Digital smile design founder Dr. Christian Coachman explains why the workflow should come before the technology, and what that means for 3D printing.This episode includes a sponsored message from SprintRay.In this interview, Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassiny talks with Dr. Christian Coachman, the dentist and dental technician who founded Digital Smile Design (DSD). Christian walks through the three pillars behind DSD (emotional, comprehensive, and guided dentistry) and explains why he ranks clinical execution last.From there, the conversation turns to technology adoption. Christian explains why he designs the workflow before choosing equipment, why he sees non-dental AI agents as the most interesting development right now, and why a new idea can take a decade to become routine.The second half covers chairside 3D printing and copy-paste dentistry, the gap between the diagnostic wax-up and the final restoration, how to choose a printer by listing indications first, where printed resins fit against ceramics, milling, and direct composite, and a five-scenario framework for deciding when to change a workflow you already have.Learn smile design with iDD - https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/bundles/digital-smile-design-online-course-bundle/Chapters00:00:00 Cold Open00:00:34 Introduction to Digital Dentistry Decoded00:01:11 Guest Introduction - Dr. Christian Coachman from DSD00:02:39 From Dental Technician to Smile Architect00:10:35 The Three Pillars of Digital Smile Design00:13:54 Why Clinical Execution Matters Least00:20:00 Buying Technology Without a Workflow00:27:47 A Business Model for Every Decision00:30:00 AI Agents and the Gadget Overload Problem00:35:54 From Podium Cases to Real Adoption00:44:45 Sponsor Message - SprintRay00:45:28 Scanners, Printers, and Copy-Paste Dentistry00:51:05 The Wax-Up Versus Final Outcome Gap00:52:57 How to Choose a Dental 3D Printer00:58:34 Printed Restorations - Final or Provisional?01:04:50 Where Printing Beats Milling01:10:09 The Five Scenarios Decision Framework01:12:26 Final Message - Back to Human Dentistry01:14:32 Closing Remarks------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------📲 Let's be social! Follow iDD on the following platforms:Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/instituteofdigitaldentistryInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/idigitaldentistry/LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/company/instituteofdigitaldentistryTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@idigitaldentistryX - https://x.com/iDigitalDentist📍Institute of Digital Dentistry At the forefront of digital dentistry education - your digital dentistry journey starts here! https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/📚 Join iDD's Free Academy and get instant access to over 40+ Free digital dentistry courses and eBook PDFs! https://idd.to/freeacademy💻 Check out our online course bundles: https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/bundles/🎙️Listen to our 'Digital Dentistry Decoded with iDD' podcast on your favorite streaming platform now! https://idd.to/podcast#DigitalSmileDesign #DigitalDentistry #Dental3DPrinting #ChristianCoachman #DigitalDentistryDecoded

Dental 3D printing went from niche to normal in a decade, and SprintRay led much of it. Co-founder Hossein Bassir on what actually changed.In this episode of Digital Dentistry Decoded, Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassiny sits down with Hossein Bassir, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of SprintRay, for a wide conversation on where dental 3D printing has been and where it is going. Hossein makes the case that materials, not printers, decide the outcome, and explains how that thinking led to Midas, Crown HT and the highly filled Restore resin.Dr. Ahmad pushes back as a full-time clinician, on printed crown longevity, on the criticism that press technology is smoke and mirrors, and on the post-processing and washing friction that still slows people down. They also get into open versus closed ecosystems, new business models for All-on-X, why only a small share of practices print today, and how better CAD and AI might change that.CHAPTERS00:00:00 Cold Open00:00:40 Guest Welcome - Hossein Bassir from SprintRay00:01:28 A Decade of Dental 3D Printing00:05:13 How Materials, Hardware and Software Connect00:11:23 Workflow and Materials as the Real Moat00:15:28 Why Midas and Press Printing Exist00:21:46 Answering the Smoke and Mirrors Criticism00:26:46 Printed Crowns, Recalls and Clinician Trust00:37:33 Why SprintRay Is the CEREC of 3D Printing00:42:36 The Post-Processing and Washing Problem00:49:14 Open Versus Closed Ecosystems00:55:37 Why Most Practices Do Not Print and the CAD Barrier01:07:36 Culture, the Next Hundred Years and What's Next01:18:25 Closing Thoughts------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------📲 Let's be social! Follow iDD on the following platforms:Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/instituteofdigitaldentistryInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/idigitaldentistry/LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/company/instituteofdigitaldentistryTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@idigitaldentistryX - https://x.com/iDigitalDentist📍Institute of Digital Dentistry At the forefront of digital dentistry education - your digital dentistry journey starts here! https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/📚 Join iDD's Free Academy and get instant access to over 40+ Free digital dentistry courses and eBook PDFs! https://idd.to/freeacademy💻 Check out our online course bundles: https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/bundles/🎙️Listen to our 'Digital Dentistry Decoded with iDD' podcast on your favorite streaming platform now! https://idd.to/podcast#DentalThreeDeePrinting #SprintRay #DigitalDentistry #PrintedCrowns #DDDPodcast

The Chicago Midwinter Meeting president on why dental expos are getting harder and how AI and 3D printing are reshaping dentistry.

In this episode of Digital Dentistry Decoded, Dr Ahmad Al-Hassiny sits down with Dr Phil Schefke, President of the Chicago Dental Society, for a candid conversation about where the dental industry and its biggest events are heading. They get into why expo attendance is getting harder every year, what is really driving the shift, and why Phil believes any clinician who does not keep pace with AI and 3D printing risks being left behind.

Phil shares how the CDS runs the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, why companies still choose Chicago to launch new products, and how his own organization has started using AI in the office. The two also dig into 3D printed ceramic crowns, the reimbursement squeeze in the US, the rural dentist shortage, and where dentistry could go over the next 20 years.

A wide-ranging read on the industry from someone who runs one of the largest dental meetings in the world.

New to digital 3D printing? Our 3D Printing and Design bundle walks you through bringing it in-house: https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/bundles/3d-printing-and-design-online-course-bundle/

Read our full Chicago Midwinter Meeting and LMT Lab Day 2026 recap: https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/news/chicago-midwinter-meeting-lmt-lab-day-2026/

CHAPTERS

00:00:00 Introduction to Digital Dentistry Decoded

00:00:57 Guest Introduction - Dr Phil Schefke from the CDS

00:02:34 Inside the Chicago Midwinter Meeting

00:07:00 Phil's Role and Path in Organized Dentistry

00:09:34 The Digital Wave and Industry Trends

00:12:24 Stay Current or Be Left Behind

00:13:31 One Lifetime of Change in Dentistry

00:16:47 Why In-Person Meetings Still Matter

00:21:07 What Is Driving Falling Expo Attendance

00:26:52 AI in the Practice and an AI Receptionist

00:30:38 3D Printing, Pressed CAD and Printed Crowns

00:32:28 The Reimbursement Squeeze in America

00:35:15 New Graduates and the Rural Dentist Shortage

00:38:21 The Next 20 Years of Dentistry

00:39:55 Why Companies Launch Products in Chicago

00:43:01 Closing Thoughts and Joining the CDS

📲 Let's be social! Follow iDD on the following platforms: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/instituteofdigitaldentistry

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/idigitaldentistry/

LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/company/instituteofdigitaldentistry

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@idigitaldentistry

X - https://x.com/iDigitalDentist

📍Institute of Digital Dentistry At the forefront of digital dentistry education - your digital dentistry journey starts here! https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/

📚 Join iDD's Free Academy and get instant access to over 40+ Free digital dentistry courses and eBook PDFs! https://idd.to/freeacademy

💻 Check out our online course bundles: https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/bundles/

🎙️Listen to our 'Digital Dentistry Decoded with iDD' podcast on your favorite streaming platform now! https://idd.to/podcast

#DigitalDentistry #ChicagoMidwinterMeeting #ChicagoDentalSociety #FutureOfDentistry #DentalPodcast