Welcome
to Root Dental Lab
Dan Root went to work for Holman Dental Lab at the age
of 16 in 1955. In 1960, Dan entered the army
reserves for a brief tour of active duty as a dental
assistant. For 6 years, he chair-sided for dental
students, including Boyd Harris, from the UMKC Dental
School. Boyd encouraged Dan to open Root Laboratory
in 1964 and convinced Dan that implants were the upcoming
thing in dentistry. In 1971, Dan made a full arch
of fixed prosthetics for Boyd’s mouth over the
Linkow-placed four blade implants. Through Boyd’s
influence, Dan started the manufacturing of subperiosteals.
In
1973, Dan attended the Alabama Implant Study Group Congress
and has attended every one since. He became a member
of the AISG in the 1970’s, as well as a supporting
member of the AAID, ICOI and most implant groups. Root
Lab videotaped the AISG meetings and surgical placement
of implants at Dr. Ford Turner’s office. Dan
and Boyd developed the Harris-Root O-Ring Sub technique
which was presented live at the AAID, AISG, and various
dental schools. For five years, at three times
a year, Root Lab and Boyd taught the live surgical sub
course in Fayetteville, Arkansas. For the next ten years,
at six times a year, endosseus implant and sub
courses were held at Root Lab’s surgical suite
and 4000 square foot lecture room in conjunction with
the Dental Implant Diagnostic & Treatment Center,
owned and operated by doctors Boyd Harris, Dean Doyle
and James Byland. Approximately 1500 dentists attended
the Harris-Root Sub Course.
Root
Lab has received numerous awards of recognition from
virtually every implant association in the US. Dan
has lectured in England, France, Japan, Columbia, Mexico
and Venezuela on implants and prosthetics. Root
Lab has pioneered many techniques for implant prosthetics
and has for the past fifteen years been on the faculties
of the Maxi Course for NYU with Dr. Norman Cranin, Medical
College of Georgia with Dr. Terry Reynolds, now Dr. Ed
Mills, Howard University with Dr. C. Benson Clark and
other Maxi Courses. He also has been involved with
the Misch Institute, the Midwest Institute and the Scripps
Institute.
Root
Lab has had the benefit and pleasure of working for many
members and past presidents of the AAID, as well as members
of other implant organizations. To date, Root Lab
has manufactured over 20,000 subperiosteal implants,
54,000 fixed units on blades, and restored more than
108,000 root forms. Root Laboratory has worked
for 28 universities and institutions, 23 foreign countries
and all 50 states. Root Lab has several employees
with 30 years of individual lab experience; the combined
experience of all lab technicians totals more than 1600
years. Dan has been married for 43 years
and has 2 sons, 1 daughter, and twin grandchildren (age
6). All but the grandchildren are in the dental
lab business.
