Outside of our own circles, dental practitioners are often cast as tooth mechanics, more technicians than medical diagnosticians. Our compliant patients see us on six-month rotations, getting to know our craftsmanship through our assistants and hygienists, while those less cooperative fear us as pain-causing cynics. Despite the unjustness of that tag, most of us happily go to work secure in our knowledge and expert training, and make a significant, positive difference in our patients’ lives.

It is with that mindset that I’ve taken the reins of Chairside^® magazine. Prior to joining Glidewell Laboratories in January 2012, I sharpened my dental understanding by attaining a certificate in prosthodontics and an MMedSc degree from Harvard University. Through this continued effort to stay educated, today I am fortunate to work alongside some of the foremost minds in dental materials’ research. At Glidewell Laboratories, I’m able to verify the clinical acceptability of concepts long before we dare ask other practitioners to trust our products.

With technologies on the horizon that enable dentists to prep, fabricate and deliver a restoration in about an hour, it’s a wonderful time to be in dentistry. This issue of Chairside features a pair of articles that demonstrate the single-day workflows possible with BruxZir^® NOW. In my one-on-one interview with Dr. Mona Goodarzi, we discuss how today’s clinicians can sift through the hype and discern which tools might be beneficial for a practice. An article by Dr. Robert E. Garfield reminds clinicians of a common, but often missed, cause of pain in denture cases, and walks us through a solution.

With a mix of authors showcasing the future, the now and the things that we must not let ourselves forget, it is my sincere hope that the knowledge contained in these pages encourages practitioners to continue to improve their own abilities to better patients’ lives. I’m tremendously excited to extend the legacy of this publication, and I look forward to hearing what you think of our endeavor.