Noah Levine

Jobs in the dental field often afford people the opportunity to indulge their creativity and express their artistry on a daily basis. For many, this mix of problem solving, design, and esthetic creation is a satisfying way to help people improve their health and looks.

Artistic pursuits such as painting, photography, and music are common among dental professionals. For some, however, these creative sidelines become a path away from dentistry and toward a career as a full-time artist or performer. Here are some of their stories.

For Dolly Cohen, a jewelry designer to some of hip-hop’s and pop music’s biggest stars, her transition to a career as an artist didn’t take her too far from her roots as a lab technician. The Parisian designer shifted from restorative work to grill design in 2005 and has since created pieces to adorn the mouths of Rihanna, Drake, Madonna, and many others. You can see her work on her Instagram page: instagram.com/dollycohen.

, Edgar Buchanan was famously a dentist before he became an actor. His wife, Mildred, attended dental school with him, and they married in 1928, the year he graduated with his DDS. In 1939, they relocated their dental practice from Oregon to Los Angeles, and Buchanan soon found work in the movies, leaving Mildred to run their practice.

Early literary champion of the American West Zane Grey started his career as a dentist before his creative pursuits reached a level of success that allowed him to leave his day job. Grey grew up in Zanesville, Ohio, a town founded by his grandfather, the son of a dentist. Although he expressed early ambitions of being a writer, Grey unofficially began his dental career circa 1889 at the age of 17 years, when he made house calls in rural areas to perform extractions like his dad had taught him. Eventually, the state dental board stopped this, and Grey went on to college, where he played baseball. He began officially practicing dentistry around 1896—after playing some minor league baseball—but apparently had little passion for clinical work. When his novels about the American West began to be published in the early 1900s, he left his practice and focused full time on being a writer.

Alban Uzoma Nwapa was born in Nigeria and moved to Sweden to study dentistry around 1980. To finance his dental education, he worked as a DJ at the Stockholm club Alphabet Street. Although he quickly gained renown, especially since he often sang to the records he was spinning, he finished his education and began practicing as a dentist. He continued his DJ work as a fun and lucrative side gig until 1990, when he began his career as a recording artist under the stage name Dr Alban. He never hit it big in the United States, but his Eurodance-style music was popular across Europe, with his biggest single, “It’s My Life,” hitting No. 1 in multiple countries. Although he hasn’t returned to dentistry, Dr Alban did release a song titled “Go See the Dentist.”

Articles

A look at the career paths of for famous artists who started their careers in dental settings.

4 Artists Who Ditched Their Dental Careers

The source of inspiration is a singular and mysterious thing. Throughout history, artists have found their muse in all manner of people, places, and things. The vision to create something new and expressive can truly come from anywhere, so it should be no surprise that many artists have found inspiration in the work of dentists.

Works from throughout history document the pulling of teeth and other dental practices, with such notable artists as Salvador Dalí, Norman Rockwell, Jean Dubuffet, and many others depicting operatory scenes in at least 1 work. However, sometimes the inspiration is more specific than just dentistry. Some artists have been inspired by teeth and all they might represent. Here are stories of 4 creators who were spurred on by dentition.

The influence of this American gothic horror pioneer’s work continues to be felt in creative spheres, and teeth show up at various moments in his work. However, it’s his early short story “Berenice” that really focuses in on a character’s dentition. This hazy, macabre tale is a first-person account from a man who obsesses over his cousin’s teeth as they remain white while her once vital body succumbs to an unnamed illness. The tale includes mention of dental instruments and the ending is a disturbing twist that caused some uproar when the story was published in 1835.

The connections between pop icon Lady Gaga and dentistry have always been both present and mysterious. She released a single named “Teeth” from her 

 album and performed it during her The Monster Ball Tour, which included a stop headlining Lollapalooza 2010 with a stage featuring a neon sign promoting implants and sedation dentistry. A teeth-inspired bracelet—worn in her mouth like a grill—also made an appearance on the cover art for her 2013 single “Dope.” The connection might not be clear, but Lady Gaga seems to put teeth front and center in some of her work.

Apex Predator shoes created by Fantich & Young.

This art duo of Ukrainian native Mariana Fantich and Dominic Young, who hails from England, began collaborating in 2008. Their multimedia work centers on luxury and leisure items reimagined with the addition of teeth, bones, and hair. The duo gained some noticed around the internet with their 2010 project Apex Predator | Darwinian Voodoo, which featured a pair of dress shoes soled with denture teeth. Since then they have created numerous additional works that make prominent use of denture teeth on everything from dolls, to baseballs, to a gramophone. They also have several works consisting of arrangements of dental models. Among artists working today, Fantich & Young might be the toothiest.

A look at for creative people who have found teeth to be a great jumping off point for their work.

4 Artists Who Found Inspiration in Teeth

The technology that powers dental chairside mills—or any CNC mill—is truly an amazing achievement. These solutions basically replicate the skills of a master sculptor and make them accessible to anyone. And just like a master artisan’s skills increase over time, so, too, have the capabilities and efficiencies of chairside milling options.

While the majority of dental practices are not yet producing milled restorations chairside, the technology has reached the point where a mill could be a great fit in any dental operation. Things have progressed a long way from the first mills designed for chairside. The earliest mills on the first CEREC system were integrated into a single device with major limitations on both the materials and geometries that could be milled. But that was decades ago, and today’s chairside mills are versatile, specialized machines designed to help practices treat patients as efficiently and effectively as possible.

For clinicians who haven’t taken a look at chairside CAD/CAM options in a few years, the landscape will look significantly different. In the past just a handful of digital impression scanners were available, and not all of them could connect to a chairside mill, and for the ones that were designed for chairside production there was often just 1 milling option. Today there are numerous scanner options and almost all of them can connect to any number of different mills, as well as many 3D printers. In addition, the days of limited material choices and complex workflows look to be in the past, as numerous chairside milling materials are available for a wide range of applications and many of them are faster and easier to work with than the materials of the past.

Eric Mayuga, DDS, has followed the development of chairside milling technology throughout his career. He has worked with several chairside CAD/CAM systems starting with a CEREC system that he began to use in 2004. Dr Mayuga says he enjoyed that system and used it for years before deciding to go back to working with his lab because it allowed him to provide more treatment options to his patients.

“Chairside restorative material options were limited at the time, and I wanted to ensure my patients were receiving the very best restorations with optimal strength, esthetics, and quality,” he says.

He waited almost a decade before investing in a new system for chairside fabrication, but now he’s excited by his options and is thrilled with his choices when it comes to the mills and their capabilities, as well as the materials he can offer to patients at Imagine Dental, his growing practice in Gardner, Kansas. Today he uses 2 different chairside mills to offer a range of restorations. He first invested in a Glidewell TS150e for producing zirconia restorations, but he’s been even more impressed with his DGSHAPE DWX-42W from Roland DGA, which is now a key part of the way his practice operates.

Eric Mayuga, DDS, setting up a case for milling with his DWX-42W.

“We utilize our DGSHAPE DWX-42W chairside milling solution on 98% of cases because of its short mill time and ability to produce an esthetic, long-lasting restoration that is ideal for almost all indications,” he says.

When considering adding another mill to his practice, Dr Mayuga spent time researching his options, and the DGSHAPE DWX-42W stood out for several reasons including Roland DGA’s reputation for making reliable and accurate mills that are widely used in dental labs. His other considerations when evaluating mills included the types of materials and milling tools compatible with the mill, the software used to operate the mill, and special features such as remote monitoring. He now uses chairside milling for crowns, inlays, and onlays, while continuing to work with a trusted dental lab for anterior and multiunit cases that require a technician’s expertise.

One key feature Dr Mayuga looked for in a mill was a system that would be easy to integrate with the digital technology he was already using in his practice. He says the chairside CAD/CAM systems sold as all-in-one solutions work well on their own but do not always allow for the flexibility and customization he wanted to make sure the mill fits the way he practices.

With more practices employing digital impression solutions, the appeal of open-architecture dental technologies has been growing, says Lisa Aguirre, product manager of dental solutions for Roland DGA, DGSHAPE Americas. This is something dental labs have seen for some time, and as more practices go digital, more open-architecture options will follow as companies with roots in dental lab technology such as Roland DGA bring their technologies to dental operatories.

“Open-architecture systems like Roland DGA’s DGSHAPE DWX-42W provide clinicians an affordable, reliable, and lab-quality chairside milling solution that allows clinicians not only to utilize and integrate their existing digital workflows, but also the ability to add on and integrate additional digital solutions as their practice grows and continually provide their patients with the latest and greatest in dental restorative materials without compromise,” Aguirre says.

Dr Mayuga enjoys being able to set up a workflow that makes digital dentistry a convenient option for more of his patients. For his practice, having 2 mills expands his production capabilities and adds versatility to the way he manages both his and his technology’s time.

“I like having digital dental solutions that are independent of one another, allowing me to easily integrate and interchange them as needed into my digital workflows,” he says. “I can schedule staggered appointments and treat multiple patients throughout the day, optimizing my productivity while continuing to provide my patients with the very best dental restorative care.”

Having a custom chairside milling solution has enabled Dr Mayuga to fine-tune his workflows for same-day restorations. He currently schedules a 2-hour block for a same-day chairside restoration and completes every step of the process from prepping the tooth to cementing the crown in that appointment. A big part of his efficiency in chairside production is newer materials that mill in less time and require fewer finishing steps.

Straumann® n!ce® blocks offer fast processing times, and desirable physical properties for chairside restorations.

Having an open-architecture solution affords him access to the widest range of material options, allowing him to select a material to fit the needs of any case. Dr Mayuga says he is currently using n!ce blocks from Straumann. This fully crystallized glass ceramic material offers both strength and esthetics and mills in just 28 minutes in high-quality mode on the DWX-42W. The material does not require extra finishing steps beyond a regular polishing. Dr Mayuga says it mills with great accuracy and restorations require only minor adjustments, if any, at seating.

With the TS150e, Dr Mayuga schedules 3-hour-long appointments. The harder zirconia he produces on that system takes longer to mill and he often needs to spend more time polishing and adjusting those crowns.

Adding chairside milling capabilities has been a positive at Dr Mayuga’s practice. His patients appreciate same-day crowns, and he’s been able to provide them by building a workflow to fit his needs. He’s very pleased with the ways helping his patients via chairside milling have also been a positive for his practice’s bottom line.

A crown immediately after milling is completed.

“From a patient experience and productivity standpoint, it is nice to be able to deliver a restoration in an all-in-one, easy appointment,” he says. “Patients appreciate the convenience of having only 1 appointment and I do not have to worry about temporaries coming off prematurely. My patients also report less postoperative discomfort and sensitivity with same-day crowns. In addition, since insurance claims are typically sent on the day a crown is seated, we are able to decrease the insurance reimbursement cycle time.”

This impact on the business side really comes from optimizing the efficiencies of his practice around the proficiencies of his technology. For Dr Mayuga, the ability to scale his CAD/CAM capabilities to fit his desired workflow was critical. His success with milling comes from understanding and embracing the technology when it’s ready to meets his needs.

Aguirre says clinicians with scanners who have written off chairside milling in the past should take a look at some of the options available today. When used effectively they free up appointment times and expand what a practice can offer to its patients.

“With inflation and operational costs at an all-time high, clinicians are utilizing chairside milling to assist in reducing overhead costs by reducing patient chair time and number of visits, ultimately increasing a clinician’s production dollars per hour while providing their patients a better overall chairside experience,” she says.

How open-architecture chairside mills such as Roland DGA’s DGSHAPE DWX-42W are making chairside CAD/CAM more flexible and efficient.

Chairside Milling Opens New Possibilities for Dental Practices

CDS 2022: Midwinter Momentum

A look at some of the new dental innovations on display during the 2022 Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting.

Looking toward the future can be exciting and equally scary, as the future is always an unknown, and with an unknown, anything is possible. Still, plenty of people make predictions about the future, and they are often based on an assessment of the current trends. Over the years, 

 has played host to numerous predictions. Here’s a look back at several from the past decade.

Dr John Flucke’s 10 practice predictions for 2014

, John Flucke, DDS, chief clinical editor and technology editor of 

, predicted the growth of connected dental devices. “In 5 or 10 years, we’ll wonder how we ever got along without connected equipment,” Dr Flucke wrote.

It’s been 8 years, and although not every device is “smart,” there are far more connected options, including handpieces, utility equipment, and chairs. And the use of this technology seems like it will continue to grow.

In that same article, Dr Flucke predicted more 3D printing in dentistry. “In the not-too-distant future, I can see us designing restorations and printing them with very little waste,” he wrote.

Although chairside 3D printing is still gaining traction, 3D printing is now integral to many dental lab operations, and printers offer the ability to additively manufacture crowns and bridges, dentures, and much more.

Dr John Flucke: Looking forward, looking back on dental technology predictions for 2014

, a mid-year follow-up to his 2014 predictions, he predicted the demise of the overhead operatory light in favor of loupes and headlights. “LED lighting systems continue to evolve and improve. At this point, I am comfortable predicting the death of the track light,” Dr Flucke wrote.

Although loupes and headlights continue to grow more powerful and comfortable, allowing many clinicians to work without an overhead light, those mounted systems have yet to completely disappear the way Dr Flucke predicted.

, Mike Uretz predicted that cloud software would grow and evolve to meet the needs of multisite group practices. Uretz wrote, “The medical software industry has evolved toward supporting group practice over the past decade, and the dental industry is finally following in its footsteps.”

This prediction was on target. Cloud software is better able to support multiple locations, and the growth of cloud software capabilities has mirrored the rapid growth of organized dental chains.

, Marc Cooper, DDS, clearly and definitively laid out the case for the rise of dental groups. “When you connect the dots from these trends, the future is obvious. Look no further than medicine, pharmacy, and optical to see what occurred with independent solo practice when similar social, political, and economic forces were at play. Consolidation was the resultant outcome. The probable future in dentistry will be the same managed group practice,” Cooper wrote, and continued, “Although the dentists, their associations and academies, the pundits, consultants, and the brokers all claim solo practice will not be vanquished, given the trends…it seems clear they are inaccurate in their predictions. I believe the future will be dominated by managed group practices.”

Although solo practices remain, the trend toward group practice models continues to grow. Based on data from the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute, 2 in 3 dentists worked in a solo practice in 1999. However, by 2019, that ratio had dropped to 1 in 2 dentists. The trend is even stronger among younger dentists, with just 1 in 4 dentists under the age of 35 working in a solo practice.

 It’s clear group practices are future of the dental industry.

How many dentists are in solo practice? American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. January 2021. Accessed February 7, 2022. 

https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/hpigraphic_0121_1.pdf

Looking back on 5 predictions published by DPR to see how they've held up over time.

Revisiting 5 Predictions Published by Dental Products Report®

2022 Chicago Midwinter Attendee Guide

Helpful resources for dental professionals attending any of the dental events in Chicago in February 2022.

Previewing the 2022 Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting

A look ahead at some of the educational opportunities and exciting new products debuting in Chicago as this annual February meeting returns to a live format.

Whether you’re ready to retire, want to transition from owner to another role in the lab, or are passing down the business to the next generation, there are a number of things you must think about.

Many factors determine what a lab is worth, including revenue, operating expenses, capital investment, obligations to employees, even inventory.

Although this forms part of the lab’s value, it can also make the lab more or less attractive. A profitable but low-tech lab may be less enticing than one with less revenue but state-of-the-art technology. And it’s not only the equipment that matters, but also how it was purchased and whether money is owed on it. In some cases, paying off the balance on a key piece of equipment can increase the lab’s value.

This also determines value, but consider whether—if you own the premises—you want to remain as the landlord. If you rent the space, this expense may complicate the sale and thus must be reviewed.

If you have staff, it’s important to tell them about a potential sale and consider how it might affect them. Your ideal buyer may be on your payroll, which can make for a great transition


Preparing your customers for the changeover and helping the new owner establish relationships with them can facilitate the sale.

Does your business offer value to the community? Does the brand name mean something? If you want the lab’s reputation to survive, you must discuss this early in the sales process.

Finally, if you want to continue on in a new role as an employee at the lab for a time following the sale, this is a key detail that can enhance the value of your business.

Before putting out the For Sale sign make sure to have a plan.

7 Things to Consider When Preparing to Sell Your Dental Lab

Dental Lab Products 2022 Innovation Guide

Dental lab professionals share a look back at the past year and look ahead to what’s in store for the dental lab industry in 2022.

new products debuted over the previous 12 months in 

increase in the number of dental lab technician jobs is projected between 2020 and 2030, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections program. This increase is expected to mean opportunities for up to 4000 additional dental lab technicians over the next decade.1

of dental labs use some form of magnification while working, and 55% of labs strongly agree that magnification provides a strong return on investment, whereas 62% of labs agree or strongly agree that using magnification makes a strong impression on clients and can help drive new business. Source: 

toothbrushes were used to create Fastminar, a 45-ft-tall statue of a tooth created at Terna Dental College in Navi Mumbai, India, which received a Guinness World Records title as the largest toothbrush sculpture of a body part (supported). The toothbrushes used in the statue were donated by 8890 dentists from throughout India. Source: Guinness World Records

of dental labs said enhanced esthetics and enhanced durability are important or very important when considering a new material for use in the lab, whereas just 44% rate access to free samples of new materials in those same categories. Source: 

is the big anniversary GC Corporation marked in February 2021. The company celebrated its first century throughout the year.

is the average age of a dental lab technician, according to job site Zippia. However, 59% of technicians fall into the 40 and older category, demonstrating the continued need to recruit and train new technicians.

Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians. US Department of Labor Statistics. Updated September 13, 2021. Accessed November 12, 2021. 

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm

A look back at some metrics from the dental lab industry in 2021.