Voices from The Bench

Episode 434: From FDLA 2026: Chris Bradley, Richard Wodzinski, Dawn Roniger, & Kaveh Shams

July 20th, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

abutments, accuracy, all-on-x, analog dentistry, anterior restorations, apprentices, apprenticeship, artistry, automation, bl1, bleaching shades, brushing techniques, cad design, cad/cam, cam software, canada, ceramics, ceramics course, ceramics workflow, chairside, chemistry, chris bradley, chroma, cobalt chrome, collaboration, color science, consumables, continuing education, craftsmanship, creation, creation porcelain, custom recipe, custom shades, custom strategies, custom workflow, dawn roniger, demonstrations, dental community, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental materials, dental podcast, dental technician, dental technology, denture workflow, dentures, design software, digital dentistry, digital evolution, digital solutions, digital workflow, disc changer, e.max, education, education programs, efficiency, engineering, enrico steger, esthetics, excellence, exocad, fdla, florida dental laboratory association, full arch, future of dentistry, gc america, gc initial, gingiva, glaze, hands-on training, harley street, hue, hybrids, hyperdent, implant bars, innovation, italy, javier, kaveh shams, kolinsky brushes, lab owner, lab values, laboratory education, laboratory management, laboratory solutions, layering, lectures, lithium disilicate, london, m2, m5, m6, machine maintenance, magic color, matisse, mentorship, military school, milling, milling center, milling machine, milling strategies, modular design, monolithic, murano glass, nesting, open architecture, open system, optishade, oral design, patient outcomes, photography, physics, pink porcelain, pmma, polarized camera, polycarbonate, porcelain, porcelain systems, precision, predictable results, productivity, ranger school, remake reduction, remakes, removables, richard wodzinski, scanner, self-service, shade analysis, shade matching, shade recipe, single centrals, smileline, smileline usa, software development, software integration, stain, symposium, technical support, technician training, technology, titanium, trade shows, value, vendors, voices from the bench, webinars, willie geller, workflow, workflow consistency, workflow optimization, young technicians, zirconia, zirconia staining, zirkonzahn

From the FDLA Symposium, Elvis and Barb welcome Chris Bradley, Richard Wodzinski, and Dawn Roniger to discuss the latest in shade matching, ceramics, and the technology helping labs achieve more predictable results. Then Kaveh Shams from Zirkonzahn Canada shares his journey into digital dentistry while talking milling, education, and the philosophy that's made Zirkonzahn a leader in the industry.

Episode 433: From FDLA 2026: Morris Fucarino, Enja Dorjchuluun, Joseph Núñez Reyes

July 13th, 2026  |  1 hr 20 mins

3d printing, analog dentistry, analog techniques, articulators, barb, belt-driven handpieces, biomedical engineering, board service, boutique laboratory, cad/cam, cam, carbon printers, career development, career growth, casting, cdt, ceramics, certification, certified dental technician, collaboration, community, continuing education, continuing growth, craftsmanship, cross-training, customer service, dedication, dental community, dental content creator, dental craftsmanship, dental industry, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental podcast, dental technician, dental technology, dentistry, dentures, digital content, digital dentistry, digital transformation, digital workflow, e.max, education, efficiency, elvis, enja dorjchuluun, excellence, expansion, experience, fdla, fdla board, fdla symposium, florida, florida dental laboratory association, focus magazine, full gold crowns, future of dentistry, future technicians, general manager, gold restorations, gps digital dental lab, gps digital rpd, handpieces, hands-on education, heygears, high noble alloy, hiring, icpr junior college, implant restorations, implants, impressions, industry veterans, innovation, inspiration, instagram, ivoclar pm7, joseph núñez reyes, knowledge, lab day, labfest, laboratory careers, laboratory culture, laboratory growth, laboratory leadership, laboratory life, laboratory management, laboratory operations, leadership, legacy, lifelong learning, lithium disilicate, mentorship, milling, milling center, model work, morris fucarino, national board for certification, nbc, nesting, networking, next generation, night guards, one-man lab, operations, organized dentistry, orlando, passion, passion for dentistry, patients, perseverance, pfm, pmma, porcelain fused to metal, post-processing, problem solving, professional development, puerto rico, qc, quality, quality control, relationships, roland, roland mills, sakr dental arts, scanning, smiles, social media, soft tissue models, state association, stone models, success., supervisors, team building, teamwork, technician, technician education, technician pride, technician recognition, technician spotlight, technician stories, technician training, technicians, technology, turnaround time, voices from the bench, volunteering, waxing, webinars, workflow, workflow optimization, zirconia, zirconia milling

From the FDLA Symposium, Elvis and Barb sit down with three passionate technicians who represent the past, present, and future of the profession. Morris Fucarino reflects on an incredible 50 years as a CDT and the value of lifelong learning, Enja Dorjchuluun shares how she's helping shape the future of Florida's dental laboratory community through Sakr Dental Arts and the FDLA Board, and Joseph Núñez Reyes discusses his journey from Puerto Rico to GPS Digital Dental Lab and his dream of inspiring the next generation of technicians.

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

June 29th, 2026  |  56 mins 10 secs

3d design, 3d modeling, 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, cad/cam, 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.

430: exocad Insights 2026 Part 4: Dr. Zhiqiang Luo, Alyson Bravo, & Tobias Specht

June 22nd, 2026  |  1 hr 7 mins

analog skills, ann arbor, bite finder, brazil, cad/cam, career development, career journey, case planning, china, clinical faculty, clinical instructor, clinical scientist, clinician, clinicians, collaboration, communication, community, community building, conference highlights, continuing education, countryside of brazil, cross-functional collaboration, customer feedback, customer support, customer-driven development, data acquisition, dental care, dental conference, dental convention, dental craftsmanship, dental designer, dental ecosystem, dental education, dental industry, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental leadership, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental professionals, dental software, dental students, dental technology, dentures, design software, digital adoption, digital center, digital communication, digital dentistry, digital dentures, digital future, digital solutions, digital transformation, digital workflow, dream trip, education, education and training, education programs, event experience, exhibition hall, exocad, exocad insights 2026, exocad reseller, fixed restorations, fixed workflows, friendships, future clinicians, future of dentistry, glam night, global connections, global dentistry, global travel, hands-on learning, hong kong, ids, ids germany, implementation, industry partnerships, industry trends, innovation, innovation culture, innovation pipeline, inspiration, international attendees, international dental community, ivoclar, ivotion, keynote, laboratory communication, laboratory excellence, laboratory owner, laboratory partnerships, laboratory workflow, learning, lectures, lifelong learning, majorca, mallorca, mentorship, milling, motivation, networking, paraguay, paraná, passion for dentistry, podcast community, podcast listener, presentations, problem solving, product development, product integration, product launches, professional growth, professional inspiration, professional networking, prosthetics, remote design, removable prosthetics, removable workflows, restorative dentistry, restorative solutions, scanners, self-taught, siosp, social media, software integration, software training, spain, speaker, são paulo, teamwork, technician, technician training, technicians, technology adoption, technology leadership, training, travel, university of michigan, user feedback, voices from the bench, work ethic, workflow efficiency, workflow integration, workflow optimization, workflow refinement

This week from exocad Insights 2026 in Mallorca, Elvis and Barb sit down with Dr. Zhiqiang Luo to discuss how dental education is evolving alongside rapidly advancing digital workflows and why strong analog fundamentals still matter. They also meet Alyson Bravo, a dental technician from Brazil whose journey to the event highlights the power of digital dentistry, global connections, and lifelong learning. Rounding out the episode, Tobias Specht from Ivoclar shares insights into the company's latest innovations, its ongoing collaboration with exocad, and how customer feedback continues to shape the future of digital dental technology.

429: exocad Insights 2026 Part 3: Andreea Bordea, Denisse Ramos, & Daniela Torres

June 15th, 2026  |  1 hr 9 mins

3d printing, acrylic, additive manufacturing, advanced materials, aesthetic dentistry, all-on-x, analog dentistry, analog skills, andreea bordea, artistic dentistry, bridges, cad designer, cad/cam, career growth, ceramco, ceramics, ceramics technician, ceramist, chairside, chile, clinical workflow, clinician communication, collaboration, composite, continuing education, cosmetic dentistry, creativity, crowns, customer service, danny designer, denisse ramos, dental artistry, dental business, dental community, dental culture, dental education, dental entrepreneur, dental events, dental influencer, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental lectures, dental materials, dental podcast, dental scanner, dental tech community, dental technician, dental technology, denture teeth, dentures, design services, design technician, digital dentistry, digital design, digital future, digital lab, digital smile design, digital transformation, digital workflow, e.max, education, education journey, entrepreneurship, esthetics, exocad, exocad hero, exocad hub, exocad insights, exocad training, female technicians, full arch, furnaces, future of dentistry, global dentistry, implants, influencer, innovation, inspiration, instagram, international dentistry, ivoclar, kol, lab communication, lab day, lab efficiency, lab life, lab owner, ladies of the mill, layering, leadership, mallorca, mallorca 2026, manufacturing, maryland bridge, mentorship, milling, milling center, milling workflows, mod institute, modern dentistry, nadl, networking, new stetic usa, outsourcing, passion, patient care, porcelain, prosthetics, remote design, removables, restorative dentistry, romania, sales, scanning, shade matching, smile design, social media, spain, staining, startup lab, subtractive manufacturing, teamwork, technician life, technology, translucency, treatment planning, veneers, voices from the bench, waxing, women in dentistry, workflow, workflow integration, workflow optimization, workflow solutions, youtube learning, zirconia, zirconia shading

At exocad Insights, Elvis and Barb sit down with Andreea Bordea, Denisse Ramos, and Daniela Torres to talk about digital dentistry, social media, exocad, zirconia, 3D printing, and building careers around the world. From Spain to Florida to Chile, each conversation shows how passion and technology are transforming the dental lab industry.

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

May 18th, 2026  |  1 hr 13 mins

3d printed models, 3d printing, 3shape, 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, cad/cam, 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, detroit, 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, productivity, 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, stem cells, 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.

422: Renata Budny, Roberto Rossi, & Eugene Vega: The Never Ending Education in a Dental Lab

April 27th, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

3d printing, aesthetics, analog dentistry, anatomy, artistry, asiga, bench work, boutique lab, cad/cam, career development, career growth, career pathways, case acceptance, case planning, ceramics, city tech, collaboration, communication, continuing education, cosmetic dentistry, craftsmanship, crown and bridge, custom shade, dental, dental education, dental industry, dental lab life, dental materials, dental milling, dental printers, dental school, dental students, dental technician, dental technology, dentist relationships, dentures, diagnostic wax-up, digital dentistry, digital impressions, digital transition, digital workflow, efficiency, emax, employee culture, entrepreneurship, exocad, experience vs education, finishing, fixed prosthetics, full arch, future of dentistry, graduation, hands-on training, high-end lab, hiring, implant restorations, implants, impressions, industry challenges, innovation, lab efficiency, lab environment, lab growth, lab management, lab owner, lab perks, lab startup, lab to doctor, lab workflow, laboratory, layering, leadership, mentorship, mentorship in dentistry, milling, model work, morphology, motivation, new york city college of technology, occlusion, patient experience, polishing, porcelain, problem solving, production lab, productivity, prosthodontics, qc, quality control, removable, scaling a lab, scanning, shade matching, small business, smile design, synergy, team culture, teamwork, technician, technician retention, technician shortage, technology adoption, time management, training, troubleshooting, voices from the bench, wax-up, work ethic, work-life balance, workflow management, zirconia

Elvis reunites with Renata Bundy alongside lab owner Roberto Rossi and technician Eugene Vega for a conversation that connects education to real-world lab life. They share how technicians often start with little experience, face early challenges, and need the right mentorship and environment to grow. Roberto highlights building a quality-driven lab while navigating digital workflows, and Renata reflects on preparing students for those realities.

421: Katherine Steinbock-Dyke: From Girl Scout Cookies to CEO of Whip Mix

April 20th, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

3d printing, analog dentistry, analog vs digital, articulators, asiga, australia, bench culture, bench work, business evolution, cad cam, career growth, ceo, collaboration, continuous improvement, corporate culture, customer relationships, dealer network, dental, dental community, dental education, dental equipment, dental industry, dental lab, dental labs, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental resins, dental schools, dental technician, dental technicians, dental technology, digital dentistry, employee benefits, entrepreneurship, europe, family business, furnaces, future of dentistry, global markets, gypsum, heritage, hr, human resources, hybrid workflow, ids, industry insights, industry trends, innovation, innovation strategy, international business, katherine steinbock-dyke, lab day, lab life, lab owners, lab workflow, laboratory, large labs, latin america, leadership, legacy, management, materials science, mentorship, mixers, model trimmers, networking, next generation, operations, partnerships, podcasts, polymers, product development, production, relevance, small business, storytelling, succession planning, team building, technician, technicians life, trade shows, voices from the bench, whip mix, win program, workflow efficiency

This week we chat with Katherine Steinbock-Dyke of Whip Mix about growing up in a family-run dental company and unexpectedly working her way to CEO. She shares her path from HR and corporate roles into operations, product development, and ultimately leadership—highlighting the balance between tradition and innovation in today’s evolving lab landscape. The episode mixes stories of continuous improvement, digital transitions, and industry travel, all wrapped in the perspective of someone focused on keeping a legacy company relevant for the future.