78 Photo Essay: Bryan Gill and Marc Davis, Oral Ceramic Dental Lab

Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Blakeney Clouse 

You could call them the Crown Princes of Jasper. You may never see them, but you’ve probably seen their work—in your bathroom mirror. That’s because Oral Ceramic Dental Lab co-owners Bryan Gill and Marc Davis are masters at creating crowns and building bridges. 

Oral Ceramic Dental Lab, started by Bryan’s dad, Bill Gill, in 1978, is a crown and bridge lab operating inside the Dental Arts Building on Highway 78 in Jasper. Bryan hadn’t planned to work in the business; instead, he studied at Faulkner University in Montgomery to become a teacher. When he decided teaching wasn’t for him, he came home to work with his dad in 2000. 

Originally born in Jasper, Marc grew up in Wyandotte, Michigan. He’d heard through his brother, who had worked for Mr. Gill, that the lab was hiring. So when he got out of the military in 1982, he applied for a job. 

“When I walked in the lab, I didn't know anything about it,” Marc says, “but I picked it up really fast.” 

Bryan and Marc took over the lab—which only services dentists—after Mr. Gill passed away in 2002. Each man has a different role to play, but together they operate like a well-oiled machine. Once Bryan gets everything ready, Marc, the main technician, designs and finishes the crown or bridge, a process that takes about two weeks. Both agree it’s not a job everyone can do. 

“Few people can walk in these doors and in five years be able to do it. I'm still trying to get to the point where I can do what he can do,” Bryan says. “You need mechanical and artistic ability. You need the eye to do it.”

“It takes years to learn how to do it,” Marc adds. “If you get somebody off the street to do just the plaster work, it will take me six months to teach them to do that.”

Despite the long learning curve, both men say they enjoy the work and seeing the final product. You may never see them but it’s a safe bet that if you look in the mirror and see a beautiful smile, you can thank Bryan Gill and Marc Davis, the Crown Princes of Jasper. 78