• 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, we sit down with a guest whose journey hits all the right notes—literally! Meet Jonathan Bourke, a jazz guitarist turned dental technician who went from pouring models to designing full-arch restorations and running his own in-office lab.

Jonathan shares how a chance gig driving for a denturist opened the door to a career he never expected, taking him from analog dentures to digital workflows, photogrammetry, and Exocad wizardry. Now a lab owner working directly with clinicians, Jonathan talks about collaboration in full-arch cases, teaching with Jensen Dental and MiYO, and what it’s like to see his work come to life chairside.

From learning CAM milling to demoing in front of dental rockstars, Jonathan’s story is a reminder that artistry comes in many forms—sometimes from six strings, sometimes from six implants.

* Dental Labs—The Ivoclar Flash Sale Is On!

* From November 3rd to 14th, Ivoclar is bringing you unbeatable deals on the equipment that will set your lab up for success in 2026.

* Upgrade your mill, your furnace, or expand your workflow—and save big while doing it!

* Plus, when you purchase a milling machine, you’ll get delivery, installation, and training—all included. That means your lab will be production-ready from day one.

* But hurry—these savings vanish after November 14th!

* Contact your Ivoclar sales rep today and power up your lab for the year ahead.

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: Jonathan Bourke.

This week we wrap up the episodes that we got while in the Ivoclar Ballroom at LMT Lab Day Chicago 2025. First up is Federico Manes from MODJAW. Federico talks about discovering the world of dental, using his digital background to help a lab get digital, and how they have worked out a system to bring accurate jaw motions to all design software.

Then we meet Mellissa Everett. Mellissa loves being a dental technician. She loves it so much, she is usually working at two labs at the same time. She talks about finding out about dental, her desire to become a ceramist, and how her crazy work schedule has actually helped her become a better technician.

We then wrap up the episode with a different conversation. Two past podcast guests come on to give us a follow up. Sandra Puurits is from Finland. Jay Work is from Pennsylvania. Last year they meet at Lab Day 2024 for the first time. Now they are engaged and enjoying being them..... together.

Sandra's episode: https://www.voicesfromthebench.com/214
Jay's episode: https://www.voicesfromthebench.com/271

Don't miss this incredible webinar with Tanya Little, a dentist from beautiful Vancouver, Canada. We would like to invite you to a special webinar that she's hosting with Ivoclar and LMT on Wednesday, May 7th, titled "Reflections from a Denturist: 20 Years of Crafting Dentures!". In this program, she will review the incredible history of removables with Ivoclar and focus on the new and exciting evolution based print resin and of course, the PM7. Her goal is to provide you with several key takeaways that will allow you to work smarter and not harder. You can join on May 7th by registering at https://lmtmag.com/webinars/reflections-from-a-denturist-20-years-of-crafting-dentures

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: Federico Manes, Jay R. Work III, Mellissa Everett, and Sandra Puurits.