Voices From The Bench

Every lab is looking for technicians. We all know about the lack of talent in the employee pool. What can we do about it? One man outside of London is attempting to help technicians and labs "hook up". Andy Foster comes on the podcast to talk about running his one person lab while at the same time running his website recruit4technicians.com (https://recruit4technicians.com/). This site is dedicated to our industry. If you are a technician looking for a career or are a lab looking for your next employee, this is an ideal place to post. Andy also talks about some interesting things he has noticed in our industry, some great ideas for labs when looking, and also some great ideas for technicians when looking for their next "home away from home". Great stuff for everyone in our industry. Check out Andy's Blog for more great resources for both the lab and the technicians. (https://recruit4technicians.com/blog/) Whip Mix (https://whipmix.com/) is pleased to add VeriCast OS (https://whipmix.com/products/vericast-ge

After a year of many dental meetings being canceled, Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) has come back bigger and better with the Digital Forum (https://www.whipmix.com/special-events/2021-digital-forum/). This year in Louisville, Ky October 29 & 30, is sure to be the best forum yet. Bernie Jaroslow comes on the podcast to talk about all the amazing speakers they have lined up along with some fun evening events that you will not want to miss. Also joining the episode is a father and two sons that have been to ALL 9 digital forums. Michael Emerick opened Emerick Crown and Bridge Lab (https://emerickdentallab.com/) in Cincinnati, Oh. After raising two sons in the lab, Austin and Alex are now full integrated in the digital workflow bringing a new and welcome passion to their family business. Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/) is a dental supply, service and marketing company that was founded by Norbert Ulmer and their goal is to help dental labs, and especially small labs to lower their cost for supplies, provide

When you think of world-famous Denturist, who comes to mind? Because of the lack of legal states in America, the list is short. But there is one gentleman out of Windsor, Canada who has been promoting the profession for years online. Eric Kukucka, from the Denture Center (https://thedenturecenter.ca/), comes on the podcast to talk about finding out that he wanted to be a denturist at a young age, getting in to school, partnering with Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclarvivadent.com/en_US) and 3shape (https://www.3shape.com/en-us), opening a few practices, and helping develop the complete digital workflow when it comes to removables. Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/)’s new Veriwash (https://www.whipmix.com/products/veriwash/) resin cleaning station is the ideal piece of equipment to use in the 3D printed resin post process. It’s oscillating, multi-speed stirrer produces a tornado-like vortex every 30-seconds, and guarantees efficient, effective and powerful cleaning whether the units are individual or still attach

Every day. Every day we improve people's lives. From single tooth to full mouth, we get to make a difference in the oral health and wellbeing of patients. But imagine if you could do more with very little extra work. Now you can! Hollie Stevenson from the Dental Lifeline Network (Donated Dental Services) (https://dentallifeline.org/) comes on the podcast to talk about how labs, along with dentist and specialist, can take less fortunate patients and turn their lives around. Hollie talks about how the program works, how labs can get involved, and shares a few stories from patients who have benefited from the generosity of those to participate. SIGN UP YOUR LAB TODAY! (https://dentallifeline.org/our-volunteers/volunteer-now/) COME SEE RECORD WITH US: At the Preat (https://preat.com/) booth during the Eastern Conference of Dental Laboratories = September 24 & 25, 2021 in Winston-Salem, NC (http://www.eastern-conference.com/index.html) Again at the Preat (https://preat.com/) booth during the Whip Mix Digital For

Located near the 2nd most visited house in the world, Daxton Grubb took over his father's fixed lab and has grown it into a full service, digital, large lab in the Memphis area. Daxton talks about learning management from a rental car company, hiring dental assistants to be the communication between the lab and offices, and why not every product and process is a win for every lab. Daxton freely shares with Elvis and Barb a lot of information that most lab owners would be afraid to talk about on a podcast. Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) offers you the ultimate in ease, material flexibility and unattended production with the Roland DGA DWX-52DCi (https://www.whipmix.com/products/roland-dwx-52dci/) milling machine. The popular mill’s automatic disc changer expands your lab production and profit, using a 6-slot Automatic Disc Changer, 15-station Automatic Tool Changer and several other automated features. The DWX-52DCi dental milling machine now comes with performance visualization software and other intell

We are sad that this week ends the conversations we got while at the Ladies of the Mill Summit (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/). While a great show, we now must wait almost a whole year before it happens again! But we are going to end the whole collection with two great conversations. First up is super step-mom Kelly Fincher who married into a lab, gave up nursing, and helped raise Hannah Fincher to grow up in the industry and make it a career. It’s important to note (and say thanks) that when the pandemic hit, Kelly decided to go back to nursing and help the ones that needed it the most. We apologize to Hannah for the mess up during recording. Then we are joined once again by Tay Harvey, the fearless leader of Anaxdent USA (https://anaxdentusa.com/). We talk to Tay back on episode 151, but she sits down with Elvis during the summit and they talk about almost everything from why she came to the summit to adding outside sales to her team to why a vision board isn’t for everyone. All that, more, and a bunch

We are excited to bring more conversations that we got at the Preat booth while at the Ladies of the Mill summit. This week has us talking with Mary Valentine who has an amazing background with Nobel Procera and her daughter, Emily Valentine, who is making sure the lab carries on to the next generation. Then we are pleased to chat with two ladies of Whip Mix. Sherri Weatherby and Cassandra Dombrowski are two sales reps covering most of the east side of the US and talk about their Asiga printer and why they made sure Whip Mix was a part of LOTM. And we end the episode with Mary Nosal from DIL Dental Lab. Mary is a dental assistant turned lab manager and has to combine both skills to run it all successfully. Whip Mix (https://whipmix.com/) is now providing its milling customers with Prima Milling Tools (https://whipmix.com/products/prima-milling-tools/), the high performance milling tools engineered specifically for Roland mills. This new tool range outperforms the competition. The results show not only that t

Remember when we kept talking about the Ladies of the Mill Summit (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/)? Well it's time to start releasing some of the amazing converstions we got while at the Preat (https://preat.com/) booth. First, we want to thank Jill Swafford and Christina Heaslip for making sure that the podcast got to be a part of such a fantastic event. This week we talk to two sisters who were also on stage talking about communication. Anne Kersenbrock Koelzer is a technician from AMK Dental Lab (https://www.facebook.com/people/AMK-Dental-Lab/100028120884702/) who has her sister as a client, Dr. Mary Kersenbrock. Then we chat with two ladies from Desktop Health (https://www.desktophealth.com/), the ones that bring us the EnvisionTec printer (https://dental.desktophealth.com/), Denisse Padilla and Casey Steale talk about new resins and why they participated in the LOTM summit. Then we wrap up the episode with a conversation with Sarah Williamson, who is a in-office technician at Denver Restorative Dentis

Many of us spend hours a week or even a day on social media. Checking up on friends and family, news, watching videos, looking at dental lab memes on the Voices From the Bench pages, or trying to grow our labs. Have you tried to grow your lab on social media? Have you tried Instagram? This week Elvis and Barb talk to a lab owner that has successfully turned his Instagram page into an epic 60,000 followers (at the time of this episode) media sensation. Gil Villavecer from Frontier Dental Lab (https://frontierdentallab.com/) took it upon himself to grow the lab with this free service. Gill talks about what and when to post, the importance of creating a brand that goes beyond the dentist, and why with all this attention he finds it important to share the information with other labs to strengthen the industry. The Asiga MAX (https://whipmix.com/products/asiga-max/), the world’s most advanced lab 3D printer, offers exceptional productivity. Well over 300 labs in the U.S. can attest to its accuracy, speed and prec

Joining the podcast are Dimitri Tsichlis and Lidia Croteau from Styledent Dental Laboratory (https://www.styledent.com/). This married couple have pulled their skills together to successfully run not one lab, but two. They talk about how they met in college, taking over Dimitri's father's lab in Canada, growing with the help of Lidia's marketing expertise, taking on technology to stay current, opening their lab in Florida, and also some interesting differences between the US and Canada. DOITRIGHT Learn more about the eLAB shade system (https://elabprime.com/) Few things create more interest today than the Digital Denture. Whip Mix (https://whipmix.com/) has developed a processing system for printed dentures, which uses Dentca (https://whipmix.com/products/dentca/), the first 3D-printed denture and denture teeth resins to receive FDA clearance. Their physical properties and biocompatibility pass FDA requirements and enable the printed denture properties to be very similar to conventional dentures. The materia

We've had conversations with lots of technicians on this podcast about the "All-on-Implant" type of restorations. Talking about the time it takes to convert or techniques used, but this week we get to talk to the expert on hybrid full arch prosthetics. Dora Rodrigues from ID Dental Lab (http://iddentallab.com/) started in Portugal at the Malo Clinic (https://maloclinics.com/en/malo-clinic-1) in Lisbon, where Paulo Maló had developed the All-on-4® treatment concept. After accepting the offer to come to America and start a Clinic, Dora decided to stay, open her own "All-on-Implant" lab, and control her own future. She shares tips, tricks, and her amazing story of success. Using 3D printed Dentca Temporary Resin is the easy, fast, clean and accurate way of creating natural-looking temporary restorations using Dentca Temporary C&B 3D Print Resin (https://whipmix.com/products/dentca-temporary-crown-bridge-resin/) from Whip Mix (https://whipmix.com/). The new temporary material is FDA cleared, biocompatible, photo

Back out in the world! We are so happy to see dental lab shows start up again because we miss recording face-to-face so much. Elvis was down at the Preat (https://preat.com/) booth at the Florida Dental Laboratory Association (https://www.fdla.net/)symposium last June. While working the booth, Elvis was able to chat with a few attendees. First up is Don Hebert CDT from Phoenix Dental Design (https://phoenixdentaldesigns.com/) talking about opening his own lab after being laid off during COVID. A great “rising from the ashes story”. Then we chat with Ricardo Marrero who is a young enthusiastic laboratory technician that is helping his dad run a satellite lab in North Carolina for a big lab in Florida called GPS Dental Lab (http://www.gpsdental.com/). And then, because we love to chat with the incoming president of the FDLA, Dory Sartoris from DCS Dental Lab (https://www.dcslab.com/) comes on to talk about how the post-covid show was and what the FDLA is working on to benefit the labs in Florida. Whip Mix (htt

Donate to the Race For the Future 7.0! Aug 28-29 in Chicago, Ill. (http://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/) If you have ever been to a dental show like LMT Lab Day Chicago or Vision 21, you probably have seen a guy with white hair and a white beard with a thick southern accent making a group of people laugh. That is Harold Burdette from "Lab of the Year" Burdette Dental Laboratory (https://www.burdettedental.com/). Harold comes on the podcast to talk about working in his dad's lab back in the 70s (starting during the beginning of PFMs) and growing that business to become one of the longest family owned labs, being a part of the TEREC group (http://terecna.com/), and what a semi-retired technician does when he hands to lab to the next generation in his family. Great stories from a technician that knows it all. Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) introduces the CUREbox Plus (https://www.whipmix.com/products/curebox-plus/), a new curing unit that ensures the proper and full polymerizati

Donate to the Race For the Future 7.0! Aug 28-29 in Chicago, Ill. (http://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/) We LOVE talking to technicians from other countries. It's always fun to hear from our friends from "across the pond". While on Instagram we saw pictures from ninafdt (https://www.instagram.com/nina_f_dt/), and thought WOW! Turns out that is Nina Frketin from Dencraft Dental Lab (https://www.dencraftuk.com/) in the UK. Nina comes on the podcast to talk about learning about dental technology and going to school in Croatia at an early age, falling in love with removables, discovering a wonderful lab community on-line during the shutdown, and taking her dentures and hybrids to the next level with composites. Be sure to head to the Ladies of the Mill Summit: Refresh, Reflect & Recharge July 23-24 in Chattanooga, TN (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/) Elvis & Barb will be recording all weekend long at the Preat (https://preat.com/) Booth Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) is very ex

Be sure to head to the Ladies of the Mill Summit: Refresh, Reflect & Recharge July 23-24 in Chattanooga, TN (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/) Elvis & Barb will be recording all weekend long at the Preat (https://preat.com/) Booth For VFTB Listeners ONLY! Enter VOICES as the "discount code" when checking out and receive $50 off the registration fee! Offer good until Midnight on July 4th! We are delighted to welcome Carson Law to the podcast! Carson is a Denturist in British Columbia, Canada and she talks about how she found out about the profession, going through the school, and finding her home at Northern Lights Denture Clinic (https://www.nldenture.ca/). What's really impressive is that they have a 100% digital workflow. With a Trios scanner and the Ivoclar P7 mill, they are able to service a ridiculous amount of patients all while making sure they provide amazing service and care. We talk about workflows, scanning edentouls patients, and stories of dentures that could only happen in Canada. Look no fur

Be sure to head to the Ladies of the Mill Summit: Refresh, Reflect & Recharge July 23-24 in Chattanooga, TN (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/) Elvis & Barb will be recording all weekend long at the Preat (https://preat.com/) Booth For VFTB Listeners ONLY! Enter VOICES as the "discount code" when checking out and receive $50 off the registration fee! Offer good until Midnight on July 4th! Dustin Osburn is from a small town in Arkansas. After finding his way to a dental lab, he quickly excelled to become the removable manager. When that lab got bought out by National Dentex (https://nationaldentex.com/), Dustin was recruited to be the "go-to" trainer for every NDX around the country. After a time running another lab, COVID hit. Dustin and his family had to switch gears and decided to control their own future. With a talent for welding, Dustin converted a van into a mobile removable lab that allows him to service surrounding towns and offer a service that no other lab can offer. Look no further for your design

After traveling the world, Norbert Ulmer found his way to Sirona (https://www.dentsplysirona.com/en-us). After bringing it to the US, Norbert was essential in making CAD/CAM where it is now in dentistry. Now Nobert has started a company called Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/). This company brings together dental labs into its family to offer savings and support for success. Nobert talks about his early days selling to labs in England, Germany, and Asia, joining the team at Sirona, bringing it to the US, and the reason why he's dedicated to labs and how any lab can join the Gro3X family. Look no further for your design or milling needs other than right here in our galaxy. Alien Milling Technologies (https://www.alienmilling.com/) is a cutting-edge Dental Milling Center known for using the latest methods and technologies in milling top dental prosthetics. They can help your lab by milling everything, like crowns, abutments, partials, guards, titanium bars, and even digital dentures. Best part is that they are al

When Christina Heaslip from Digital Dental Laboratory (http://www.digitaldentallabs.com/) and Jill Swafford from Oaks Dental Design (https://www.oaksdentaldesigns.com/) went to dental conventions they noticed a lack of female speakers. Both running successful digital labs, they started a group called Ladies of the Mil (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/)l. The group "was established to give a space to women in the Dental Lab industry". Over the years the group has grown in popularity and is now getting ready to have their first summit July 23-24, 2021 in Chattanooga, Tn. The Summit is titled "Refresh, Reflect & Recharge" and features our industry's first ever 100% female speaker line-up. They come on the podcast to talk about how they started their labs, how they balance the lab life and family life, why and how the idea of Ladies of the Mill got started, and what exciting things are happening at the summit that will make it different than the usual show. Register for the Ladies of the Mill Summit - July 23-24

The biggest magazine in our industry, LMT (https://lmtmag.com/), did a feature called "40 Under 40" that featured different people in our industry that are making a difference. After seeing a few being congratulated on social media, we reached out to two of them to find out more about their great accomplishments. First up we talk to Julia Izumi from Shanto Dental Ceramics (https://shantodental.com/). Julie has a degree in science and dental technology. After spending many years on the bench, she is now the Production Supervisor for the full service lab in Vancouver. Then we chat with Chris Love from Absolute Dental Services (https://www.absolutedentalservices.com/), who after managing a restaurant, worked his way up from the model room to run the whole removable department that is one of the leading labs in digital dentures. Look no further for you design or milling needs other than right here in our galaxy. Alien Milling Technologies (https://www.alienmilling.com/) is a cutting-edge Dental Milling Center k

Larry Wiess from Weiss Advisors (https://weissadvisorsstl.com/) started a company to help other labs after his time with Keller Dental Lab and NDX. Larry has taken his years of experience to assist labs that needed the extra, "outside" help to either prepare for sale or to increase productivity. Jim Gorgol from Distinctive Dental Studio (https://www.ddsltdlab.com/) is looking at eventually retiring. Jim wants to make sure that he can do that comfortably but wants to also make sure that the employees are left in a good spot too. They talk about determining the ultimate goal, setting up milestones along the way, and the type of processes they put in place to reach that goal. Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/)’s new Veriwash (https://www.whipmix.com/products/veriwash/) resin cleaning station is the ideal piece of equipment to use in the 3D printed resin post process. It’s oscillating, multi-speed stirrer produces a tornado-like vortex every 30-seconds, and guarantees efficient, effective and powerful cleaning