About The Canadian Denture Education Centre (CanDEC)

Canadian Denture Education Centre (CanDEC)

Nancy Tomkins and partner Sandra Goergen, established the Canadian Denture Education Centre (CanDEC) in 2002, which specializes in training dental professionals worldwide in the many aspects of denture fabrication, offers intense hands-on training, educational courses for both clinical and laboratory procedures in: precision dentures, advanced occlusal concepts, and implant overdentures. The original intent of opening CanDEC was to offer Denturists’ clinical and technical skills through continuous educational hands-on courses in precision denture fabrication and implant secured overdentures. Over the years, CanDEC has trained/lectured to over 1,000 dental professionals on three different continents and has expanded to include dentists, dental hygiene, and other oral and medical health providers into the course/lecture line up.

CanDEC continues to offer hands-on courses, lectures, in-house dental and denturist clinical and technical training, and encourages a collaborative approach to dental care with denturists, dentists, dental specialists, hygienists, and dental technicians, performing as a team to provide the highest quality of care to patients.

Mission Statement

To provide continuing education excellence for all dental professionals seeking the knowledge and skills to provide predictable clinical and/or technical procedures for successful denture patient outcomes.

Our Philosophy

To enhance the knowledge and skills of course participants for increased patient satisfaction and acceptance. We encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between all dental and medical health care providers to support the patient through inevitable oral changes that will have an impact on systemic health.

Our experienced and knowledgeable team is committed to providing educational opportunities in a positive environment where all can experience rewarding success.

Nancy Tomkins, DT (dip), DD, FCAD

Nancy is an accomplished denturist and a health advocate. She is the principal denturist at her denturist practice in Brantford, Ontario.

Nancy is passionate about delivering the highest quality of patient care that focuses on providing a full range of long-term denture and implant solutions to improve both oral and systemic health while creating beautiful smiles.

Since graduating from George Brown College with a dental technology diploma in the early eighties then with honours from the denturism program several years later. Nancy has been an active member of the dental community. She has worked a large commercial laboratory as a crown & bridge technician, then alongside dentists in a group practice as a denturist in Paris. She opened her own practice in her hometown of Brantford in the mid-nineties. Nancy is a former board of director and Past President of the Denturist Association of Ontario (DAO 2009 -2016).
She has lectured extensively in Canada and internationally on the many clinical and technical aspects of precision denture fabrication, occlusal concepts and dental implants. She has been a consultant and lead implant over-denture instructor for Straumann Canada since 2002 and a long-standing member of the International Team of Implantology (ITI). She is a co-founder of the Canadian Denture Education Centre (CanDEC), which specializes in continuing education training for dental professionals worldwide in the many aspects of precision denture fabrication and implant overdentures.

Sandra Goergen, CDT

Sandra Goergen was born and educated in Germany. While working in dental laboratories her duties covered the whole spectrum of dental technology, which included crown & bridge, hybrid cases, implants and dentures. In 1999, Sandra moved to Liechtenstein to work for Ivoclar Vivadent. She worked at the International Center for Dental Education as a BPS Master technical consultant, a field technical specialist and the principal instructor of the denture program. Since 2004, Sandra has worked as the technical manager of a denture and implant clinic. She has been published in several technical magazines and developed the technical documentations for advanced occlusal concepts for class II and class III jaw relationship, lingualized occlusion. Sandra Goergen established with Nancy Tomkins the Canadian Denture Education Centre (CanDEC) in 2002, which specializes in training dental professionals worldwide in the many aspects of denture fabrication, offers intense hands-on training, educational courses for both clinical and laboratory procedures in precision dentures, advanced occlusal concepts and implant over dentures.

Michael Battell, BA (Hons), DD

Michael graduated with honours from the University of Toronto with a Bachelors degree in 1998 and the denturism program at George Brown College in 2006. He has a private practice in Hamilton and he works with a team of dentists and other oral health providers in a dental office in Welland. He is a past Director and 2nd Vice President of the Denturist Association of Ontario (DAO).

Bernt Fiebiger DD

Bernt graduated the Denturism program at George Brown College in 1997.
He was a denturist associate in Sudbury before purchasing his own practice in Bobcaygeon, Ontario in 1998 that he has owned for 18 years. Bernt volunteered for several years with a dental team providing dental health care to impoverished children in Honduras and has served as Vice President for the Denturist Association of Ontario (DAO). Since selling his practice in 2016, he has been practicing denturism on a casual/part time basis and has migrated to British Columbia where he enjoys many activities as an outdoor enthusiast. A strong proponent for quality education, Bernt believes there is always something new to learn, and gain from the experience and education of others.