At exocad Insights in beautiful Mallorca, we finally caught up with Felix from Imagine USA—and the timing couldn’t have been better. As an exocad dealer on the front lines of digital dentistry, Felix shared his excitement about the strong turnout, the familiar faces, and most importantly, the innovation coming from exocad. What stood out most? The new exocad Hub and its cloud-based capabilities, along with powerful AI-driven tools inside DentalDB designed for efficient batch processing. For Felix and the Imagine team, it’s not just about seeing what’s new—it’s about putting it to the test. By running new features through their own production facility first, they ensure real-world performance before bringing solutions to their customers.

This week, Elvis and Barb continue their coverage from exocad Insights 2026 in beautiful Mallorca, Spain, where the conversations are just as valuable as the lectures. The episode starts with Dr. Zhiqiang Luo, who shares his perspective on educating the next generation of dentists in an increasingly digital world. The discussion explores how students are adapting to technology, why foundational analog skills still matter, and the challenge of preparing future clinicians for workflows that continue to evolve at a rapid pace. It's an insightful look at where dental education is headed and how digital dentistry is becoming second nature to new graduates.

The conversation then shifts to one of the most memorable encounters from the event as Elvis and Barb sit down with Alyson Bravo, a passionate dental technician from Brazil who has traveled across the globe to attend exocad Insights. What starts as a discussion about digital workflows quickly turns into a story about chasing dreams, making connections, and experiencing the international dental community firsthand. Alyson talks about discovering digital dentistry, teaching himself advanced design techniques, and the excitement of finally meeting people he has only known through podcasts, social media, and online education.

The episode wraps up with returning friend of the podcast Tobias Specht from Ivoclar. Fresh off several major product announcements, Tobias gives listeners an inside look at the collaboration between Ivoclar and exocad and how customer feedback continues to shape product development. He discusses the integration of Ivotion into the exocad workflow, the importance of training and education, and how Ivoclar works with customers around the globe to refine new products before they ever reach the market.

Special Guests: Alyson Bravo, Dr. Zhiqiang Luo, and Tobias Specht.

If you’re passionate about creating natural, beautiful smiles—but want to simplify your workflow without sacrificing aesthetics—this is for you. I’m honored to be part of Ivoclar’s development team introducing a powerful new stain and glaze system featuring Structure Paste, IPS e.max Ceram Art. Create stunning depth and lifelike color in as little as one firing.

Let’s continue to innovate, simplify, and create meaningful change—one smile at a time.

Elvis actually made it down to the exhibition halls this year — and hyperDENT from FOLLOW-ME! Technology was everywhere.

Booth after booth, people were talking milling strategies, templates, and workflows. It felt like a full-on CAM takeover. Their Milling Roadmap scavenger hunt had attendees bouncing between Axsys, Imagine, D.O.F., and Roland collecting stamps like responsible adults…

Responsible adults chasing a bright orange folding electric hyperDENT scooter.

That’s what we love about the FOLLOW-ME! team — world-class CAM engineers talking microns and validation protocols one minute, then ripping around Lab Day the next.

Serious about precision. Not too serious about themselves.

Big shoutout for bringing the brains — and the electric horsepower.

Come see and talk to Elvis and Barb at all these amazing shows in 2026*

• Dental Lab Association of Texas Meeting in Dallas Apr 9-11 https://members.dlat.org/
• exocad Insights in Mallorca, Spain Apr 30 - May 1 https://exocad.com/insights-2026

Live from the Ivoclar stage at LMT Lab Day Chicago 2026, Elvis and Barb sits down with two very different innovators shaping the future of the dental lab world.

First up is industry veteran Rob Fletcher, who shares the story behind ACES (Automated Case Entry Software)—a system designed to eliminate one of the biggest bottlenecks in dental labs: manually entering handwritten prescriptions. Drawing on years of lean manufacturing experience running labs like Knight Dental Group and Bayshore Dental Studio, Rob explains how combining OCR and AI can read RX forms, learn lab terminology, and automate case entry directly into an LMS. The result? Faster workflows, fewer data entry headaches, and one less department that labs have to constantly hire and retrain.

Then the conversation shifts to collaboration and innovation as Don Bell and Andreas Klie discuss a new partnership between Ivoclar and Panthera Dental. They break down how Panthera’s Fusion Bar technology works with Ivoclar materials to simplify full-arch workflows while improving precision, aesthetics, and efficiency. The team also dives into the education behind the technology, the launch of the Panthera Academy, and how collaboration between companies—and listening to technicians—helps push the industry forward.

Hey, listeners—ever wonder what Elvis is doing when he’s not recording Voices from the Bench?

He’s a client rep for Derby Dental Laboratory, out in the field every day doing chairside visits and building relationships. His job is simple—keep doctors happy and keep them coming back.

And he couldn’t do it without iCortica.

Right from his phone, Elvis can see sales, remake rates, account notes, risks, and cross-sell opportunities—even before he walks through the door. No spreadsheets. No surprises. Just the info he needs to grow accounts.

Stop digging for data and start taking action.

Head to icortica.com and schedule your demo today.

Join us at exocad Insights 2026, happening April 30–May 1, 2026, on the stunning island of Mallorca, Spain. This two-day event features powerhouse keynotes, hands-on workshops, live software demos, and top-tier industry showcases—all in one unforgettable setting.

Barb and Elvis will be on site bringing you exclusive interviews, plus don’t miss the FIRST 5k run on the coast! And of course, cap it all off with the legendary exoGlam Night under the stars.

Tickets are limited. Visit exocad.com/insights-2026 and use code VFTBPalma15 for 15% off.

In today’s dental labs, reliability isn’t optional—it’s essential. That’s why so many labs trust Roland DGSHAPE milling solutions—true workhorses known for precision, durability, and dependable performance day after day.

Now Roland is taking digital denture production even further with the Elevate Denture Solution, including compatibility with Ivotion Denture System from Ivoclar. This validated workflow gives labs a powerful way to produce premium digital dentures with confidence and consistency.

Built on the trusted DWX milling platform, the Elevate Denture Solution allows labs to expand their capabilities while continuing to rely on the same dependable technology that keeps production running smoothly.

Learn more about DWX Milling Solutions and the new Elevate Denture Solution at rolanddental.com.

Special Guests: Andreas Klie, Don Bell, and Rob Fletcher.