The Robot That Preps Veneers: Galip Gürel on Lupin & the Future of Cosmetic Dentistry

"I can easily say I made mistakes more than the total number of veneers that a young generation dentist placed in the mouth." Dr Galip Gürel wrote the book on porcelain veneers, and he has been refining how they're done for more than 40 years. In this episode he tells Simon how modern veneer dentistry came together. He learned "the kitchen" by sitting in on dental technician classes, borrowed wax rims from complete dentures to design smiles, and came up with prepping through the mock-up after watching farmers plough a field. Then we get the first proper look at Lupin, the automated veneer-prep robot he co-founded with Stefan Koubi. He covers how it preps to 100-micron accuracy, why the veneers can be made before the teeth are touched, and why he thinks it will open veneer work to every GP. We also cover: – Why no-prep veneers suit about 1% of patients – What enamel-only preps did to his debond and success rates – Why he has no social media, and paid a PR agent to keep him out of the press – Why he keeps "zero dentistry" outside the office 00:00:00 Introduction: The Knowledge Thief & 42 Years of Veneer Innovation 00:02:38 From Kentucky to Istanbul: Learning Both Sides of the Kitchen 00:04:15 The Birth of Bonded Veneers: When Aesthetics Wasn't Dentistry 00:07:31 The Mock-Up Revolution: From Complete Denture Wax Rims to Composite 00:19:25 The APT Technique: Prepping Through the Mock-Up Like Plowing Fields 00:29:57 First Principles Thinking: Blocking Out Inputs to Innovate 00:30:21 Reverse PR & Word of Mouth: The Anti-Social Media Practice 00:36:42 Material Evolution: From Feldspathic Elegance to Zirconia Veneers 00:44:10 No Prep Veneers: The 1% Indication & Why Feldspathic is the Only Choice 00:49:36 The Rosé Moment: How Lupin Robotics Was Born in Marseille 00:52:28 COVID Catalyst: From Idea to 50 Engineers in Montpellier 00:54:44 Bootstrapped to Big Money: The Funding Journey & Invus Investment 00:58:17 Veneers Before Preps: The Revolutionary Workflow Flip 00:59:41 Fully Automated vs Hand-Guided: The 100 Micron Precision Difference 01:07:17 From Mannequins to Humans: The India Launch & 100 Cases 01:15:18 The 45-Minute Prep: Landing Like an Airplane & Future Speed Improvements 01:17:24 The Mock-Up Test Drive: Two Appointments Before Robot Prep Day 01:21:08 Zirconia Solves the Thickness Problem: Glass Coating & APT Bonding 01:26:50 The Business Model: 30% Revenue Share Instead of Selling Robots 01:34:02 Democratizing Veneers: Philippines, UK & The Future of Aesthetic Dentistry 01:42:07 Stealing Knowledge: The Gentle Thief Named After Arsène Lupin ▬▬ ABOUT THE GUEST ▬▬ Dr Galip Gürel is a dentist based in Istanbul and one of the most influential names in aesthetic dentistry. He graduated from the University of Istanbul, completed two years at the University of Kentucky, and has been in practice for more than four decades. He is the author of the Quintessence textbook on porcelain laminate veneers, and co-founder, with Dr Stefan Koubi, of Lupin, a company developing automated robotic veneer preparation. ▬▬ ABOUT THE HOST ▬▬ Dr Simon Chard is Past President of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, co-founder of PÄRLA, and principal of Rothley Lodge Dental Practice. Listen, or watch on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Full us on socials @contactpointpodcast