in her field, and is also often interviewed by, and has her research referenced in the general media.

Dr. Cole Johnson

AAO Instructor

Cole Johnson was born and raised in Salem, Oregon. In 2005, Dr. Johnson graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biochemistry from Brigham Young University Idaho. He was also given the university’s highest honor, BYU-Idaho’s “Man of the Year” Award, for his leadership, academic and community involvement.

Inspiring Leadership Principles

Learn about leadership principles and the best ways to align them advantageously with your organizational goals.

  • Examine how to engage your employees. through boosting energy and motivation
  • Learn how to remove distractions.
  • Examine your overall work environment to identify opportunities for engaging and motivating your workforce.

CE earned in Module 6: 2

Learning Objectives and Topics:

  • Identify vital leadership principles and practices
  • Evaluate your work environment and ways to increase productivity and profitability
  • Examine motivation and feedback and how it will drive behavior

Nancy Rothbard

Wharton Professor

The Deputy Dean of Faculty and the David Pottruck Professor of Management and Chair, Management Department, at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Specifically, she explores how people’s emotional responses to one role or task affect their subsequent engagement in another role or task.

Dr. Brent Larson

AAO Instructor

Dr. Larson received his dental degree from the University of Minnesota, completed a general practice residency and practiced general dentistry for 3 years in the U.S Air Force. He then received his orthodontic training at the University of North Carolina before joining the staff at the Mayo Clinic, where he served as Program Director in Orthodontics.

Creating and Managing Your Team

Explore strategies for hiring and retaining the right employees for your practice.

  • Learn how to effectively build, develop, and maintain employees for your practice.
  • Identify the key steps in hiring, acknowledging successful strategies and the pitfalls of the traditional hiring process.
  • Maintain positive working relationships with employees through effective feedback.
  • Examine methods for building and retaining effective teams for your orthodontic practice.
  • Identify key practices in upholding HR compliance standards and expectations.

By the end of this module, you will develop a holistic understanding of successful practice management and the metrics, training, and resources needed to build a strong employee base for your practice.

CE earned in Module 7: 3

Learning Objectives and Topics:

  • Construct hiring metrics based on effective evaluation research
  • Strategize effective interview structures for hiring the right people for your practice
  • Identify best practices for retaining your new hires
  • Determine methodology for giving and receiving employee feedback
  • Assess lack of engagement in your employees and ways to fix it

Matthew Bidwell

Wharton Professor

Matthew Bidwell’s research examines new patterns in work and employment, focusing in particular the causes and effects of more short-term, market oriented employment relationships.

Tracy Moawad

AAO Instructor

With over twenty years of operations and business management experience in private equity and orthodontics, Ms. Tracy Moawad is a Management Systems Consultant with Hummingbird Associates. She specializes in business operations, administrative systems, and management training for leadership teams.

Leading the Life you Want

Learn how to pursue a meaningful life through your own lens and improve your performance as a leader.

  • Explore the core principles of leadership from the point of view of the whole person
  • Examine the 18 skills that bring these principles to life
  • Determine your skills and establish a baseline for your development
  • Learn the skills of envisioning your legacy, weaving together the disparate strands of your life, and seeing new ways of doing things.

By the end of this module, you’ll understand the leadership principles of being real, being whole, and being innovative, and grow the skills needed for improving your performance as a leader in all parts of life..

CE earned in Module 8: 1.75

Learning Objectives and Topics:

  • Identify the core principles of leadership from the point of view of the whole person
  • Assess your leadership skills for improving performance in all parts of life
  • Envision your legacy and generate ideas for moving toward it
  • Discover how people in different parts of your life describe your unique strengths
  • Map out creative ideas for achieving your most important goal

Stew Friedman

Wharton Professor

As founding director of The Wharton Leadership Program, in 1991 he initiated the required MBA and Undergraduate leadership courses. His research is widely cited, including among Harvard Business Review‘s “Ideas that Shaped Management,” and he has written two bestselling books Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life (2008) and Leading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life (2014), now being taught as a MOOC on Coursera.

Dr. Anil Idiculla

AAO Instructor

Dr. Anil Idiculla does more than just align teeth –– he aligns hearts. He knows the true value of embracing every moment and every opportunity, finding the joy in life. Dr. Idiculla is an Invisalign® Diamond Plus provider at his five Colorado orthodontic practices. He is honored to be the only doctor in Colorado to be elected as an Invisalign Faculty Member. Recently, he became a Faculty Member at his alma mater as Clinical Associate, Department of Orthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine.

Register Now

Program Overview

Watch this brief video for an overview of the MBO program.

Hear from Past Participants

Listen to two doctors share their experiences with the MBO program and how it has impacted their practice.

A Member’s Perspective

Learn how the MBO Program delivers value for all members, and why it’s a game-changer for your practice.

I would highly recommend

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
I would highly recommend this program to my peers. This program will give new perspective on how you run your practice. You will see the ‘big picture’ and understand ‘why’ and ‘how’ you may need to make changes or improve the operations and management of your orthodontic practice.
-Dr. Jesse Teng

Opportunity to hear from top-notch, world-renowned professors

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
I thought the course was a fabulous opportunity to hear from top notch, world-renowned professors on business topics relevant to a small business owner. I found the material very enlightening, taking a big picture view of traditional business concepts, but at the same time applicable to my day-to-day practice activities. I think the course is a wonderful opportunity to orthodontists who are growing their practices and looking for help with leadership principles, marketing strategies, team building and business management. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels a desire to grow as a leader and manager.
-Dr. Adam Welmerink

Take your leadership skills and business acumen to the next level

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
I truly enjoyed the program. If you are looking to take your leadership skills and acumen as a business owner to the next level, the AAO-Wharton MBO program is a great place to take off. Each module is jam-packed with so many gems. The ideas presented are only the start of months of planning and implementation ahead. Kudos to the AAO for thinking to arrange such an amazing alliance and opportunity for its members!
-Dr. Alyssa Levin

If you own a practice or hope to one day, I highly recommend this

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
Like most Orthodontists, I’ve never had formal business training, so when I learned about this course, I jumped at the opportunity to learn from the experts at Wharton and the AAO. In just 8 weeks, they manage to cover all the core topics: from leadership, culture, and sales to marketing and business metrics. If you own a practice or hope to one day, I highly recommend that you take this course.
-Dr. Kyle Fagala

The professors exceeded my expectations

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
The University of Pennsylvania professors included in the AAO-MBO program exceeded my expectations.
-Dr. Bryn Cooper

The AAO is serving orthodontists worldwide

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
This course is another great example of how the AAO serves orthodontists not only in the U.S. but also worldwide. Watching short videos (2-3 hours total per week) is a great way to incorporate learning into your everyday routine. And if you apply what you’ve learned, this may be the best return on invested time and money you’ve ever had.
-Dr. Zoltan Borbely
Orthodontist and manager of a family ortho practice in Budapest, Hungary

I highly recommend the course to any colleague

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
Practicing orthodontics for 20 years has been a blessing. Having to cope with the business aspect of it and constantly adjusting to an ever-changing, competitive environment is though totally different. I am grateful to my instructors at the University of Rochester for teaching management and practice economics; however, completing the Wharton program was the epitome; valuable information on practice management, fiscal issues, metrics, and staff. I have immensely enjoyed the double-version of each subject taught, having an expert in the field and an esteemed orthodontist sharing their points of view. I highly recommend the course to any colleague who wants to upgrade his/her skill on the business aspect of our profession.
-Dr. Loanna Gidarakou

The Wharton-AAO-MBO program is the most profound course I’ve taken since graduating residency

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
As a new practice owner, this course is a game changing dynamic that introduces participants to the many facets of everyday practice life-from marketing and accounting through practice transitions. There are many pearls throughout the course and participants will absolutely change some aspects of their practice philosophies after completing the program.
Christian O. Davillier, DDS, MPH

The program was “top-notch”

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
The Wharton-AAO Mastering the Business of Orthodontics program was top-notch.  It distilled down to the essence of the most pertinent information you need to know about running an orthodontic practice.  It’s a must for those newer to practice, and offers a lot of valuable information for those of us who have been doing it for years as well.  I learned a lot about how to evaluate my numbers, how to manage my team more effectively, how to run my schedule more efficiently, and how to be a better leader and business person- well worth the investment of time and money.
Dr. Dale Anne Featheringham
Featheringham Orthodontics

I would highly recommend this course!

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
I would highly recommend this course! As a mom, orthodontist, and small business owner it is often a challenge to travel for education. With this being virtual, I was able to easily implement the 8-week course into my daily routine and gain a better understanding of the ‘why’ and ‘how’ from both Wharton professors and orthodontic industry leaders.

Dr. Renee Doyle
Doyle Orthodontics

I recommend this to all orthodontic resident peers

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
I would definitely recommend this program to all my orthodontic resident peers aspiring to establish their own practice in the future. The course has been incredibly enlightening, greatly enhancing my knowledge of the business fundamentals involved in running a successful orthodontic practice.
Dr. Brandon Hanna
Third Year Orthodontic Resident

The program is thoughtfully curated, comprehensive, and convenient

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
Whether you are fresh out of residency and years from ownership or have a mature practice, the Wharton MBO course offers countless lessons that will make you re-examine what you thought you knew about how to run a business. It is thoughtfully curated, comprehensive, and convenient. Taught by preeminent experts in the fields of health care operations, finance, marketing, human resources, and leadership, you won’t find this brain trust all in one place on the lecture circuit or anywhere else.  The MBO program is an investment in your current or future business that should not be missed.
Dr. Renee Pompei
High Line Orthodontics, New York, NY

An investment in yourself

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
Consider this course an investment in yourself. After nearly 15 years in practice, I faced numerous decisions for next steps for growth. This course provided the analytical decision-making tools to help me set forth a plan. We adopted new technology to increase efficiency, which will ultimately allow me to see more patients on my own terms. 
Dr. John Metz
Metz Orthodontics, Land O’ Lakes, FL
ADA CERP logo

Disclaimer
This Continuing Education Program provides attendees with a relevant and rewarding continuing education experience. However, neither the content of a course nor the use of specific products in any program should be construed as indicating endorsement or approval of the views presented or the products used by the AAO or by any of the respective subsidiaries. Speakers are required to disclose to participants any financial, commercial, or promotional interest in a product or company that may influence their presentations; however, the AAO shall not be liable for a speaker’s failure to disclose such interest.

Recognition
This continuing education activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards of the ADA Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP) through joint efforts between the American Association of Orthodontists and the Wharton School of Business.

The American Association of Orthodontists is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.  The American Association of Orthodontists designates for all CE activities, 0.25 credit hours will be awarded for each 15 minutes of activity time unless otherwise noted. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at www.ada.org/en/ccepr/ada-cerp-recognition.