Displaying 7 items of Voices from The Bench with the tag "dental technology".
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420: Seth Potter: Insight Into exocad Without Borders
April 13th, 2026 | 1 hr 12 mins
3d printing, analog workflow, automation, burnout, cad cam, cad designer, canada, clients, crown and bridge, dental, dental education, dental lab, dental mission trips, dental software, dental technician, dental technology, dentist father, digital dentistry, digital workflow, dominican republic, dropbox, efficiency optimization, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship journey, exocad, exocad insights, faith, family influence, freelancing, full arch, hustle, implants, indeed strategy, innovation, lab equipment, lab growth, laboratory, location freedom, milling, missionary dentistry, outsourcing, outsourcing design, paraguay, productivity, remote design, remote work, sailboat life, sailing, scaling, scanning, self taught, startup, systems, technician, travel, voices from the bench, wetransfer, work life balance, workflow efficiency
This week, we talk with Seth Potter, a dental technician living a truly unconventional life—splitting his time between Canada and Paraguay while running a remote design business. From growing up on a sailboat and assisting on missionary dental trips to teaching himself digital workflows, Seth shares how he built a career with exocad rooted in freedom and efficiency. He also dives into the realities of scaling, burnout, and why creating systems—not just working harder—is the key to long-term success.
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419: Katherine Wilcox Wants You To Work EviSmarter and Not Harder
April 6th, 2026 | 1 hr 7 mins
3shape, ai, cad design, case entry, covid impact, customer service, data integration, dental, dental lab, dental technician, dental technology, design center, digital dentistry, digital workflow, efficiency, evident, evismart, file management, industry trends, innovation, itero, lab growth, lab management, lab software, laboratory, manila, outsourcing, outsourcing design, philippines, process optimization, productivity, quality control, scanning, staffing shortages, technician, trios, voices from the bench, workflow automation
Elvis and Barb sit down with Katherine Wilcox to talk about her journey from avoiding small talk as a dental assistant to thriving as a lab tech and eventually moving into the world of digital workflows and software. She shares how outsourcing design services exploded during COVID and became a lifeline for labs trying to manage workload and staffing challenges. The conversation highlights how EviSmart is helping labs automate workflows, reduce manual tasks, and bring order to the chaos of digital dentistry.
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415: Lab Day Chicago 2026 (& Cal-Lab) Part 1 with Jeff Stronk, April Newell, & Joey Hunter
March 9th, 2026 | 1 hr 16 mins
additive manufacturing, analog dentistry, april newell, cal-lab, cal-lab 100, chrome cobalt, dental, dental 3d printing, dental business growth, dental career paths, dental craftsmanship, dental frameworks, dental industry trends, dental innovation, dental lab leadership, dental lab management, dental lab owners, dental laboratory, dental manufacturing, dental meetings, dental technician, dental technology, denture finishing, denture waxing, dentures, digital dentistry, implant bars, industry networking, jeff strock, joey hunter, lab day chicago, lab education, lab workflow, laboratory, metal printing, night guards, orthodontic appliances, partial dentures, peer-to-peer learning, removable prosthetics, resin printing, technician, technician skills, titanium printing, tooth setup, voices from the bench, wire bending
At the 100th anniversary meeting of the Cal-Lab Association, Elvis talks with Jeff Stronk about a successful first day filled with great speakers, strong attendance, and meaningful peer-to-peer conversations between lab owners. He also chats with April Newell about the rapid growth of dental 3D printing and how metal and resin printing are expanding what labs can produce. Finally, longtime technician Joey Hunter shares her 30-year journey in removables and her experience attending LMT Lab Day Chicago 2026 for the first time.
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411: Michael Joseph: No Wax, No Fear and One Lab’s All-In Leap to Digital Dentistry
February 9th, 2026 | 1 hr 14 mins
3d printing, brexit impact, business resilience, cad design, consistency, covid recovery, dental, dental education, dental laboratory, dental marketing, dental sales, dental scanners, dental technology, digital dentistry, exocad, full arch restorations, greatlab lms, immediate load, instagram marketing, itero, lab growth, lab management software, lab ownership, lab systems, laboratory, lithium disilicate, medit, milling machines, peer referrals, photogrammetry, pmma, primescan, quality control, reliability, remote designers, study clubs, technician, technician training, vertical integration, voices from the bench, workflow automation, zirconia
Elvis and Barb sit down with London lab owner Michael Joseph, who shares his journey from scooter courier to fully digital lab owner, including the hard lessons learned through COVID, Brexit, and rebuilding from the brink. Michael breaks down how committing to digital workflows, automation, photogrammetry, and rock-solid protocols transformed his lab into a scalable, referral-driven business. This episode is a powerful reminder that reinvention, consistency, and smart systems—not shortcuts—are what drive long-term success in today’s dental lab world.
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410: Helen Tanaka: From a Driver to the Bench and Knowing the Why
February 2nd, 2026 | 1 hr 8 mins
3shape, analog vs digital voices from the bench, arklign, attachments, bite blocks, bite records, case planning, case rescue, ce courses, chairside support, clearchoice, co-diagnostic, combination cases, continuing education, conversions, crown and bridge, dental, dental laboratory, dental materials, dental students, dental technician, dental technology, dentist collaboration, dentures, digital dentures, digital records, digital workflow, education, exocad, fundamentals, fundamentals first, fundamentals teaching, guided surgery, helen tanaka, implant courses, implant planning, implant restorations, lab driver, lab management, lab workflow, laboratory, locator attachments, mandibular advancement device, mentorship, microdental, model room, morphology, occlusion, orthodontics, overdentures, pathways, photogrammetry, quality control, removable prosthetics, removables, restorations, scanning, sleep appliances, sops, stackable guides, technical service, technician, technician training, training, troubleshooting, troubleshooting dentures, waxing copings, wire bending, workflow, zest
This week we talk with Helen Tanaka, a removable and implant specialist who started her career as a dental lab driver and worked her way into lab management, digital workflows, and clinical education. She shares her passion for dentures, occlusion, and implant restorations, emphasizing that technicians must understand the fundamentals and the why behind every step — especially in today’s digital world. The conversation covers guided surgery, digital dentures, doctor training, and the growing need for stronger removable education for both dentists and technicians.
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Episode 405: George Cowburn, Robert MacLeay, & Kaylee Jilbert: From Flask to Mill with Lab Pilot
December 29th, 2025 | 1 hr 7 mins
3shape, analog workflows, cadcam, canadian dentistry, chairside efficiency, cloud cam, custom pucks, dental, dental milling, dental technology, denture design, denturist, digital adoption, digital dentures, digital relines, digital study club, digital workflows, esther schwinning, exocad, fit accuracy, framework design, hybrid dentistry voices from the bench, implant overdentures, innovation, lab workflows, laboratory, labpilot, milled dentures, monoblock dentures, monolithic dentures, open mills, partial dentures, perfit, pmma acrylic, redon mills, reduced adjustments, removables, roland mills, scan and mill, technician, titanium frameworks, trad-digital
This episode features George Cowburn, along with denturist Robert MacLeay and digital designer Kaylee Jilbert, as they explore the evolution of digital dentures and the launch of Lab Pilot, a cloud-based CAM solution built to simplify removable workflows. They discuss blending analog fundamentals with digital design to achieve better-fitting dentures, titanium partials, and faster relines—without massive equipment investments. Ultimately, the conversation highlights how “trad-digital” workflows may finally make digital dentures practical, scalable, and accessible for everyday labs.
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403: Live from Lab Fest 2025: Duff Wilson and the Importance of Good Vendor Relationships with Aidite
December 15th, 2025 | 1 hr 18 mins
aidite, cad/cam, crown and bridge, dental, dental laboratory, dental technology, dentures, design services, digital dentistry, full arch, implant restorations, lab associations, lab efficiency, lab ownership, laboratory, lean workflow, mentorship, milling center, relationship, relationships, removables, support, technician, technician education, voices from the bench, zirconia
Duff Wilson shares his unconventional journey through dental technology—from getting thrown into high-volume removables at a major lab to building a lean, relationship-driven lab that’s thrived for over two decades. Along the way, he breaks down why mentorship, smart workflows, and trusting the right people and products matter more than hype, trends, or chasing volume in today’s dental lab world.