Displaying 5 items of Voices from The Bench with the tag "dental lab community".
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444: Mike Archibald: Finding Your Place at the Bench and Table
September 28th, 2026 | 1 hr 11 mins
Communication, Family, Fatherhood, Life Lessons, accountability, addiction recovery, aesthetic dentistry, archibald family, authenticity, barb and elvis, becoming a dental technician, becoming your best self, behind the scenes dentistry, being coachable, being present, cad cam dentistry, career development, career growth, career journey, ce, ceramic crowns, ceramic technician, coaching, community, confidence, continuing education, cosmetic dentistry, craftsmanship, crown waxing, dental aesthetics, dental anatomy, dental art, dental artistry, dental business, dental business leadership, dental cad cam, dental career, dental careers, dental ce, dental ceramicist, dental ceramics, dental coaching, dental community, dental conferences, dental craftsmanship, dental crowns, dental education, dental education community, dental education podcast, dental educator, dental industry, dental industry career, dental industry conversations, dental industry education, dental industry podcast, dental lab, dental lab community, dental lab conversations, dental lab education, dental lab education community, dental lab experience, dental lab family, dental lab leadership, dental lab owner, dental lab podcast, dental lab training, dental laboratory, dental laboratory education, dental laboratory family, dental laboratory history, dental laboratory owner, dental laboratory podcast, dental laboratory technician, dental laboratory technician education, dental laboratory technician training, dental leadership, dental lectures, dental lecturing, dental materials, dental materials education, dental mentoring, dental mentorship, dental milling, dental morphology, dental occlusion, dental patients, dental podcast, dental presentations, dental products, dental professional development, dental professionals, dental speaker, dental stories, dental technician, dental technician community, dental technician education, dental technician imposter syndrome, dental technician life, dental technician podcast, dental technician stories, dental technician training, dental techniques, dental techniques training, dental technology, dental technology podcast, dental technology training, dental training, dental waxing, dentistry, dentistry and life, dentistry podcast, difficult conversations, digital dental laboratory, digital dental technology, digital dentistry, digital design, digital detox, digital workflow, disconnecting, education, esthetic dentistry, experienced dental technician, family business, family expectations, family legacy, family time, family values, father and son, finding balance, finding purpose, finding your path, finding yourself, following your own path, function, functional aesthetics, functional dentistry, functional design, gc initial, getting outside, giving back, gold crowns, gordon christensen, gordon christensen dentistry, growth mindset, hands on training, harvest dental, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, helping others, helping people, honesty, imposter syndrome, insecurity, jed archibald, john archibald, kelly and associates, lab management, laboratory dentistry, laboratory leadership, las vegas institute, learning dental technology, learning dentistry, legacy, life beyond dentistry, lifelong learning, living up to expectations, lvi, master technician, meaningful life, meaningful work, mental health, mentorship community, mike archibald, mindset, mindset coaching, natural dentistry, natural looking restorations, nature, occlusion, open bench, open conversations, outdoor life, overcoming addiction, overcoming adversity, overcoming challenges, overcoming imposter syndrome, overcoming struggles, parenting, patient care, patient centered dentistry, personal accountability, personal coaching, personal development, personal growth, personal journey, personal priorities, personal transformation, personal wellness, positive mindset, professional coaching, professional growth, professional imposter syndrome, public speaking, purpose, ray foster, real conversations, real talk dentistry, rebuilding your life, recovery, recovery journey, redefining success, relationships, resilience, restorative aesthetics, restorative dentistry, restorative dentistry lab, second chances, self confidence, self doubt, self improvement, self worth, slowing down, sobriety, speaking in dentistry, starting in a dental lab, staying coachable, stories from the lab, success, success in dentistry, success in life, supporting technicians, table 52, table 52 community, taking a break, taking responsibility, teaching dental technology, teaching technicians, technician community, technician conversations, technician development, technician journey, technician mentorship, technique education, third generation dental technician, transformation, treating every patient equally, unplugging, vftb, voices from the bench, voices from the bench podcast, vulnerability, waxing, work life balance
This week we sit down with Mike Archibald, the “black sheep” of the Archibald family, to talk about his journey through dentistry, family expectations, imposter syndrome, recovery, and personal growth. Mike opens up about the lessons he learned from his dad, his path into ceramics and education, and his vision for Table 52—a place for honest conversations about the struggles that happen behind the scenes. It’s a real and personal conversation about dentistry, life, and finding a healthier way forward.
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443: Phil Reddington: From Skipping School to Building a Dental Lab
September 21st, 2026 | 1 hr 13 mins
35 years dental technology, 3D printing, Barb, Business growth, CAD/CAM, England, United Kingdom, accidental career, acrylic restorations, advanced dental laboratory, anex, bar overdenture, beever dental technology, bench test, blame culture, boutique dental laboratory, british dental lab, british dental technician, building a dental lab, career in dental technology, case acceptance, case communication, case documentation, case management, case planning, case quality, ceramic artistry, ceramic systems, ceramic technician, ceramics, checklists, clinical excellence, competing on price, complex cases, continuing education, continuous learning, cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic restorations, custom abutments, custom dental restorations, custom implant restorations, customized training, dental 3d printing, dental artistry, dental bar, dental bench test, dental business, dental business philosophy, dental cad design, dental cad/cam, dental ceramics, dental conferences, dental craftsmanship, dental education, dental educators, dental entrepreneur, dental entrepreneurship, dental implant solutions, dental implants, dental industry, dental industry events, dental industry innovation, dental industry leadership, dental lab, dental lab and dentist, dental lab business, dental lab business strategy, dental lab community, dental lab culture, dental lab education, dental lab equipment, dental lab evolution, dental lab growth, dental lab leadership, dental lab management, dental lab marketing, dental lab owner, dental lab partnership, dental lab pricing, dental lab profitability, dental lab qc, dental lab quality, dental lab referrals, dental lab return on investment, dental lab service, dental lab standards, dental lab stories, dental lab success, dental lab systems, dental lab team, dental lab turnaround, dental lab workflow, dental laboratory, dental laboratory apprenticeship, dental laboratory cad, dental laboratory family, dental laboratory independence, dental laboratory 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mentorship, modern dental laboratory, modern dental technology, multi-unit abutments, non-toxic workplace, passion for dental technology, passion for dentistry, patient focused dentistry, patient outcomes, people first, people focused leadership, phil reddington, pmma, positive workplace, power of no, precision dental laboratory, precision dentistry, premium dental laboratory, premium dentistry, premium full arch, premium laboratory service, printed try-ins, prosthodontics, provisional restorations, quality assurance, quality control, quality dentistry, quality over price, quality over quantity, refractory technique, refractory veneers, removable dentistry, repairable restorations, restoration longevity, restoration repair, restorative dentistry, restorative workflow, roi dental laboratory, scan bodies, skill development, soap carving, social media marketing, supportive workplace, team building, team culture, teamwork, technical excellence, technician dentist collaboration, technician development, technician education, technician retention, temporary restorations, thimble bar, thimble bar repair, thimble bars, traditional to digital dentistry, true abutment, turnaround time, uk dental laboratory, value over price, veneers, vftb, voices from the bench, word of mouth marketing, work life balance, workflow efficiency, workplace culture, workplace relationships, zirconia, zirconia restorations
This week we head across the pond to Leeds, England, to sit down with Phil Reddington of Beever Dental Technology lab. Phil shares the unlikely story of how skipping school and carving a tiny soap bottle with a scalpel at age 15 led him into a 35-plus-year career in dental technology. We talk about building a laboratory around quality instead of price, developing a strong team culture, digital dentistry, full-arch restorations, thimble bars, and knowing when to say no. Plus, there’s a bright orange vest, plenty of laughs, and a great conversation about what it really takes to build a laboratory where people actually want to work.
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442: Michael Wandling: The Long Road to CDT of the Year
September 14th, 2026 | 1 hr 12 mins
2025 cdt of the year, Barb, Leadership, aidite, bruxzir, cad cam, career growth, cdt, cdt certification, cdt exam, cdt exam preparation, cdt practical exam, cdt written exam, ceramics, certified dental technician, complete dentures, continuing education, crown and bridge, crown and bridge technician, dental cad cam, dental ceramics, dental certification, dental certification exam, dental education, dental implant certification, dental implants, dental industry, dental industry podcast, dental lab, dental lab community, dental lab culture, dental lab leadership, dental lab management, dental lab mentoring, dental lab owner, dental lab podcast, dental lab success, dental lab training, dental lab workflow, dental laboratory, dental laboratory careers, dental laboratory education, dental laboratory industry, dental laboratory leadership, dental laboratory podcast, dental laboratory standards, dental materials, dental milling, dental podcast, dental tech podcast, dental technician, dental technician career, dental technician education, dental technician success, dental technology, dental technology career, dental technology education, dental technology industry, dental training, dental zirconia, digital dental laboratory, digital dentistry, digital workflow, elvis dahl, fixed dentistry, giving back to the industry, horizon digital, implant cdt, implant dentistry, keller dental laboratory, key opinion leader, kol, lab owner, laboratory innovation, laboratory management, lifelong learning, master cdt, mentorship, mike wandling, national board for certification, nbc, nbc exams, production management, professional development, prozir ultra, quality assurance, quality control, removable dentistry, study clubs, summit horizon dental laboratory, technician development, technician training, vftb, voices from the bench, zirconia
This week on Voices From the Bench, we finally sit down with the 2025 CDT of the Year, Mike Wandling! Mike shares his journey from starting as a dental technician in 2001 to becoming an educator, Master CDT, examiner, NBC Board member, lab owner, and now Operations Manager at Summit Horizon Dental Laboratory. We talk certification, education, the future of the CDT program, his “A-Team” partnership with Barb, and what it means to give back to the dental laboratory industry.
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439: Caroline Kirkpatrick: From Ear Molds to Digital Dentures
August 24th, 2026 | 1 hr 32 secs
30 years dental technology, 3D printing, 3d printed dental models, 3d printers, 3shape, 3shape dental system, 3shape dentures, Edinburgh, Glasgow, United Kingdom, accessible digital dentistry, acrylic dentures, adaptability, adapting to technology, additive manufacturing, aesthetic dentures, affordable 3d printing, affordable dental technology, aligners, alternative dental workflows, analog dentistry, analog dentures, analog to digital, bench technician, bench to clinic, better dental workflows, blender, bridges, cad cam, cad cam dentistry, cad dentistry, career development, career progression, caroline kirkpatrick, caroline kirkpatrick clinical dental technician, caroline kirkpatrick dental technician, ceramics, changing dental laboratories, changing dental technology, clear retainers, clinical dental laboratory, clinical dental technician, clinical dental technician scotland, clinical dental technician uk, clinical dental technology, clinical dental technology scotland, clinical dentistry, clinical experience, clinical skills, clinical technician, clinical workflow, continuing dental education, continuing education, continuous improvement, cost effective dental lab, cost effective dentistry, craftsmanship, crown and bridge, crown and bridge lab, crown and bridge technician, crowns, curiosity, customized dentures, daughter dental technician, decades in dental technology, dental 3d printing, dental acrylic, dental aesthetics, dental apprenticeship, dental apprenticeships, dental artistry, dental business, dental cad, dental cad cam, dental cad software, dental cad technician, dental cad tips, dental career, dental career inspiration, dental career journey, dental career stories, dental casting, dental ceramics, dental clinic, dental clinical workflow, dental college, dental conference, dental confidence, dental craftsmanship, dental denture workflow expert, dental design, dental design software, dental design tools, dental diagnostics, dental education, dental 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Caroline Kirkpatrick shares her incredible journey from discovering dental technology by chance in Scotland to becoming the first female clinical dental technician to qualify in the UK. She talks about building her own lab, teaching, treating patients, and embracing digital dentistry while constantly looking for better, more efficient ways to work. It’s a great conversation about curiosity, education, digital dentures, and the importance of sharing what you’ve learned along the way.
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438: Shawn Nowak & Jude Grayson: What Does a Karate Guy Know About Dental Labs?
August 17th, 2026 | 1 hr 4 mins
3D printing, 3d printing dental laboratory, AI, Barb, Business growth, Leadership, Louisiana, New Orleans, Value, actionable advice, adaptability, adapting, adapting to technology, ai dental laboratory, ai in dental labs, ai in dentistry, artificial intelligence, automation, board breaking, breakout session, business adaptability, business challenges, business coach, business coaching, business coaching for dental labs, business decisions, business development, business education, business evolution, business failure, business growth strategy, business innovation, business leadership, business lessons, business lessons from karate, business mindset, business mindset for dental labs, business opportunities, business opportunity, business performance, business pivot, business planning, business resilience, business strategy, business success, business transformation, calculated risk, change for dental labs, change management, coach, coaching, coaching mindset, company culture, competing 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Shawn Nowak from Nowak Dental Supplies joins Elvis and Barb to talk about NOLA LabFest and the unexpected connection between martial arts and the dental laboratory industry with speaker Jude Grayson. They discuss leadership, business, knowing when to pivot, and how lessons from competition and martial arts can help lab owners navigate a rapidly changing industry. Plus, Shawn gives a preview of what’s coming to NOLA LabFest, including education, networking, and plenty of New Orleans fun.