Dr. Michael DiTolla is here today to talk about the evolution of materials for crowns and veneers that he has seen over his career. He started out working in private practice, and by a fluke was asked to do some work at Glidewell Labs. He realized that he loved experimenting with new materials and finding ways to create better looking restorative dentistry.

He moved on to education and lecturing. He was a pioneer in making movies and DVDs to help train other dentists and lab technicians. He is now working with Six Month Smiles and is excited about a new hybrid program they have coming up that combines brackets and aligners for fast and affect aesthetic results. He is also thinking about starting up his practice again. This is a great discussion for dentists and technicians who really care about positive patient results..

You can find Dr. Michael DiTolla here:

Dr. Michael DiTolla

Show Notes:

• [04:20] Dr. Michael DiTolla graduated in 1998. He was in private practice for 10 or 11 years in Southern California. He is from Downy, CA.
• [05:09] He had a patient from Glidewell who asked him to do some crowns.
• [06:20] It was exciting for him doing dentistry with the technicians. They were recording the process and sending them out on DVDs.
• [06:46] When he saw his dentistry on the big screen, he was forced to become better.
• [07:16] He learned new ways to prep teeth.
• [08:07] Glidewell started trying to build their own materials. Dr. DiTolla sold his practice and started to be part of Glidewell. He went to a party at Jim Glidewell's house.
• [10:51] This was in pre social media days, and Dr. DiTolla loved doing the cases.
• [11:52] Glidewell does 6% to 7% of American labs. Their market share might be 5%, but they'll do a couple of a million crowns a year.
• [13:29] In 2001, they built a huge operatory. Glidewell had a full-time video crew.
• [17:43] They started experimenting with BruxZir crowns and veneers made out of zirconia.
• [19:09] It is so important to understand what materials you are putting in people's mouths.
• [20:04] It would be nice if every dentist spent three months in a laboratory.
• [25:15] The importance of quality labs cannot be emphasized enough.
• [27:19] Glidewell has $99 crowns. Most dentists don't want to pay more for an Emax crown.
• [28:55] Students should witness the crowns being made. A better quality crown is better in the long run. You get what you pay for with labs. Don't commoditize and go for the cheapest. You want to find the best technician.
• [31:33] If you are getting a crown made please send in a picture. Before and after.
• [32:57] Digital fabrication made things really clear for Glidewell. It's very easy to see reduction digitally.
• [37:33] Give the lab permission to give you feedback and let you know how the prep is.
• [38:16] Try to bring the technician in as part of the team.
• [39:55] You can use desktop sharing software to communicate with your lab technicians and the dentist.
• [40:40] Dr. Michael DiTolla is now working with AEGIS Communication. He works on Product Talk. You actually get to hear about people's experiences.
• [41:31] He is also working with Six Month Smiles.
• [42:40] He started leaning towards short term smiles.
• [43:52] He likes the control of Six Month Smiles.
• [45:46] These are adult aesthetic cases. They use software and plan cases.
• [47:17] In June, Six Month Smiles will do mixed therapy with aligners and brackets.
• [50:48] Digital treatment planning will rank the case on terms of difficulty.
• [54:37] Mike does a lot of training and videos. He is also getting back into working with patients and finding interesting cases.

As alway...