Voices From The Bench

Do you know a technician that just started? Working in the model room or opaquing crowns? That person could be the next CEO of a global network of labs. We welcome Laura Kelly who had a similar story. She started at Microdental Laboratories (https://www.microdental.com/) not knowing what a dental lab was and has worked hard to become it's CEO. Along they way she became the first female and the first technician to be the president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) (https://aacd.com/) and owned her own lab that grew to be purchased by another lab group. She talks about what MicroDental stands for, how they dealt with the pandemic shutdown, and how they came out of it strong. Smile Matters Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smiles-matter/id1511050834) Whip Mix (https://whipmix.com/) introduces the Bellus3D Dental Pro Face Scanning Solution. This new, practical addition to dentistry provides the dentist with a fast, easy, and affordable way to capture a detailed 3D facial scan

Successfully having the first dental laboratory convention of 2021 took the work of many passionate people involved with the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas (DLAT). While we were not there physically, we were there live, not live from the Argen (https://argen.com/#/) booth. This week we got to talk to: Tim Frezel - Lab owner from Waco Texas Jan Rainey - Retired lab owner now cleaning the air with Pure Air Living (https://pureairliving.com/) Bennett Napier - From the NADL (https://nadl.org/) Keith Wilson - Locale Argen (https://argen.com/#/) rep and amazing "Official Guest Grabber" Enjoy the conversations from the first show of 2021 Whip Mix (https://whipmix.com/) introduces the Bellus3D Dental Pro Face Scanning Solution. This new, practical addition to dentistry provides the dentist with a fast, easy, and affordable way to capture a detailed 3D facial scan and the laboratory an intelligent way to create the smile design. With this app, a complete 3D facial (and even whole head) scan can even be captur

What do you call a group of technicians in Texas? The first successful lab meeting of the year! That's right, back in late March the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas (DLAT) (http://dlat.org/) held their annual conference. It was also the first in-person dental lab meeting of 2021. While we couldn't be there, our good friends at Argen (https://argen.com/#/) set up a laptop, microphone, and some speakers so we could record remotely from their booth. Local Argen rep and all around rockstar Keith Wilson kept us busy bringing by so many great people at the show. This week we have conversations from 5 wonderful attendees/staff/vendors. Cade Tippet Marlin Gohn Fernando Sanchez Jr and Gary Osborn Spencer Watkins Sit back and enjoy the sounds of live "in-person" conversations. 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

We take for granted the dental design softwares that are here. Sure is nice that someone took the time to make and teach us all how to use them. On this week's episode we talk to one of the technicians responsible for bringing Exocad (https://exocad.com/) to North America. John Orfanidis has only known the dental laboratory industry. His past lab was the first lab to get the German made software, Exocad. John learned everything he could about the software and then took it across the country teaching and training other labs to use it. John talks about the early days of Exocad, some amazing things you can do with the software, and what is next for Exocad and John. 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, photocurable

From working with zirconia that gets sintered by the trainload to working with it in a dental lab, Chris Bradley is not a stranger to the dental laboratory industry. In 2008 she partnered with a dental laboratory instrument manufacturer out of Switzerland and started Smile Line USA (https://smilelineusa.com/). Chris talks about the different porcelain mixing trays (https://smilelineusa.com/product-category/mixing-trays/), what make a good porcelain brush (https://smilelineusa.com/product-category/porcelain-brushes/) good, the 80's colors of the United Colors of D. Vinci (https://smilelineusa.com/product-category/smart-accessories/united-colors-of-d-vinci/), and a super cool accessory for your phone to take your photography to the next level. This year she introduces the smartest thing we have seen in a long time. The "My Bench Box" (https://smilelineusa.com/product-category/mybenchbox/) is a fantastic program that allows technicians to try anything before they commit to buying it. Ladies of the Mill Summit:

Every lab relies heavily on design software these days. The two biggest in our industry are 3Shape (https://www.3shape.com/) and ExoCad (https://exocad.com/). But what are the differences? Is one better than the other? This conversation starts the conversation of 3Shape vs ExoCad. Three technicians that use their software every day come on to discuss the differences and the similarities. Not sales people. Not the company. Real technicians that understand the daily struggles lab face every day. Team ExoCad: Matt Mills from Hybrid Technilogies (https://www.hybridtechdental.com/) Team 3Shape: Sevan Pulurian from Pacific Dental Lab (http://pacificdentallab.com/) Team Everything: Enja Dorjchuluun from Winter Springs Dental Lab (https://www.wsdentallab.com/) Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/) offers so much more than just the P5 michine (https://www.aurident.com/p5/). They offer all the needed accessories like Nabertherm furnaces (https://www.aurident.com/furnaces/) and vacuums by Renfert. And all the consumables

Remakes. Adjustments. More Adjustments. Maybe other labs can do flexible partials with ease, but the ones we talk to can't. Doesn't matter which system you use, flexibles in general have a higher remake or adjustment number. With the growing popularity of digital dentistry with removables, it is about time someone stepped up to make a printable flexible partial. Justin Marks from Arfona Printing (https://arfonaprinting.com/) has developed the first printed Valplast flexible partial (https://www.valplast.com/). Justin's grandfather created the first flexible and the family has been carrying on the Valplast legacy. Justin decided that the need of the industry was not just the product, but an ease of service. Justin comes on the podcast to talk about his history of Valplast, the workflow for labs to send to Arfona, and the new faciating method he has developed to print a flexible Valplast partial. Vision 21 this Weekend! Register here (https://nadl.org/events/v21/2021/) and head to Nashville! Dental Laborator

We all know how hard it is to be a dental technician. How about being the only dental technician where you are? Sure it has it's pros and cons and Tom Panei CDT joins us on the podcast to talk about his journey to become a solo lab owner. Tom is a musician, and got a gig at a dental office opening and is now their denture technician. He's also a professional artist and repairs statues. He's a busy guy and talks about the balance he finds in all of them. Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/) offers so much more than just the P5 michine (https://www.aurident.com/p5/). They offer all the needed accessories like Nabertherm furnaces (https://www.aurident.com/furnaces/) and vacuums by Renfert. And all the consumables can be got in one place! Aurident has Delta Zirconia (https://www.aurident.com/delta-zirconia/), Aurident Zr (https://www.aurident.com/aurident-zr-zirconia/), Aurident cutting tools, and Quest pmma (https://www.aurident.com/quest-pmma-shaded/) ! Aurident definitely is a One Stop Shop for any dental la

It's amazing how quick the last three years have gone. Elvis and Barb have enjoyed every minute making this podcast and getting to meet so many wonderful people in our industry. To celebrate your birthday/anniversary, we brought back our very first guest on the podcast, Renata Budny. Renata is an associate professor at the New York City College of Technology (http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/) teaching in the Department of Restorative Dentistry (dental lab) (http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/restorativedentistry/dental-laboratory-aas.aspx). She is joined by two graduates of the program. First up is past podcast guest and co-creator of the Digital Dental Craftsman (https://www.digitaldentalcraftsmen.com/), Jeffry Tobon and Aneeza Hussain who is on her way to become a dentist. They talk about why they went into the program, their experiences at the school, how the school is doing now, and of course, life after graduation. Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/) offers so much more than just the P5 michine (https://www.

Let's be honest, dental technology is one of the greatest careers. You get to create and help people at the same time. Super satisfying. But imagine if you also got to do it for movies and television, creating iconic characters. That is exactly what Gary Archer does. He was asked to make a denture in one of the most famous scenes involving a denture falling out of a mouth and from there they never stopped. Making prosthetic teeth for hundreds of movies and shows, Gary Archer's list is impressive. Check it out here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0033664/. Gary talks about getting into the special effects industry, a few of the amazing movies and TV shows he's worked on, and the techniques he uses to get the desired (or undesired) effect that help shape the characters we loved and hated. *** Be sure to check out our new online store (https://www.voicesfromthebench.com/store#!/) where 100% of the profits are donated to The Foundation for Dental Technology (http://dentallabfoundation.org/)*** Aurident (https://w

So you get a letter from the FDA stating that they will be in your lab in a few weeks to inspect your operations for a certain restoration you are fabricating. What do you do? Panic? Leave town? Put your model room in charge and say good luck? Tim Torbenson has been dealing with the FDA and the dental industry for years and that's why he started Evo820 (https://www.evo820.com/) to help labs be compliant with the new rules. Tim comes on the podcast to talk about the history of the FDA looking at dental labs, why it is changing, and what you can do to prepare yourself for when they do come. We have a lot of fun during this conversation about a very serious topic. Just a few weeks away until the first dental laboratory conference of 2021 kicks off. The Dental Laboratory Conference of Texas (DLAT) (http://dlat.org/) is having an in-person meeting March 26 & 27 in Grapevine, Texas. Register today! Voices From the Bench will be recording REMOTELY from the Argen (https://argen.com/#/) booth "Live, not Live". G

There are many 3D printers in our industry. But one of them was the creator of the technology most of them use now. Al Siblani created EnvisionTEC (https://envisiontec.com/) out of years of experience in the automotive industry printing wooden molds. Expanding on the idea and seeing a need in other industries, Al disrupted other markets before introducing it to the dental industry. Al talks about the history of EnvisionTEC, the story of it getting into dental, their efforts during COVID, what makes their printers unique, and what exciting things EnvisionTEC is working on next to disrupt it all over again. Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/) offers so much more than just the P5 michine (https://www.aurident.com/p5/). They offer all the needed accessories like Nabertherm furnaces (https://www.aurident.com/furnaces/) and vacuums by Renfert. And all the consumables can be got in one place! Aurident has Delta Zirconia (https://www.aurident.com/delta-zirconia/), Aurident Zr (https://www.aurident.com/aurident-zr-

As Texas thaws out, it is time to think about the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas annual conference. March 26 & 27 in Grapevine Texas. Voices From the Bench will be recording remotely from the Argen (https://argen.com/#/) booth again this year. Register today (https://members.dlat.org/membership/) and stop by and chat with us! Mike Farago's father was a dedicated dental technician. Somehow, Mike grew up not wanting to be a dental technician. But with one project helping his dad set up a new phone system, Mike fell in love with the people, the processes, and the industry. Mike talks about buying Concord Dental Laboratory (https://www.concorddentallab.com/), becoming a needed leader to the employees he needs so much, outsourcing employees and not work, and creating a sustainable business that doesn't' rely on one technician for one offered service. Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/) offers so much more than just the P5 michine (https://www.aurident.com/p5/). They offer all the needed accessories like

One would think that to bring a line of dental products geared towards full arch restorations to America you would have to know how to use it. Defying all odds, Tay Harvey took a degree in Journalism, a love for the mini implants, and a passion for the dental laboratory industry to bring anaxdent (https://www.anaxdentusa.com/) to North America. Tay talks about how she took a chance on a "little known" product line out of Germany mixed it with AMAZING marketing and turned it into a great company offering "hella" customer service. Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/) offers so much more than just the P5 michine (https://www.aurident.com/p5/). They offer all the needed accessories like Nabertherm furnaces (https://www.aurident.com/furnaces/) and vacuums by Renfert. And all the consumables can be got in one place! Aurident has Delta Zirconia (https://www.aurident.com/delta-zirconia/), Aurident Zr (https://www.aurident.com/aurident-zr-zirconia/), Aurident cutting tools, and Quest pmma (https://www.aurident.co

Head over to the DLAT Southwest Conference and Expo March 26-27, 2021 (http://members.dlat.org/membership/2021-conference-portal/). Voices From the Bench will be recording remotely LIVE, NOT LIVE from the Argen (https://www.argen.com/#/) booth! How are you sleeping? Well, if you listen to our podcast while in bed, it's probably pretty good. But most people have some form of sleep apnea. Dental sleep devices are becoming a bigger and bigger appliance for labs to get into. Dr. Mark Murphy started his career as a dental technican, became a dentist, came back to be involved with dental labs, and is now working with ProSomnus® Sleep Technologies (https://prosomnus.com/) to help the world sleep better. Mark talks about how dentist identify and treat sleep apnea patients and how, if not treated, can affect one's life. Learn all about sleep devices and what they do to make the world a better place. Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/) offers so much more than just the P5 michine (https://www.aurident.com/p5/). They

We welcome back Bennett Napier from the NADL (National Association of Dental Laboratories) (https://nadl.org/). Bennett stops by the podcast for a brief update of the state of our industry, technicians getting vaccines, and the upcoming Vision 21 meeting being held April 8 - 10 in Nashville, TN. While many labs are already full into the digital workflow, some are still looking for a way to enter the "game". And some of the labs that are already in the "game" need a resource to improve the workflow or assistance to bring on a new product. Enter Jesse Zamarripa from Opulent Digital Specialist (https://opulentcadcam.com/). Jesse comes on the podcast to talk about how his company can help your lab enter the digital workflow or even help you improve your current workflow with dedicated service available 24/7. Partnering with names such as Amman Girrbach (https://www.amanngirrbach.us/home/), ExoCad (https://exocad.com/), and NT-Trading (https://nt.dental/en/products-en/), Opulent is a good option with labs that

A lot of labs fabricate overdentures. Hader bars, Dolder Bars, and wrap around bars for fixed hybrids. All very common in our industry. But years ago Arian Deutsch from Deutsch Dental Arts (http://www.deutschlab.com/) found a better solution and built a lab and career around it. Taking skills from both CAD/CAM and handcrafted art, Arian was able to make patient removable restorations by using 0 degree gold Electro-formed substructures friction fitted over copings that use no wearable nylon parts. Super interesting. He also talks about his journey into denturism, building his dream education center, and what's next for the Deutsch's. Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/) offers so much more than just the P5 michine (https://www.aurident.com/p5/). They offer all the needed accessories like Nabertherm furnaces (https://www.aurident.com/furnaces/) and vacuums by Renfert. And all the consumables can be got in one place! Aurident has Delta Zirconia (https://www.aurident.com/delta-zirconia/), Aurident Zr (https://w

We all know how hard it is to find good, talented, and knowledgeable removable technicians. Even when good candidates get into the field, it's not an easy skill to train. Enter the Swiss School of Prosthetics (https://www.ssop.swiss/en). Steffen Rohrbach came to America with a German degree in dental technology and after a time in the Army, Steffen connected with Edmonds Dental Prosthetics (http://www.edmondsdentalprosthetics.com/) in Springfield, Missouri. With a passion and desire to train their technicians, they decided they also wanted to "raise the bar" in the whole industry on removable prosthetics. Connecting with Candulor (https://www.candulor.com/en-us), Steffen and Edmonds built a facility for the first Swiss School of Prosthetics in the US. Steffen talks about the journey becoming a teacher and what the courses have to offer to fellow labs and technicians. The UP 3D P5 milling maching (https://www.aurident.com/p5/) from Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/)is a 5 axis, efficient, dry mill. Great f

Most of us think we have a pretty good team in our lab. But sometimes you run in to a couple of technicians that, when together, create great work and even better experiences. Conrad Rensburg came to this country as a trained dental technician and over the years eventually purchased Absolute Dental Services (https://www.absolutedentalservices.com/). Starting as a smaller lab and then growing to 6 locations, Conrad needed to improve and increase their product line. That's when Jack Marrano, the Director of their Signature Prosthetics Division, came in to train the technicians, improve their scalability, and bring in new technology. Conrad and Jack come on the podcast to talk about all that, plus getting into the Lucitone Carbon printed denture (https://www.carbon3d.com/materials/lucitone-digital-print/), strengthening their brand through social media, and participating in the dental laboratory industry. The UP 3D P5 milling maching (https://www.aurident.com/p5/) from Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/)is

One of the most common restorations for labs to "outsource" is metal frameworks and flexible partials. The training, personal, and equipment is a huge hurdle to overcome and Bertram Dental Lab can be your partner. All made in the US and decades of experience. Growing up in a lab that almost 100% made metal frames for other labs, Tim Bertram started at an early age. Now he owns Bertram Dental Lab (https://www.bertramdental.com/) that still makes metal frames for other labs, but now does it with an impressive digital workflow. He talks about printing SLM frames, milling flexibles, and printing surgical guides. With a move to a new facility, Bertram is setting up to be partner for you lab for a long time. The UP 3D P5 milling maching (https://www.aurident.com/p5/) from Aurident (https://www.aurident.com/)is a 5 axis, efficient, dry mill. Great for milling zirconia, PMMA and wax. It boasts software that produces high precision and fast milling. It can mill a crown in 14 minutes and the tool life yields about 60