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

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

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#DigitalDentistry #ChicagoMidwinterMeeting #ChicagoDentalSociety #FutureOfDentistry #DentalPodcast

Cosmetic dentistry has changed more in the last decade than in the twenty years before it, and Dr. Jameel Gardee has lived every step.

In this episode of Digital Dentistry Decoded, Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassiny sits down with Dr. Jameel Gardee, cosmetic dentist and Smile Design educator at Avant Garde in the UK. Jameel trained under Christian Coachman and has spent more than a decade on digital smile design, so the conversation traces what actually changed as the field moved from film cameras and hand wax-ups to scan-first, guided digital workflows. They dig into the principles that still matter (starting with the face), how Jameel's team leans on support staff and a scan-every-patient philosophy, the rise of dental tourism and overtreatment, and where 3D-printed restoratives fit next to zirconia and e.max. If you want a grounded, honest read on modern cosmetic dentistry, this one earns your time.

The full course Jameel and the Avant Garde team built with iDD, Aesthetic Smile Design Excellence, is linked below.

Thank you to SprintRay for sponsoring this Digital Dentistry Decoded Podcast. To learn more about their 3D Printers and to Book a Demo - https://info.sprintray.com/digital-dentistry-decoded-podcast

Aesthetic Smile Design Excellence course - https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/bundles/aesthetic-smile-design-excellence-course/

Chapters

00:00:00 Cold Open

00:00:35 Introduction to Digital Dentistry Decoded

00:01:05 Meet Dr Jameel Gardee and Avant Garde

00:02:10 From Glasgow to Boston University

00:04:23 Discovering Digital Smile Design

00:10:16 What Makes Cosmetic Dentistry Different

00:13:29 Start With the Face

00:16:18 From Film Cameras to Digital Predictability

00:20:15 Key Pearls for New Dentists

00:26:41 Why AI Won't Replace Patient Trust

00:30:38 The Scan-First Patient Journey

00:37:44 Dental Tourism and Overtreatment

00:40:11 Scanners, Zirconia and 3D Printing

00:50:04 Navigating Fast-Changing Materials

00:55:16 Final Thoughts

📲 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

#CosmeticDentistry #DigitalSmileDesign #DigitalDentistry #DentalPodcast

Cosmetic dentistry case acceptance is a communication problem, not a sales problem, and Dr. Brian Harris breaks down exactly how he closes cases.In this episode of Digital Dentistry Decoded, Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassiny sits down with Dr. Brian Harris, a Phoenix-based cosmetic dentist with more than 300,000 Instagram followers and 22 years spent placing porcelain veneers. The conversation digs into the patient journey Brian built around video-based virtual consultations, why he says it drives a 92% acceptance rate on cases over $15,000, and how he uses smile test drives and freehand mock-ups so patients feel confident before they ever commit.They also get into where 3D-printed veneers fit alongside porcelain, the three-tier menu of services Brian offers every patient, how he talks about veneer longevity honestly, and the mindset he calls connection before conversion. It is a practical look at the patient communication and smile design habits behind consistent cosmetic dentistry case acceptance.If you offer cosmetic dentistry, which of your services would you turn into a named three-tier menu? Let us know in the comments.CHAPTERS00:00:00 Cold Open00:00:39 Welcome and Guest Introduction00:02:06 Brian Harris's Background and Dental Family00:04:59 Getting Into Cosmetics Through Social Media00:07:38 Advice for Dentists Entering Cosmetic Dentistry00:09:35 Veneer Materials, Ceramics, and Cements00:12:14 The Scanners He Uses in Practice00:13:31 The Virtual Consult Process and Case Acceptance00:19:18 Social Media as a Lead Generation Engine00:22:02 The In-Person Consult and Smile Test Drive00:28:40 How to Present a Mock-Up to Patients00:30:14 Charging for Cosmetic Consultations00:31:45 3D-Printed Veneers, Neer, and Longevity00:37:36 The Three-Tier Menu of Services00:44:33 Patient Questions and Objections00:48:29 Connection Before Conversion------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------📲 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#CosmeticDentistry #CaseAcceptance #DigitalDentistry #DentalPodcast #Veneers