Search for “exocad certified trainer” and you’ll find plenty of trainer bios, but very little that explains what the certification actually requires. This post lays out what exocad’s Independent Certified Trainer Program (ICTP) involves, why it exists, and what it means when a dental lab’s team has trained under one of these certified trainers.

What an exocad certified trainer actually is

An exocad certified trainer isn’t an employee of exocad or one of its resellers. The Independent Certified Trainer Program (ICTP) is built for independent professionals: dental technicians and dentists with deep, hands-on experience in exocad software, who go through exocad’s own training, testing, and certification process to teach other users.

To qualify for the program, a candidate needs:

• An established training business that can issue official invoices to participants
• A public website where exocad users can find and book courses
• Documented background in dental technology, as a dental technician or dentist
• License numbers proving active, real-world experience with exocad products
• A cover letter outlining their training plan and motivation

exocad reviews each application individually, and the training itself runs one to three days depending on the product (DentalCAD, ChairsideCAD, or exoplan) and the certification level.

The three levels of DentalCAD certification

DentalCAD trainers can be certified at three different levels, each tied to the length and depth of their own training and testing with exocad. A trainer certified at a higher level has gone through more extensive testing on more advanced workflows, not just a longer course.

Certification isn’t permanent, either. It’s valid for two years, after which trainers need to recertify. Trainers who’ve been in the program for more than two years and completed recertification earn a star next to their name in exocad’s own trainer directory, a signal of sustained, current expertise rather than a one-time credential.

Why this matters when you’re choosing who designs your cases

Most dental labs and clinics never interact with exocad’s certification process directly. What matters to them is whether the team designing their cases actually knows the software at that level. Most people searching “exocad certified trainer” aren’t trying to become one. They want to know whether the people handling their cases trained under one.

That’s where our own training history comes in. Over six weeks, our design team completed an advanced exocad training program led by Seth Potter, a certified exocad trainer. The program moved week by week from foundational workflows (crowns, bridges, basic model work) through advanced full-arch rehabilitation, implant-supported frameworks, and complete denture design, the case types that separate a lab that knows the software from one that’s just familiar with it.

Our team trained under a certified exocad trainer. We’re not claiming our designers hold the ICTP certification themselves, since that credential belongs to the trainer, not the students. It means the workflows our team uses on your cases were tested and reviewed, week after week, by someone exocad certified to do exactly that.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What does “exocad certified trainer” mean?

It refers to an independent professional certified by exocad through its Independent Certified Trainer Program (ICTP) to teach other users. It’s not an exocad employee or reseller. It’s a vetted expert user who has passed exocad’s own training and testing process.

How do you become an exocad certified trainer?

Candidates need an established training business, a public course website, documented dental technology background, proof of active exocad license use, and a written training plan. exocad reviews each application before accepting candidates into training.

How long does exocad certification last?

Two years. After that, trainers need to recertify. Those who’ve recertified after more than two years in the program get a star next to their name in exocad’s trainer listings.