Dentistry Plus Engineering Equals Innovation

Frederic Rapp—CEO of Open Implants and Owner of Crown Ceram, the third-largest dental laboratory in France—was educated as an engineer but is a self-professed technician at heart. LMT recently talked to him to hear how he married his engineering knowledge with his foundation in dental technology to develop a new take on implant components as a U.S. manufacturer.  

LMT: Your father opened Crown Ceram in 1983; did you spend a lot of time in the lab when you were growing up? 

Rapp: Yes, like every lab owner’s kid, I did basic tasks like making wax rims and learned that if the bite is wrong, even the nicest crown won’t fit. My father stressed the importance of a good foundation and that stuck with me. 

I fell in love with the business but he didn’t want me to be a technician and pushed me to be a dentist. Instead, I went in another...