• Vision 21 in Las Vegas Jan 15-17 https://www.nadl.org/nadl-vision-21
• Cal-Lab Association Meeting in Chicago Feb 19-20 https://cal-lab.org/
• LMT Lab Day Chicago Feb 19-21 https://lmtmag.com/lmtlabday
• 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

This week, Barb and Elvis finally sit down for a long-overdue full episode with the man behind the Fans of Voices From the Bench Facebook group, second-generation lab owner, NADL President, and all-around industry cheerleader: Joe Young of Young Dental Laboratory.

Joe shares his family’s incredible journey from Hong Kong to Philadelphia, how his parents built a small ortho lab out of a spare room, and how he grew up trimming models on a step stool before eventually returning to the lab after college. He walks us through the evolution of the business—from analog ortho, to adding fixed, to diving head-first into early CAD/CAM. Today, Young Dental is a 26-tech, multi-department full-service lab serving PA, NJ, and DE.

Joe talks about the challenges of ortho work in a digital world, the need for wire-bending talent, the rise of aligners, and the struggle of balancing old-school techniques with new-school tech. He also reflects on family legacy, his dad’s 45 years as a CDT, and why keeping that generation’s knowledge alive matters more than ever.

As NADL President, Joe dives into board service, workforce development, collaboration across organizations, and his goal of connecting labs and vendors more effectively. Plus, he gives an honest look at what it’s like to step into leadership, find your voice, and leave a legacy for the next wave of techs.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a VFTB episode without gifts, jokes, accidental innuendo, and a rapid-fire Q&A that reveals Barb’s love of tomahawks and Elvis’s dream of 88-degree weather.

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!

Elvis and Barb are gearing up for their chat with the HyperDent Dude himself, Jordan Greenberg from FOLLOW-ME! Technology. At LabFest, Elvis found out that every hyperDENT license comes with Template Editor Lite — a built-in feature that lets you make safe, customized tweaks to your milling strategies. Whether you want to prioritize surface quality or speed, this tool gives you the control to fine-tune your results while FOLLOW-ME! keeps everything validated and reliable.

Because in the end, us lab techs love to tinker — and hyperDENT makes it easy to choose your own CAM-venture.

Special Guest: Joe Young.

Vision 21 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas - January 16-18
Cal Lab Meeting at the Swissôtel in Chicago February 20-21
LMT Lab Day Chicago in the IVOCLAR BALLROOM - February 20-22
IDS 2025 in the EXOCAD booth in Cologne, Germany - March 25-29

When choosing implant components, there are a lot of options out there. You COULD go OEM, but there is a lot to be said about cost and workflow when going with a third party option. How do you choose which option to go with? This episode we discuss why two people have chosen DESS Dental Solutions for their implant workflow. Jimmy Stegall has been educating in our industry for years. Now he has opened his own company to help educate more called Here To Serve Dental. Saro Hatzakortzian is the CEO of Alien Milling Technologies that mill many different situations on probably every platform available. After a brief update on what they have been up to since their last episode, Jimmy and Saro get into why they use DESS for their cases. We talk about MUAs, ti bases, screws, drivers, millable blanks, overdenture abutments, and so much more. Hear it from people that use them and not sell them.

Molar City: https://youtu.be/uDGVFDcgKbM?si=70rnaLl46IHt4zkq

Listen to John Wilson from Sunrise Dental Lab and take your own lab to the next level by getting in on some of Ivoclar's End of the Year deals on equipment. If you are looking for your first or looking to expand your capabilities, Ivoclar has just what you need at a time where it's best to invest. Head over to Ivolcar.com or contact your local rep for all the deals today. Don't let the new year come thinking you should have bettered your lab.

Special Guests: Jimmy Stegall and Saro Hatzakortzian.

Have you ever looked at crappy impressions or work and said to yourself, I could do better than this. That is exactly what this week's guest did. After working in a lab for an ex-father-in-law, Dr. Timothy Royer started doing all-on-xs in an in-office lab. Seeing all the bad he was getting, he was determined to become a dentist and do it better. After getting his Masters and then doctorate, Dr. Royer now owns Elite Dentures in Nederland, Texas where he is helping patients on their own journey through completely restoring their mouth and providing excellent care along the way.

Listen to John Wilson from Sunrise Dental Lab and take your own lab to the next level by getting in on some of Ivoclar's End of the Year deals on equipment. If you are looking for your first or looking to expand your capabilities, Ivoclar has just what you need at a time where it's best to invest. Head over to Ivolcar.com or contact your local rep for all the deals today. Don't let the new year come thinking you should have bettered your lab.

Special Guest: Dr. Timothy Royer.

If you have ever been to a dental show like LMT Lab Day Chicago or Vision 21, you probably have seen a guy with white hair and a white beard with a thick southern accent making a group of people laugh. That is Harold Burdette from "Lab of the Year" Burdette Dental Laboratory. Harold comes on the podcast to talk about working in his dad's lab back in the 70s (starting during the beginning of PFMs) and growing that business to become one of the longest family owned labs, being a part of the TEREC group, and what a semi-retired technician does when he hands to lab to the next generation in his family. Great stories from a technician that knows it all.

Whip Mix introduces the CUREbox Plus, a new curing unit that ensures the proper and full polymerization of 3D printed resins. It really is the ideal curing unit for dental labs and dentists because the CUREbox Plus uses light and heat energy, with controlled time and temperature, to provide an ideal environment suitable for post-curing SLA and DLP type 3D printed models.

The American-made, competitively priced curing unit is very easy to use and has a large capacity curing chamber for high production, is super easy to clean and maintain, and offers a one-year warranty which covers everything but the inexpensive, long-lasting UV LED lamps.

Though the CUREbox Plus can cure virtually any printed resin, it has been qualified with the following Whip Mix resins: Veriguide OS, VeriSplint OS, Dentca denture base, denture teeth, try-in, and Temporary Crown and Bridge.

If you’d like to learn more about this in-demand product, visit www.whipmix.com.

Special Guest: Harold Burdette.

How are you sleeping? Well, if you listen to our podcast while in bed, it's probably pretty good. But most people have some form of sleep apnea. Dental sleep devices are becoming a bigger and bigger appliance for labs to get into. Dr. Mark Murphy started his career as a dental technican, became a dentist, came back to be involved with dental labs, and is now working with ProSomnus® Sleep Technologies to help the world sleep better. Mark talks about how dentist identify and treat sleep apnea patients and how, if not treated, can affect one's life. Learn all about sleep devices and what they do to make the world a better place.

Aurident offers so much more than just the P5 michine. They offer all the needed accessories like Nabertherm furnaces and vacuums by Renfert. And all the consumables can be got in one place! Aurident has Delta Zirconia, Aurident Zr, Aurident cutting tools, and Quest pmma ! Aurident definitely is a One Stop Shop for any dental laboratory's needs! Call our friends, Aurident, at 800-422-7373 or visit their website at aurident.com!

Whip Mix is very excited to announce the new PRO 4K large format 3D printer from Asiga. The open-material printer for 385nm and 405nm resins features renowned Asiga reliability, and super-fast print mode for large batch printing of virtually all print resins. It’s ideal for printing any kind of model, dentures, splints, surgical guides, impression trays and more.

The Asiga Pro 4K DLP printer is affordable so you can own it for under $25,000. It has a large build plate and is available in both 65 micron and 46 micron resolution versions. For information about the Asiga Pro 4K, visit whipmix.com or call Chris Frye at (513) 680-1512.

Special Guest: Mark T. Murphy, DDS, D ABDSM, FAGD.

While many labs are already full into the digital workflow, some are still looking for a way to enter the "game". And some of the labs that are already in the "game" need a resource to improve the workflow or assistance to bring on a new product. Enter Jesse Zamarripa from Opulent Digital Specialist. Jesse comes on the podcast to talk about how his company can help your lab enter the digital workflow or even help you improve your current workflow with dedicated service available 24/7. Partnering with names such as Amman Girrbach, ExoCad, and NT-Trading, Opulent is a good option with labs that want to go digital.

Aurident offers so much more than just the P5 michine. They offer all the needed accessories like Nabertherm furnaces and vacuums by Renfert. And all the consumables can be got in one place! Aurident has Delta Zirconia, Aurident Zr, Aurident cutting tools, and Quest pmma ! Aurident definitely is a One Stop Shop for any dental laboratory's needs! Call our friends, Aurident, at 800-422-7373 or visit their website at aurident.com!

Have you seen the CUREBox Plus from Whip Mix yet? This highly effective yet affordable light-curing unit is ideal for most printed resins on the market. The economically priced curing box uses a specific wavelength and intensity light source, time control, and temperature control to polymerize (cure) dental resin materials. The unit’s glasswork surface features diffuse reflectors, which improve light transmission uniformity to the bottom of the model, and its maximum temperature of 80˚C provides increased compatibility with medical device 3D print resins. It also provides faster heating.

The glove-friendly, easy-to-use touchscreen includes status indicators for heat, lamps, and the door to the large capacity chamber and it features One-touch presets, customizable settings, a timer (5 Minutes - 12 Hours), a temperature controller (30 - 80˚C), and an auto-start and shut down mode.

For more information about Whip Mix’s CUREBox, visit whipmix.com.

Special Guests: Bennett Napier and Jesse Zamarripa.

His friends call him Taco. His enemies call him Taco. But the industry tells him thanks. Gary Iocco from Apex Dental Group has been a promoter and supporter of our industry for a long time. As he starts his "semi-" retirement, Gary reflects back on the early days of getting into the industry, opening his own lab, and getting with other technicians to start a group to help them all succeed. That history gives him a nice perspective of where our profession is going and what labs can do to stay relevant in business and technology.

FDLA Virtual Symposium - October 2, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EST)

2020 DLAT Southwest Conference & Expo - October 2 & 3, 2020

National Denturist Association Virtual Conference - October 16-17, 2020

Dental Services Group is proud to support the National Board of Certification in Dental Technology and proudly promotes certification for dental technicians throughout their national network of laboratories. The CDT Designation sets certified dental technicians apart from others in their field demonstrating a mastery of knowledge and applied skills in the art of dentistry. Certification also raises the standards of dental health through education in all aspects of dental technology. At Dental Services Group, they believe dentistry plays a significant role in the healthcare ecosystem and is committed to providing solutions to benefit the overall health and wellbeing of the patient. Visit nbccert.org to learn more about becoming a CDT and dentalservices.net to learn more about how DSG supports the dental community.

Last week Elvis printed custom trays on his new FormLabs Form 3B printer. Easy to print, transparent, and stong material was a game changer for the difficult and large cases that require a good custom tray to start. Head over to formlabs.com/VFTB and they can send you something printed on a Form 3B printer. Check out their gray model material. It's pretty nice.

Special Guest: Gary Iocco.

NADL Free Webinar - Protecting Patients and Staff when Re-Opening The Dental Practice 
Thursday, April 30, 2020 2:00pm-3:00pm EDT

ADA Report on 2020 and 2021 Dental Spending based on Covid 19 Impact

This week we are back to LMT Lab Day Chicago 2020. Recording from the Argen booth, Elvis got to talk to a ortho technician from Texas, Tiffany Prater CDT. She is the Vice-president of the AOLP (Association of Orthodontic Laboratory Professionals) and tells her story of going from dental assistant to lab owner. Then we are joined by past podcast guest Heather Voss CDT who brings along Leon Hermanides CDT to talk about how he got into the industry and has adapted his lab to the changing market over the years.

When dentist open up again, how many rush cases do you think we will get? What you need is a zirconia that is tested and proven to work with a faster sinter cycle. The Vericore ZR Pro and Vericore ZR Pro ML from Whip Mix can complete the Speed Cycle in slightly more than 3 hours, which enables laboratories to meet the demand for patients that have been waiting to get work done. Call Whip Mix today to learn more at 800-626-5651.

Special Guests: Bennett Napier, Heather Voss MBA, CDT, Leon Hermanides CDT, and Tiffany Prater CDT.

March 26 – 28 Dental Laboratory Association Texas Conference – Grapevine, Tx

Alien Milling Technologies is a cutting-edge Dental Milling Center known for using the latest methods and technologies in milling top dental prosthetics. They can help your lab by milling everything, like crowns, abutments, partials, guards, and even titanium bars. Best part is that they are all milled right here in the USA. Plus they also provide the same zirconia they mill in-house. Until the end of March 2020, if you buy 4 pucks you get one FREE! See all they have to offer at www.alienmilling.com.

How many of you are printing models? I bet most of you. Do you print in different colors depending on what you are using the model for? No? Whip Mix is happy to add grey to their

VeriModel OS product line. Not only do they have golden brown, ivory, and white, but the gray gives a visual contrast to waxes and features an easy-to-clean, smooth matte surface finish. Use it for study models, models with removable dies, and orthodontic models. Check them out at www.whipmix.com. Thanks for your continued support of the podcast Whip Mix!

Special Guest: Ricki Braswell CAE.

This week Elvis and Barb talk to a good friend to them and the whole industry. Jeff Stronk from Treasure Dental Studios sits down to talk about getting into the industry, buying out some partners, volunteering and leading various national boards, and is now the Chairperson of the Cal-Lab Association. Jeff tells us about this year’s amazing meeting that takes place February 20 & 21 in Chicago. This annual meeting is shaping up to be the best one yet. Do yourself and your lab a favor by registering for this peer-to-peer business meeting.

Cal-Lab Annual Meeting

Also that same weekend, thanks to the wonderful people at ARGEN, Elvis and Barb will be recording at LMT Lab Day Chicago 2020 - February 21 & 22. We will be set up at the Argen Booth (I16/I17) to talk to all the amazing attendees, educators, vendors, and anyone else willing to sit down. If you want to schedule a time, be sure to send us an email at info@voicesfromthebench.com and we can get it lined up. Or just stop by. We would love to meet you!

Register HERE!

March 26 – 28 Dental Laboratory Association Texas Conference – Grapevine, Tx
Last year was a huge success and we loved this show. We are back this year at the ARGEN booth recording all weekend long. If you are in the area, attend. If you are not in the area, you should still think about attending. It’s worth it.

Register HERE!

Thursday March 26, the good people at Alien Milling is hosting a evening event to kick of the DLAT Conference. We will be at Top Golf for fun, drinks, and podcasting. That’s right, we will be recording at the event. How fun is that! If you are going to the DLAT conference, don’t wait. Sign up here to join the fun!

Are you excited about Chicago Lab day? Nowak Dental & Nowak Digital are! Their lab specialists will be at the East Tower booth B-47 & their Digital specialists will be at the new West tower V-2. Stop by both booths to learn about all of their offerings and to find out for yourself why Nowak is the first dealer name customers ask for. Also, by popular demand, each location will be serving our famous King Cake Vodka shots one hour before the closing of the show EACH DAY! So don’t forget to visit Nowak Dental at both exhibit halls during Lab Day Chicago. And we thank you for your continued support of the podcast.

Kettenbach is a company that wants to partner with your lab to make sure you are getting the impressions you need. You know dental offices often ask dental labs what they recommend for impression material. Tell them with confidence a material that backed with amazing customer service and proven results. Give them a call at 877-532-2123 and mention the code Dental Lab Podcast 25 to get 25% off your order

Special Guest: Jeff Stronk.

Elvis and Barb take a break from interviewing to record today’s episode showcasing interviews we did back at LMT Lab Day Chicago. This is the first time we recorded face-to-face for an individual episode and what a great and important episode to do it for. We are joined by a couple of guys who have dedicated a lot of work and time to move up on the three boards that Barb and Elvis feel so passionate about.

First up we talk with Morris Fucarino CDT from Majestic Arts in Florida. He is the current Chair of the National Board of Certification (NBC).

We are then joined by Travis Zick from Apex Dental in Minnesota who is the President of the National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) and Sean Siegel from Castable Ceramics in Alaska who is the Vice-Chair of the Foundation of Dental Laboratory Technology (FDLT).

NADL - Nation Association of Dental Laboratories
NBC - The National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology
FDLT - The Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology

A BIG thanks to our newest sponsor PREAT CORPORATION. Use code "VOICES" online and on the phone to get 5% off your order and 1% donated to The Foundation of Dental Laboratory Technology
THANK YOU PREAT!

Special Guests: Morris Fucarino CDT, Sean Siegel, and Travis Zick.

NADL
NBC
The Foundation of Dental Technology

LMT LAB DAY Chicago 2019

Visions 21 Meeting - January 16 - 19, 2019 - Las Vegas

NADL University - 2019 Dates Not Yet Announced

Voices of Dentistry - January 25 & 26, 2019 - Scottsdale

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Special Guests: Bennett Napier and Bob Savage.

NADL
NBC
The Foundation of Dental Technology

Visions 21 Meeting - January 16 - 19, 2019 - Las Vegas

NADL Univerity - 2019 Not Announced Yet

Voices of Dentistry - January 25 & 26, 2019 - Scottsdale

Special Guests: Bennett Napier and Bob Savage.

In this episode Elvis and Barbara continue their conversation with Prof. Renata Budny from the New York City College of Technology about the graduates continuing their careers and Renata's involvement with the NADL.

http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/restorativedentistry/dental-laboratory-aas.aspx

NADL Board

The path to become a CDT

Barbara also make a case about running races...

Special Guest: Renata Budny, CDT, TE.