Annemarie Mannion

' name says it all. It reflects the mission of this small, family-owned, Fort Collins, Colo. based dental lab, which is to combine art and technology to produce esthetically pleasing and functional restorations.

The company was founded by Steve Hornback, CDT, who got into the dental industry when he served in the U.S. Army. He was looking at what options he had for the training he would do while in the service when he bumped into a friend of his father’s. The man, who was an army officer, encouraged him to consider being a dental technician and showed him the dental lab.

“We walked into the dental lab and I said, 'This is what I want to do,'" Hornback recalled. “Making things really appealed to me.”

The army provided solid training that launched him onto his career path.

“I thought it was excellent training,” Hornback said.

Following his army service, Hornback settled in Tuscon, Ariz., where he worked managing a large lab for about 12 years. When he decided to open his own business, he needed to set it up somewhere beyond the 250-mile radius that came as a stipulation in the non-compete clause in his contract.

Hornback and his family decided they liked the Fort Collins area, and in 1988, Hornback started his lab there. Today, the lab primarily serves dentists in northern Colorado, and ships restorations to other states including Wyoming, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Arizona and Arkansas.

Keeping the lab small allows Hornback to keep a close eye on quality which is a priority for him. 

“I have control over the quality and the day-to-day running of the business,” he said. 

The company has incorporated new technologies including a CAD/CAM milling system and a scanner.

“I do the scanning and design myself,” he said. “We try to stay on top of things.”

Implants are an increasing part of the business. 

“It’s growing all the time,” Hornback said. “And a lot of the implant systems have gotten easier to work with.”

Hornback has been joined in the business by his son, Ray, a technician, who handles model work, ceramics and glazing and finishing.

Continuing to advance their training is another way the lab displays its commitment to quality. The Hornbacks have done continuing education-both lectures and hands-on training--with such industry leaders as Claude Sieber and Lee Culp. 

Being available to his clients when they have a question about a difficult case is a priority for Hornback, who always answers his own phone, and has no plans to change that. 

“It’s definitely a personal touch,” he said. “I’m easily accessible.”

Articles

ArTech Dental Ceramics' name says it all. It reflects the mission of this small, family-owned, Fort Collins, Colo. based dental lab, which is to combine art and technology to produce esthetically pleasing and functional restorations.

Legacy Laboratories: ArTech Dental Ceramics

The wildfire that raged through Colorado Springs, Colo.

, this summer destroyed the houses of hundreds of people including two dentists who practice in the metropolitan area of more than 650,000 people.

Fortunately for those dentists and others whose practices were impacted by the blazes, the 

 has been able to help them pick up the pieces including tapping a relief fund for dentists impacted by the disasters.

“Besides two dentists who both lost their homes, there were 30 dentists whose practices were affected,” said Sharyn Markus, executive director of the society.

One of those who lost his home is Mark Albers who has practiced general and 

 in the area for 25 years. The fire started June 23 while Albers and his wife, Carla, were camping out of town. They returned home after they received a text message from a neighbor informing that their neighborhood was in danger.

“We could see the fires as we drove into town,” Albers said.

The threat, however, did not appear to be imminent and Albers returned to work. A few days later, the blazes roared closer.

“At first, we had the feeling that it was going to go away,” he said. “It was not going to affect us. But all of sudden we started to see smoke in our office.”

The winds were 65 mph to 85 mph and the blaze had jumped a ridge. His house was in jeopardy.

“My wife opened the garage door and she saw the fires,” he said. “She packed up as quickly as she could and the office was the central meeting place.”

Though the Albers’ neighborhood was evacuated, a neighbor snuck back in a couple days later and returned with the news that the Albers’ family home was destroyed. 

Albers said he has coped by keeping the loss in perspective, particularly after lives were lost in the 

“Losing a house is nothing like losing a child,” he said. 

The dental society has provided assistance to dentists including helping them complete the paperwork necessary to receive a $5,000 

disaster relief grant from the American Dental Association

The fund provides assistance to members of the profession who have lost property in a declared disaster.  

Markus said it makes sense for the local society to assist dentists because they also felt the impact of the disaster, and were able to identify who might need help.

“We have a closer connection,” she said. “We pretty much know who the dentists are in our area. We reached out to them.”

There are 400 dentists who are members in the society and 500 in the area, she said.

In addition to helping dentists complete the disaster grant paperwork, the society distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste to 32,000 people who were evacuated because of the wildfire.

Albers said the money from the relief fund helped him to cover costs related to his home’s destruction, such as renting temporary housing. He said he is not sure yet where he will rebuild his house, but he is gratified by the support he has received.

“Just the outpouring of support from fellow dentists has been wonderful,” he said.

The wildfire that raged through Colorado Springs, Colo., this summer destroyed the houses of hundreds of people including two dentists who practice in the metropolitan area of more than 650,000 people.

More than 30 dental practices were affected by Colorado wildfire, Dr. Mark Albers tells his story

, it would be surprising if dentists across the country were not encountering patients following such lifestyles.

But while those diets can have healthy benefits, dentists are aware they can also be harmful to oral health unless patients take steps to ensure they are getting the nutrients they need.

Though it can vary, a vegetarian diet typically doesn't include meat, poultry or fish. Vegans take in no animal products at all.

A 2008 study by the website Vegetarian Times indicated that 3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian-based diet. Approximately 0.5 percent, or 1 million, of those are vegans. In addition, 10 percent of U.S. adults, or 22.8 million people, said they largely follow a vegetarian-inclined diet.

Dr. Sam G.  Shamoon, a spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry, who practices in Berkley, Mich., said only about five percent of his patients follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. But many of those people jump into the diet without ever seeking advice from a nutritionist.

According to Dr. Shamoon, these diets do not automatically translate into a reduction in sugary or even lower fat foods despite commonly held beliefs that these diets are healthier ways of eating-particularly when patients haven’t sought advice from a nutritionist or done their homework.

“The western world’s idea of a vegetarian diet is cheese pizza with a lot of white flour and sugar in it,” Dr. Shamoon said. “It’s not that nutritious. If you eat potato chips and don’t brush your teeth, that breaks down into sugar.”

Patients who have committed to the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle and are convinced of the health benefits may not always be receptive to hearing a different message from their dentists.

“It can be very difficult to talk to them about it,” Dr. Shamoon said. “If people have a lot of cavities I talk to them about their diet. I recommend a less meat, less acid-forming diet.”

In his experience, Shamoon said people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet feel renewed energy and other health benefits for about three years, but the lack of proper nutrition can catch up with them if they are not careful. One of the risks is periodontal disease from a lack of Vitamins C and D and calcium.

“If they don’t get enough animal protein they start consuming their own muscle,” he said. 

A lack of vitamins C and D and calcium can cause teeth to soften over time, which makes them more prone to tooth decay and periodontal disease. 

Teenagers and children who become vegetarians without knowing enough about their nutritional needs are at the greatest risk of not getting the nutrition they need. Also, some vegetarians, especially vegans who do not consume any food of animal origin, are at risk for nutritional deficiencies in vitamin B2 and vitamin B12 as well as calcium and vitamin D, according to the Academy of General Dentistry. 

The AGD recommends that anyone considering adopting a vegetarian diet seek counseling from his or her physician or a nutritionist to learn about substituting foods to get all the necessary nutrients. And because diet is a crucial element in an individual’s medical history, patients should always inform their dentist if they follow vegetarian or other special diets.

Dr. Shamoon said he encourages vegetarian and vegan patients to take steps to protect their oral health, but what they do with the information is up to them.

“All you can do is present them with the facts that you need to balance your whole body,” Dr. Shamoon said. “I try to educate them. I spend a lot of time talking to them about it. I recommend supplements and encourage them to find their own nutritional provider.”

Given the popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets, it would be surprising if dentists across the country were not encountering patients following such lifestyles.

Fad Diets: The Unknown Dangers you Should Warn your Patients about

Athletes at the peak of health may set world records and win gold medals at the 

, but there is a way they can be even stronger and more fit. 

, a team of volunteer dentists and dental hygienists is manning a dental clinic in the Olympic Village at the London games. The facility is providing dental screenings, routine dental work, emergency care and oral care products to athletes and coaches throughout the duration of the games.

Surprisingly, perhaps, traumatic care is not the service most requested by athletes. It is basic care and restoration, said Paul Warren, Director of Global Professional and Scientific Relations for Procter & Gamble Co., which is providing financial support and Crest and Oral-B products to the clinic.

“We’re there to support the dentists and show the athletes the benefits of prevention,” said Warren, who also is a dentist.

Warren said though the athletes may be superstars in their various sports, they also may come from countries or situations in which 

Many athletes also may have diets that are geared toward optimal performance, but some diets high in calories are not good for their teeth.

“Rowers, for instance, may consume 6,000 or 8,000 calories a day,” said Warren. “To take in that amount of calories they are drinking a lot of sugary drinks and a lot of those drinks are erosive as well.”

The London clinic is furnished with eight operatories and staffed by six dentists and two hygienists. It is open 16 hours a day. 

Warren said athletes who have finished competing might find they can take their minds off the games and take advantage of the clinic’s services. At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, he said, 2,500 people received services at the clinic offered there.

The clinic also provides mouthguards for athletes, and it has a dentist attending some events where a mouth injury is more likely to occur such as field hockey, handball and water polo.  

Warren said it is hoped that another long-term effect of having the dental clinic at the Olympics will be to turn athletes into advocates of good oral health care.

“Every athlete has a family and it (the importance of oral health care) will spread by word of mouth,” he said. 

When athletes go home with medals around their necks they often become ambassadors for their sports, their countries, and, it is hoped for preventive oral health, Warren said.

It is expected that between 2,000 and 3,000 athletes and coaches will visit the London clinic.

Athletes at the peak of health may set world records and win gold medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but there is a way they can be even stronger and more fit. 

London 2012 Olympic Games athletes receive dental care supported by Crest, Oral-B

Against the peaceful backdrop of the Teton Mountain Range in Idaho Falls, Idaho, family-owned 

 offers services to dentists across the nation.

More than 50% of the company’s dental clients are from outside of Idaho, said co-owner Sheri Hamberlin, who operates the business with her brother, John Treasure.

The brother and sister took the reins of the business from their father, Barry, who retired in 2000. He started his career working in another lab before moving to Idaho and starting his own business in 1968.

“He had a brother-in-law in Utah and worked for him and learned the trade,” Sheri said.

Both Sheri and John grew up in the family business doing odd jobs like sweeping the floors and cleaning flasks. Sheri, who became a full-time employee in 1984, always knew she wanted to be involved in the lab.

“I pretty much planned on it all along,” she said.

John joined the company in 1995 after trying some other occupations, but deciding the dental lab business was where he belonged. 

“He decided it was a pretty good business to be in, and had what it took to do it well,” Sheri said.

Today, Sheri handles the business end of the lab and John focuses on the technical side of it.

“That’s what I’d been doing. That’s what I’d grown into. And John’s very talented in the technical area,” Sheri said.

Sheri said she likes working with their 18-member staff, who she said all feel like family members, , as well as analyzing how the business is doing.

“I feel very comfortable with being able to look at the numbers and seeing where we need to improve,” she said.

New technology is an exciting part of the industry, and the company seeks to stay ahead of the curve. They have recently incorporated a Straumann Scanner.

“It’s a great new technology for doing custom abutments, and because it is tied in with a digital impression system it can make it easier for the dentist and help up give more accurate impressions,” she said.

The company is seeing its implant business and all-porcelain business growing. Word-of-mouth seems to be the way in which new clients learn about them. 

“It’s a domino effect,” Sheri said.

Though Barry Treasure retired a dozen years ago and now spends time traveling and volunteering on missions through his church, he stays involved in the business. When a lab manager suffered a heart attack earlier this year, the lab tapped Barry to come in and help out.

“He still likes to dips his toes into the business,” Sheri said.

New technologies and trying new products to see what works and what doesn’t is what makes the lab an interesting place to be. 

“It’s constantly changing,” said Sheri. “There is a lot to be excited about for the future of our field.”

Watch a lab technician from Treasure Dental Lab in action: 

Against the peaceful backdrop of the Teton Mountain Range in Idaho Falls, Idaho, family-owned Treasure Dental Lab offers services to dentists across the nation.

Legacy Labs: Treasure Dental Lab

No doubt that Charlene Wexler’s many years of working in a dental practice has influenced what she writes.

Her first book, “Murder on Skid Row,” was published in 2010 and is about a newly minted dentist who starts his practice in a seedy part of Chicago in the mid-1960s because he wants to serve Chicago’s most needy people, but gets caught up in a murder investigation.

Her second book, “Milk and Oranges,” is a compilation of her short fiction stories and essays.

“Most of the essays will make you laugh, but some will bring a tear to your eye,” said Wexler, who is married to dentist 

, a collector and authority on dental history who has been the force behind several dental museums and exhibits, including one at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. 

She said it’s no surprise that the dental world plays a major role in her writing.

"My life has revolved around dentistry,” Wexler said. “I’ve been immersed in all aspects of it, including the insurance, the paperwork, the history. It’s been a family business.”

Wexler worked for many years as a bookkeeper and assistant in her husband’s dental practice that grew to have 10 offices. Her first-person knowledge of what it’s like to be involved in a dental practice shows up in “Murder on Skid Row,” and lends the story its sense of believability.

As the book’s narrative develops, the reader wants to find out who committed the murder and also whether the young dentist, Mel Greenburg, will keep his practice in Skid Row or move, as his well-heeled fiancé and father insist, to the safety and monetary reward of a suburban practice.

Readers familiar with Chicago in the 1960s, particularly the once rundown area of Madison and Halsted streets, where the story is focused, will find that “Murder on Skid Row” accurately evokes the time and place.

Wexler’s newer book, “Milk and Oranges,” touches on both serious and light-hearted fare. The essays include stories about retirement, about the tragic loss of a child and another that recalls a family road trip to Florida in a stripped-down, non-air conditioned GM van.

Because Dr. Sam Wexler is a collector, the journey to Disney World with the couple’s two young sons also included side-trips to old dental offices where he might find some interesting memorabilia to add to his collection.

Charlene writes in one essay, “Pack your bags!” “We’re going to Disney World.” Hurray!” The boys and I would yell, not realizing that we would be on the road 10 days out of 14. Sam’s real objective was to track down antique dental equipment. He’s a dentist, historian, and most of all, a pack rat.”

Charlene Wexler’s stories often are humorous and she doesn’t mind comparisons to Erma Bombeck. While she pursues her passion for writing, her husband continues to collect. The couple lives in Richmond, Ill., about 75 miles northwest of Chicago.

“We do live in a museum,” she said. “I’m not kidding. I have 20 dental cabinets here.”

For more information on Charlene Wexler’s books, check out her 

No doubt that Charlene Wexler’s many years of working in a dental practice has influenced what she writes. Her first book, “Murder on Skid Row,” was published in 2010 and is about a newly minted dentist who starts his practice in a seedy part of Chicago in the mid-1960s because he wants to serve Chicago’s most needy people, but gets caught up in a murder investigation. Her second book, “Milk and Oranges,” is a compilation of her short fiction stories and essays.

Dental books you won't want to put down

It’s all in the family at Brabant Dental Laboratory-the family of employees, that is.

The lab, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has changed hands just twice in that time, and in both instances ownership was passed to dedicated employees.

The Sacramento-based lab was founded in 1937 by Joseph Brabant, a denture technician who expanded the business into one of the first full-service laboratories in northern California.

The next owner was James M. Ennis, CDT, who started at the lab in 1951 as a delivery driver on a bicycle. After working his way up as a technician, he took the reins from Brabant in 1970. While running the lab, he also worked in the Crown and Bridge department and hired the two men who would become his successors, Stephen “Kip” Lemos, CDT, and C. Neal Courter, CDT, who retired last year. 

Lemos, who is current president of the 30-person lab, was in high school when he took his first job because he thought he might like to become a dentist.

“I wanted to learn a little bit about dentistry,” Lemos said. “That led to me really liking the lab business.” 

After deciding not to become a dentist, Lemos, along with Courter, earned his CDT. And in 1979, he and Courter became partners with Ennis.

“He was my mentor,” said Lemos about Ennis. “He was supportive of everything I did.”

Lemos specialized in fixed prosthetics and Courter’s focus was on removables.

The lab, which doubled in size between 1986 and 1990, takes pride in being on the leading edge of technology including at the forefront of offering implants and sleep appliances.

Brabant also has built long-standing, strong relationships with its customers. Most of the dentists they serve are within a 50-mile radius of the lab.

Part of fostering that close relationship has been to offer educational programs, Lemos said. The lab frequently partners with manufacturers to provide educational seminars.

“We’ve never had an outside sales person,” Lemos said. “We’ve based our growth on providing that education to doctors and staff.”

In 2004, the company purchased its 14,000 square foot headquarters. About 2,400 square feet is devoted to educational space.

The chance to have a lab designed to his specifications was a thrill for Lemos.

“I built my dreams into the lab,” he said. “It was very exciting. I’m very proud of it.”

In celebrating the lab's 75th anniversary, Lemos said Brabant lab is promoting its dedication to "Made in America" and offering deep discounts for accounts trying new products or new accounts bringing cases to the lab. Lemos said the specials includ BruxZir crowns, a noble metal PFM crown “NobleCad”, a flat rate stay plate and an avoid embarrassment denture “AED” all priced at just $75 for the anniversary. A BBQ celebration for employees, family, friends and customers is being planned for the fall as well.

As much as technology is expected to change the business, Lemos said the skill and professionalism of the technician is still paramount.

“It’s not all about the computer,” he said. “I still really feel the technology is in the brain (of the technician.)”

Lemos has strived throughout his career to advocate and improve the professionalism of the lab industry. He has supported providing educational and training opportunities for his staff.

“My goal is to increase awareness of our profession and create a profession–not a trade. We’re an integral part of the dental family,” he said. 

Lemos, 61, is planning his retirement within the next five years, and would like to have his employees take ownership, if it can be worked out.
	
	“I believe in my people,” he said. “They’re a significant part of the history and growth of the lab. I’d like to pass the baton to them.”

As he anticipates planning a transition, Lemos said he has thoroughly enjoyed being in the lab business.

“I’m not at all sad I didn’t become a dentist,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed learning dentistry and applying it to the lab field.” 

It’s all in the family at Brabant Dental Laboratory-the family of employees, that is. The lab, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has changed hands just twice in that time, and in both instances ownership was passed to dedicated employees. The Sacramento-based lab was founded in 1937 by Joseph Brabant, a denture technician who expanded the business into one of the first full-service laboratories in northern California.

Legacy Labs: Brabant Dental Lab

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake that brought down buildings and ignited fires was not enough to keep dental surgeon 

 from practicing. Neither were the bone-chilling temperatures of Alaska where she reached indigenous peoples by dogsled, Model T, or bi-plane and Arizona’s heat where she performed emergency dental surgery along a dusty roadside.

 was practically unheard of, von Zesch displayed determination and passion for dentistry that would undoubtedly make her remarkable in any time period.   

Tales of two of her practices that burnt down, her encounters with Eskimos, Hopi Indians, and gold-rush miners, and many more of von Zesch’s adventures are told in the book “Leonie: A Woman Ahead of her Time.”

The book, which is based on von Zesch’s journals, is hard to put down as it recounts her numerous achievements. One of those notable achievements is when she traveled by chartered launch in 1908 to make a pitch to provide dental services to naval officers in the Pacific naval fleet of the U.S. Navy – a contract that she won.

Von Zesch was born in Texas in 1882 and graduated in 1902 from California’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, which is now the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry.

Her journals were packed away for decades and were eventually discovered by her niece in California, who compiled them for the book.

Part of what makes the book so compelling is the attention to detail and realization that von Zesch was an eyewitness, in some cases, to important, everyday history. When the earthquake hit, von Zesch recalls how she and her mother winnowed their possessions to just a few and escaped fires that threatened their home by wagon to the Presidio.

“I had with me my aquarium of gold fish, my alligator suitcase (our one piece of luggage),” she writes. “I wore the grass-green dress and jaunty little hat with flower-covered bandeau that two days ago I hoped might lend zest to a busy, but unexciting spring day.”

In a move that a reader comes to expect of von Zesch, she quickly sought to be of service by setting up an emergency dental service under the auspices of the U.S. Army. She worked in a tent to treat earthquake refugees.

She recounts treating one man who had “a number of teeth broken and in the top of his head was a triangular hole. When a brick had fallen on him, he closed his mouth so suddenly and so hard that his teeth had given way under the impact. When the hospital steward poured peroxide into the cranial cavity it boiled up like a miniature geyser. After a dressing was put on it, I pulled the broken teeth.”

In Alaska, where she intended to make short visit, she stayed for 15 years. She traveled, often by dogsled, with a foot pedal dental engine, and other instruments, and sometimes was paid for her services with gold nuggets.

Von Zesch was an early proponent of providing oral care to people in need, particularly children, and her pioneering role in Alaska’s history was recognized this year when she was named to the 

 where her contributions to health care were cited.

The January edition of Alaska Update, a newsletter published by the Alaska Dental Association, also took note of her important contributions to dentistry

“Throughout her career, she exhibited a commitment to promoting and providing dental care to children and those who were disadvantaged,” it was noted in the newsletter.

After leaving Alaska, von Zesch worked through the Great Depression and provided dental services to the men employed by the Civilian Conservation Corp. Her final professional post was as the first dentist on staff at the first women’s prison in California, the California Institution for Women at Tehachapi.

Von Zesch died in 1944 following a long illness, but her contributions to dentistry live on.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake that brought down buildings and ignited fires was not enough to keep dental surgeon Leonie von Zesch from practicing. Neither were the bone-chilling temperatures of Alaska where she reached indigenous peoples by dogsled, Model T, or bi-plane and Arizona’s heat where she performed emergency dental surgery along a dusty roadside.

Leonie von Zesch: A pioneer for dentistry

Sisters Anita Cranford and Elise Holasek, owners of Norman, OK-based 

, share common DNA, a commitment to quality, a thriving 

 and even more; the two are identical twins.

Cranford and Holasek opened Identical Dental Laboratory, Inc. in 2002. They had worked in the field for many years, but had no idea when they started that they both would eventually maintain careers in the industry. Cranford and Holasek were 18 when each got a job doing lab-related deliveries.

Holasek led the way when she was hired to work for a 

 dental lab. Cranford followed in her sister's footsteps when she took a job doing deliveries for another lab that specialized in removables.

They started as drivers, but each became more interested in the field as they helped with other tasks associated with the labs. 

“I started doing other things and I discovered how much I liked it,” said Cranford. “I like working with my hands and seeing a case from start to finish, especially when it’s a tough case and I think [to myself], ‘How am I going to do this?’”

Today, Cranford and Holasek specialize in crown and bridge, and agree that the industry has provided an interesting outlet for their abilities.

“It’s a way to be creative,” Holasek said. “That’s what I’ve always liked about it.

After getting their start in the lab industry, the sisters took jobs working for the same lab, Crown Kingdom Dental in Fort Worth, TX. Owner Nancy Johnson became a mentor for them, and helped teach them the lab business. The relationship remains a strong bond.  

“We still call her up today with questions and we try to meet with her at conferences,” said Cranford.

After working at Crown Kingdom, Cranford moved to Albuquerque, NM. The sisters vowed if they were ever able to live in the same place again they would open their own lab. In 2000, Cranford got the opportunity to move to Norman, OK, where Holasek had been living. They both worked at the same lab in Norman while they slowly began to build their own business.

Today, Identical takes pride in providing 

 to dentists in Norman and surrounding areas. The sisters find it is easy to work together because they know each other so well. They also share a dedication to providing the best product possible.

“We’re both quality oriented,” said Cranford. “We don’t want to send anything out that we wouldn’t want in our own mouths.”

The industry in which they have worked for more than two decades has proving other benefits including being able to arrange their schedules to fit their needs. Cranford is a mother of one. Holasek and her husband have four children.

“It gives us the freedom to attend to our families' needs,” said Holasek.  “I can go to my child's games or other activities. But then there are nights where we work until midnight or later.”

The sisters said their business has grown by word-of-mouth and through the educational programs they attend. The hardest part of starting the lab was in the early days when they needed to get the word out about their business. Being look-alike twins turned out to be a plus because it makes them memorable.

“It’s unusual to have women own a lab,” said Holasek. “We’re twins. People remember us.”

Sisters Anita Cranford and Elise Holasek, owners of Norman, OK-based Identical Dental Laboratory, share common DNA, a commitment to quality, a thriving dental lab business and even more; the two are identical twins.

Legacy Labs: Identical Dental Laboratory

As skilled with a paint brush as with a drill, retired 

 has found inspiration for his watercolor paintings from a variety of places he has visited while on 

 including the prairies of Nebraska, the plains of the Serengeti, the Royal Palace of Monaco, and the snow swept landscape of Siberia.

His volunteer work on dental missions abroad and a 10-year stint as a cruise ship dentist enabled Schilling the opportunities to travel to spots where he practiced his art as a 

, and also pursued his passion for humanitarian work.

Schilling’s artwork has been published in two books. The first is “Water Color Journeys: Create Your Own Travel Sketchbook,” which is part travelogue and part instructional manual for anyone wanting to learn to paint.

Dentist enjoys photography outside of the dental office

The second, “Portraits of the Prairie: The Land that Inspired Willa Cather” allowed Schiller to rediscover his roots in Nebraska were he grew up. His mother was from Red Cloud, which also was Cather’s hometown.

“I was excited about returning there and illustrating the landscapes in Cather’s books,” he said. “The country looks the same as it did a hundred years ago. I felt an attachment to my mother, walking the streets and knowing my mother had known them.”

As skilled with a paint brush as with a drill, retired dentist Richard Schilling has found inspiration for his watercolor paintings from a variety of places he has visited while on dental missions including the prairies of Nebraska, the plains of the Serengeti, the Royal Palace of Monaco, and the snow swept landscape of Siberia.