Jo Salcedo

I entered the dental field in 1990 as a young mom seeking stability and the ability to be home every night with my family. What started as a practical career choice became a deep passion for dentistry and transforming patient care. Over the past three decades, I've experienced nearly every aspect of the dental industry. I began chairside as a dental assistant, working in oral surgery and general practice, setting up rooms and working directly with patients and doctors. From there, I expanded into learning about billing, insurance, and practice management, eventually running multiple dental practices simultaneously. After 20 years of chairside work, I made a significant transition when a digital lab startup pursued me for a year to join their team. Though leaving the clinical environment was scary, I was impressed by their vision for a full digital solution and recognized how digital dentistry was simplifying procedures and improving patient care. In this role, I discovered a critical disconnect between the office and the lab, and I found my calling as a dental educator, bridging that gap. As dentistry evolved into digital intraoral scanning and digital planning, I was there at the beginning, becoming part of the development in this industry. I transitioned through multiple companies to learn as many medical devices as I could, eventually evolving into my current role as a senior product sales trainer. Today, I work in our commercial division with dealers, partners, sales reps, and internal and external teams. I train people how to sell our products and train trainers how to train on our products. I also create talk tracks for our CEO and develop presentations for doctors all over the world. I'm a professional public speaker for my product line, handling all major global events. I've invested significant time in coaching and training for public speaking, learning how to present, stand, be accepted, and dress professionally. What drives me every day is empowering others. I help people feel confident in their work, and I've had many reps tell me they want to carry me in their pocket because I make them feel like they can do anything. I don't just train on products; I help people develop their own value and worth, because nobody is going to give that to them. I believe that if someone isn't performing well, we need to ask what we missed and what we can do better, taking accountability rather than placing blame. Through webinars, public speaking, and behind-the-scenes work, I'm committed to helping people navigate the challenges of advancing technology and have a better day doing their jobs, which ultimately translates to better patient care.