SURREY, BC, CANADA
I think what makes me a good consultant is that I actually enjoy the teaching process. I get all fired up when I see a doctor have that "ah-ha" moment, where they seem to get a concept. Hopefully, this enthusiasm for the teaching process comes through in the comments and the students are encouraged and maybe even inspired to help. I teach in every area of POS, both in brackets and aligners, and I run the POS Aligner Study Club.
Dr. Michael Layton grew up in the Surrey/White Rock area, graduating with honours from North Surrey Secondary school. After spending two years in Romania conducting humanitarian service as an LDS missionary, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT in 2003. He then went on to receive a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from the University Of Washington School Of Dentistry in Seattle, WA. While in school, he received numerous awards for clinical excellence, conducted two research projects and presented posters at two International Association of Dental Research (IADR) conferences.
His second project on Oral Health in Romania, took first place in the American Association of Public Health Dentistry pre-doctoral dental student merit award for outstanding achievement in dental public health. He was chosen as the student representative to the government affairs committee of the Washington State Dental Association and served as a dental student intern to Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) in Washington DC.
When not involved in dentistry, Michael, his wife, Emma, and their daughter, Adelaide, enjoy frequenting White Rock beach, hiking through Campbell River Valley park, going swimming and visiting grandpa and grandma. He is involved with Scouts Canada and has been a volunteer basketball coach for the YMCA Steve Nash league. He also enjoys playing sports, especially basketball and golf, as well as skiing and camping.
Michael is personable and makes me feel like he cares about my understanding of orthodontics and my improvement as a clinician. Michael is fast to answer questions and is honest with his assessments of treatment and isn't afraid to let me know if it is beyond my scope for now, which I appreciate. Michael is far more thorough with his explanations. He doesn't just plan the case, he gives you the why of what your doing. I have gotten a lot better, a lot faster, through his kind mentorship. Without any effort on my behalf we have formed a good professional relationship. This has come easily as Michael is genuine in his care, and interest, of me as a clinician. I continue to refer other POS students to him and would love to one day meet him in person to thank him personally, and maybe share a beer!
Easily approachable, and willing to teach. I feel like I can reach out and ask him simple questions, ortho is complicated and you forget half the stuff you learned in class. I don't feel like his Dx is too different from other consultants I have used, pretty standard from what I have learned. The reason I keep using him is because even within the POS system there are slight differences between consultants, I am still learning and want a consistent philosophy for working up my own cases. Eventually I will be experienced enough to use anyone and be able to feel like I can get answers to questions since I go to the same instructor every time, almost like having a mentor.
