In this episode, Elvis and Barb welcome Ed Molina, a dental technician and trainer with a fascinating journey from retail work to becoming an influential figure in digital dentistry. Ed shares how his brother and mentors like Dr. Art Mirelez and Fernando Polanco guided him into the dental field, eventually leading him to help pioneer digital workflows and facially driven design systems such as InstaRisa.

With a background in both clinical and lab settings, Ed discusses the evolution of his career — from assisting with surgical guides and imaging to mastering Exocad and teaching offices how to transition from analog to digital dentistry. He explains the importance of facial scanning, photogrammetry, and digital workflow efficiency while emphasizing the human side of adapting to new technology in dental practices. Now running his own training business, Ed helps clinicians integrate digital design and facially driven workflows into their practices, balancing his passion for innovation with a strong appreciation for mentorship and collaboration.

Looking for a way to unlock the full potential of your digital dentistry workflow. Take it from Elise Heathcote, associate manager of digital services with Ivoclar. This is all about the Cam Academy. They have a new in-person training experience designed specifically for dental technicians. This hands-on course explores the full potential of programmable Cam software, helping you take your digital workflow to the next level. Learn directly from Ivoclar experts, refine your skills and bring new precision and efficiency to your lab. Cam Academy is more than a course. It's your next step in digital excellence. To reserve your spot, visit the Ivoclar Academy website or contact your local Ivoclar sales representative today.

Special Guest: Ed Molina .

Join Elvis and Barb in Mallorca, Spain in May 2024 for exocad Insights. Make plans today and more details to follow!

We love stories of success in the dental lab industry. One such story is the career of Todd Reid. Todd learned about dental technology from a high school friend and was soon on a path that led to owning Access Dental Laboratories in Syracuse, NY. It definitely wasn’t an easy journey, but luckily he had the opportunity to work for and with a lot of great people that helped him along the way. Todd talks about learning every “seat” in a lab, some unique opportunities that most technicians don’t get, deciding to open a lab and how he went about it, and creating a working environment that centers around treating his employees with respect.

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Special Guest: Todd Reid.

Do you remember the early 2010 and doing zirconia? Because milling machines were not yet affordable to most labs, milling centers did most of the work. One of the biggest players back then was CAP (Custom Automated Prosthetics). One of the founders and the CEO was Rob Nazzal. Rob comes on the podcast to talk about getting into the dental industry, becoming a milling center known for great customer service, and pivoting the business as more and more labs got their own milling machines. 7 years after, Rob is now providing labs a fantastic software that takes the data you already and makes it easy to read and use to grow your lab called icortica.

Does your lab use Magic Touch? If not, you should think about switching just so you can use icortica. Icortica is a program that uses all the data you already collect in Magic Touch and puts it in one easy to see, use, and understand dashboard. Look at every account and see trends, sales, notes, payments, and even remake percentages. Use the data you already have to take your lab and your customer service to the next level. Elvis uses it daily and swears it is a huge part to his success working at the lab. Head over to icortica.com/voices to learn more or send an email to Rob Nazzal at rob@icortica.com and tell him you heard about it on Voices From the Bench!

Special Guest: Rob Nazzal.

Sign up for the course by emailing idadenturelove@gmail.com for more information

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Have you seen the high prices of precious metal these days? Kulzer Refining knows that you are using less Precious metal in your lab these days, but if you send in half of what you sent in 5 years ago ,your scrap return will be higher than it was 5 years ago! You won’t believe how much money your scrap is worth right now!

Kulzer Refining reimbursement to you is after their 10% refining fee . They have zero additional fees! If you need any free shipping containers, which contain a UPS prepaid, full insured label, please visit

mydental360.com/refining or call the Director of Precious Metal Refining, Tony Circelli, directly at

(914) 906-1843. Mention the Voices From the Bench podcast and Kulzer Refining will add an extra 5% to your scrap! Kulzer Refining. Tested, Trusted, and Honest.

Two dynamic teams have joined forces to rock the intraoral scanning world! Whip Mix has added the 3Shape TRIOS® line of scanners to its line of digital solutions for the dental office. Together, this dynamic duo can get your dentists scanning, providing you the reliable scans you need for your lab work. If you are interested in learning more about helping your dentists, go to: http://tinyurl.com/Whipmixtrios

Special Guests: Finlay Sutton and Jeremiah, CDT, DTG and Amanda Naas .