Dentistry’s Got Talent Founder Elijah Desmond Passes the Baton After 400-Plus Speakers

Desmond judged the October 8 DGT final in Miami, won by Dr. Cole Herzik, as he shifts his focus to helping dentists sell their practices.

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, October 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Elijah Desmond, the founder of Dentistry’s Got Talent (DGT), returned to the judges’ table for the competition’s final in Miami on October 8, 2026, as he passes the baton on the dental events he built and turns his focus to helping dentists sell the practices they built. By Desmond’s count, he has put more than 400 speakers on stages across the country and abroad over the past decade. Dr. Cole Herzik, a general dentist and the CMO and clinical director of Patients First Dentures & Implants, won this year’s championship belt with a talk titled “The Relationship of a Mentorship.” New York City cosmetic dentist Dr. Catrise Austin was named runner-up for her talk, “How to Get Booked, Featured, and Paid without Chasing Algorithms.”

“Everyone in this profession who made it had someone who answered the phone when they were stuck,” Herzik said. “Mentorship is how we make sure the next person never has to wonder who to call.”

The final took place at Dentistry’s Got Talent Land, the on-shore event that opened the October Smiles at Sea dental continuing education program, which concluded Monday, October 12, when the cruise returned to Miami. Desmond judged alongside Shannon Mackey of WEO Media and Marketly; Morris Mugo, CEO and founder of Safari N Smiles; and Dr. Anthony Vocaturo, an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry who teaches hands-on continuing education courses for dentists, including the Smile Design Boot Camp, at the Institute of Advanced Dental Education in Colts Neck, New Jersey.

“For ten years my job was handing the microphone to dentists, hygienists and the people who serve them. Now my job is helping practice owners hand off what they built,” Desmond said. “It’s the same work. You get the next person ready, and then you let go.”

Desmond created DGT as a TED Talk-style competition that puts contestants from across the dental industry in front of a live audience and a panel of judges, giving meeting planners and peers a chance to see emerging speakers present live before booking them. Past DGT contestants, including Dr. Dar Radfar and Dr. Kathryn Alderman, have gone on to speak at the Yankee Dental Congress, the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, the Florida Dental Convention and Smile Together. The competition is now led by Dr. Devinn Geeson. In Miami, contestants competed in themed groups covering practice systems and compliance, leadership and culture, mindset and longevity, sleep and airway care, and practice growth and finances, with each session offered for one hour of continuing education credit. One contestant from each group advanced to the final.

“I’ve built agendas with well over 100 speakers, and every one of them started as someone nobody had heard of yet,” Desmond said. “From the judges’ table, you get to watch the exact moment a contestant becomes a speaker.”

The handoff began with Geeson’s acquisition of Smiles at Sea, The Dental Festival and Hype Events from Desmond, announced in January 2026. Desmond, who founded Smiles at Sea in 2015, remained involved with the experience as “Chief Fun Officer.” Desmond now leads Dental Pitch Advisory & Brokerage, a sell-side-only dental practice brokerage he co-founded, which prepares practice owners for a sale and represents them through closing. He is also lead author of “The Dental Exit Blueprint: The 13 EBITDA Levers That Drive Maximum Value,” written with 28 contributing authors and released in July 2026. Practice owners can benchmark how ready their practice is for a sale with the free Dental Exit Readiness Score from Dental Pitch Advisory & Brokerage.

Austin is the founder of Celebrity Branding, which issued this release, and is a contributing author to “The Dental Exit Blueprint.”

The full DGT final is available on the Smiles at Sea YouTube channel, and dental professionals can learn more and apply for the next DGT on the Smiles at Sea website.

About Dental Pitch Advisory & Brokerage

Dental Pitch Advisory & Brokerage is a nationwide boutique dental practice brokerage that represents dentist sellers only. The firm begins each engagement with a third-party Quality of Earnings review, prepares practices for sale, connects owners with a network of DSO, private group and individual buyers, and supports negotiation through closing. It charges no retainers or upfront fees and is paid when a sale closes. The firm was co-founded by Elijah Desmond and Matt Ornstein. Learn more at dentalpitchbrokerage.com.

Michelle Barrios
Dental Pitch Brokerage
+1 833-658-0118
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Watch the Dentistry’s Got Talent 2026 Final: Dental Speakers Compete in Miami

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