Voices From The Bench

When someone in the industry seems to spend more time teaching others than working on their own work, we want to learn more. Elvis had the opportunity to take a 2 day hands-on course about pink layering on full arch zirconia and PMMA. The teacher was the wonderful Marina Caponigro (https://www.facebook.com/marina.ya.7). Of course, we had to have her on the podcast to learn about the technician behind the "fire in the belly". Marina talks about coming to America from the Ukraine to marry and work with a Prosthodontist, learning to do full arch restorations and perfecting the pink layering of composites and stains. It wasn't long before she was encouraged to teach others and travels the country teaching both technicians and clinical staff. Wanting to do more for others, Marina and her daughter opened the Smileology Group Dental Lab specializing in helping other labs create beautiful full arch restorations. Are you in the market for top-notch digital equipment, such as mills, scanners, or furnaces? Well, the ti

Getting dental offices to send you work is not the easiest thing to do. If it was, we would all be a lot happier. You could offer your "first crown free" or "$10 off your first order", but what are you doing? Are you creating a lasting partnership or are you getting a doctor that will move to the next lab that offers the same deal. Enter David Lesh. David grew up in his father's lab. After sitting in every seat, David saw the need to create a lab EXCULISVE to doing work for other labs. After owning another lab, David decided to help others in the industry grow and increase profitability by teaching them what he has learned over the years. So he started 8 and 9 Consulting (https://www.8and9consulting.com/), where he helps labs in areas they might be lacking in. David talks about creating a sales plan, hiring salespeople, using strategic pauses, finding prospect challenges, buying signals, and doing more solution based sales. It's a great conversation for everyone in the lab, not just salespeople. Are you in t

It’s amazing that so much time has passed since the 2023 DTG Symposium that happened last September. It’s also amazing all the wonderful people we were able to connect with and record. This week wraps up those conversations with two outstanding technicians in different points of their careers. First up is Salvador Carrillo who talks about learning about dental technology in Mexico, coming to the states for college, connecting with so many people in our industry, “retiring”, and using his ability to bring technicians and techniques to both Mexio and the US. Then we chat with Renata Vano, the “never stop teaching” technician from Brazil. Renata talks about dental life in Brazil, coming to the DTG symposium in 2016, learning English to teach a hands-on course at Lab Day, teaching others around the world, and how she makes amazing clear digital dentures. Are you in the market for top-notch digital equipment, such as mills, scanners, or furnaces? Well, the time to act is NOW! Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_l

Be sure to check out Part 3 of Ivoclar's "THE DENTAL SHOWDOWN" where Elvis Dahl and Dr. David Rice will discuss the complicated relationship of dental lab and dental office..... LIVE! November 9th at 7:00 pm Eastern. Register and bring your questions! (https://www.linkedin.com/events/thedentalshowdown-part3-customi7120030751261171713/) It's amazing how many people traveled from all over the world to go to the GC America (https://www.gc.dental/america/) facility in Alsip, Ill to attend the DTG Symposium back in September. We would have thought them crazy until we got to attend the symposium and meet some of them. We would fly around the world to go to that show. This week brings three conversations from 3 different countries. First up is SUPER close to the meeting. Dan Boskocevic is the Senior Marketing Manager for GC America and talks about his beginnings, the history of GC America, the early days of the DTG, and some great trends he is seeing in dental. Then we talk to a talented technician out of Latvia, Ko

Back in September, a group called the DTG (https://www.dentaltechniciansguild.com/) gathered for the first time in a while at the GC America (https://www.gc.dental/america/) facility in Alsip, Illinois. Luckily, we were honored to be a part of this amazing show. There was so many talented technicians in one room, our biggest regret is not getting to talk to all of them. BUT we did get two reluctant people to sit down and share their stories. First up is Shelia Raquel, president of White Peaks Dental Solutions USA (https://whitepeaks-usa.com/). Shelia talks about being a dental assistant in the military, working on the bench, and her new female empowered group called "Queens - Women in the Industry" (https://www.queenswomenintheindustry.com/). Next we sat down with Quint Whipple from Phoenician Dental Studio (https://www.phoeniciandental.com/). Quint talks about wanting to be a dentist, getting wise, working in Las Vegas, how occlusion affects overall health, and the history behind the famous DTG coins. Are

Back in September, Elvis and Barb attended the DTG Symposium (https://dtgevents.com/product/2023-dtg-symposium/) that was held in the GC America (https://www.gc.dental/america/) facility in Alsip, Illinois. Such an amazing meeting filled with fantastic people. This week we start the collection of wonderful conversations. First up we talk to two talented technicians that are killing it in a in-office lab and they only graduated from New York City Tech (https://www.citytech.cuny.edu/restorativedentistry/dental-laboratory-aas.aspx) in 2019! Erika Ramirez and Marjola Paloka are two of the three techs that are creating smiles at Gdental (https://www.gdental.com/) in New York City. From patient treatment planning to waxing and pressing emax to milling zirconia, these two are doing more than most technicians do in a full service lab.... while having too much fun along the way. Then we get some amazing updates from past podcast guest, Beatrice Robichaud from Panthera (https://pantheradental.com/). Beatrice comes on

Kristina Vaitelyte was born in Lithuania the day it gained its independence to a family were every member ended up in dental. Even after trying not to have a career in teeth, Kristina couldn't fight her destiny when she saw digital dental design at IDS one year. While getting her Bachelor degree at Utena College (https://www.utenos-kolegija.lt/), Kristina traveled the world to learn dental technology in different countries. She eventually found her home in the UK, working in an in-office lab getting to work directly with patients helping them get the smile they deserve. Join Kristina Vaitelyte, Elvis Dahl, Barbara Warner, and so many more at exocad Insights May 9 - 10, 2024 in Mallorca, Spain! (https://exocad.com/insights2024) Did you know that Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us) has Digital Equipment Sales Specialists (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us/landing-pages/digital-equipment)? These experienced professionals are here to help make your transition to digital, a smooth one. They help provide customize

Looking to learn exocad? Check out the Institute of Digital Dentistry (https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/) for a great online training program. Elvis approved! Join Elvis and Barb in Mallorca, Spain in May 2024 for exocad Insights (https://exocad.com/insights2024). Make plans today and more details to follow! We love stories of success in the dental lab industry. One such story is the career of Todd Reid. Todd learned about dental technology from a high school friend and was soon on a path that led to owning Access Dental Laboratories (https://accessdentallaboratories.com/) in Syracuse, NY. It definitely wasn’t an easy journey, but luckily he had the opportunity to work for and with a lot of great people that helped him along the way. Todd talks about learning every “seat” in a lab, some unique opportunities that most technicians don’t get, deciding to open a lab and how he went about it, and creating a working environment that centers around treating his employees with respect. If you are looking for

Nightshift Online Symposium! November 21: Removables with Jenelle Tabakovic and Emily Pittard (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nightshift-online-symposium-prosthetics-tickets-701562661807?aff=oddtdtcreator) November 22: Crown and Bridge with Dora Rodriges and Lisa Johnson (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nightshift-online-symposium-crown-and-bridge-tickets-701572671747?aff=oddtdtcreator) Check out Part 1 of the Dental Showdown by Ivoclar featuring Elvis Dahl and Dr. David Rice! (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us/course/consistency-or-lack-thereof/168934?) Join us for a FREE and LIVE Ivoclar webinar on October 12 at 7:00 pm eastern time. (https://www.linkedin.com/events/thedentalshowdown-part2-deliver7113201623367131137/comments/) In 2024, an iconic company in the dental space will turn 100 years old! To start the celebration we welcome the Director of Marketing Communications with VITA North America (https://www.vitanorthamerica.com/) Sam Nekola to the podcast. Sam comes on to talk about her role, the history of

We love dental legacies. When we got contacted by a dental technician that works in a dental office with 3 family members as dentists and another getting ready to graduate dental school, we knew a great story of a busy technician would be there. Dr. Jill Morris and Dr. Burr Bakke own World Class Dentistry (https://sarasotadentist.com/) in Sarasota, Florida dealing in high-end cosmetic work and ceramic implants. They are joined by their son, Dr. Cameron Johnson who specializes in ortho and airway. Both of the younger siblings went to the New York City Tech School of Restorative Dentistry (https://www.citytech.cuny.edu/restorativedentistry/). Sydney Johnson went on to dental school while Kelton Johnson became the in-office (https://sarasotadentist.com/team/higher-aesthetics-laboratory/) technician. They talk about family life, workflow, treatment planning, and leaving a legacy for future generations of this dental family. Did you know that not all Zirconia is the same? ZirCAD Prime (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_

We constantly talk about the lack of technicians in our industry. So why are the few programs left struggling to fill the seats? Brooke Harris is out to change that. Brooke is the Director of Dental Technology Program at the Indiana University Fort Wayne (https://fortwayne.iu.edu/dental-education/technology/index.html) school. Brooke talks about getting into dental technology, the labs she worked at, going back to teach, becoming the director, creating a better program, switching to a bachelor program, and trying to raise awareness of the program and the profession in general. Did you know that Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us) has Digital Equipment Sales Specialists (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us/landing-pages/digital-equipment)? These experienced professionals are here to help make your transition to digital, a smooth one. They help provide customized solutions, analyze your ROI, provide hands on assistance and localized support. All of this, catered to your needs. Contact a Digital Equipment Sales

Join Elvis and Barb THIS WEEKEND at the DTG Symposium on September 15-16 at the GC America Facility in Alsip, IL (https://dtgevents.com/) Join Elvis Dahl from Derby Dental Laboratory (https://www.derbydental.com/) and the Voices From The Bench Podcast (https://www.voicesfromthebench.com/) and Dr. Dr. David Rice from igniteDDS (https://ignitedds.com/) as they break down the challenges that happen between the clinics and labs. We are calling it “THE DENTAL SHOWDOWN”. This 3 part Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us) webinar on LinkedIn kicks off September 14 at 7pm eastern. It’s LIVE so we encourage everyone to show up and voices your own challenges. It’s time to talk about it. Register TODAY! (https://www.linkedin.com/events/thedentalshowdown-part1-consist7093223016590970880/) This week we bring you a collection of "Speed Recordings" we got during the "Speed Dating" at the Ladies of the Mill Summit (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/). We talk to so many about so many things, it's best to just list all 17 gues

For the last three years, we have gone to the Ladies of the Mill (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/) Summit and recorded a ton of amazing females in our industry. This year is no different and we talked to some fantastic people. First up, we had our first opportunity to record ON-STAGE in front of a LIVE audience with Jessica Scott and Mandy Arena. Then we had a conversation with the force behind the NADL (https://nadl.org/), NBC (https://nbccert.org/), and the FDLT (https://dentallabfoundation.org/), Rachel Luoma. After that we start our "Speed Recording" by spending just a few minutes with Jill Swafford, Christina Heaslip, Angelika Roseberry, Joetta Dixon, Amy Joers, and Becca Williams. It's jam packed with conversations, laughs, and new friendships. And it's only part 1...... Did you know that not all Zirconia is the same? ZirCAD Prime (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_li/products/digital-processes/ips-e.max-zircad-prime-family) Zirconia from Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us) is uniquely produced with Gradi

Join Elvis and Barb at the DTG Symposium on September 15-16 at the GC America Facility in Alsip, IL (https://dtgevents.com/) Let's be honest, digital outsourcing is a great way to keep up on the growing amount of work coming into labs and the lack of finding good technicians to handle it. That is where Evident (https://evidentdigital.com/) comes in. Evident (https://evidentlabs.com/) has been providing lab management software for 15 years and understands what a lab needs. This week we meet the VP of Digital Design Services, Guy Manzies. Guy talks about all the things Evident does. From the Lab Management software that stated the whole company to their 350 designers working 24 hours a day to help with your production. We also get into how they train and scale so many technicians, how they cater to your lab’s preferences, their new integration with ExoCAD (https://exocad.com/), and some interesting trends that only a company of that size and global footprint can see. Did you know that Ivoclar (https://www.ivoc

Join Elvis Dahl from Derby Dental Laboratory (https://www.derbydental.com/) and the Voices From The Bench Podcast (https://www.voicesfromthebench.com/) and Dr. Dr. David Rice from igniteDDS (https://ignitedds.com/) as they break down the challenges that happen between the clinics and labs. We are calling it “THE DENTAL SHOWDOWN”. This 3 part Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us) webinar on LinkedIn kicks off September 14 at 7pm eastern. It’s LIVE so we encourage everyone to show up and voices your own challenges. It’s time to talk about it. Register TODAY! (https://www.linkedin.com/events/thedentalshowdown-part1-consist7093223016590970880/) On August 27th many brave and fearless dental technicians will take to the water and road to participate in the 2023 Chicago Triathlon (https://www.chicagotriathlon.com/). They don't do it for fame or personal gain, but to raise money for the Foundation For Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/). PLEASE head over to dentallabfoundation.org (https

Join Elvis Dahl from Derby Dental Laboratory (https://www.derbydental.com/) and the Voices From The Bench Podcast (https://www.voicesfromthebench.com/) and Dr. Dr. David Rice from igniteDDS (https://ignitedds.com/) as they break down the challenges that happen between the clinics and labs. We are calling it “THE DENTAL SHOWDOWN”. This 3 part Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us) webinar on LinkedIn kicks off September 14 at 7pm eastern. It’s LIVE so we encourage everyone to show up and voices your own challenges. It’s time to talk about it. Register TODAY! (https://www.linkedin.com/events/thedentalshowdown-part1-consist7093223016590970880/) On August 27th many brave and fearless dental technicians will take to the water and road to participate in the 2023 Chicago Triathlon (https://www.chicagotriathlon.com/). They don't do it for fame or personal gain, but to raise money for the Foundation For Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/). PLEASE head over to dentallabfoundation.org (https

Join Elvis and Barb at the DTG Symposium on September 15-16 at the GC America Facility in Alsip, IL (https://dtgevents.com/) On August 27th many brave and fearless dental technicians will take to the water and road to participate in the 2023 Chicago Triathlon (https://www.chicagotriathlon.com/). They don't do it for fame or personal gain, but to raise money for the Foundation For Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/). PLEASE head over to dentallabfoundation.org (https://dentallabfoundation.org/) and click the DONATE TODAY button. Log in and choose the “Race for the Future” option. There you can put the name of a racer you want to sponsor. You can put: Barb Warner Team Abutments (Elvis Dahl, Mark Williamson, Bobby Kennedy) Voices From the Bench (50/50 split between Barb and Elvis' team) This week brings us a Prosthodontist that developed a faster and better way to do a full arch immediate load conversion. Dr. Brandon Kofford started his career in the Air Force. After a long and succes

Prime Zirconia: White and Pink Esthetics: Ivoclar is having two amazing in-house training sessions in September featuring Jurgen Seger. September 7 & 9 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us/course/prime-zirconia---white-and-pink-esthetics/159773) September 11& 12 in Amherst, NY, USA (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us/course/prime-zirconia---white-and-pink-esthetics/155360) SAVE 30% by using the code: VFTB30 You and a friend can each save 50% by emailing Nicola.Kowal@ivoclar.com and telling them you heard it on Voices From the Bench! TOPICS INCLUDE: * Choice of zirconia material related to strengths, esthetics and efficiency * Design nesting and milling strategies for Multi Zirconia * Infiltration options * Processing monolithic restorations surface finish, staining * Gingiva microlayering different pink ceramic colors * Tooth microlayering management of color and 3D effects. * Key tips related to firing aspects for zirconia bridge structures * Micro and macrotexture of the tooth surface

On August 27th many brave and fearless dental technicians will take to the water and road to participate in the 2023 Chicago Triathlon (https://www.chicagotriathlon.com/). They don't do it for fame or personal gain, but to raise money for the Foundation For Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/). PLEASE head over to dentallabfoundation.org (https://dentallabfoundation.org/) and click the DONATE TODAY button. Log in and choose the “Race for the Future” option. There you can put the name of a racer you want to sponsor. You can put: Barb Warner Team Abutments (Elvis Dahl, Mark Williamson, Bobby Kennedy) Voices From the Bench (50/50 split between Barb and Elvis' team) We LOVE meeting new people as shows and we LOVE hearing stories of labs being successful. This week brings two more conversations that we got while at the Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us) table at LMT Lab Day West 2023. First up is Chad Brox from Performance Dental Lab (https://www.performancedentallab.com/) near the

On August 27th many brave and fearless dental technicians will take to the water and road to participate in the 2023 Chicago Triathlon (https://www.chicagotriathlon.com/). They don't do it for fame or personal gain, but to raise money for the Foundation For Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/). PLEASE head over to dentallabfoundation.org (https://dentallabfoundation.org/) and click the DONATE TODAY button. Log in and choose the “Race for the Future” option. There you can put the name of a racer you want to sponsor. You can put: Barb Warner Team Abutments (Elvis Dahl, Mark Williamson, Bobby Kennedy) Voices From the Bench (50/50 split between Barb and Elvis' team) Come see Elvis and Barb on stage together for the first time as we record an episode in front of a live audience! Register for the Ladies of the Mill Summit in Chattanooga, TN on July 21-22 (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/) Long before this crazy hot summer even started, Ivoclar (https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us) invited Elvis