Displaying 3 items of Voices from The Bench with the tag "lab management".
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419: Katherine Wilcox Wants You To Work EviSmarter and Not Harder
April 6th, 2026 | 1 hr 7 mins
3shape, ai, cad design, case entry, covid impact, customer service, data integration, dental, dental lab, dental technician, dental technology, design center, digital dentistry, digital workflow, efficiency, evident, evismart, file management, industry trends, innovation, itero, lab growth, lab management, lab software, laboratory, manila, outsourcing, outsourcing design, philippines, process optimization, productivity, quality control, scanning, staffing shortages, technician, trios, voices from the bench, workflow automation
Elvis and Barb sit down with Katherine Wilcox to talk about her journey from avoiding small talk as a dental assistant to thriving as a lab tech and eventually moving into the world of digital workflows and software. She shares how outsourcing design services exploded during COVID and became a lifeline for labs trying to manage workload and staffing challenges. The conversation highlights how EviSmart is helping labs automate workflows, reduce manual tasks, and bring order to the chaos of digital dentistry.
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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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406: Stuart Steinbock: Lean, Keen, and Milling Machines
January 5th, 2026 | 1 hr 2 mins
3d printing, additive manufacturing, aligners, articulators, cad/cam, carbon, casting investment, continuous improvement, crystal ultra, dental, dental equipment, dental manufacturing, dental mills, dental stones, digital dental, digital dentistry, direct-to-consumer dentistry, entrepreneurship, family business, full-arch workflows, industry evolution, international sales, iso compliance, lab efficiency, lab management, laboratory, leadership, lean manufacturing, milling systems, ortho appliances, orthodontic labs, process innovation, product development, quality systems, resilience, startup culture, technician, voices from the bench, whip mix, workflow optimization
Barb and Elvis talk with Stuart Steinbock about his deep family roots in dental manufacturing, the evolution of Whip Mix, and how lean thinking and product development helped shape modern lab workflows. Stuart also shares his journey beyond the family business into startups, 3D printing, orthodontic labs, and ultimately leading Digital Dental. It’s an honest conversation about innovation, entrepreneurship, and navigating change in both the dental industry and life