Sessions, Agenda and Speakers
Billings Hotel And Convention Center
1223 Mullowney Ln, Billings, MT 59101
Thursday, January 14th, 2027
7:30am-8:00am | Registration & Check In
8:00am-12:00pm | Connie Podesta
Standout Communication…Life Would Be Easy If It Weren’t For Other People
Imagine what you could accomplish if you could decode the mystery of human behavior and truly understand what makes people do what they do and say what they say (including yourself!). Research shows that the #1 key to SUCCESS in any industry or organization is the ability to get along with other people, personally and professionally. Now that’s something to really think about, right? That means with a deeper understanding of human behavior you could lead better. Communicate better. Dentist better. Parent better. Live better. Negotiate better. The list goes on and on.
With laugh-out-loud humor, killer take-away strategies, powerful pops of psychology and her amazing insights into others (including a few who “drive you crazy”). Connie Podesta, an Expert in the Psychology of Human Behavior, will take you right inside the minds and personalities of the people you connect with every day both at work and home — bosses, colleagues, partners, patients, employees, significant others, friends, and family — so YOU can ACT, rather than REACT to whatever situations or people throw your way. In other words, you’ll be able to read between the lines – making navigating conversations and negotiating your needs a thousand times easier.
12:00pm | Lunch
1:00pm-4:00pm | Josh Austin, DDS, MAGD
Topic of Presentation: What’s New? Materials and Tech that Expedite Excellence
• Illuminate growing trends and discover the best new products and innovations on the market
• Explore the impact new products/technologies have on the practice’s bottom line
• Gain a formula for assessing time savings vs financial output in your purchasing decisions
• Analyze how bulk fill posterior composites compare to their traditional counterparts
• Discuss time saving placement techniques for bulk fill posterior composites
• Review universal adhesives and their advantages
• Explore the three etching techniques and learn when each are appropriate
• Review current cements and identify which classes are superior
• Discuss when luting is an appropriate choice instead of bonding
• Explore many other products and items that can make your life easier and your dentistry faster
1:00pm-4:00pm | Lisa Mayo, RDH, BSDH, MHA
Hygiene Presentation
• Instrumentation: advanced ultrasonic, air polishing, hand instrumentation – hands on
• Implant classification and contemporary maintenance
• Advanced USS
• Oral Systemic Links – GLP1, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancers
Friday, January 15th, 2027
8:00am-12:00pm | Steve Rasner
Unstoppable: Rewriting your Record Books for Your Best Year Ever
Dr. Rasner maps out – in use it on Monday detail – his six-point strategy to reach an extraordinary income while maintaining a reputation as a respected “office to go to” that stands out amongst the crowd. As a full-time practicing clinician, he lives in your world. He’ll share not just what he’s done right, but what he’s done wrong. After 45 years as a full-time practicing clinician, he remains “all in” on the best and only way to recapture that spirit that brought you to dentistry to begin and enables you to reach incredible fulfillment.
Objectives:
• The magic of slowing down everything and why it is more profitable
• Running a true relationship-based practice – why it matters
• What dental practice leadership should look like in 2026
• The Fail-Proof Blueprint for the new graduate or the stagnant practice
• Four simple principles for 90% case acceptance
• The ethics and wisdom of Getting Paid Upfront”
• How to keep staff for 18 for an average of 20 years without going broke: What really motivates a Team.
1:00pm-4:00pm | Michael C. DiTolla, DDS, FAGD
A New Era in Conservative Esthetic Dentistry
This course will examine how technology has made it possible for clinicians to turn any prepped veneer case into a no-prep case, making our treatment much more conservative, and more acceptable to the patient. A conservative, yet predictable, preparation technique will be shown to ensure adequate reduction for today’s high-strength all-ceramic crown and bridge restorations. A new approach to new patient exams with the use of a digital scanner and an included oral health software suite will also be shown to see how it can increase patient understanding and acceptance to necessary treatment.
After attending this course, attendees will learn:
• The rationale for turning prepped veneer cases into no-prep cases
• The software necessary to plan and execute an esthetic no-prep veneer case
• How to stop inadvertently under-reducing preparations which leads to bulky, unesthetic
1:00pm-4:00pm | Lisa Mayo, RDH, BSDH, MHA
Hygiene Presentation
• Instrumentation: advanced ultrasonic, air polishing, hand instrumentation – hands on
• Implant classification and contemporary maintenance
• Advanced USS
• Oral Systemic Links – GLP1, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancers
Presentator Biographies
Connie Podesta
Connie Podesta is a game-changing, idea-generating ball of fire whose rare blend of humor, substance, style and personality have made her one of the most memorable, in-demand speakers in the world today. 30 years. Two million people. 1000 organizations. Hall of Fame speaker. Award-winning author. Nine books. Former radio/TV personality. Human relations expert. Therapist for 30 years. Connie has extensive health care experience working as an organizational therapist with a master’s degree in human relations and counseling. She is a recognized specialist in sales, leadership, change, life balance, and success. And what we all probably could use now and then… a Comedienne.
Connie has been invited to speak to almost every major dental conference in the United States… usually to standing-room-only sessions and has helped dentists and professionals re-think “business as usual” so they can differentiate themselves, increase revenue, rev up performance, work as a team, and lead more effectively.
Josh Austin, DDS, MAGD
Joshua Austin, DDS maintains a full-time restorative dentistry practice in San Antonio, Texas. He is an editorial director and monthly columnist for Dental Economics magazine focusing on dental products and technology. Dr. Austin lectures around the country and world to study clubs and dental meetings about these topics along with Ortho/Restorative Treatments and mental health. Dr. Austin is a graduate of the UT Health School of Dentistry and spent five years post-graduation in the Department of Restorative Dentistry. In 2024, Dr. Austin won the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and Seattle Study Club “Case of the Year.”
Michael C. DiTolla, DDS, FAGD
Dr. DiTolla was in private practice for 15 years before becoming Director of Clinical Education for Glidewell Labs for the next 15 years and led the clinical team that developed and brought BruxZir Solid Zirconia to market. In 2011 he received the “Most Effective Dentist Educator” award in a nationwide survey of dentists. He recently received the Gordon J. Christensen Award for Distinguished Speaking from the Chicago Dental Society. His online educational videos have over 16 million views on YouTube. He currently maintains a private practice focused on clear aligners, veneers, and obstructive sleep apnea in Lodi, California.
Lisa Mayo, RDH, BSDH, MHA
Training and Education Specialist for Vardis.
She received her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas TX and her master’s degree in healthcare administration from Ohio University. Lisa has a diversified career in the field of dentistry. She has been a practicing Registered Dental Hygienist for 26 years, a dental hygiene professor, program director, and Academic Chair for 15 years, worked for a dental manufacturer (Dentsply Sirona) as a national clinical educator and has been a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) for many companies (BioGaia, Colgate-Palmolive, Health First, Henry Schein, HuFriedyGroup, L&M Dental, Medicom, Solmetex, W&H, Forward Science, Woodpecker).
She has published hundreds of articles and peer-review continuing education pieces for ADHAs Access magazine, the Canadian Dental Journal, Colgate-Palmolive, Dental Economics, Dental Learning, Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, Penn Well, ProfessorRDH, StudentRDH, and RDH magazine. She released her first full-length textbook in 2023 with Jones & Bartlett entitled Power Instrumentation for the Dental Professional. Lisa is an international speaker and has been teaching both in-person and on-line continuing education courses for dental and medical professionals on a variety of topics since 2006. She is an active member of the tripartite of the American-Texas-Dallas Dental Hygiene Associations and has held multiple board positions over her career.
Steve Rasner
Dr. Steven Rasner has spent his entire adult life training in what he loves to do every day. He is among the 2 percent of dentists in the country who have achieved mastership status with the Academy of General Dentistry, an award given to member dentists who have taken more than 1,100 hours of continuing education and have studied 16 disciplines, such as cosmetic dentistry, periodontics, orthodontics, occlusion and implants. He is board-certified by the American Board of General Dentistry and has completed over 5,000 hours of continuing education. Dr. Rasner takes immense pride in his ability to translate his training and skills into a rewarding experience for his patients.