Displaying 5 items of Voices from The Bench with the tag "fundamentals".
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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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409: John Wilson: Margins, Meaning, and Knowing When to Say No
January 26th, 2026 | 1 hr 6 mins
adaptability, burnout prevention, business alignment, craftsmanship, dental, dental lab ownership, digital dentistry, education, fundamentals, integrity, laboratory, lab–doctor relationships, leadership, legacy, margins, margins and meaning, mentorship, podcasting, pricing pressure, saying no, storytelling, sustainable growth, team culture, technician, trust, voices from the bench
Barb and Elvis welcome back John Wilson of Sunrise Dental Lab for a candid, reflective conversation about purpose, integrity, and longevity in the dental lab industry. John shares why he chose alignment over growth, how protecting his team and values reshaped his business, and why strong lab–doctor partnerships are built on trust, not price. The episode also dives into the inspiration behind his new podcast Margins & Meaning, focused on storytelling, connection, and reminding technicians they’re not alone.
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394: Will Varda Has a Recipe for Digital Succuss (and Scones!)
October 13th, 2025 | 1 hr 5 mins
3shape, accordion, canada, community, conspiracy theories, cooking, cruise, dental, digital, education, fundamentals, fur purse, laboratory, lead dies, learning, mesh, nipples, obsessed, online, philosophy, rdt, recipe, scones, slow game, social media, speaker, technician, voices from the bench, wine, wing it, workarounds
This week we chat with Will Varda from British Columbia — a second-generation dental technician who grew up in his dad’s home lab and now leads the Dental Technicians Association of BC. Will shares incredible stories from his father’s days crafting crowns for Iranian royalty using goat-horn hammers to his own journey into digital dentistry, community building, and teaching others the “recipe” for digital design.
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371: Robert Kreyer & Dr. Stephen Wagner Want Better Dentures Not Faster
May 5th, 2025 | 1 hr 4 mins
better, collaboration, communication, craft, data, dental, dentures, digital, e-human, fundamentals, keep it simple, laboratory, measurements, not faster, polyjet, printing, proof of concept, records, set ups, shrinkage, sucks, technician, technique, voices from the bench, white
With the shift to digital dentures in our industry, two leaders in removables are advocating that the fundamentals be used as we move forward. Robert Kreyer & Dr. Stephen Wagner want to make sure that we are making better dentures and not worrying about making them faster.
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147: The Need for (the Curve of) Spee with Steffen Rohrbach and the Swiss School of Prosthetics
January 18th, 2021 | 55 mins 8 secs
courses, dental, fundamentals, germany, injection, laboratory, occlusion, podcast, process, set ups, technician, teeth, voices from the bench
Someone saw the need for good education for removable technicians and did something about it. Steffen Rohrbach from Edmonds Dental Prosthetics comes on to talk about teaming up with Candulor to become the first teacher in the US for the Swiss School of Prosthetics.