Voices From The Bench

LIVE and IN-PERSON: Elvis Dahl at LMT Lab Day Chicago: Using Your Awkwardness to Market Your Lab Saturday 9:45am - 10:45am Acapulco Room · West Tower, Ballroom (Gold) Level (https://lmtmag.com/seminars/using-your-awkwardness-to-market-your-lab) Just recently Asiga (https://www.asiga.com/) has set up a North America headquarters and they brought on Cory Lambertson to run it. Cory grew up in a lab and eventually became a technical support manager at Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/), the company that originally brought the Asiga Printer over. Now Cory is running all things Asiga. Cory talks about the history of the printer, why the Asiga stands out above the other printers, how the Asiga printer does some of the amazing things it’s known for, and what’s next for this printing company that is miles ahead of some of the other printers. If you want to save, and also grow, Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/) is, where you should go! Resins (https://www.gro3x.com/collections/print) to print night guards, for high-i

Paolo Lubrano was a fully licensed dentist in Italy when he decided he liked the laboratory side of the industry more. Moving to America, he now co-owns a lab (Bespoke Dental Lab) in a dental office doing some amazing full-arch restorations with some top-notch technology. Paolo talks about working with implants, doing chairside crowns, and somehow finds the time to train and participate in triathlons. Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/)’s new VeriEKO LCD printer (https://www.whipmix.com/products/whip-mix-verieko-dental-3d-printer/) sets the bar for high-speed, high-precision 3D printing. You can now print three times faster than other printers, while maximizing print detail and accuracy at 49-micron pixel-size, thanks to the VeriEKO’s 95+% light uniformity and 54 calibrated LEDs. The new printer satisfies all your printing needs with a 120 X 80mm print plate. Print temporary and permanent crowns and bridges, models and dies, surgical guides, splints, custom trays, and even dentures. So if you are in the mark

You know we love stories of second-generation dental technicians and this week we travel up to Canada to talk to an amazing ceramist that is carrying on the family lab. Dani Farago wanted to be a hairdresser and after some encouragement from her parents set off to George Brown College (https://www.georgebrown.ca/programs/dental-technology-program-s100) to learn dental technology. Not yet finding her passion, she continued her education to Japan to get a new perspective on lab work and it was once she picked up the camera, she found her passion for the work she does. See Dani's amazing work on Instagram at 2thmaker_ (https://www.instagram.com/2thmaker_/) If you want to save, and also grow, Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/) is, where you should go! Resins (https://www.gro3x.com/collections/print) to print night guards, for high-impact and flex, look no further, because we have them at Gro3X. Burs (https://www.gro3x.com/collections/mill) for your mills, Zirconia (https://www.gro3x.com/collections/aidite) for your

Who better to talk about then yourself? For episode 200, Elvis and Barb have turned the microphones on themselves. When asked “who should be on episode 200", multiple people said it was the hosts turn to sit in the hot seat. They asked a very special friend and the creator of the “Fan of Voices From the Bench (https://www.facebook.com/groups/4141108352651184)” Facebook page, Joe Young from Young Dental Laboratory (https://youngdentallab.com/) in Philadelphia to take over host duties. Temporarily. Joe asks the hard-hitting questions like how they got into the industry, how the podcast came to be, and what have Elvis and Barb learned over the last 199 weeks. Don't worry, they didn't learn much..... Episode 90: Keeping It In The Family: Michael & Joe Young, Jane Hyatt, and Kristen Benitez (https://www.voicesfromthebench.com/90) The Dental Hacks Podcast (http://dentalhacks.com/) The Dental Hacks Podcast episode 06: Mark Jackson (http://dentalhacks.com/podcasts/the-dentalhacks-podcast-episode-06-mark-jackson-and-t

It's no secret that a lot of guests recently have been found because of the amazing dental technician community found on Instagram. If you are on there you definitely know of @thepartyenamel (https://www.instagram.com/thepartyenamel/). It's hard not to know of her because she is great at creating content and bringing the dental lab community even closer. But the person behind the account is Beth Brown. Beth comes on the podcast to talk about getting into the industry, going to a dental university in a hospital, using her Instagram to find her new home at Mango Dental Lab (https://www.facebook.com/mangodental/), and taking the challenge to get her Master's degree in Dental Technology. She's a dental party enamel for sure when it comes to education! Elvis and Barb were right! Schottlander (https://www.schottlander.com/) teeth are not in the US. If you want to save, and also grow, Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/) is, where you should go! Resins (https://www.gro3x.com/collections/print) to print night guards, for

VOTE for Voices From the Bench as the 2021 Best Dental Podcast (https://dentalpodcast.org/VOTE-2021/?mc_cid=5351962153&mc_eid&fbclid=IwAR2Rrl0RxcQixo2V-F-7EBJ0eibgi_6bVX12pCtVcbAcQ9SWEIeAY8-8og8) We are back this week talking to a dental technician. Hugo Sousa is a very accomplished technician from the UK. Born and educated in Portugal at a university in Lisbon, Hugo then continued his career in England working for different labs and then obtained his Master's degree in dental technology. He is currently going for his PhD while hosting his own dental laboratory podcast in Portuguese called Conversa à Bancada. Portuguese Podcast - Conversa à Bancada Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/conversa-%C3%A0-bancada/id1564666913 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6464EueS9V1T4MUTAzvzgG?si=4b0f4553e0e44ac2 Facebook - Conversa Bancada - https://www.facebook.com/thefree.tooth/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/conversaabancada/ Long Distance degrees mentioned in the episode: University of Lisb

Let's start 2022 with a different kind of guest. What is a great way to show your passion for dental technology? Denture Babes (https://www.denturebabes.com/) shirt? Tooth decal on your car? How about an amazing denture tattoo? Well we have the perfect guest for you. Ed Johnson is a tattooist out of Portland Oregon who specializes in teeth and denture tattoo. Ed is joined by his dentist father, Dr. Dennis Johnson. They talk about the early days that lead Ed to art and his fascination with teeth. Ed talks about getting into tattooing, the process of giving one of his "patients" a tattoo, and what makes a good tattoo great. If you love teeth and don't have a tattoo, you will want one after this. Check out Ed's Instagram at DentistPDX (https://www.instagram.com/dentistpdx/) If you want to save, and also grow, Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/) is, where you should go! Resins (https://www.gro3x.com/collections/print) to print night guards, for high-impact and flex, look no further, because we have them at Gro3X. B

So many great dental lab shows to look forward to in 2022: Vision 21: https://nadl.org/events/v21/2022/ Cal-Lab: https://cal-lab.org/ LMT Lab Day Chicago: https://lmtmag.com/lmtlabday DLAT Southwest Conference: https://members.dlat.org/membership/ FDLA Southern States Expo: https://www.fdla.net/symposium Ladies of the Mill: https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/ This week we are talking to two amazing ladies who came together during the pandemic to open the lab of their dreams. Vicki Thomas and Carolynn Capps come from different laboratory backgrounds but found a common ground with their unique skills they each bring. That’s why they opened up She Designs Dental Studios (https://www.instagram.com/shedesignsdental/?hl=en) in Matthews, North Carolina. This all pink, female owned, and operated lab is different than the labs you usually see out there. Vicki and Carolyn talk about their backgrounds, how they met, and how they put together a different experience for their clients and patients, all under the light of a gi

We told you that the Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) Digital Forum was amazing! This is the 4th episode we got from the Preat (https://preat.com/) booth talking to so many amazing people. First up is Patrick Strohkirch from Oqton (https://www.oqton.com/). Oqton is a interesting software company that allows AI to nest your mills and prints almost instantly. Then we chat with Tom Houle, who has a great path in our industry on the sales side to end up as the West Coast Digital Technology Specialist for Whip Mix. THEN, stepping away from the Digital Forum, we have a conversation Elvis got while at the Eastern Conference of Dental Laboratories (http://www.eastern-conference.com/index.html) in Winston-Salem, NC. Two students from the Durham Technical College (https://www.durhamtech.edu/), Nathan DiBiase and Nathan Stainnack, that talk about why they got into the dental technology program and where they hope it takes them after. Did you know that most inLab MCX5 users that have ordered burs from Gro3X once, kee

Gingival Artistry for Analogue and Digital Dentures with Nina Frketin - February 10th Webinar (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gingival-artistry-for-analogue-and-digital-dentures-tickets-179391774627?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=escb) Check out her episode on the podcast- 171: Pretty Acrylic In Pink with Nina Frketin (https://www.voicesfromthebench.com/171) We love live events where we get to talk to people face-to-face. At the end of October Elvis and Barb talked to so many people from the Preat (https://preat.com/) booth at the Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) Digital forum. This week we talk to two technicians that went to the event for two different reasons. First up with Rich Green from B&D Dental Technologies (https://www.bnddental.com/). Rich has been a dental technician is whole career and is now using his experience and expertise to help the industry understand zirconia better by education and a few jokes. Then we chat with Hu

In every industry, when a company that come into it that disrupts the usual way of doing things, people start to talk. Rumors go around and misinformation grows. This week we welcome the Head of R & D at Dandy (https://www.meetdandy.com/), Kenn Butler. Kenn hears all the talk online and at dental shows about Dandy and being a fan of the podcast, Kenn agreed to come on and talk about how and why Dandy came to be, what they have learned along the way, and he answers some of the rumors that have spread over the last few months. Did you know that most inLab MCX5 users that have ordered burs from Gro3X once, keep on ordering Gro3X burs over and over again? Because Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/) burs are engineered by some of the folks who have been providing burs to some of the largest US production labs for years. Did you also know, that most Roland and DGShape users have no idea what they are missing out? To give Roland and DGSHAPE users the opportunity to find out for themselves how good Gro3X burs work also f

DARE to say NO to bad impressions the shirt! Order one today! (https://www.bonfire.com/dare-to-say-no-to-bad-impressions-shirt-1/) 100% of the profits go towards The Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/) We love it when we can talk to people in our industry face-to-face. Last October we got that chance at the Preat (https://preat.com/) booth while attending the Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) Digital Forum. This annual event was on its 9th year and so far it was its best. This time we had a chance to talk to a wonderful digital technician Whitney McCarty. Whitney talked about starting as an expanded assistant, dedicating all her free time to learn digital dentistry, and taking what she has learned to become a pivotal CAD/CAM technician at Midwest Dental Arts (https://www.midwestdentalarts.com/) doing a full arch digital workflow. Then we sit down and chat with Gene Peterson CDT from Stearngold (https://www.sterngold.com/). Gene has a rich dental lab background wi

DARE to say NO to bad impressions the shirt! Order one today! (https://www.bonfire.com/dare-to-say-no-to-bad-impressions-shirt-1/) 100% of the profits go towards The Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/) October 2021 Elvis and Barb FINALLY got to record at a LIVE event together for the first times since February 2020. Lucky it was at the Whip Mix Digital Forum (https://www.whipmix.com/special-events/2021-digital-forum/), a packed event full of fantastic speakers, vendors, and attendees that were super excited just to be out enjoying the dental lab industry. This first episode for the event has Elvis and Barb talking to the CEO of Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) herself, Anne Steinbock. Anne talks about the family history, her past jobs at the company and becoming CEO, and some great tales of Whip Mix past. Then we talk to Pat Higgins and Bryce Hiller about the new Whip Mix VeriONE Digital (https://www.verionedigital.com/) workflow for clinicians. This workflow, w

When we discovered a Instagram account by a "gentleman" named @mrawwesome (https://www.instagram.com/mrawwesome/), we knew that he would be a interesting guest. Justin Gerard is a removable technician that tells it like it is. Entertaining and slightly offensive, Justin comes on the podcast to talk about getting into the industry, characters that help shape him in the profession, opening his own lab (Colonial Dental Lab (https://colonialdentallaboratories.com/)) with a partner, and starting his Instagram account to share his unique take on dental lab technology. 2022 NADL Vision 21 meeting: Las Vegas January 20 - 22 (https://nadl.org/events/v21/2022/) Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) is very excited to announce the new PRO 4K large format 3D printer from Asiga (https://www.whipmix.com/products/asiga-pro-4k/). The open-material printer for 385nm and 405nm resins features renowned Asiga reliability, and super-fast print mode for large batch printing of virtually all print resins. It’s ideal for printing any

When has anyone ever said life in a dental lab is easy? It's not. There are many struggles and challenges every day. Todd Blankenbecler and Andy Stark from EasyRX (https://easyrxcloud.com/) have a solution for a few of the issues. Easy Rx is a software that can run production in the lab, but it also has a clinician aspect that allows the two to communicate efficiently. Oh, did we mention that it can also prep your digital scans for model printing? They talk about how two different software companies combined, how they deal with the different business models, and what makes EasyRx stand out over the other production software. Denture Babes website (https://www.denturebabes.com/) The first 500 orders placed between November 1st and November 14th will all get a FREE LIMITED EDITION Metallic Voices From the Bench sticker! Swiss School of Prosthetics 2022 course dates! (https://www.ssop.swiss/en-us/all-dates-venues) Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/) is a dental supply, service, and marketing company. It is to help

We love to talk to people that are so passionate about dental labs that they take their unique weirdness and turn it into a business that gives other technicians exactly what they want. Jenelle Tabaković (https://www.instagram.com/jtlabqueen/) and MacKenzie Mayer (https://www.instagram.com/toothfairyknz/) are both removable technicians with different career paths. But they didn’t like the options of clothing for dental technicians. After a lot of planning and hard work they have now created a huge following of technicians that share their passion, weirdness, and toothcreepness. They come on the podcast to talk about getting into the industry, meeting each other on Instagram, and building a business they both do out of love for their profession. Plus plenty of fart jokes. It’s a lot of fun that no one should miss. Denture Babes website (https://www.denturebabes.com/) The first 500 orders placed between November 1st and November 14th will all get a FREE LIMITED EDITION Metallic Voices From the Bench sticker! Wh

They say behind every famous person is the true group that makes them famous. John Archibald has been the in-office dental technician to the famous Dr. Gordon Christensen (https://www.pccdental.com/). This gave John a chance to be on the forefront of a lot of new products and procedures. Seeing an opportunity to teach the lab industry, he started the country's only full time apprenticeship school. Raising his son Jed Archibald (https://www.archibalddigital.com/) in the school, Jed was soon teaching in the school and continuing the name in the industry as a leader with the development to the digital workflow. Clinicians Report (https://www.cliniciansreport.org/) 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 business opportunities, and generate growth. Attend their upcoming Gro3X Gem Talks on November 5th in Charlotte, NC (https://www.gr

Check out A Very Dental Podcast: Shorts: Everyone Sucks at Their Job (except Elvis) (https://verydentalpodcast.com/episode/shorts-everyone-sucks-at-their-job-except-elvis) This week we welcome John Wilson from Sunrise Dental Laboratory (http://www.sunrisedentallab.com/) out in California to the podcast. He has been at this lab game for a while. Early on he saw the importance of putting his lab on the front line of implant restorations. John comes on the podcast to talk about his early days as a punk kid, mistakes he’s made, and more importantly the lessons he has learned. It’s just an added bonus that he shares the lessons in hope that he can prevent some others from making the same mistake. 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 the tools last 2

Conversa à Bancada: a dental laboratory podcast out of Portugal (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversa-%C3%A0-bancada/id1564666913) Join Elvis and Barb at the Whip Mix Digital Forum October 29 & 30 in Louisville, Ky (https://www.whipmix.com/special-events/2021-digital-forum/) When you hear of people consulting in our industry, you would hope that they spent some time in our industry doing what they are "consulting". David Avery has done it all. Classically trained in school, worked in-house for a prosthodontist, owned his own lab, and help grow one of the largest labs on the east coast. David talks about the people who have influenced him along the way, how our profession has changes over the years, and what labs and technicians can do to prepare themselves for success in the coming years. 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

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