Voices from The Bench

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 industry, dental laboratory management, dental laboratory marketing, dental laboratory philosophy, dental laboratory podcast, dental laboratory relationships, dental laboratory service, dental laboratory success, dental laboratory team, dental lectures, dental material selection, dental materials, dental milling, dental milling workflow, dental photography, dental podcast, dental professionals, dental professionals podcast, dental prosthetics, dental prosthodontics, dental restoration repair, dental restorations, dental speaking, dental team collaboration, dental team leadership, dental technician, dental technician artistry, dental technician career, dental technician community, dental technician hiring, dental technician life, dental technician podcast, dental technician skills, dental technician stories, dental technician support, dental technician training, dental technology, dental technology education, dental technology events, dental technology industry, dental technology innovation, dental technology investment, dental technology leadership, dental technology podcast, dentist communication, dentist lab partnership, dentist laboratory relationship, dentist referrals, dentist satisfaction, difficult cases, digital dental laboratory, digital dentistry, digital design, digital implant workflow, digital impressions, digital transformation, digital workflow, doctor technician relationship, elvis dahl, employee culture, employee development, employee retention, enjoying work, experienced dental technician, family and work, fixed dentistry, full arch, full arch bar, full arch cases, full arch dentistry, full arch digital workflow, full arch education, full arch rehabilitation, full arch restoration, full arch solutions, full mouth reconstruction, growing a dental lab, high quality dental restorations, hiring for attitude, hiring technicians, ids, implant abutments, implant bar, implant cases, implant crowns, implant dentistry, implant education, implant planning, implant prosthetics, implant prosthodontics, implant restorations, implant supported restorations, implant workflow, independent dental lab, independent dental laboratory, independent lab, international dental show, intraoral scanning, investing in education, investing in equipment, investing in people, io connect, knowing when to say no, lab efficiency, lab owner mindset, lab philosophy, laboratory artistry, laboratory business, laboratory communication, laboratory craftsmanship, laboratory culture, laboratory education, laboratory equipment, laboratory evolution, laboratory experience, laboratory growth, laboratory leadership, laboratory owner, laboratory profitability, laboratory referrals, laboratory skill sets, laboratory standards, laboratory support, laboratory technology, laboratory training, laboratory workflow, laughter at work, leadership in dentistry, learning dental technology, leeds, leeds dental laboratory, lifetime guarantee, long term restorations, 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 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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.

441: Amir Bagheri & Dan Sinclair: A Touch of Magic Can Solve A Lot of Lab Issues

September 7th, 2026  |  1 hr 11 mins

Communication, Software Engineering, accountability, accounting integration, accounting systems, all in one lms, all in one software, amir bagheri, analog workflow, api integration, app development, automated case routing, automated downloads, automated laboratory workflow, automated workflows, automation technology, bad habits, best dental lab software, business analytics, business automation, business intelligence, business management, business systems, business workflow, cad cam software, cad cam workflow, case automation, case bottlenecks, case downloads, case entry, case errors, case files, case management, case processing, case routing, case status, case tracking, centralized software, change management, cloud software, configurable software, connected dental laboratory, connected systems, crm, crm integration, crm systems, custom reporting, customer accountability, customer experience, customer management, customer relationship management, customer service, customer success, customer support, customizable software, dan sinclair, data analytics, data driven dental lab, data driven laboratory, data integration, data management, dental 3d printing, dental accounting, dental analytics, dental automation, dental business management, dental business podcast, dental business software, dental cad, dental cad cam, dental cam, dental case automation, dental case management, dental crm, dental customer management, dental design workflow, dental digital workflow, dental digitalization, dental industry, dental industry podcast, dental industry technology, dental innovation, dental innovation podcast, dental inventory management, dental lab automation software, dental lab business, dental lab consulting, dental lab data, dental lab digitalization, dental lab efficiency, dental lab integrations, dental lab interview, dental lab logistics, dental lab management, dental lab management software, dental lab migration, dental lab modernization, dental lab operations, dental 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Elvis sits down with Dan Sinclair and Amir Bagheri from Magic Touch Software to talk about the history of the company, how it grew from a small development project into a complete laboratory management system, and why they believe labs need more than just production tracking. They dive into automation, digital case entry, integrations, reporting, and the importance of actually understanding how a lab operates before trying to improve it.

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 on value, competition, competition and business, competition mindset, competitive advantage, competitive business, competitive mindset, confidence, confidence building, continuing education, decision making, dental 3d printing, dental automation, dental business, dental business future, dental business podcast, dental ce, dental ce courses, dental conference, dental conference 2026, dental education, dental education 2026, dental education podcast, dental entrepreneurship, dental event, dental family business, dental industry, dental industry business, dental industry community, dental industry conference, dental industry disruption, dental industry education, dental industry events, dental industry future, dental industry innovation, dental industry leadership, dental industry networking, dental industry podcast, dental industry podcast episode, dental industry speakers, dental industry technology, dental industry trends, dental innovation, dental keynote, dental lab, dental lab ai, 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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.

Episode 431: exocad Insights 2026 Part 5: Beth Collington, Josh Jakson, & Robert Norton

June 29th, 2026  |  56 mins 10 secs

3d design, 3d modeling, CAD/CAM, advanced dental technology, advanced workflows, ai crown, ai dentistry, ai in dental labs, ai-assisted dentistry, ai-powered design, artificial intelligence, automotive parts design, bench talk, beth collington, cad design, cad designer, cad workflow, clinicians, continuing education, creative cad applications, crown and bridge, crown design, crown finalization, crown production, custom grills, custom jewelry, custom restorations, dental automation, dental business, dental cad, dental cad community, dental cad experts, dental cad software, dental cad training, dental collaboration, dental community, dental conference, dental craftsmanship, dental design, dental design innovation, dental design software, dental design techniques, dental discussion, dental education, dental educators, dental engineering, dental expertise, dental future, dental industry, dental industry leaders, dental industry podcast, dental innovation, dental innovation summit, dental jewelry, dental lab, dental lab future, dental lab professionals, dental lab technology, dental laboratory, dental laboratory management, dental laboratory podcast, dental laboratory workflows, dental leadership, dental manufacturing, dental manufacturing technology, dental podcast, dental professionals, dental prosthetics, dental restorations, dental scanning, dental software, dental software experts, dental software innovation, dental software platform, dental software training, dental software updates, dental solutions, dental technician, dental technician life, dental technician training, dental technology, dental technology conference, dental technology education, dental technology experts, dental technology trends, dental trends, dental workflow efficiency, dental workflow management, dental workflow solutions, dental workflows, digital dental education, digital dental laboratory, digital dental revolution, digital dental solutions, digital dentistry, digital dentistry podcast, digital design solutions, digital impressions, digital lab, digital manufacturing, digital prosthetics, digital restoration design, digital solutions, digital tools, digital transformation, digital workflows, emerging technology, exocad, exocad america, exocad community, exocad ecosystem, exocad innovations, exocad insights, exocad training, exocad users, exocad users meeting, exohub, freeform design, future of dentistry, future-ready dentistry, industry insights, industry leaders, industry networking, innovation in dentistry, intraoral scanning, josh jackson, lab technology, lab-to-clinic communication, laboratory best practices, laboratory conversations, laboratory digital transformation., laboratory education, laboratory education and training, laboratory efficiency, laboratory excellence, laboratory growth, laboratory innovation, laboratory management, laboratory operations, laboratory perspective, laboratory productivity, laboratory support, laboratory technicians, laboratory technology, laboratory technology trends, mallorca, mallorca conference, modern dental laboratory, modern dentistry, next generation dentistry, podcast, production laboratory, production workflows, professional development, restorative dentistry, restorative technology, restorative workflows, robert norton, software development, software flexibility, technician education, technician insights, technician perspective, technician training, technician-led innovation, technology adoption, technology and dentistry, technology in dentistry, vftb, voices from the bench, workflow automation, workflow improvements, workflow integration, workflow optimization, workflow technology

While at Exocad Insights in Mallorca, Elvis and Barb catch up with Beth Collington, President of Exocad America, to discuss the continued growth of digital dentistry, the importance of education, and how Exocad is helping make digital workflows more accessible across the industry.

Then Josh Jackson and Robert Norton join the conversation to share insights from the lab and training side of Exocad. From AI Crown and Crown Finalization to creative applications beyond dentistry, they discuss the latest innovations, real-world workflows, and where digital technology is taking the profession next.

408: Rob Nazzal & Mike Alessio: From the Bench to the (icortica) Dashboard

January 19th, 2026  |  1 hr 7 mins

Leadership, change management, customer retention, data visibility, data-driven decisions, dental, dental laboratory management, digital workflows, dsos, employee engagement, family-owned lab, icortica, lab culture, lab software integration, laboratory, magic touch, productivity metrics, quality control, quality metrics, real-time reporting, remakes, sales effectiveness, share of wallet, team alignment, technician, technician retention, transparency, voices from the bench

Rob Nazzal returns to Voices From the Bench with Mike Alessio of Bonadent to talk about leadership, culture, and using data the right way in dental laboratories. They discuss transparency around productivity metrics, the challenge of measuring quality, and how open communication builds trust and stronger teams. The conversation also highlights how icortica helps labs and sales teams use real-time data to improve retention, grow existing accounts, and have smarter, better-timed conversations with doctors.