The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes 2480: From Analog to AI Inside the Modern Dental Lab
Apr 3, 2026
Steven Fey, VP of Business Development at Maverick Dental Lab, a leader in dental lab operations and digital workflows. He traces the shift from analog to digital, breaks down where AI helps and where it falls short, and explains how AI can streamline case intake and routing. He also discusses acquisition strategy, in-house fabrication choices, and why relationship-driven service keeps clients loyal.
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Episode notes
AI Helps Triage Not Replace Craft
- AI is improving lab workflows most effectively at case intake and triage rather than full prosthetic design.
- Maverick uses AI to read scans/RX data and sort cases so technicians focus on aesthetics and customer-facing work.
Automate Data Entry Freeing Technicians
- Delegate repetitive digital entry to AI so experienced staff concentrate on aesthetics and client relationships.
- Use integrations or OCR to auto-import scans and RXs, then have techs perform quality-control edits.
PFMs Persist Despite Digital Shift
- Most fabrication stays in-house but PFMs remain outsourced due to labor intensity and margin pressures.
- About 80% of Maverick's work is fabricated internally while PFMs and economy-level PFM demand persist.
