Dr. Scott Ganz & Dr. Isaac Tawil
Meeting with Scott Ganz and Isaac Tawil in NYC is akin to sitting centre stage at Carnegie Hall while the New York Philharmonic Orchestra tunes up. What appears discordant and cacophonous is in fact a prelude to the symphonic genius each brings to dentistry. The meeting’s purpose was to address how best to bring the wizardry of the Digital Dentistry Society to North America amid the tidal waves of economic, technologic, and demographic changes reshaping the industry. That part of the story is to come, however, there is a past and present necessary to get the reader to the planning underway for an epic Congress.
As the pater familias of this gathering, Scott’s story is that of a seminal trailblazer through the uncharted landscape of the digital realm. A trained maxillo-facial prosthodontist, he artfully combined his passions for jazz, photography, and his pioneering expertise in computers and graphic artistry into his dental journey. From the 2D drawings in Wheeler’s Dental Anatomy and Physiology to the 3D stereolithographic models and surgical guides he prints into the wee hours of the night, he was and continues to be a force in the rooms where it happened.
Upon graduation from MD Anderson Cancer Institute and the Texas Health and Science Center, Scott’s first associateship was with the Promethean implantologist, Dr. Leonard Linkow, a true pioneer, the only dentist to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in medicine, a rather august and instructive entrée into the profession. Forged in the crucible of wood panelled board rooms, by global lecturing, with a seat at the executive table during the formative years of the AAID, the ICOI among others, late-night talks with the giants of the era, and his leadership in organizations worldwide, Scott’s prolific career of lectures, contributions to 22 textbooks and the addition of over 150 articles to the dental literature, has never waned.
Scott worked with Columbia Scientific Inc. in the late 1980’s to help with the development and introduction of the first interactive treatment planning software (SIMPlant) based on 3-D imaging derived from Computed Tomography (CT). While lecturing in Marburg, Germany in 1985, he was introduced to one of the first CBCT units (QR company Verona, Italy) which instigated his tireless contributions to the literature on computational radiology throughout each successive decade.
For 40 plus years, his presentations in over 40 countries spreading the gospel and liturgy of implantology have enabled him to innovate and elevate guided implant surgery and related applications for clinicians. He relates that “the opportunity to meet and learn from colleagues all over the world has been a humbling experience”. Much of the technology integral to contemporary therapy was developed outside the United States, and his peripatetic travels, never truly landing for long at Liberty Newark Airport, have kept him connected to and collaborating with a vast network of global contemporaries. That, to poach from Robert Frost, has made all the difference.
“Scott artfully combined his passions for jazz, photography, and his pioneering expertise in computers and graphic artistry into his dental journey.”
Isaac, the much younger, and better-looking half-brother (wink emoji) is an obsessive innovator/inventor who has never encountered a dental product he did not wish to reverse engineer, iterate, and ultimately improve upon. Armed with a master’s degree in biology from Long Island University, he pursued his DDS degree at New York University, where he routinely MacGyver’d extracurricular activities for the student body all the while day trading to pay for his studies.
Isaac’s father, a distinguished fixture of the Brooklyn, New York dental community, brought him into contact with a network of renowned specialists. The endodontist Sam Maysr, a pioneer in microsurgical techniques and inventor of the fiber post, and periodontist Sheldon Lerner, CEO of BlueSky Bio, who manufactured implants and abutments he wanted but couldn’t find, channeled Isaac’s passions. Fueled by a rapacious thirst for knowledge, continuing education became his driver. A chance opportunity to lecture as a last-minute replacement at a study club, along with the support of Zimmer and MiS implant sales representatives who saw his exceptionalism, propelled his career as an educator.
Isaac’s role as an alpha/beta tester and consultant for 3Shape, Carestream, Medit, 3Disc, Megagen, SprintRay, and Formlabs leaves his office looking like an Amazon fulfillment center of products. Recently he was appointed Clinical Director for Shining 3D Dental which will add an Alibabesque look to the assemblage. A inveterate industrial designer, Isaac began to design and manufacture dental instruments, eventually establishing TBS Dental, a bespoke instrument company that has introduced a bevy of innovative patented products. Any conversation with Isaac is littered with the admonition, “I can’t tell you the name, but” as he is forever involved with development of the next big thing.
“Any conversation with Isaac is littered with the admonition, “I can’t tell you the name, but” as he is forever involved with development of the next big thing.”
Isaac is a prolific contributor to the dental field, having published over 30 articles and co-authored three textbooks. A highly sought after speaker, he has risen to ambassadorships within such prestigious organizations as MINEC, the Clean Implant Foundation, and the Digital Dentistry Society. Perhaps his most significant venture to date was founding Advanced Implant Education (AIE), an educational company dedicated to advanced training in dental implantology.
Isaac’s path ultimately crossed with Scott’s at an ICOI meeting in 2012, which led to the establishment of their business partnership, think more Simon and Garfunkel, than Lennon and McCartney, in AIE. The dynamic between the humble, self-effacing giant and the equally as humble quizzical Brooklyn native eager to explore new frontiers has forged an enduring personal and professional bond. Their conversations on surgical guides and innovations in implantology at that meeting in 2012 marked the beginning of a collaboration that would over time shape the industry. Hearing them reflect on their careers is akin to listening to an audiobook chronicling the timelines, milestones, and quirks of a panoply of the pioneers of modern implant dentistry.
Their journey has been enriched by countless collaborations with industry leaders and influencers, from Gerry Niznick and Jack Krauser to Marius Steigmann, Maurice Salama, Howie Gluckman, Davide Farronato, Diego Lopes, Ashraf Souyah, Miguel Stanley, and Alessandro Pozzi. This ever-growing network, amplified by the endless communications overlay of social media, continues to shape the evolution of digital dentistry and implantology.
Despite the rapid advancement of digital technologies, dentistry remains, to a greater or lesser degree, rooted in analog practices. While the adoption of digital solutions has grown significantly, it continues to be incremental rather than exponential. To accelerate this transformation, we must rethink traditional educational models by integrating both synchronous and asynchronous learning, and reimagining hands-on training by incorporating laboratory production facilities into the course workflow.
The Digital Dental Society (DDS) stands in the global evolutionary vanguard propagating and disseminating the expanding universe of digital dentistry. Founded by a visionary group of clinicians and dental laboratory technicians principally from Italy, DDS has grown into a international colossus dedicated to education, research, and invention. The highly successful DDS Conferences have united an elite partnership of clinicians and companies committed to advancing protocols and establishing standards that define and refine digital workflows, ultimately optimizing the accuracy and success of treatment outcomes. Now, DDS is “Coming to America” under the aegis of its North American ambassadors Drs. Ganz and Tawil and the digital savant Miladinov Milos.
The goal is to further expand the outreach of the DDS with a truly bespoke inclusionary conference that will merge researchers, educators, corporate partners, and laboratory technicians into a unique orchestration of the digital arts and sciences. This event, with a date and location to be announced, think 2026, will offer a vibrant program that bridges the past, present, and future of digital dentistry. The Main Podium presentations will showcase state-of-the-art technologies and treatment protocols, complemented by a series of repeating in-depth hands-on workshops and break out rooms designed to provide practical, real-world applications that will allow for both immediate implementation and educational needs projection.
None of this would be possible without the unwavering and unrelenting support of our industry partners, who play a vital role in advancing digital dentistry worldwide. Their contribution is the fuel for the innovation, education, and collaboration that is the core mission of the Digital Dental Society.
This is the vision for North America. This is the mandate for North America. Stay tuned.