Voices from The Bench

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 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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.

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.

425: DLAT 2026 Part 2 with Tony Aliatim, Rebekah Serrago, Chris Wilson, Antoine Coppens, & Christian Saurman

May 18th, 2026  |  1 hr 13 mins

3D printing, 3d printed models, 3shape, CAD/CAM, Detroit, Productivity, Stem Cells, ai calibration, ai dentistry, ai design, ai learning, ai scan analysis, ai workflow, aligners, amann girrbach, apis, artificial intelligence, automated design, automated workflows, axis dental, barcoding, biomedical engineering, calibration, cam software, cbct, ceo, chairside milling, clinicians, cloud workflow, crown design, ct scan, custom solutions, customer support, customization, dental ai, dental ai software, dental automation, dental business, dental business growth, dental cad, dental community, dental conversations, dental conversations podcast, dental craftsmanship, dental culture, dental e-commerce, dental education, dental engineering, dental entrepreneurship, dental equipment repair, dental excellence, dental future, dental implants, dental industry, dental innovation, dental innovation podcast, dental lab, dental lab technician, dental labs, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental milling, dental nerds, dental networking, dental ovens, dental parts, dental podcast, dental prescriptions, dental printing, dental repairs, dental scanners, dental scanning, dental service, dental service center, dental software, dental support, dental systems, dental technician, dental technology, dental tools, dental trends, dental workflow, design presets, digital cases, digital dentistry, digital impressions, digital lab, digital manufacturing, digital models, digital orthodontics, digital transformation, digital workflows, dlat, doctor portal, e.max, engineering, engineering solutions, equipment service, exocad, family business, fda compliance, fda validation, future of dentistry, garland dental, handpiece repair, hyperdent, implant abutments, implant crowns, implant milling, implant workflow, in-house lab, industrial milling, intraoral scanner, invisalign, lab automation, lab efficiency, lab equipment, lab growth, lab life, lab management software, lab operations, lab productivity, lab solutions, lab systems, lab workflow, lms, lmt chicago, machine learning, mandibular canal, manufacturing technology, margin lines, michigan, midwinter meeting, milling, milling accuracy, milling burs, milling centers, milling machines, milling tools, modjaw, mri, neolab, nesting software, new england orthodontic laboratory, night guards, online dental sales, orthodontic appliances, orthodontic lab, orthodontics, ovens, panoramic radiograph, pediatric dentistry, plug and play, pmma, pnp, preventive maintenance, production workflow, relu, repair technicians, repeatability, resin printing, restorative dentistry, robotic surgery, roland, rxwizard, scan alignment, scan quality, segmentation, silicone printing, smart mills, social media marketing, splints, stl files, stl workflow, straumann, surgical guides, surgical planning, takema, tech support, technician workflow, tissue printing, titanium, trade shows, training, validated workflows, versamill, vhf, voices from the bench, women in dentistry, workflow automation, workflow efficiency, workflow integration, workflow optimization, workflow solutions, zirconia, zirconia crowns

At the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas Meeting 2026, Elvis and Barb sat down with Tony Aliatim from Axis Dental Milling, Rebekah Serrago and Chris Wilson from Garland Dental Services, and Antoine Coppens from Relu alongside orthodontic lab owner Christian Saurman from New England Orthodontic Laboratory. The conversations covered everything from industrial dental milling and equipment repair to AI-driven workflows that are changing how labs design and manufacture restorations. From preventive maintenance and milling strategies to fully automated AI design systems, this episode is packed with insight into where dental technology — and the lab industry — is headed next.