If you’re passionate about creating natural, beautiful smiles—but want to simplify your workflow without sacrificing aesthetics—this is for you. I’m honored to be part of Ivoclar’s development team introducing a powerful new stain and glaze system featuring Structure Paste, IPS e.max Ceram Art. Create stunning depth and lifelike color in as little as one firing.

Let’s continue to innovate, simplify, and create meaningful change—one smile at a time.

Elvis actually made it down to the exhibition halls this year — and hyperDENT from FOLLOW-ME! Technology was everywhere.

Booth after booth, people were talking milling strategies, templates, and workflows. It felt like a full-on CAM takeover. Their Milling Roadmap scavenger hunt had attendees bouncing between Axsys, Imagine, D.O.F., and Roland collecting stamps like responsible adults…

Responsible adults chasing a bright orange folding electric hyperDENT scooter.

That’s what we love about the FOLLOW-ME! team — world-class CAM engineers talking microns and validation protocols one minute, then ripping around Lab Day the next.

Serious about precision. Not too serious about themselves.

Big shoutout for bringing the brains — and the electric horsepower.

Come see and talk to Elvis and Barb at all these amazing shows in 2026*

• Dental Lab Association of Texas Meeting in Dallas Apr 9-11 https://members.dlat.org/
• exocad Insights in Mallorca, Spain Apr 30 - May 1 https://exocad.com/insights-2026

This week we finally get Jay Collins to stop dodging Elvis long enough to sit down and share one of the wildest journeys in dental lab history. From a family split between union steamfitters and dental technicians in Philadelphia to surviving “The Great Brotherly Lab War,” Jay’s story is packed with grit, loyalty, and a whole lot of Irish Catholic chaos. What started with an uncle drafted into dental technology during Vietnam eventually turned into a multi-generation lab legacy—and Jay swearing he’d never get into teeth… only to build a powerhouse anyway.

After the 2008 crash wiped out his construction business, Jay bet everything on selling outsourced restorations door-to-door, sleeping in his car, showering at the gym, and cold-calling hundreds of offices a week. What followed was the development of his unapologetically bold, psychologically savvy sales approach—what he calls being “aggressively calm.” From pushing doctors to “no,” to matching their energy toe-to-toe, to walking into offices as “the lab” and walking out with cases in hand, Jay breaks down the mindset shift most lab owners desperately need: sales isn’t optional, and it definitely isn’t accidental.

Now leading multiple lab locations under the brilliantly simple name thedentallab.net, Jay shares hard truths about growth, mergers, firing abusive clients, and why cutting your sales department in tough times is the worst move you can make. If you’ve ever struggled with prospecting, scaling, or standing your ground with doctors, this episode is packed with practical strategies, hilarious role-playing, and a reminder that confidence—backed by accountability—wins every time.

At Canadian Dental Labs, Icortica has become a cornerstone of how we operate—giving us at-a-glance visibility into performance, helping us focus our efforts, spot opportunities early, and solve problems before they grow. It takes the guesswork out of decision-making and shows us what to do next.

Plus, the Icortica team is incredibly responsive and feels like a true partner in our success.

If you’re serious about growing your business and understanding your customers better, Icortica can get you there. Learn more at icortica.com/voices — Icortica, helping dental labs grow.

Join us at exocad Insights 2026, happening April 30–May 1, 2026, on the stunning island of Mallorca, Spain. This two-day event features powerhouse keynotes, hands-on workshops, live software demos, and top-tier industry showcases—all in one unforgettable setting.

Barb and Elvis will be on site bringing you exclusive interviews, plus don’t miss the Women in Dentistry Lunch, celebrating career growth, wellbeing, and the real stories shaping our profession. And of course, cap it all off with the legendary exoGlam Night under the stars.

Tickets are limited. Visit exocad.com/insights-2026 and use code VFTBPalma15 for 15% off.

Special Guest: Jay Collins.

We all know and love Nowak Dental Supplies for not only their products and services, but for everything they do for our industry. This week we talk to two people from Nowak Dental Supplies that are bringing the conference/party of the year to New Orleans in November. Brandi Nowak is one half of the owners and she tells the story of starting in 2000. Taking over her grandfather's legacy that started in the 40s, she has helped the company become what it is today. At the beginning of 2025, they brought on Marybeth Starr to help them grow even more. Marybeth is a veteran of the vendor side of dental laboratories and brings experience to get the job done. Together they have put together NOLA Lab Fest that is happening in New Orleans on November 7 & 8. This is a must attend event because it is going to be what these two are, fun.

Register today at: https://www.nolalabfest.com/

THANK YOU to Aidite for sponsoring us! Go buy their stuff from Nowak... win/win for everyone!

Take it from Jennifer Ferguson from Ivoclar. If you have a PM7 or are thinking about getting a PM7 (Take it from Barb, you should), on July 1st Ivoclar is launching the "Ivoclar Block Module" that can speed up milling emax by 45%!! The best part is that you can try it for FREE for 90 days. All you have to do is send them a message on Instagram at Ivoclar.na or send a email to jennifer.ferguson@ivoclar.com. Now go mill emax faster!

Special Guests: Brandi Nowak and Marybeth Starr.

The 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 precision. With 62 micron Print Precision, the Max is optimized for both dental lab or clinic environments. Its exclusive SPS™ Smart-Positioning-System Technology guarantees every layer is formed accurately, resulting in consistent results in any environment, and its single Point Calibration makes calibration extremely accurate and fast.

As an Open Material System, you can print any suitable resin from any material manufacturer. Your choice, no strings. The Max also features the Fastest Material Changeover of any 3D printer. Labs LOVE this! Change completely from one print resin to another in under 30 seconds.

All this and the finest, most dependable technical support staff in the dental lab industry.

Call Whip Mix today or visit whipmix.com to find out more about the Asiga Max!

Gro3X is a dental supply, service, and marketing company. It is to help dental labs, and especially small labs to lower their cost for supplies, provide business opportunities, and generate growth. They carry amazing zirconia burs and their “rainbow burs” for PMMA and TriLor are top-notch. They also carry zirconia from Aidite, a wide range of Harvest Dental products, and different 3D print resins.

What’s really cool about Gro3X is, that you can join their Gro3X Family program for only 99 cents. This will then give you an additional 10% discount on all of their supplies and even their CAD/CAM design and fabrication services.

Get a 3-months trial membership with Gro3X Family now for only $0.99 and receive 3 Shade Peg Shots - free of charge.

Just go to www.gro3x.com and add Gro3X Family to your cart, then add 3- Shade Peg Shots of 3cc each to your cart and go to check out, enter discount code VFTB for Voices From The Bench and check out.

Special Guest: Gil Villavecer.