Displaying 8 items of Voices from The Bench with the tag "orthodontics".
-
423: Kent Kohli is Always in Pursuit of a More Excellent Way
May 4th, 2026 | 1 hr 9 mins
100-hour weeks, aacd, accreditation, accuracy, all-ceramics, analog to digital, anatomy, anterior aesthetics, artistry, boutique lab, bunsen burner, burnout, cad/cam, career growth, case planning, casting, ceramics, chairside experience, clinical education, coaching, communication, continuing education, contour, craftsmanship, creation porcelain, crown and bridge, crown council, dedication, dental ceramics, dental community, dental conventions, dental lab, dental school, dental technician, dental technology, dentist-technician relationship, digital dentistry, e.max, efficiency, efficiency vs artistry, electric waxer, empress 2, entrepreneurship, european technique, excellence, feldspathic veneers, finishing, full contour, giving back, global dentistry, hands-on training, high-end dentistry, hornbrook group, impressions, in-house lab, incisal edge, indirect bonding, industry giants, industry leaders, innovation, inspiration, ips empress, ivoclar, jensen, key opinion leader, kol, lab business, lab culture, lab day chicago, lab education, lab evolution, lab ownership, lab workflow, lab-to-clinic collaboration, layering, lifelong learning, liquid ceramics, materials science, mentorship, mentorship impact, metal frameworks, micro-layering, microscopes, microstar, milling, models, morphology, networking, next generation, noritake, occlusion, ortho lab, orthodontics, partnerships, passion, perseverance, pfms, plaster, platinum foil, polishing, posterior restorations, precision, pricing strategy, productivity, pursuit of excellence, quality over quantity, race to the bottom, refractory technique, servant leadership, shade matching, smile design, social media, startup lab, surface texture, symposiums, teaching, time management, trade school, vita, waxing, work ethic, workflow optimization, youtube learning, zubler
Kent Kohli shares how an unexpected path—from pre-dental student to passionate lab technician—led him to fall in love with ceramics and the artistry of dental technology. Guided by mentors and fueled by relentless self-education, he chose quality and growth over high-volume burnout, shaping a long, rewarding career. Now with Ivoclar, Kent is focused on giving back by helping bring hands-on education and foundational techniques to the next generation of technicians.
-
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.
-
Episode 271: A Chat about the Craft of Making a Crozat with Jay Work III
June 5th, 2023 | 1 hr 10 secs
alf appliance, apartment, bird beak pliers, crib, dental, hydrogen, lab, laboratory, orthodontics, palate expanders, podcast, solder, sprint ray, teaching, technician, temporary anchor devices, voices from the bench, wire bending
Owning a lab that makes only one appliance, Jay R. Work III is only one of four technicians in the US to make the Crozat device. Hear the story of him discovering it, what a Crozat is, and how it fits into a crowded ortho world.
-
252: The Family That Creates Smiles: Wayne Szara Sr, Mike Capps, Wayne Szara Jr, Steve Szara, and Erin Szara
January 23rd, 2023 | 1 hr 9 mins
biomet 3i, christmas, dental, dental school, family, growing up in a lab, laboratory, lmt lab day chicago, navy, orthodontics, podcast, students, technician, tiktok, triton college, vision 21, voices from the bench, whopper, youtube, zimmer
We have a full house on today's episode with multiple generations of a family all in dental technology. Joining us first is the one who started it all, Wayne Szara Sr. He pulled in his brother-in-law, Mike Capps. But also, his two sons, Wayne Szara Jr and Steve Szara. Now Steve's daughter Erin Szara is starting dental school. It's a big family of smile creators!
-
138: Live, Not Live From the DLAT Part 2: Larry Mercadel & Scott McGaha
November 16th, 2020 | 57 mins 11 secs
dental, hawley retainers, in-house, itero, night guards, orthodontics, podcast, technician, texas, voices from the bench
We are back, not back, live, not live from the Argen booth at October's DLAT meeting. This episode we talk with Larry Mercadel CDT who is full of passion for the industry even after retirement and Scott McGaha who owns a ortho lab talking about technology.
-
98: A Clear Vision on Ortho: Christopher Gajewski with the AOLP
February 10th, 2020 | 53 mins 40 secs
aolp, cdt, clear aligners, dental, dlat, invisalign, laboratory, orthodontics, podcast, technician, texas, voices from the bench
Ortho Laboratories are a huge part of our industry, yet you never see much at conferences about them. Christopher Gajewski is trying to change that by educating technicians and the public. Starting the Association of Orthodontic Laboratory Professionals (AOLP) is the first and crucial step to bring everyone together.
-
Episode 51: Tipping the Ortho Scales : Interview with Cade Tippett CDT about Ortho and Texas Part 2
March 18th, 2019 | 38 mins 27 secs
braces, data, dental laboratory, dentist, dlat, ortho, orthodontics, podcast, technician, texas, voices from the bench, wires
Continuing the conversation with Cade Tippett CDT about ortho, YouTube fame, and why he is so passionate about participating on the DLAT board.
-
50: Tipping the Ortho Scales : Interview with Cade Tippett CDT about Ortho and Texas Part 1
March 11th, 2019 | 38 mins 36 secs
braces, data, dental laboratory, dentist, dlat, ortho, orthodontics, podcast, technician, texas, voices from the bench, wires
From deep in the heart of Texas, Cade Tippett CDT owns an ortho lab, runs a popular YouTube channel showing ortho techniques, and still has time to work closely with the Dental Laboratories Association of Texas.