Dr. Siamak Abai is a graduate of Harvard University’s Advanced Graduate Education program in Prosthodontics with a master’s degree in oral biology and prosthodontics. He earned his DDS degree from Columbia University, followed by two years of Advanced Education in General Dentistry training. He is the director of clinical research and development at the Glidewell International Technology Center, where he is involved in the advancement of guided implant surgery through an all-digital workflow. Dr. Abai is a lecturer for the UCLA School of Dentistry’s Advanced Prosthodontics residency program, and practices implant, reconstructive and esthetic dentistry in Irvine, California. His research and case presentations have been published in numerous leading dental publications. Contact him at Siamak.Abai@glidewelldental.com.
Bob Salvin is the founder and CEO of Salvin Dental Specialties, Inc, a Charlotte, NC based manufacturer of surgical instrumentation and biomaterials for implant dentistry.
Starting from the trunk of a really bad used car in 1981, he has built a business with global brand recognition, now doing business in over 110 countries. This year, Salvin Dental reached a milestone by acquiring a division of a publicly traded company.
Salvin Dental has been recognized multiple times as a Fast 50 privately held company by Bank of America and Price Waterhouse Coopers, and has been honored numerous times as a Best Place To Work employer. The company is a recipient of the North Carolina Governor’s International Trade Award.
Bob is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner and a recipient of the Seattle Study Club Charlie English Community Education Award.
Bob’s entrepreneurial story has been featured in a number of publications including a chapter in Jeffrey Gitomer’s Amazon.com and New York Times best selling book, The Sales Bible.
Bob has been married to Susan Salvin, former director of the Presbyterian Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, for 27 years.
Dr. Moody grew up on a ranch just outside Crawford Nebraska where his family has called home for 6 generations. Graduating from Crawford High School in 1989 and attending the University of Nebraska at Lincoln studying Biological Sciences. In 1997 he graduated from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center college of Dentistry with his doctorate. While in dental school he was awarded the National Disaster Medical System Appreciation letter for his efforts during the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Teledyne Removable Prothedontic outstanding student award, the Oral Pathology outstanding student award and completed a mini residency in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry department.
Learning didn’t stop after graduating from dental school, Dr. Moody knew that incorporating dental implants into his practice was the right thing to do for his patients. He attended the prestigious Misch International Implant Institute where he was awarded a fellowship and mastership. Once a month for a year he flew to Atlanta Georgia to attend the AAID maxi-course residency at the Medical College of Georgia. That education and countless other courses and seminars gave Dr. Moody the knowledge and experience to become one the leading dental implantologists in the United States. He has earned Fellow and Diplomate status in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, Fellow and Associate Fellow status in the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and is one of the youngest Diplomates in the American Board of Oral Implantology/implant dentistry. Dr. Moody is adjunct faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a Mentor at the Kois Center in Seattle Washington.
Providing quality dental care to rural America is a priority of Dr. Moody's, he is the owner of Horizon West Dental group which has multiple offices in western Nebraska providing state of the art dental care with the latest in technology by some of the most highly trained dentists around. In 2008 Dr. Moody limited his practice to the field of dental implants by opening the first Dental Implant Center in Rapid City South Dakota. Today there are multiple centers in the Midwest providing cutting edge dental implant care to thousands of patients. Understanding how important continuing education is to today's general dentist, Dr. Moody lectures across the country and around the world as well as providing hands on training from his state of the art South Dakota Dental Implant Center in Rapid City South Dakota.
Dr. Moody stays busy in his private practice and training dentists across the country and around the world. His real passion is for his family and friends. Christina, his wife of 20 years has been his biggest fan supporting his dreams and serving as business manager along with raising 2 amazing boys. Aaron is 19and is studying civil engineering at the University of Wyoming while Trent is 15 and already has an eye for business and the golf ball.
Gary Takacs’ passion is helping dentists develop their ideal practice. Specializing in the ‘business of dentistry’, his unique, in-depth knowledge of the components of a successful practice has helped thousands of dental offices thrive in today’s challenging business environment. Gary’s seminars, highly acclaimed audio and videotape programs, and his in-office consulting services have helped many dentists develop a more profitable and enjoyable practice.
A familiar presence on the dental lecture circuit, Gary frequently addresses dentists and team members at national dental meetings, regional seminars, and study club meetings here in the United States and internationally as well. His seminars are designed for the doctor and the entire dental team and are recognized for being both highly educational and entertaining. Attendees often comment that they learned more than they ever imagined and that Gary’s seminar was the most fun they have ever had at a dental meeting!!
Although Gary is not a dentist, he owns a dental practice in partnership with Dr. Paul Nielson. His practice is called LifeSmiles Dental Care and this practice serves as a learning and teaching laboratory for Gary to ‘test’ concepts that he can apply in his teaching.
In addition to maintaining an active speaking schedule, Gary has published over 350 articles on practice management topics in professional publications. His articles have been published in leading journals including Dentistry Today, AGD Impact, Dental Management, Dental Business Today, Dental Update, Dental Economics, Dental Practice & Finance and many state journals.
Gary is also the founder of Ride & Learn, and Race & Learn, perhaps the most unique continuing education programs in dentistry today. Ride and Learn combines Gary’s interests in continuing education and Harley Davidson motorcycles. A number of times each year Gary leads a small group of dentists on Harley Davidson motorcycle tours through some of the most scenic parts of the country. Each evening the group convenes for an evening of stimulating CE in the lodge. The Race and Learn courses are held at the world-famous Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix, Arizona and combine dental courses with high performance driving.
As CEO of Dental Intelligence, Weston oversees the strategic direction of the company and its products. He manages Dental Intelligence’s revenue growth and future expansion plans. He also dedicates a large part of his time to be intimately involved with our clients, the dentists, to fully understand their needs, wants and experience with Dental Intelligence’s products and solutions.
Weston has spent the previous 10 years as the principal partner in Lunsford Peck Certified Public Accountants providing services for medical and dental professionals with nearly 2,000 clients. Weston’s vision and desire to create value has emanated passion throughout the company.
“We are passionate about what we do… We trust in each other and in our abilities to create something special, something unique, and something impactful. We make incredible happen!”