861: Dental Lab Secrets Exposed: What You Really Should Know About the Best Dentist & Lab Tech Relationships – Dr. Christopher Mazzola, Dr. Charlie Ward, & Joshua Polansky

Do you ever wonder what your dental techs really think about you? In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christopher Mazzola and Dr. Charlie Ward to pick the brain of Joshua Polansky, owner of Niche Dental Studio, to answer your burning questions and to reveal the secret to a great relationship and partnership with your dental techs. To hear one dental tech’s advice for becoming a better dentist, listen to Episode 861 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Mazzola, Dr. Ward, & Joshua:Join Dr. Mazzola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.mazzolaFollow Dr. Mazzola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherdmazzoladdsSend Dr. Ward an email: [email protected] Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwardddsFollow Joshua on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nichedentalstudioRegister for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17004&tuition=0&lodging=trueRegister for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (June 17-20, 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mardRegister for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course (July 30, 2026 to August 1, 2026): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17781&tuition=0&lodging=trueLearn More About ACT Dental:ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/134ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.comACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdentalACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdentalACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdentalMore Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Main Takeaways:Don't be an asshole or an “ask hole”.Stop making the job harder for dental techs.Communication is key. Be open and receptive to feedback.Manage your expectations. A great lab doesn't mean perfection.Every dentist needs to go through the pain of developing their own style.Set realistic expectations for yourself, your dental techs, and your patients.For the best possible outcome, dentists and dental techs need to work together.Social media is a highlight reel. Don't compare yourself to something that isn't real.Quotes:“When we think about planning complex cases and interdisciplinary treatment planning, the ceramist gets left out of that. The technician gets left out of that. I don't do any complicated cases or treatment planning without talking to Josh. I have to know, in order to finalize the plan — we had this conversation yesterday. We had two conversations. We had the implant conversation on something, that the design was off, and then we had a conversation about a complex plan that I'm presenting on Monday that, ‘Hey, what's this going to look like? We have to open vertical. I need to do ortho. I need to do these things. What sequence would make sense for you guys to make sure I get the design back that I want to?’ So that, to me, is a piece that's missing. We teach it at Pankey in the aesthetics class, which Josh teaches with me, that you need to find a ceramist that can deliver the type of work that you want and that you can have a relationship with to have these conversations, because they're going to have to deliver that case at the end for you. So, just like you're going to talk to perio and you're going to talk to ortho in these complex cases, the ceramist is 100% a part of your specialty team.” (7:21—8:37) -Dr. Ward“People treatment plan in a silo. So, they're by themselves. One thing that we see quite a bit of is a lot of people have this knowledge. They can rattle off the facts to you. But when it comes to treatment planning and then setting up a plan and executing it, the confidence disappears. I think it's because, a lot of times, they don't know how good they are — and it's because they don't have working relationships with specialists like dental technicians. I know I've worked with Josh and I've spitballed some things. It's never like, ‘Hey, man. That's a terrible idea.’ It's like, ‘Okay, I see how that would work. I've also seen it fail this way, this way, and this way,’ because for every one case I do in my career, he's got 50 that have come across his desk — at the minimum. So, I think building that rapport with someone, whether it's another dentist, or your ceramist, or whomever, to be able to find that conversation is what's important. Josh knows we know what we're doing. But I know that he really appreciates it when we pick up the phone and he can put his input in to say like, ‘That's a great idea. But turn this way just a hair, and it's going to be so much smoother for me, you, and the patient.’” (8:53—10:22) -Dr. Mazzola“A dental technician wants nothing more than to have dentists that “know what they're doing”. But I think, as a technician, what I appreciate the most is that I know these guys know that I know what I'm talking about. Meaning, I think dental technicians have a really big fear to voice their opinion because, on the totem pole, we're down here. We're at the bottom. I've definitely, I guess through hard work, punched my way up to the top to get their respect. But once I've gotten here, I appreciate the fact that I have dentists — and man, if you had access to my email, you would really see, I don't want to say how insecure, but the questions I get are very basic. But at the same time, I think from a maturity standpoint, I can step back and look at them with no judgment, that maybe I am their only resource because they're embarrassed to ask their colleagues or they're embarrassed to ask specialists. So, you'd be surprised at what I'm asked on a daily basis from dentists. I don't judge them because, at the end, they should grow and evolve and get better. But I think that I've appreciated, as a technician, that I am reached out to a lot. Before, it used to be a lot of pride. Now, I think it's better for the patient and better for the outcome because, in the end, the treatment plans are usually a combination of something the doctor wanted to do and something I wanted to do kind of melded together.” (10:30—12:00) -Joshua“We work in an incredibly stressful environment. Technicians do behind the scenes, so you guys don't see our...