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Duff Wilson’s journey in dental technology is anything but typical. From getting thrown into high-volume removable work at a major lab in the early ’90s to opening Wilson Dental Lab out of his home and building a lean, relationship-driven business, Duff’s story is rooted in grit, loyalty, and doing things the right way—even when it’s hard. Along the way, he shares how mentorship, state lab associations, and taking care of people shaped his career, including helping other technicians start their own labs and building a South Carolina–based milling center to support small labs.

The conversation dives deep into the evolution of digital dentistry, zirconia, milling centers, design services, and why relationships—not products—are what truly matter in this industry. Duff explains how trust and support led him to work closely with Aidite, why being lean is the key to longevity, and how redefining success after a life-changing health scare helped him create a sustainable lab, a better lifestyle, and a clear path for the next generation of technicians

Happy Holidays from Ivoclar!

As the year comes to a close, all of us at Ivoclar want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible Voices From the Bench community. Thank you for your partnership, your trust, and the support you’ve shown throughout the year.

From our Ivoclar family to yours, we wish you a joyful, healthy, and safe holiday season.

May your days be merry, your nights be bright, and your smiles shine like freshly fallen snow.

Ho, ho, ho — Happy Holidays from Ivoclar!

Big news is coming your way in the world of CAM. Our friends at Ivoclar have teamed up with FOLLOW-ME! Technology to bring the Ivotion Denture System into the HyperDent CAM workflow.

That’s right—your favorite pre-shaded, two-layer Ivotion discs, the ones that let you design and mill a complete denture in one seamless process with no bonding and no mess, are now moving beyond closed systems. Thanks to this new partnership, Ivotion can finally be milled on open machines through HyperDent.

And it gets better: you’ll first see this powerful workflow available on the Roland DWX-53 series mills—already a staple in so many labs—as well as the Imagine iMills.

If you’ve been waiting for a faster, cleaner, more flexible way to produce full dentures, this is it. Ivoclar and FOLLOW-ME! just made the future of denture manufacturing wide open.

Get ready—HyperDent is about to change the way you mill Ivotion.

Special Guest: Duff Wilson.

First up is Björn Zäuner. Björn grew up in a dental family and wanted nothing to do with teeth. We've all heard this story, right? It wasn't long before Björn had a milling center and even an ortho lab. But he noticed that miss mounted cases were a problem and a main cause to most of his remakes. So he developed Bite-Finder to use AI to find the true bite and not the one "captured" with a blue bite or iOS scanner. He talks all about what it is, how it works, how to integrate it, and how you can try it for FREE for 2 weeks.

Then we meet the CEO and co-creator of exocad, Tillmann Steinbrecher. We have talked to literally hundreds of people on this podcast that all sing praises for the "purple program" and this time we get to hear the origin story. Tillmann talks about how is started as a research project where he and his partner saw potential for so much more. From walking around IDS 15 years ago with a laptop with a early version to being one of the leaders in dental design, Tillmann in his team has really changed the way labs stay ahead of the every changing workflow. He talks about the early versions, where the name and purple come from, how it's important to stay an open platform, and the importance of user feedback to keep getting better.

Take it from Jennifer Ferguson from Ivoclar. If you have a PM7 or are thinking about getting a PM7 (Take it from Barb, you should), Ivoclar had launched the "Ivoclar Block Module" that can speed up milling emax by 45%!! The best part is that you can try it for FREE for 90 days. All you have to do is send them a message on Instagram at Ivoclar.na or send a email to jennifer.ferguson@ivoclar.com. Now go mill emax faster!

Special Guests: Björn Zäuner and Tillmann Steinbrecher.

We are many, many months away from Chicago in February, but our very own Barb Warner is going to be the very first female Chair of the Cal-Lab Association that is over 100 years old. Let’s make this the most well-attended event ever. Head over to Cal-Lab.org and sign up for this amazing meeting that takes place the Thursday and Friday of the same weekend as Lab Day Chicago. Let’s all plan to go and support Barb!

Now, first up we chat with a dentist from India, Dr. Manish Chhabra. After going though the school, Dr. Chhabra discovered that he really had a fondness for digital design. So he opened a lab. Eventurally he meets the owner of Leixir Dental Lab Group and formed a partnership to open a design center in India to support the group of labs. Starting with 2 employees and taking it to 300, Dr. Chhabra learned all about training and scaling. Now he has set off and created dgadental.com to train clinicans and technicians using VR headsets.

Then we sit down with someone from Ivoclar that has a lot to do with their success, Tobias Specht. Tobias came on the podcast about 2 years ago and this time stops by to update us on celebrating 20 years of emax , their new Ivotion Printed Base and how easy it is to reline, what Ivoclar has going on at IDS in their two booths, and a new way to mill emax faster. So much is covered, it’s hard to believe it all new from Ivoclar.

Take it from Laura Prosser, the digital marketing manager for Ivoclar North America. She would like to invite you to start following them on Instagram. It's your chance to obtain exclusive updates on product announcements, industry news, upcoming educational events, and heartwarming stories about our local team and industry professionals. Let's get social together. Simply start following us on Instagram @Ivoclar.na. We'll see you there.

Special Guests: Dr Manish Chhabra and Tobias Specht.

Then we welcome back to the podcast, Greg Everett. Last time we talked to Greg, he was with a company that manufactured milling burs. Now he works on the whole mill with his new company Denteon. Specializing in Roland Mills, Greg provides a service to complete rebuild or repair your mill so you can continue to get your monies worth for years longer than expected. We suggest visiting denteon.com if you have any Roland Mills.

We wrap up the episode with Ivoclar's own Joe Braxon. Still talking about mills, but this time exclusively with Ivoclar mills. Joe is responsible for the installation, training, and service for all of the PrograMills. Joe talks about his background, finding Ivoclar, and what sets their mills above the rest.

Take it from Laura Prosser, the digital marketing manager for Ivoclar North America. She would like to invite you to start following them on Instagram. It's your chance to obtain exclusive updates on product announcements, industry news, upcoming educational events, and heartwarming stories about our local team and industry professionals. Let's get social together. Simply start following us on Instagram @Ivoclar.na. We'll see you there.

Are you a dental lab in need of more talent to improve your bottom line and keep production on schedule? Are you a dental tech with great skills but feel you're being limited at your current lab? Well, the answer is here and this is precisely why WIN WIN GO was created. The dental lab and dental tech community needed a place where labs and technicians can meet, talk about their needs and connect in ways that foster a win win outcome. As a tech. If you're ready to make a change, thinking about moving in the next year or just curious what's out there, sign up today. It's totally free. As a lab, you might be feeling the frustration of paying the big employment site so much and getting so few tech candidates. We understand they don't much care about our industry. WINWINGO.com is simply the best place for lab techs and lab owners to actively engage in creating their ideal future. WINWINGO.com, how dental techs find paradise.

Special Guests: Christopher Hernandez, Greg Everett, and Joe Braxton.

On September 11th in Fort Worth, Texas, the 10th annual Race For the Future will take place to raise money for the Foundation For Dental Laboratory Technology. Barb is doing her 9th solo race and Elvis is teaming up with Mark Williamson and Bobby Kenney to form The Abutments. Go to dentallabfoundation.org and click on the DONATE TODAY button. There you need to log in or create an account. Then select “Race for the Future” and enter the name of either Barb Warner or the Abutments, then the amount you want to donate: https://fdlt.memberclicks.net/donor-form

This week we talk to Charlie Barbour from the UK. Charlie comes on to talk about how though an engineering program, he found the dental laboratory industry. Getting hired at Bristol Crown, a lab-to -lab milling center for the ALS Dental Group. He starts by loading mills and scanning models, and soon noticed of how many of the crowns looked the same. Pushed by self-learning, Charlie was soon designing crowns in Exocad and he even started making teeth libraries for other labs in the ALS group. Going back to lab school, he had an assignment of drawing crowns and a new passion started. Now Charlie is taking his art to the next level by creating detailed and brightly colored pieces that include not only crowns, but implants, abutments, full arches, dentures, and so much more.

Check out his art and get yourself a few prints: https://www.redbubble.com/people/cimbdesign/shop?asc=u

Introducing Ivotion Digital Dentures from Ivoclar – Experience unparalleled precision and efficiency with Ivoclar‘s state-of-the-art digital denture workflow.

Ivotion is available in their patent pending monolithic disc that combines denture base and tooth materials in one seamless puck. Or if you lab needs more flexibility, Ivotion is also available as stand-alone discs - Ivotion Base, Dent and Dent Multi all in 98mm width to fit your favorite milling machine.

With Ivotion you can streamline your lab’s processes, reduce production time, and enhance patient satisfaction. Elevate your lab's capabilities with Ivotion Digital Dentures – where innovation meets perfection. Discover the future of dentures today with Ivoclar." Thanks for your continued support of the podcast Ivoclar.

Join the GOLDEN BENCH CLUB! All you have to do is leave us a 5-star review and comment on the Apple Podcast app (or any other app and email us a screen shot) and we will read your review on the podcast and welcome you to the Golden Bench Club. This super elite club is only for the best of the best

Special Guest: Charles Barbour.

As we continue the amazing conversations we got while at exocad Insights 2024 in Mallorca, Spain, we want to thank again the good people at exocad that made all this possible. This episode brings us three fantastic conversations with 3 fantastic people.

First up is Dr. Marcus White from England who is one of the UK's foremost opinion leaders in digital dentistry and intra oral scanning. Dr. White talks about his on-site lab, utilizing remote designers and milling centers, and his view of the full arch workflow.

Next is UK lab owner, Ashley Bryne. Ashley is the son of a lab owner that told him not to get into the business. It's a great thing he didn't listen to him, because now Ashley owns Brynes Dental Lab, one of the biggest labs into digital and implants in England. Ashley talks about his journey, why his labs uses both exocad and 3shape, bringing technicians to Insights, and being a part of the Conus Group of laboratories.

Then we wrap up the episode with Seth Potter. Since the age of 12, Seth knew he wanted to be a dental technician. After school and working in a lab, Seth soon found himself needing a new direction. So, he got a laptop and exocad and started looking for work. Now he's not only a freelance designer but also a Independent Certified exocad Trainer.

Introducing Ivotion Digital Dentures from Ivoclar – Experience unparalleled precision and efficiency with Ivoclar‘s state-of-the-art digital denture workflow.

Ivotion is available in their patent pending monolithic disc that combines denture base and tooth materials in one seamless puck. Or if you lab needs more flexibility, Ivotion is also available as stand-alone discs - Ivotion Base, Dent and Dent Multi all in 98mm width to fit your favorite milling machine.

With Ivotion you can streamline your lab’s processes, reduce production time, and enhance patient satisfaction. Elevate your lab's capabilities with Ivotion Digital Dentures – where innovation meets perfection. Discover the future of dentures today with Ivoclar." Thanks for your continued support of the podcast Ivoclar.

Special Guests: Ashley Byrne, Dr. Marcos White, and Seth Potter.

Barb Warner
Team Abutments (Elvis Dahl, Mark Williamson, Bobby Kennedy)
Voices From the Bench (50/50 split between Barb and Elvis' team)

Come see Elvis and Barb on stage together for the first time as we record an episode in front of a live audience!
Register for the Ladies of the Mill Summit in Chattanooga, TN on July 21-22

We finally got a chance to take the podcast to the west coast. That's right, hanging out with the good people of Ivoclar, we set up the gear and talked to a ton of great people at LMT Lab Day West. This week we bring you two great conversations from that show. First up is Calvin Song from Creodent. Calvin talks about his role, helping to grow labs with their milling service, and how he is having to fight New York on them trying to make labs collect sales tax on veneers because they are considered cosmetic and not clinically needed. Then 3shape "advanced user" stops by, Sevan Pulurian from Pacific Dental Lab. Sevan talks about the 3shape study group on Facebook, what's new with version 23, and his quick thinking at Cal-Lab when an hour presentation became an hour and 45 minutes.

If efficiency and performance are what you are looking for in a milling system, then the high-performance PrograMill PM7 from Ivoclar is the right choice for you.

Equipped with a high-performance spindle, this high-power 5-axis milling machine efficiently produces both wet and dry restorations.

Ivoclar provides white glove delivery service, training, choice of service contracts and their outstanding after sales service and support.

Contact your friendly Ivoclar sales representative today and create a digital solution that’s right for you!

Special Guests: Calvin Song and Sevan Pulurian.

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: Jorgen Gad and Vincent Silva.

Smile Matters Podcast

Whip Mix introduces the Bellus3D Dental Pro Face Scanning Solution. This new, practical addition to dentistry provides the dentist with a fast, easy, and affordable way to capture a detailed 3D facial scan and the laboratory an intelligent way to create the smile design. With this app, a complete 3D facial (and even whole head) scan can even be captured for virtual model and articulator alignment.

You can now put a face to your digital workflow with the Bellus3D Dental Pro. Learn more about this sought-after product by calling Lorena Lighthart at 970-218-9101 or emailing her at llighthart@whipmix.com. And be sure to watch Lee Culp presenting a Whip Mix webinar entitled “Bellus3D Dental Pro – Creating the Virtual Patient” at http://www.whipmix.com/webinars.

Special Guest: Laura Kelly AAACD.