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Elvis Dahl: Expert Advice
28 Plays14 days ago
"The Future of Dentistry: Insights from Elvis Dahl"In this final episode with the one and only Elvis Dahl, we explore the exciting evolution of dental labs and what’s on the horizon for dentistry. From digital technologies to printed restorations, Elvis shares his vision for the future and gives actionable advice to help dental professionals elevate their game.
Episode Summary:
Join Tanya Sue Maestas as she delves into an enlightening conversation with Elvis Dahl, a prominent figure in the dental lab industry, to explore the future of dentistry and dental labs. This episode is a treasure trove of insights, as Elvis shares his thoughts on the latest trends in dental technology, the evolution of lab practices, and the integration of digital innovations in dentistry.
In this engaging discussion, Elvis highlights the importance of selecting the right laboratory to support dental business success, emphasizing confidence and strategic collaboration. He sheds light on the exciting transition towards digital and additive manufacturing, foreseeing a future where printed restorations become the norm. With a potential shift in materials from zirconia to innovative alternatives, Elvis envisions a revolution in dental lab practices that will enable more precise and less abrasive dental solutions.
Connect with Elvis Dahl: @voices_from_the_bench
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Connect with Tanya Sue Maestas: @tsmaestas.dds
Learn more about Ignite Coaching : https://ignitedds.com
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Transcript
Introduction to Dental Fuel Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Dental Fuel, the podcast that focuses on what no one else is talking about. Mistakes. The dental world is full of before and afters and no one is talking about the middle. Dental Fuel brings you the unspoken in-between.
Sponsorship by Ignite DDS Coaching
00:00:14
Speaker
Dental Fuel is brought to you by Ignite DDS Coaching, empowering dentists to build self-determined futures.
00:00:20
Speaker
Together, we're shaping the next generation of leaders in dentistry.
Trends in Dental Technology
00:00:24
Speaker
Elvis closes out our conversation with his thoughts on latest trends in dental technology, the evolution of lab practices, and the integration of digital innovations in dentistry, all while sharing some expert advice.
00:00:37
Speaker
Well, you've shared a lot of ah great insight and and and advice here, but I'm i'm curious um if you could impart some guidance and some advice to our listeners our listeners who are listening in, what would that advice be?
Choosing the Right Dental Lab
00:00:53
Speaker
Know what kind of lab you need to be successful. There are plenty of labs out there that will work with you in order to help your business grow.
00:01:06
Speaker
We know that if you're not busy, we're not busy. It's as simple as that. And I spend a lot of my time encouraging offices to go beyond the regular work and see what I can do about helping them grow that business and be more confident in doing it. I think a lot of it is just confidence.
Benefits of Overdentures
00:01:29
Speaker
If you're doing a lot of dentures, if you're not offering overdentures, you're missing out.
00:01:34
Speaker
But more importantly, the patient is missing out a ton if it's not even offered. And you got to learn how to present that rather than just, it's $10,000 more. Well, I'm going to say no to myself. So if you take the time to explain to the office who will explain to the patient the benefits of an overdenture over a regular denture,
00:01:56
Speaker
And not just the money talking about the chewing capacity, what they can eat, their lifestyle changes, job interviews, family relationships, all of that.
Optimizing Lab Relationships
00:02:07
Speaker
And you kind of hit home with it. You'll sell more cases. So I spend a lot of time in labs. Some labs are willing to do that. Some labs are willing to take the time to help you grow.
00:02:19
Speaker
And some labs, if you want them to be, which is fine, if you want them to be in the background and you don't know who's making it and you just want to send it off and you're an account number, that's fine too. But know which lab you want for your business. There's enough of them out there.
Future of Digital and Additive Manufacturing
00:02:36
Speaker
Where do you see the future of dentistry going?
00:02:40
Speaker
Well, more digital. I think we're going to be going to more additive manufacturing, less subtractive. So I think we'll be printing final restorations really soon, which is exciting to me. I'm i'm happy about it. um I think that's the majority of it. I think in the lab space, we're seeing a lot more technicians go clinical.
00:03:03
Speaker
We're seeing a lot of dental offices starting to get their own technician, almost going back to the way it was back in way back in like the 1800s, you know, when the lab guy was in the in the basement of the, of the Dennis, I'm seeing a lot of groups get their own technicians and I love
In-Office Lab Technicians
00:03:19
Speaker
it. I mean, Oh no, it's taken work away from me. No, this is providing great jobs to technicians that are getting a chance to see their work chair side and become better technicians.
00:03:31
Speaker
That's another great point that I just made myself. yeah no yeah Technicians being able to see their work clinically game changer. If you're already working with a good lab, but they'd have never gone in to see a crown seat. I spent 13 years in a lab and I never saw any of our crowns be seated. If you're working with a good lab, invite them to come in and watch.
00:03:57
Speaker
Deliver that single central with them there. Let them see. And if it doesn't go great, even better. Let them see why. Let them see the patient kind of like be discouraged. you know Let them learn from that mistakes because it's so easy for a technician just to get caught up in the work and not see the end result.
00:04:19
Speaker
I am very jealous of those ah practices that have their own oh sure lab technician in office. I just think that there's just so many advantages to that. And you know, they just become part of your team. It's part of your workflow. And there are just so many advantages from, I feel like everyone everyone wins.
00:04:36
Speaker
ah you know there there may I'm sure there could be you know some debates and discussions on how things are done and prepped. I'm sure that probably happens and exists, but at the end of the day, the final outcome in the long run for everyone I think is huge. Yeah. We've talked to so many technicians that are in office on our podcast and they just their scope of ability and skill, just so much more because they can see it.
Transition from Zirconia
00:05:02
Speaker
On the topic of printed restorations, what kind of materials are you thinking will be used and what scenarios these printed restorations will be used for? Well, we just had our big lab day Chicago meeting. Sure. Yeah. Happened right there with Midwinter in Chicago and there's rumors of printed lithium to silicate coming really soon, which is super exciting.
00:05:26
Speaker
Because we're talking printed veneers, and those would be pretty pretty amazing if they could pull that off. So I think we're going to, i this is this is this is the ah the touch point here. I think Zirconia is going to go away. Yeah, yeah, I'm probably going to be burned for this. but i i'm Honestly, I'm kind of surprised to hear that from from a lab guy. But i yeah, I'm right there with you. it's I think it's it's too hard.
00:05:54
Speaker
Honestly. And I think we can't print it. That's proven that we cannot print zirconia. So we're going to come up with something, somebody smarter than me with a lot of letters after their name will come up with some sort of material that I think is going to replace it. That's going to be even less abrasive to a natural dentition and easier to remove.
00:06:17
Speaker
I think we all just jumped on this zirconia boat like way too quick, yeah which is which is fine. um But I don't think it's the end all to be all. You think that it'll be a material in between lithium desilicate and zirconia? OK.
00:06:34
Speaker
Well, that's yeah, that's exciting. I don't agree with you. I'm, ah I'm such a lithium to silicate fan, you know, oh absolutely yeah just, you know, the strength wise too. I just think that it kind of works. It's predictable, especially when you're kind of cementing and bonding.
00:06:50
Speaker
Um, zirconia, personally, I don't really use a whole lot. I think that there are certain indications where it works well and, uh, you know, patient populations that it's good to use. Um, bridges, obviously, you know, yeah you probably think that's kind of our, our, our only bet right now, I believe. Um, you probably know more materials than I do, but.
00:07:09
Speaker
It's probably 80% of every lab's business. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, but yeah, i'm I'm excited to see what that future looks like. And man, if you could print lithium, de sell like i I wonder what that price point will look like, but the turnaround time is going to be huge.
Affordable Innovation Over Time
00:07:23
Speaker
Yeah. But I mean, let's be honest. The first printer is going to be $10 million dollars and it's going to be years before it gets down to a good price, but everything else starts that way too. The original zirconia. Uh, gosh, what was that called? I can't remember. They were the original zirconia mills.
00:07:40
Speaker
Oh, Lava. Lava mills. Those things were ginormous. They were like $800,000. They were just nuts. And here we are now. You can buy a good zirconia mill for about $20,000, if not less. So it just takes time for things to catch up. Yeah, like all technology, you know it always comes at a at a high price. And that's fine. that's just its And I think ah printable resins for dentures are only going to get better.
00:08:06
Speaker
yeah I think they're pretty good now, honestly. Yeah, I think they're pretty good. you know um I don't know if you know anything about the the dental school here in El Paso, but they're doing everything digital and I think they're good. I think that they can be better. Yeah, they can. I love the the people that complain about how they look or how they they don't look great, but if you If you give it, most patients don't know. And it's not that as bad. It's just, they don't need that Instagram looking denture. Right. That's got so much character and so it's so veiny. I've never had a patient say, can I have a denture with more vein? You know, yeah yeah know im so those are pretty cool to look at. They're great. They're beautiful. And the technicians that do them are absolutely amazing. Amazing. Yeah. General population doesn't want it.
00:08:56
Speaker
Right. That's who we're trying to service. Mostly. I think for me, it just like the material just feels different and it feels different. and I feel like it cuts different. Oh yeah. oh yeah Totally grinds. It's different. It's different. And it's, it's not a bad different. It's just a different, and different thing. Well, we've been doing dentures traditionally since 1930. We've been doing digital. It only has been FDA proof since about 2019.
00:09:23
Speaker
So not long at all. We got a long time before we get the kind of feedback on how these things are doing. So I'm just saying, don't judge too quick. Yeah.
Elvis’s Podcast and Contact Info
00:09:34
Speaker
Well Elvis, it has been a joy, honor and pleasure to speak with you today. If our listeners would like to get in contact with you, what's the best way?
00:09:41
Speaker
Well, I got a podcast. We haven't talked about the podcast, like like voices from the bench. Uh, we've been going on for about six years now. We do a weekly podcast all about the dental lab industry.
00:09:54
Speaker
We just talk to people in the industry. I don't care. We've talked to Jim Glidewell and we've talked to some guy that's in his basement by himself and everywhere in between. We just love to learn. We love to talk about it. If you really want to get a hold of me, the best way is the podcast email. It's just info at voicesfromthebench.com. It's the easiest one for people to remember. um But yeah, check out the podcast if you're interested in the dental lab stuff.
Parting Advice and Conclusion
00:10:19
Speaker
All right. Well, Elvis, any last thoughts for us today?
00:10:21
Speaker
Last thoughts, pay your lab bill on time. ah Call them and say good job occasionally. We like to hear that. We don't hear it enough. um And if you're not happy, look for another lab. It's OK. There's a lot of us out there in the in the age of digital. They don't have to be next door.
00:10:44
Speaker
Great way to sum up our conversation. Elvis, thank you so much for your time today. Absolutely. Thank you. have Have a great one. Thank you for tuning in to our conversation with Elvis Dahl. If you want to hear more from him, be sure to tune in to Voices from the Bench podcast. It is humorous, it's entertaining, and it's a whole lot of fun. We hope that you'll continue to listen to our conversations here at Dental Fuel with future guests. Ready to take the next step in your journey? Book an intro call with Ignite DDS Coaching today and level up your future in dentistry.