Full day Core 1 Friday: Talking with Patients 101: The Art and Science of Mindful Stuff Happens: The Neuroscience of Difficult Conversations &  Stuff Happens: The Neuroscience of Difficult Conversations

Full Day Event: Friday, October 3, 2025

Category 1 - 6 CE Points

Speaker:  Bruce V. Freeman DDS, DOrtho, MSc

Location: Hyatt Place Toronto/ Mississauga Centre - 5787 Hurontario St, Mississauga, ON L4Z 2H7

Parking is Free

Agenda:

8:00 am Breakfast, Registration, Visit Sponsors

9:00 am - 9:15 am  HPDA Announcements and Updates

9:15 am – 12:30 pm Part 1: Talking with Patients 101: The Art and Science of Mindful Communication (Core 1, 3 CE)

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch and Visit Sponsors

1:30 pm – 4:45 pm Part 2: Stuff Happens: The Neuroscience of Difficult Conversations (Core 1, 3 CE)

Part 1: Talking with Patients 101: The Art and Science of Mindful Communication

Understanding what drives our behaviour can help us communicate better with everyone in our lives, including ourselves, our teams, and our families. In this seminar you will learn the neuroscience behind how we think and act, allowing us to deal with the people with more confidence, and most importantly, less stress. Additionally, you will also learn the steps and wording required to help encourage mental wellness in addition to self-care strategies.

To understand why we all behave as we do, we need to learn about the neuroscience behind our actions so we can interact with everyone in our lives, from patients to team members to friends and family, with awareness, mindfulness and just a little more grace.

Audience: Dentists, Dental Hygienists, Dental Assistants, Practice Managers, Administrative Team, and dental students.

Objectives:

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Define Patient Experience and mindful communication.
• Identify details that may be overlooked and may lead to miscommunication and conflict.
• Highlight communication strategies that work and those that do not.
• Engage in activities to develop and practice exceptional communication which leads to less stress, and happier teams and patients.

Part 2: Stuff Happens: The Neuroscience of Difficult Conversations

No matter how hard we try, not everything ever goes according to plan. Understanding what drives our behaviour can help us communicate better with everyone in our lives, including ourselves, particularly when a problem arises! In this seminar you will learn the neuroscience behind how we think and act when the situation becomes a challenge, allowing us to deal with people with more confidence, and most importantly, less stress. Additionally, you will also learn the steps and wording required to have those uncomfortable conversations.

Key Learning Objectives:

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify details that may be overlooked and may lead to miscommunication and conflict and understand the neuroscience of communication behaviour.

• Highlight communication strategies that work, including the SPIKE and NURSE techniques used in medicine for to help address giving bad news/managing upset patients.

• Engage in activities to develop and practice exceptional communication which leads to less stress, and happier teams and patients.

Presenters Bio:

Dr. Bruce Freeman is an honours graduate of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto where he is Assistant Professor. He completed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program at the Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, New York, and his Diploma in Orthodontics and his Master of Science degree in the field of orofacial pain at the University of Toronto. He is Co-Director of the Hospital Dental Residency Program and Facial Pain Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital where he participates in research and cares for patients with complex facial pain disorders in addition to training the hospital dental residents and specialty dental residents. Dr. Freeman is also a facial pain consultant in the Department of Neurosurgery at Toronto Western Hospital and The Wasser Pain Management Centre at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Dr. Freeman lectures internationally on clinical orthodontics, facial pain, the neuroscience of communication, and virtual surgical planning. Dr. Freeman is a certified yoga instructor with additional training in breathing techniques, meditation, and trauma informed movement always emphasizing how self-care leads to the best patient care.

Audience: Dentists, Dental Hygienists, Dental Assistants, Practice Managers, Administrative Team, and dental students.

Subsidized price for the HPDA members and staff of the HPDA member - $99 + tax (must be added to the member registration as a guest)

Non-members welcome for $299 + tax

This course is open to all dentists in Ontario

Please note that the lecture will begin promptly at 9:15 a.m.

Attendees who arrive 15 minutes late or more will not be eligible for Category 1 credits. In order to receive  6 CE Core 1 credits, participants must attend the entire day.

Event Sponsors