Welcome back to Digital By Design!

In this episode, we sit down with David Bolen to unpack a journey that mirrors the entire evolution of digital dentistry itself. From analog benches and door-to-door sales to global 3D printing leadership and full-scale additive production. This is the real story behind digital adoption: the sleepless nights babysitting mills, the fear of change inside family-owned labs, the emotional turning points that force innovation, and the relentless competitive drive that pushes the industry forward.

We dive deep into:

• Growing up around dentistry without choosing it — and finding your way back through technology
• Early Sirona days and learning the culture of the lab before selling the tech
• Why digital wasn’t about replacing analog — it was about saving families, time, and health
• The harsh realities of early digital: wooden models, red cams, overnight milling, and burnout
• How industrial 3D printing changed scalability, confidence, and All-on-X production forever
• Why true production printing is not for dabblers — and who it’s actually for
• The real difference between DLP and PolyJet for dental manufacturing
• How Stratasys became a backbone for surgical guides, digital dentures, and full-arch workflows
• Why workflow, hardware, and solutions always beat shiny equipment
• The emotional cost of mom-and-pop labs trying to survive the digital shift
• What the next decade of additive dentistry really looks like

This is for the lab owners who’ve lived the grind, for techs questioning their next step, and for anyone who wants the truth behind digital dentistry’s evolution. If you care about legacy, scalability, confidence, and building something that actually lasts… this one hits home.