Continental Dental Laboratories Corporate Profile By: Kareen Chamberlain

Without a penny in his pocket, or speaking a word of English, Jerry Doviack came to the United States in 1968 with nothing but a dream. He left his native country of Poland to start a new life here in America. He literally built Continental Dental Laboratories from the ground up. In 1970, Jerry and his wife Tina started Continental Dental together. They had just moved to the United States from Poland, where Jerry began his dental career. He graduated from the Institute of Dental Technology in Poland and became a Certified Dental Technician (CDT). Tina completed her MS in Chemistry from the Politechnik University in Poland and later on from the University of Southern California (USC). Jerry spent long hours working at the bench, training technicians and drumming up sales, while Tina managed the day-to-day operations and business finances. Working together they formed a powerful

From left to right: Jerry Doviack, President & CDT, Tina Doviack, VP, Robert Gonzalez, Lab Manager

dental alliance and partnership. Continental Dental Laboratories quickly grew to become one of the most innovative and talked about laboratories in the greater Los Angeles area. In a few years it had increased its laboratory production and continued to grow and expand its operations by servicing dentists across the United States.

Now entering its 33rd year, Continental Dental has just moved its corporate office and laboratory to a brand new larger facility in Southern California. Conveniently located just minutes from Los Angeles International Airport, Continental plans to expand and continue to provide the same personal and customized service its customers have come to expect over the years. “We are expanding our operations to provide our customers with a state-of-the-art facility that has the capacity and technology to provide dentists with the consistency and unsurpassed quality their patients expect and deserve. Our goal is to satisfy even the most difficult patients and help each of our dentists grow his or her practice without having to spend a fortune doing it,” says Jerry.

Dedicated Customer Support
What differentiates Continental Dental from other large laboratories is their personalized customer service and the incredible value of its entire product line. “With our friendly and professional staff, our dentists speak directly to their own account representatives. We don’t believe in automated phone menus, or big call centers where our doctors get lost in the shuffle. We like to know our doctors and their assistants by name,” says Angel Canady, Customer Service Director. With almost 10 years of customer service experience and training at UCLA’s PreDental Laboratory Technique course, Angel is able to assist doctors with general questions and concerns about patient cases. No matter what type of product or appliance, Continental’s expert customer service staff and dedicated trained technical support team are always available to help dentists with case planning and design work at the bench.

Ceramist carefully glazes porcelain crown

Lab technicians thoroughly examine each patient’s case

Leading Edge Technology
Continental Dental is a certified lab that receives special training and education from the manufacturers of today’s most popular products like Captek™, Procera® and Cerec®. In order to stay on top of the latest technologies, Continental requires all of its technicians and support representatives to attend seminars and training such as the Captek seminar hosted by Ed McLaren, DDS at UCLA, and the Avanté™ porcelain restoration training hosted by world-renown ceramist, Francesco Ferretti of Rome, Italy.

With a full range of products from all-ceramics like, Procera®, IPS Empress™, Cerec® to all cast and high-noble restorations like Captek™, SinterKor™, to a full line of removables from dentures to cast and acrylic partials, and thermoplastics like Flexite™, it is no wonder Continental Dental is a leading provider and laboratory of choice for small practices and large dental clinics nationwide.

Yet, even with such a wide selection of products, some dentists may still wonder what differentiates Continental Dental Laboratories from other regional and local labs. “It’s quite simple really,” says Jerry. “We are one of a few select labs in the U.S. that is becoming more ‘vertically integrated’. We manufacture a lot of what we produce in-house, such as our impression materials, waxes, and other supplies. This helps us maintain our competitive cost advantage. By keeping our supply and material costs low, we are able to offer our dentists high quality products and services at a fraction of retail lab prices.”

With access to global markets, Continental is able to offer the latest dental products and appliances at the most competitive prices in the industry. As a fairly large laboratory, Continental Dental is able to buy its supplies and equipment directly from dental manufacturers. This provides Continental with negotiation benefits and allows them to pass on significant cost savings directly to their customers.

Continental assigns personal account reps for each dental office

Lab Manager, Robert Gonzalez, uses the latest CAD/CAM technology to produce one of the strongest crowns and bridges to date

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“We fit each case on three separate models
to ensure a proper fit.

We take every precaution to guarantee a
proper fit the first time to reduce
the possibility of any remakes.”

Robert Gonzalez
Laboratory Manager

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How To Choose the Right Product
With the wide variety of restorations available today, some dentists find choosing the right product a bit confusing. “We do the research for you to help you identify the best products available to fit the individual needs of your patients” says Jerry. “With so many products available it can be difficult and a little overwhelming. We take the guesswork out of prescribing the latest dental products and appliances for your patients.”

Continental manufactures a full-line of dental products and supplies to satisfy even the most savvy dental boutiques. “Some of our most popular products and bestsellers include; high-noble gold restorations like Captek™, to the latest CAD/CAM technology like Cerec® and Procera®, and removables, like Flexite™ . Without a doubt our consistent quality and everyday low prices help us attract and keep our dentists satisfied” says Tina. “We don’t like to advertise loss leader ‘teasers’ and introductory prices–it’s unfair to our customers.” As Vice-President of Continental Dental, Tina’s role has changed over the years. She still oversees the entire production process and everyday operations, but still enjoys handling a lot of her accounts personally.

Tina still volunteers her time on the phone with doctors and provides technical telephone support. “After so many years you develop a relationship with your customers. I like to be on a first-name basis and get to know their likes, dislikes, which products they prefer, and their particular style and preferences” says Tina. “I’ve been doing this for so long, I now have the pleasure of working with a second generation of dentists–it’s a real treat,” smiles Tina. If you think this sounds too incredible, just ask any one of their satisfied doctors and they will tell you the same thing.

Dr. Mark Groskin, DDS, a long-time customer said, “I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the quality work your lab has been producing for my practice. I have worked with many labs in my past 16 years in dentistry, but never a lab as exceptional as yours. Your crown and bridge work is superb! Inserting crowns and bridges is now fun for me! Both single and multiple units go in with minimal adjustments. The fit and marginal integrity is superb. What used to take a half hour to an hour for inserts, are now done in 19 minutes. Thanks a million.”

Satisfaction Guarantee
In order to ensure customer satisfaction Continental Dental guarantees most of its work for five years of clinical use and any remakes pertaining to laboratory work are done free of charge except for: immediate partials and dentures, orthodontic appliances, temporaries, change of material, or notification to the doctor of poor model or impression. All remakes pertaining to laboratory work are done free-of-charge, providing the original models and impressions are returned with the case.

We fit each case on 3 separate models to ensure a proper fit” says Robert Gonzalez, Laboratory Manager. “We take every precaution to ensure a proper fit the first time to reduce the possibility of any remakes.”

Dr. Truman E. Spires, was so pleased, he wrote Continental saying, “I want to thank you and your technicians for demonstrating honesty and integrity in the handling of a remake (Sculpture-FibreKor Bridge) that had failed in the mouth. I was not sure it could happen (remake at no charge), so you made the dean’s list as far I’m concerned.”

Coming from one of the largest and most respected labs in the country, Robert has over a decade of experience managing lab production and supervising technicians. At Continental, he oversees the entire lab process from start to finish. Robert and his team of expert technicians provide technical support for doctors who call in with questions on cases and overall production issues. In fact, what differentiates Continental’s lab work from most other labs is their customized lab stone and impression material. “Our lab stone is specially designed to exactly match the expansion of our impression material. By yielding a near perfect fit, we guarantee less remakes, especially for difficult patients and impressions,” says Robert. With access to the latest developments and trends in lab technology, Continental strives to offer these innovations to their customers at exceptional values.

New modern reception area welcomes visitors and guests

Pictured above (left to right): Angel Canady, Ed Molinari, Tina Doviack, VP Jerry Doviack, CDT & President, and Robert Gonzalez, Lab Manager

How to Get Started
Continental offers complimentary services that include a free signature starter kit, free supplies, nationwide overnight case pick-up, and local pick-up and delivery. There is no fee for scheduling case pickups nationwide or for local case pickup and delivery. “Our company strives to be as friendly and convenient as the lab next door, without having to pay for the price of convenience,” says Tina. With free overnight shipping, Continental eliminates some of the “travel time” to the lab to ensure a quick turnaround so dentists can conveniently schedule their patients. Turnaround time is approximately 7-10 business days in the lab and depends on the type of restoration prescribed (travel time not included). Each case goes through rigorous quality control standards to check the fit, contact, shade, and marginal integrity before it’s shipped back to the doctor. RUSH cases are available however, they must be scheduled prior to case arrival.

The Road Ahead Now entering a new era, Continental will continue its legacy with a second generation entering the business. Bryan, age 30, and Karen, 28, have joined the business with extensive knowledge and experience outside the dental arena. Bryan is MCSE certified, and holds an MBA from the London Business School. He has been a driving force behind Continental’s operations and IT infrastructure. Karen has a BS in finance and currently finishing the MBA program at the University of Southern California (USC). Her experience at The Walt Disney Company and at Hewlett Packard have brought a fresh mix of ideas and new approach to the business. Together, Bryan and Karen, have made an formidable team that has helped Continental reach new heights.

Continental is located at 1873 Western Way, Torrance, CA

In the near future, Continental plans to expand its operations and sell dental supplies and equipment directly to dentists nationwide. With access to foreign and domestic markets, Continental is able to provide dentists with significant cost savings and an opportunity to leverage their buying power. By sending cases to the laboratory, dentists can receive special promotional discounts on curing lights, impression materials, waxes, and much more at a fraction of the current market price for these goods.

To get started or obtain more information about Continental, please visit their website at www.continentaldental.com or call 1-800-443-8048.