Voices From The Bench

Comes see Elvis and Barb at the Whip Mix Digital Forum October 28th and 29th in Louisville, Kentucky (https://www.whipmix.com/special-events/2022-digital-forum/) Great show, fantastic speaks, unbelievable content, and a Halloween costume party! What does a card trick and making a denture fit have in common? Mark Samuel Chan! This week we welcome a Denturist out of Canada that got into the profession because a teacher told him not to be a dentist. Lucky him! Mark talks about the school he went to, coming into the field at a young age, going to a IDS meeting that changed his path, working with Swiss NF Metals (https://swissnfmetals.com/), public speaking, and magic tricks. Get ready to feel like you don’t do enough because Mark seems to do it all. Two dynamic teams have joined forces to rock the intraoral scanning world! Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) has added the 3Shape TRIOS® (https://info.whipmix.com/en/3shape-trios-contact-us) line of scanners to its line of digital solutions for the dental office. T

Come see ELVIS live at LMT Lab Day East - October 1st in Tarrytown, NY (https://lmtmag.com/lmtlabdayeast) Sign up for his presentation "A Couple of Studs at the Bar" (https://lmtmag.com/seminars/a-couple-of-studs-at-the-bar) Zirconia. Every lab that does fixed restorations uses it. And why not, it's a great material that comes in different strengths and translucencies. But how much do you really know about zirconia? Get ready to learn a lot more! This week we talk to Dr. Rella Christensen who has been studying zirconia in the mouth since the early days and has some fascinating results to share with us. She is also joined by Jay Emirzian from Galaxy Dental Lab (https://galaxydentallaboratory.com/) who has found a way to eliminate post sinter staining by doing some pre sinter polishing. A great conversations for all the dental nerds our there! B&D Dental Technologies: Origin® Live™ Zirconia (https://www.bnddental.com/origin-live.html) Jay's Greenstate Pre-Polishing Tool Kits from Zubler USA (https://zublerusa.

There is a place in Alberta Canada that specializes in dentures, implants, and the digital workflow. Denturist Luke LaRocque-Walker was working too many hours and needed help. Paul Imperius is a dental technician that went from 80 hours a week to only 40 with a desire to do more. Once they teamed at True North Denture & Implant Centre (https://www.truenorthdent.com/) they started to find the perfect digital workflow. The question they asked themselves is: "How can we be more efficient and make a better restoration for the patient". This is their story. We cover scanning, printing, milling, and everything in between that has made this partnership work so well. Two dynamic teams have joined forces to rock the intraoral scanning world! Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) has added the 3Shape TRIOS® (https://info.whipmix.com/en/3shape-trios-contact-us) line of scanners to its line of digital solutions for the dental office. Together, this dynamic duo can get your dentists scanning, providing you the reliable scan

Come see ELVIS live at LMT Lab Day East - October 1st in Tarrytown, NY (https://lmtmag.com/lmtlabdayeast) Sign up for his presentation "A Couple of Studs at the Bar" (https://lmtmag.com/seminars/a-couple-of-studs-at-the-bar) This week we decided to go outside of the dental laboratory industry to talk about another industry that also makes a replacement body part that both has function and esthetics. Zach Hetzler is a Board Certified Ocularist with Hetzler Ocular Prosthetics (https://hetzlerocular.com/) in Fishers, Indiana. Zach comes on to talk about of teeth nerds about the Ocular industry. He talks about getting into the field, the certification process, and walks us through the process from taking an impression to fabricating the prosthesis to final seat. The similarities with our industry (and denturist) are amazing. Did you know Asiga (https://www.asiga.com/) has over 500 validated materials on their open material system. And it's growing every day? By harnessing Asiga's proprietary layer monitoring te

Check out https://www.thepartyenamel.com/ for some amazing courses and to maybe teach one of your own! In 1999, Dr. Jiro Abe revolutionized denture technology with his lower suction denture technique. Now only a handful of technicians and clinicians are trained to teach the technique. One that can teach both the clinical and technical side of suction dentures is Paul McNally, a denturist out of Ireland and owner of McNally Denture Clinic (https://www.mcnallydentureclinic.ie/). Paul comes on to talk about becoming a Denturist, opening his practice, learning and teaching suction dentures, and how exactly the technique is achieved to make the most retentive mandibular denture. Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) is thrilled to announce their most recent addition to their milling product line. Introducing the DWX-53DC (https://www.whipmix.com/products/roland-dgshape-dwx-53dc-dental-mill/) from DGSHAPE. This powerful mill satisfies your 'NEED FOR SPEED'. Three reasons to consider this mill: 1. It has 3 times the

This week we bring you 3 more amazing conversations we got while attending the Ladies of the Mill (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/) Summit back in July. Live from the Preat (https://www.preat.com/) booth Elvis talked to past podcast guest Kelly Weliky. Minutes after doing her first on-stage presentation, Kelly talks about speaking in front of other and what she has been up to since last on the podcast. Then we chat with Jen Ludwing. Jen is a regional manager for the Apex Dental Laboratory Group (https://www.apexlabgroup.com/) and a all around bright light in our industry. Jen talks about her role and why Ladies of the Mill is so important to her. Then we wrap up the whole weekend with a conversation with the folks at Vulcan Custom Dental (https://www.vulcandental.com/) and BioHorizon (https://www.biohorizons.com/). Ashley Boggs is an engineer for BioHorizon and talks about some engineering "stuff", Mark Ferguson talks about Vulcan's relationship with BioHorizon and some of the exciting things they are doing,

Back in July, there was a meeting called the Ladies of the Mill (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/)Summit. This yearly meeting is all about celebrating and supporting females in the dental laboratory industry. Full of motivating and inspiring speakers, Elvis got to record with a bunch of attendees at the Preat (https://www.preat.com/) booth. First up is half of the owners of Likelike Dental Studios (https://lifelikedental.com/), Carrie Ling. Carrie talks about getting their lab started in a shed, growing it with her husband, and where they are at now. Then we talk to two technicians from Renstrom Dental Studio (http://www.renstrom.com/), Sandra Nohava and Courtney Bennett. These two talk about the different labs they worked at, the unique way they connected and then connected again at their current lab, and why they came to the Ladies of the Mill Summit. Then Elvis walks away from the recording gear to let 5 technicians have their own conversation. Dani Farago, MacKenzie Mayer, Katie Boteler, Nina Frketin, &

Two brothers with extensive dental experience put together Blender for Dental (https://www.blenderfordental.com/home), an affordable alternative to the other design software in our industry. Brothers Wolfgang & Michael Teiniker learned the craft in South Africa. Wolfgang continued his career in Germany, and then they connected again in New Zealand. You can say they know a thing of two about dental technology. Michael started to play around with a program called Blender. It wasn't long before he realized that it could be used in the dental lab industry. Now they are both exclusively working on and maintaining Blender for Dental to offer a design software made by technicians for technicians. Information and how to register for the Race For the Future 8.0 August 28th (https://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/) Information and registration for the Chicago Triathlon (https://www.chicagotriathlon.com/) Register for the FREE Education Day on August 27th (https://dentallabfoundation.org/educat

Steve Campbell, owner of Nexus Dental Laboratory (https://www.nexus.dental/) in the UK, joins us for an amazing conversation. Steve talks about the industry's history, how the government stepped in to help, how he learned his skills as an apprenticeship, opening his fully digital lab, using ExoCAD, and being an advocate for the digital workflow to make dental technology "sexy" to the next generation. ExoCAD (https://exocad.com/) is excited to present their next Insights event October 3-4, 2022, on the sun-drenched island of Mallorca, Spain. Connect with friends and colleagues in the industry while collecting CE points* during a full program of software education, partner shows and international guest speakers. Enjoy the exclusive welcome party, featuring fantastic music and food. Join us in making Insights 2022 an event to remember! Register at exocad.com/insights2022 Information and how to register for the Race For the Future 8.0 August 28th (https://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/)

We are excited to have on good friend and supporter and advocate of our industry, Tony Prestipino from Artifex Dental Laboratory (https://artifexlab.com/). Tony comes on to talk about how he learned about the profession, having a brother who is a prosthodontist and another bother in the lab business, getting into implants, and taking an All-on-X procedure and patenting the procedure. It’s hard to find anyone so willing to help anyone willing to ask. Information and how to register for the Race For the Future 8.0 August 28th (https://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/) Information and registration for the Chicago Triathlon (https://www.chicagotriathlon.com/) Register for the FREE Education Day on August 27th (https://dentallabfoundation.org/education-day/) (COME TO THE DINNER!) Donate to Barb or Team Voices From the Bench!!!! (https://fdlt.memberclicks.net/donor-form#!/) Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/)’s new VeriWhirl (https://www.whipmix.com/products/veriwhirl-dental-3d-printed-parts

What?!?! Another Implant company? You bet. But this one is different. Patrick Dewey, the General Manager from S.I.N. Dental USA (https://sindentalusa.com/) and Blake Roney, the Digital Solutions Specialist come on the podcast to talk about the companies dedication and process to a completely modeless digital full arch workflow. Patrick and Blake talk about the process and while using Photogrammetry with the Imetric4D (https://sindentalusa.com/products/equipment/imetric-icam4d-photogrammetry-camera/), an Intraoral scanner, ExoCAD (https://exocad.com/), and some slick tips and tricks, anyone can make accurate modeless full arch restorations. Did I mention a new implant? You'll want to hear about all that too. Follow along with the S.I.N. Dental USA Digital Modeless Workflow HERE (https://bit.ly/3Pj788a) Did you know Asiga (https://www.asiga.com/) has over 500 validated materials on their open material system. And it's growing everyday? By harnessing Asiga's proprietary layer monitoring technology with its sm

This week brings the amazing story of Edgar Munoz. Edgar played baseball and had dreams of going professional. A couple of bad knees later and Edgar had to rethink his life. Luckily for our industry and thousands of patients, Edgar stumbled into dental technology. Opening his own lab in his garage and a lot of hard work, Edgar is now the owner of Elite Dental Studios (https://www.elitedentalstudiousa.com/). Partnering with Noritake (https://www.kuraraynoritake.com/world/)to teach ceramics, Edgar comes on to talk about his tale and the lessons he has learned along the way. Did you know Asiga (https://www.asiga.com/) has over 500 validated materials on their open material system. And it's growing everyday? By harnessing Asiga's proprietary layer monitoring technology with its smart positioning system and integrated internal radiometer, as a laboratory, you will be able to produce any indication you desire. Whether models, splints, temporaries, or even permanent crowns. Your investment will be future proofed b

Before we get stated with this jam packed and full filled episode, we have to get some links to you: Information and how to register for the Race For the Future 8.0 August 28th (https://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/) Information and registration for the Chicago Triathlon (https://www.chicagotriathlon.com/) Register for the FREE Education Day on August 27th (https://dentallabfoundation.org/education-day/) (COME TO THE DINNER!) Donate to Barb or Team Voices From the Bench!!!! (https://fdlt.memberclicks.net/donor-form#!/) Alright. Now that we have all the important links out of the way, we can get to the episode that is all about the links. The Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/) is an organization that raises money for the continuing education in our industry. The person that keeps it on track is Lindsey Rowan. Lindsey comes on the podcast to talk about the history of the race, where the money goes, and details about this year’s race. She al

Join us at the Ladies of the Mill Summit - Nashville - July 21 & 22 (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/) Live, hands-on course using anaxgum pink composite and PREAT Corp. implant components to create lifelike gingiva on implant prosthetics - During LOTM on Saturday July 22 (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pink-esthetics-with-anaxgum-at-the-ladies-of-the-mill-summit-registration-314758911377) We love our stories of family taking over the family lab. One such family is the Perricone's. Andrew Perricone grew up in his mother's lab. Even after going to dental technology school, Andrew still started in the model room and worked his way up. Getting involved early in digital, Andrew knew it was the future. Now running GPS Digital Dental Lab (https://gpsdental.com/), Andrew talks about the history of the lab, staying relevant with technology, and the next thing GPS is working on to take the lab to the next level of success. The fastest growing product at Gro3X (https://www.gro3x.com/) are the Gro3X Aligners. Gro3X Align

DONATE to Barb Warner or Team Voices From the Bench for the Race For the Future 8.0 (https://fdlt.memberclicks.net/donor-form#!/) Participate or cheer the racers at the Race For the Future 8.0 - August 28th - Chicago (https://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/) Come to the FIRST and FREE Education Day - August 27th - Chicago (https://dentallabfoundation.org/education-day/) Most labs have 3shape (https://www.3shape.com/) running a majority of their digital workflow. Do you know the history of 3shape? Do you know why 3shape does what it does? Rune Fisker comes on the podcast to tell us that and so much more. Rune was the very first employee of 3shape after the two founders stated the company, so he knows his stuff. Rune talks about the history and timeline of 3 shape, what and who has helped shape the company to what it is now, getting into intraoral scanners, and what 3shape is working on next that Rune feels are the hot trends in dentistry. Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/) introduces

Join us at the Ladies of the Mill Summit - Nashville - July 21 & 22 (https://www.ladiesofthemill.com/) Live, hands-on course using anaxgum pink composite and PREAT Corp. implant components to create lifelike gingiva on implant prosthetics - During LOTM on Saturday July 22 (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pink-esthetics-with-anaxgum-at-the-ladies-of-the-mill-summit-registration-314758911377) Imagine having to teach over 80 students partial design during covid. That is exactly what Dr. Wendy Clark had to do. Heading up the Pre-doctoral Removable Prosthodontics at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (https://dentistry.unc.edu/), Dr. Clark knew she needed something that the school could afford and would allow for remote lessons. She leaned on her longtime friend and lab technician, Craig Holland. Craig is no stranger to odd and unusual cases, but during the shutdown, Craig found the time from his usual work at 3 Point Dental Studio (https://www.3pointdentalstudio.com/) to self-teach himself coding. Along

The Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology (https://dentallabfoundation.org/): Race For the Future 8.0 August 28th (https://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/) Most technicians are very dedicated and passionate about what they do. That is what makes our industry so amazing. But sometimes there is a technician that we run into that is so passionate that it really stands out and shows really how amazing we are. Nicole Jackson came into this industry be seeing a patient reaction getting a crown. Finding a school in her area in Milwaukee, Nicole graduated and started in a lab. It wasn’t long before she was changing workflows and increasing productivity. After a few labs a opportunity came about to go back to the school that started it all and run the program. Nicole is now the Lead faculty and program chair of the dental technician program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (https://www.matc.edu/course-catalog/manufacturing-construction-transportation/dental-technician.html). This is h

The Maine Licensed Denturist Association June 10 - 11 (https://mainelda.com/) National Denturist Association October 12 - 14 (https://nationaldenturist.com/) We’ve had many Denturists on the podcast in the past. It’s a great career path for dental technicians looking for the next step. Unfortunately, Denturism is not legal in many states. Luckily for the residents of Maine, Denturism is legal there. We are joined again by multi-episode guest, Patrick Allen. Patrick is a Denturist in at Central Maine Denture (https://centralmainedenture.com/) and he has invited two other Denturist from Maine to join us for the conversation. Austin Carbone learned dental technology in the Navy. Moving to Canada and finding Denturism, Austin has been educating the population and being the part of many boards to bring awareness to the profession. Getting closer to retirement, Austin brought on Ashley Soucy to Jetport Denture Center (https://www.jetportdenturecenter.com/) to carry on the practice. Ashley, a recent graduate of The

There are a few in our industry that create valuable content geared to the dental laboratory industry. If you have spent more than 10 minutes on a social media page for dental technology, you have probably heard of Minh Tran. Minh is a second generation lab technician that also has a passion for creating videos and sharing knowledge that he has picked up over the years on dentaltechtips.com (https://dentaltechtips.com/). Minh talks about his early days in the lab, discovering when it became a career, and how a hobby has turned him in to an expert in unbiased product reviews and lab tips that everyone can use. Whip Mix (https://www.whipmix.com/)’s new VeriWhirl (https://www.whipmix.com/products/veriwhirl-dental-3d-printed-parts-cleaner/?product=technical_resources) 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 wh

Send us your audio thanks! Just record yourself on your phone or computer and email it to info@voicesfromthebench.com and we will play it in the month of June to celebrate CDT and Dental Technician Appreciation month! Have you got your limited edition VFTB shirt featuring the triathlon of dental lab? Click here to get a Race For the Future 8.0 VFTB shirt raising money for The Foundation For Dental Technology featuring art by Mackenzie Mayer ORDER BEFORE MAY 28, 2022 (https://bonfire.com/race-for-the-future-80-vftb-shirt) Participate or Cheer on the racers in Chicago at the Race For the Future 8.0 August 28, 2022 (https://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/race-for-the-future/) It's not easy being a dental lab. Of course it's extremely rewarding, but it's also very hard. It's even harder for small to medium labs to compete with large labs and their buying power. Enter AmericaSmiles (https://americasmiles.net/). Keith Crittenden has a long history of knowing how labs work. From working in a few, to eventually