Displaying 4 items of Voices from The Bench with the tag "dental technology".
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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.