Our Team

About Tineke

Tineke was born and raised in Zwartemeer, a small village in South-East Drenthe, on the border with Germany. As a farmer's daughter, she learned early on the value of hard work, perseverance and taking responsibility - qualities that shaped her career as a dental technician and dental prosthetist.

At the age of 17, she started her career in a dental laboratory in Coevorden, where she received a broad all-round education under the guidance of her mentor Wally Kempees. In the same year, 2001, she immediately started her training as a dental technician at the Institute for Dental Technology Training. In 2005, she obtained her diploma, during which she was awarded the title: best all-rounder. Driven by her love for the profession, Tineke specialized in both crown and bridge work and in prosthetics. She completed her training at the end of 2007 and continued her studies at the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, where she started the Dental Prosthetics training.

During her studies, Tineke moved from Drenthe to Brabant. Not only did her professional environment change, but this sporty woman also had to adapt on a sporting level. For many years, Tineke was part of the women's 1 selection of her beloved handball club Hurry-up and had to leave her familiar team behind due to her move. Fortunately, she found a new challenge in Brabant at the handball club in Mill, where she joined the women's selection. In Uden, Tineke started working at Centrum voor Mondzorg. Here she expanded her knowledge with clinical work. In 2011, Tineke graduated as a Dental Prosthetist and immediately became a teacher at the Dental Prosthetics course, where she taught at the clinic for over 8 years, helped rewrite the entire curriculum and was part of the examination committee.

In 2012, Tineke started her own practice, Germs Tandprothetiek, and moved to Apeldoorn where she lives with her husband and 2 children. Due to increasing workload, she had to let go of her sporting ambitions. Her passion for education remained. Tineke continued to dedicate herself to education and knowledge sharing. In 2012, she developed the 9-day prosthetics course together with Peter van der Pal, in which students were intensively trained in the profession. Mark Veenstra later joined and together they founded the Dutch Dental Education Center in 2023.

Tineke is a driven professional with boundless ambition, known for her loyalty, transparency and dedication. Quality and mastery are always her top priorities, both in her work and in her role as an expert. With her extensive knowledge, experience and passion for the profession, she is an essential force within D-DEC.

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About Peter van der Pal

Peter is a driven and experienced sales, product and marketing manager with a passion for connecting people. Many know him as the initiator of national dental events such as 2 national karting tournaments and more than 15 dental motor meetings, or of the prosthesis casting courses that he has been providing for various interested parties since 2003. Peter hopes to reach the 400th edition of "the new casting technique" in the foreseeable future. With his knowledge, creativity and enthusiasm, he inspires the dental sector time and again.

Peter has been working at Candulor since June 2022, where he successfully brings the clinically unbreakable acrylic resin XPLEX to the market. Previously, he set up the first digital marathon for prostheses together with Henk-Jan van den Heuvel. Finally, Peter is the inventor of the VPS system in which the complete digital prosthesis is processed conventionally without teething problems.

In addition to his work, Peter lives with his wife Ryanne and children Ian and Vince in Zwolle, where the family is active in swimming competitions in the Netherlands and abroad. In his spare time he enjoys the garden or holidays on the southern French coast.

Peter's enthusiasm, humor and positive outlook make him a unique force in the dental world, always looking for win-win situations between employers and customers.

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About Jim

im Buschman is a passionate professional with an impressive track record in dental technology and dental prosthetics. With over 46 years of experience in the field, Jim brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Dutch Dental Education Center.

Jim is a dental prosthetist and runs his own practice in Voorschoten with great dedication. In addition, he has been a familiar face at the Dental Prosthetics course in Utrecht for almost 21 years, where he continues to inspire countless students as a teacher.

Jim is not only a professional, but also a real people person and a pleasant family man. He is married to Martine and has two daughters and a son. As a bon vivant par excellence, Jim enjoys good food, a good glass of wine and likes to spend his holidays in his beloved France.

In his spare time, he likes to hit a ball on the golf course and has a great love for horses. Anyone who knows Jim personally knows that he can fill any room with his energy and enthusiasm. His infectious zest for life makes him not only a great colleague, but also an inspiring expert who can give your career a big boost.

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About Alex

At D-DEC, we are proud of our team of specialists, and we are therefore delighted to introduce Alex van Etten to you as our newest expert in the field of digital prosthetic designs.

Alex entered the dental technology field at the age of 18. He quickly followed the training at the I.V.T., specializing in removable appliances in his final year. Like many others, he started in the plaster department, but at the age of 19 he switched to the prosthetic department, a field that immediately fascinated him.

After no less than 24 years of experience as a dental technician, Alex made the switch to the digital world. As a digital product specialist at Arseus, he immersed himself in Exocad and later in 3Shape. Thanks to numerous courses and practical experience, he also fully mastered the finer points of milling machines and 3D printers. In this role, he helped many dental technicians, including our own Henk-Jan and Tineke, with their first steps in the digital world.

In addition to his work at Arseus, Alex enjoyed teaching at the Dutch HealthTec Academy and the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, where he enthusiastically shared his knowledge. In 2020, he started working at Ivoclar, where he became responsible for the digital branch. Here, he discovered the increasing demand for support in designing digital prostheses, especially among dental technicians with a busy schedule.

Alex decided to dive into that gap and started his own business in mid-2024. He now successfully runs his own company, Alex Dentaldesigns, focused on full denture designs. Alex still regularly gives training courses in the field of digital prosthesis designs.

In addition to his work, Alex is a real family man. He lives with his partner Linda in Huizen and is the proud father of two beautiful daughters. In his spare time, Alex regularly exercises to be fit and focused behind the screen.

With his boundless enthusiasm, broad practical experience and in-depth digital knowledge, Alex is a valuable addition to D-DEC. We look forward to further shaping the digital future of the dental industry together with him!

About Rico

Rico Koers is an expert in the field of special pathology and gnathology. Rico started his training as a dental technician at the Institute for Dental Technology Training in Utrecht in 1978. After his first work experience at a dental laboratory in 's-Hertogenbosch, Rico switched to a dental partnership with its own laboratory after 5 years. The complete independence and responsibility appealed to him and in 1986 he started his own practice where he completed his training as a dental prosthetist in 1993.

His interest in special pathology led to collaboration with the department of oral surgery of the Jeroen Bosch Hospital and Rico was privileged to be able to do an internship with Prof. Dr. Isaac van der Waal. A guru in the field of special pathology. In addition, Rico was active 1 day a week at the Center for Special Dentistry, where he treated complex cases. Over the years, Rico was able to record a great deal of case history. Rico also managed to delve into gnathology himself.

In the 1990s, Rico developed teaching materials based on his practical experience and was even allowed to teach at the dental prosthetics training course in Utrecht. He currently provides additional and refresher training for dental prosthetists for SNTI, among others. His goal is to share knowledge in oral care and inspire others.

7-3-2026: Recently, Rico decided, due to personal circumstances, to immediately stop his work related to giving courses. It was not an easy or impulsive decision, as he greatly enjoyed it, but a necessary, well-considered decision. Recently, Rico has resumed working at the dental prosthetics program at HU, and he will remain active there for the time being. We have always greatly valued our collaboration with Rico. With his enthusiasm and expertise, he has provided excellent and valuable courses that many participants fondly remember. We wish Rico all the best.