Dental Technology: A Noble Profession

At age 77, it’s time to come clean. Despite my visions of immortality, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say, just in case. The dental technology industry is a fellowship of raging successes. The labs standing today are the survivors of an unforgiving environment. If you’re still here, if you’re reading this, you are great.

The free enterprise system in dental technology only rewards those who deliver effective products. Our customers can and do immediately evaluate us every single day, on every single case. They decide whether we survive or go out of business. If you’re not a high performer—if you’re an incompetent dental technician for even one month—you’re no longer working in the field.

I’ve competed with dental labs all over the U.S. and, nearly without exception, I’ve never seen bad dental technology. Quality ranges from good to great—never poor. Those producing bad quality never make...