Evolution of Dental Podcast

Digital implant dentistry requires more than learning how to place an implant. Dr. Michael Wehrle joins Rob Norton to discuss his immersive approach to implant dentistry education, live-patient surgical training, digital workflows, and the connection between successful implant placement and the final restoration. Dr. Wehrle shares how his implant training center in Puebla, Mexico, grew into an int...

Digital dentistry, in-house dental labs, and full-arch workflows have completely changed what clinicians can control inside their own practices. Dr. Peyman Raissi, DDS — better known as Dr. Peyray — joins Rob Norton to break down how he built an in-house dental lab and developed a digital full-arch workflow centered around technology, precision, and the patient experience. Peyray shares why frustr...

Dental entrepreneurship, dental technology, product innovation, and branding have all played a role in the growth of Harvest Dental. Founder Sasha Der Avanessian joins Rob Norton to share how he started in a two-car garage, grew his business into a dental brand serving customers around the world, and why building a successful business takes more than simply creating a good product. Sasha shares th...

Digital dentistry and dental technology have transformed the dental laboratory, but decades of analog craftsmanship still have a place in today's digital workflows. Jim Stallings, CDT, has experienced that evolution firsthand throughout more than 40 years in dental technology. From traditional denture techniques to CAD/CAM, scanning, 3D printing, and modern digital dentistry. Jim joins Rob Norton...

In-house digital dentistry is giving dental practices and laboratories more flexibility to decide which parts of design and manufacturing they want to control themselves and which parts make more sense to outsource. Alex Jakson joins Rob Norton to share how Evolve Dentistry grew from an exocad reseller and training platform into a digital dentistry partner offering design services, manufacturing,...

Digital prosthodontics gives clinicians new ways to combine treatment planning, surgery, restorative design, and in-house manufacturing while preserving the analog techniques that remain valuable for complex patient care. Prosthodontist Dr. Daniel Greenbaum joins Rob Norton to share how his surgical training, in-house dental laboratory, exocad design experience, 3D printing, milling, and hands-on...

Clear aligner treatment has evolved from manually repositioning teeth on stone models to sophisticated digital workflows using treatment planning software, intraoral scanning, 3D printing, and increasingly artificial intelligence. Orthodontist Dr. Melissa Shotell joins Rob Norton to explore how she approaches clear aligner treatment by beginning with the final restorative outcome, collaborating wi...

Digital full arch implant workflows can make complex treatment more efficient and predictable, but Dr. Robert Jung believes clinicians also need to understand where the technology can fail and how to adapt when it does. Dr. Jung joins Rob Norton to share how his goal of making full arch dentistry more accessible led him to build an in-house dental laboratory, adopt 3D printing and milling, develop...

Digital dental design is transforming the role of the dental technician by bringing technicians deeper into smile design, treatment planning, patient communication, and the complete digital dental workflow. Digital dental technician and exocad Dental Hero Kristina Vaitelytė joins Rob Norton to share how her background in art and photography led her into dental technology and helped shape the way s...

Zygomatic implants and patient specific implants are creating new treatment possibilities for patients with severe bone loss, cancer defects, facial trauma, and complex full arch cases that were once considered extremely difficult or impossible to restore. Dr. Vishtasb Broumand joins Rob Norton to share how his background in maxillofacial reconstruction led him from treating cancer and trauma pati...

Rob Norton and  Chris Kabot , Vice President and Head of Dental at Stratasys, explore the technologies shaping the next generation of digital dentistry. Chris shares his journey from developing some of the earliest digital workflows for guided surgery to leading one of the world's most innovative 3D printing companies. Together, they discuss the evolution of PolyJet technology, the advantages of m...

Digital dentures have transformed what's possible in modern dentistry, but technology alone isn't enough. Success also depends on communication, expectations, and understanding the realities of removable prosthetics.  Dr. Russell Schafer shares his unconventional journey from mechanical engineering and the oil industry into dentistry before becoming a leader in digital denture workflows. He discus...

Digital dentistry continues to reshape implant treatment, but where are today's workflows succeeding and where is there still room for innovation? Dr. Adam Zatcoff joins the Evolution of Dental Podcast to share his experience with photogrammetry, intraoral scanning, implant restorations, and overdenture workflows. Drawing from years of clinical practice, he discusses how digital technology has imp...

Jessica J. Knott has spent her career exploring nearly every corner of the dental industry. From her early days in the United States Air Force dental laboratory program to evaluating emerging technologies, implementing digital workflows, training clinicians and assistants, and helping shape the adoption of 3D printing in dentistry, her perspective is unlike almost anyone else in the field. This co...

Aaron Gelfand 's path into dentistry is anything but conventional. Before becoming a leader in digital implant workflows, he spent years as a tugboat captain, fishing guide, and business owner before helping build one of the most refined full-arch workflows in implant dentistry today. Aaron shares the story behind the EZ Ref system from Evolve Dentistry, his experience helping scale digital full-a...

Dentistry doesn't have to fit a mold, and Dr. James Carter has built an entire brand around proving it. Better known as the Implant Outlaw, Jimmy joins Robert Norton to share the story behind his unique approach to dentistry, practice ownership, and personal branding. From placing implants early in his career to embracing guided surgery, digital workflows, full arch rehabilitation, and AI-powered...

Cosmetic dentistry has evolved from analog impressions and “prep and pray” workflows into a fully digital world powered by smile design, intraoral scanning, dental photography, CAD CAM systems, and modern esthetic materials. Rob Norton sits down with Dr. Marvin Berlin , Clinical Director of Esthetics for Heartland Dental, cosmetic dentist, educator, mentor, and creator of the “Say Yes” philosophy...

Dr. Mikenah Joy Vega joins the Evolution of Dental Podcast for a conversation centered on functional dentistry, aesthetic smile design, wellness, and the modern patient experience. Her approach blends digital workflows, Invisalign driven treatment planning, photography, and long term functional care into a philosophy focused on confidence and transformation. From building her personal brand and na...

From AI-powered crown design and cloud-based workflows to exocad ART, faster zirconia sintering, and the future of digital dentistry, Rob Norton and Josh Jakson unpack their biggest takeaways from exocad Insights 2026 in Mallorca, Spain. Josh shares firsthand insight into the latest developments inside the exocad ecosystem, including AI Crown workflows, exocad Hub, browser-based design tools, mini...

Dr. Jacob Berger shares how his journey evolved from practicing comprehensive general dentistry to focusing almost entirely on full arch implant cases and smile transformations. He breaks down the progression of bringing workflows in-house, from open-tray impressions and smart conversions to photogrammetry, 3D printing, milling finals, and building a fully integrated in-house lab. The conversation...

Dr. Tracey Nguyen didn’t set out to redefine dentistry, but somewhere between cosmetic cases that didn’t last and patients searching for real answers, everything shifted. What starts as a conversation about her journey into dentistry quickly unfolds into something much bigger, a reframing of how we diagnose, treat, and think about the mouth as part of the entire body. From airway focused dentistry...

Jeffry Tobon , a pioneer in digital dentistry workflows and an early adopter of CAD CAM technology. Jeffry shares his journey from working with early Nobel Procera systems to mastering exocad and helping build CAD CAM departments in some of the largest dental laboratories in New York. What started as hands-on experience quickly evolved into building labs, launching Digital Dental Craftsmen, and sh...

Daniel Portal ’s path into digital dentistry didn’t follow the rules, and that’s exactly why it worked. From witnessing CAD/CAM transform labs overnight to building a career around exocad training and independent design, his perspective cuts through the hype and focuses on what actually works. This conversation explores the reality behind today’s workflows, including the limitations of intraoral s...

Hossein Bassir, CPO of SprintRay, breaks down how the industry is shifting from hardware-driven innovation to something much bigger: material science, software, and fully connected workflows. What used to take hours can now happen in minutes. But speed isn’t the full story. This conversation unpacks why viscosity changed everything in 3D printing, how new materials are pushing the limits of what’s...

Dr. Jonathan Abenaim shares his journey from an uncertain path in computer science to becoming a leading innovator in full-arch implant dentistry. He dives deep into the evolution of digital workflows, the disconnect between labs and clinicians, and how his hands-on approach led to groundbreaking inventions like advanced scan bodies and the Powerball Screw system. Dr. Abenaim breaks down the real...