In 12 months, you place your first supervised solo implant. Or you repeat the Diploma. Free.
The Australian Diploma in Implant Dentistry. A postgraduate qualification at EduQual SCQF Level 11. Specialist-led. Blended online + in-person program. The only Australian implant diploma with the Solo Implant Guarantee.
What the next 12 months actually looks like.
Dr Jonathan Ng walks you through the Diploma in Implant Dentistry experience, the curriculum, the hands-on, and the moment a GDP becomes an implant clinician.
You didn't spend a decade in dental school to cap out on fillings and crowns.
But the path from "general dentist" to "competent implant clinician" is paved with traps. Most courses make it worse. Here's why.
The Income Ceiling
GDP income plateaus around year five. Without implant skills, you stay there. With them, peers in your year are earning 60–100% more by year seven.
The Three-Year Detour
A specialist degree takes 3+ years off the chair, $100,000+ in tuition, and competition for a handful of training places nationally. One path. Not the only path.
The Weekend Course Trap
$3,000 weekend courses teach you to identify implant components. They don't make you an implant clinician. You walk out with a certificate. You still refer cases.
The Self-Taught Trap
YouTube tutorials, journal articles, and watching colleagues. The knowledge gaps you don't know exist are the ones that bite you. Complications find self-taught operators first.
From referring out to placing in. In 12 months.
This is what changes when you complete the Diploma.
The General Dentist
The Implant Clinician
Five paths to implant dentistry. One built for general dentists who are done waiting.
| Specialist Degree | Source Diploma | Other Diploma Programs | Weekend Course | Self-Taught | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 3+ years | 12 months | 12 months | 2–3 days | Open-ended |
| Cost | $100,000+ | $28,000 + GST | $25,000–$35,000 | $2,000–$5,000 | Variable |
| Postgraduate Qualification | ✓ DCD / MDS | ✓ EduQual SCQF L11 | Varies | ✗ | ✗ |
| Specialist-Led Faculty | ✓ | ✓ 3 specialists + 1 GDP | Typically GDP-led | Mixed | ✗ |
| Hands-On Days | Hospital-based | 9 days, 3 blocks | 4–7 days | 1–2 days | ✗ |
| Live Mentorship | Supervisor-led | 12-month hotline | Limited / email only | ✗ | ✗ |
| Live Interactive Sessions | Lecture-based | 2 per month | Occasional | ✗ | ✗ |
| Practice Stays Open | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Solo Implant Guarantee | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
The only Australian implant diploma led by 2 specialist periodontists, 1 specialist prosthodontist, and 1 general dental practitioner, in that exact combination.
Everything you get when you enrol in the Program.
The full postgraduate qualification, the full mentorship stack, the full Implant Diploma bonus suite.
Guarantee
The Solo Implant Guarantee.
The only Australian implant diploma backed by a competence clause. Not a fee-back clause.
You complete the program twice. We absorb the cost.
This is not a refund clause. It is a competence clause. We back our program because we have seen the outcome it produces. If you do the work, you will be ready. If you are not, we keep going until you are.
- What "repeating" means: A second year's access to the online LMS, the live online interactive sessions, the mentorship hotline, and the hands-on program, at no additional cost.
- What it does not include: A second postgraduate accreditation. The Diploma is awarded once on successful completion of the program.
- Alternative offered at Source's discretion: If you are close to ready, Source may instead offer a one-off in-person supervised first-implant placement with a faculty member, in place of repeating the full Diploma.
- Hands-on seat availability: Repeating attendees join the next intake subject to seat availability. If the new intake is full, repeating attendees take an observer seat at the hands-on program.
- Eligibility: You must have completed all required online modules, attended all 9 hands-on days, submitted all assessments, and engaged in good faith with the program.
- Force majeure: If Source Education discontinues the Australian Diploma program or is unable to run a subsequent intake due to events beyond its reasonable control, the guarantee cannot be honoured.
- Non-transferable: The guarantee cannot be transferred to another person, exchanged for cash, or applied to a different Source Education program.
- Activation: Apply for the guarantee in writing within 30 days of your final Diploma assessment.
One implant placed pays back 20 percent of the Diploma.
Australian implant fees range from $4,500 to $6,000. The numbers below assume an average of $5,000 and a modest case-volume ramp.
The Implant Revenue Calculator
Move the sliders to model your own projection.
Figures are estimates based on industry-standard fees and conservative case-volume ramps. Your results will depend on your patient base, practice, and execution.
Three specialists + one GDP. In that exact combination.
Two specialist periodontists. One specialist prosthodontist. One general dental practitioner who practises implant dentistry. All four place implants weekly, contribute to research, teach in academia, and lecture nationally.
Federal President of the Australian Osseointegration Society. MSc Advanced Dental Implantology (Aston). Graduate Diplomate (Cambridge Academy of Dental Implantology). Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Completes 300+ hours of implant CPD annually.
Specialist periodontist with extensive experience in implant surgery and peri-implant tissue management. President of the Australian Osseointegration Society (QLD). Active researcher and lecturer in implant dentistry.
Specialist periodontist with a research PhD in periodontal tissue engineering. Places implants weekly. Combines clinical practice with academic research and teaching.
Specialist prosthodontist with a research PhD and DClinDent (UQ). Brings the restorative perspective that ties surgical planning to final aesthetic and functional outcomes. Active in academia and lecturing.
Built like a surgical workflow.
Eight progressive units across the 12 months. Each unit builds on the last, from foundation diagnostics to advanced and long-term care.
Foundations & Diagnostics
Anatomy, case selection, treatment planning, radiographic interpretation, CBCT analysis.
Implant Systems & Biology
Osseointegration biology, implant surfaces, system selection, biological width, soft tissue.
Surgical Protocols
Flap design, drilling protocols, primary stability, suturing techniques, post-op management.
Bone & Soft Tissue Augmentation
GBR principles, membrane handling, soft tissue grafting, ridge preservation, sinus considerations.
Prosthodontic Workflows
Impressions, abutment selection, screw vs cement, occlusion, digital workflows.
Complications & Recovery
Recognising, preventing, and managing surgical and prosthodontic complications.
Practice Integration
Patient communication, case presentation, fees, marketing, building an implant pipeline.
Advanced & Long-Term Care
Peri-implant disease management · Long-term maintenance protocols · Implant overdentures · Full arch implant therapy · Restoration replacement and recall
Your 12-month timeline
What graduates of our predecessor implant program have to say.
The Australian Diploma in Implant Dentistry is our deepest, longest, postgraduate-level program. It was built on the foundation of our 4-day implant program. The testimonials below are from graduates of that predecessor program.
One postgraduate qualification. Five ways you learn.
The Diploma is built around how clinicians actually develop competence, not how universities lecture them.
Who this Diploma is not for.
If you recognise yourself in any of the below, this might not be the right program, and we'd rather you know now than find out at month 4. We turn down applicants who aren't a fit. So do good programs.
The 200-hour studier
This is a postgraduate qualification. If you're not willing to commit 200+ hours of self-paced study on top of the live sessions and hands-on days, you won't finish, and you certainly won't pass the assessments.
Already a specialist
If you're a registered specialist periodontist, prosthodontist, or oral surgeon, this Diploma is below your training level. You'd benefit from advanced surgical fellowships, not foundational implant training.
The six-month millionaire
If you're expecting to place full-arch cases six months in and earn seven figures by year two, this isn't your program. The Diploma builds you into a careful, methodical, specialist-trained implant clinician. That takes years to compound.
The hands-on hopper
If you can't commit to all 9 hands-on days across the three in-person blocks, you'll fall behind. Missed days require attendance at the next intake's equivalent session, which delays your accreditation.
The "want a refund mid-program" applicant
The Diploma is a one-time, full-program commitment. Refunds are available up to one month before commencement; a 20% cancellation fee applies after that. Mid-program refunds are not offered for any reason except force majeure.
Looking for a weekend cert
If you want a certificate to hang on your wall after a long weekend, this isn't it. A postgraduate qualification in implantology takes twelve months. There are shorter courses. We'd rather you take one of them than enrol unhappy.
Is the Program the right path for you?
Four quick questions. No email gate. We'll tell you honestly if this Diploma is built for where you are right now.
How many years are you into general dentistry?
What happens with implant cases in your practice today?
Can you commit to 9 hands-on days across the 12 months?
Is $28,000 + GST workable, split into three payments?
You're exactly who this Diploma was built for.
Your years in practice, current referral pattern, and capacity to commit all line up with the GDPs we've seen succeed in this program. Book a 15-minute call with Dr Ng to confirm a fit and reserve your Founding seat.
You're close. Let's talk through the details.
You're in the right zone, but one or two factors (timing, payment, or experience) need a closer look. A 15-minute call with Dr Ng will tell us both whether this intake or a later one fits better.
The Diploma may not be the right fit right now.
Based on your answers, the Founding Cohort would be heavy for where you are today. Most candidates need 2+ years of GDP experience and the ability to attend hands-on. We'd rather tell you that now than after you enrol.
The questions we get on every strategy call.
I'm 5 years into general practice and have never placed an implant. Is this for me?
Is this qualification recognised in Australia?
What if I can't make one of the hands-on sessions?
Can I really afford $28,000?
Is implant dentistry saturated in Australia?
What is Graduate Diploma in Implant Dentistry and why does it matter?
What happens after I submit the form?
You're either placing implants, or still wondering if you should have started.
The Program starts August 2026. Twenty seats. The next intake is 2027. Book a 15-minute strategy call with Dr Jonathan Ng to see if it's a fit.
Book Your Strategy Call