Updates on Glidewell’s new CEO, National Dentex’s latest acquisition, and a new CareQuest Institute initiative, plus an article on defining esthetics (https://www.aegisdentalnetwork.com/idt/2022/02/defining-esthetics).

Welcome to IDT Weekly! I’m Jason Mazda, and here’s what’s new. Glidewell announced that Stephenie Goddard has taken over as CEO for founder Jim Glidewell. Goddard has been with the company for 15 years, most recently serving as Chief Experience Officer. In 2019, she founded the Guiding Leaders Summit, which was featured in our sister publication Inside Dentistry, and she earned the 2020 Mentor Award from the Lucy Hobbs Project. Her predecessor stresses that he’s not stepping down, saying instead that he “could use another hand at the helm.” Goddard says she’s thrilled by the continued opportunity to positively impact the future of dentistry. National Dentex made yet another acquisition, this time adding Biotech Dental Prosthetics in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The 24-year-old laboratory will relocate to the NDX headquarters in Jupiter, Florida, and Biotech president Frank Lavonia III will become GM of the new state-of-the-art laboratory there. NDX CEO Tom Daulton says Lavonia’s crown and bridge expertise is second to none, and Lavonia says it’s a dream come true to now combine two generations of experience with the nationwide resources of NDX. The Oral Health Pandemic Response Workgroup, organized by CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, sent letters to government officials urging them to prioritize oral health equity and access at the federal level. They asked that stakeholders convene and develop an action plan, as access to oral health care remains out of reach for many segments of the population. They said that their members, including executives from across the dental landscape, stand ready to help. This month in IDT, our cover story discusses the challenge of defining esthetics. Despite all efforts to quantify esthetics and create standardized protocols, every patient is unique and one person’s definition of esthetics may differ from another’s. We spoke to technicians from different generations and parts of the country to get their takes on the latest trends and how they go about satisfying patient demands. We hope you’ll check out the article. Well, that’s it for this week. Thank you, as always, for making IDT your source for the latest in dental laboratory technology.