If you’re passionate about creating natural, beautiful smiles—but want to simplify your workflow without sacrificing aesthetics—this is for you. I’m honored to be part of Ivoclar’s development team introducing a powerful new stain and glaze system featuring Structure Paste, IPS e.max Ceram Art. Create stunning depth and lifelike color in as little as one firing.

Let’s continue to innovate, simplify, and create meaningful change—one smile at a time.

When it comes to digital dentures, design is easy—manufacturing is where things get messy.

That’s why the Elevate Denture Solution brings it all together. Built by Roland DGSHAPE, Ivoclar, and FOLLOW-ME! Technology Group, it combines machine, materials, and CAM into one fully optimized workflow—so you get consistent, high-quality results without the guesswork.

Want to simplify production and scale with confidence? Check it out at rollanddga.com/elevate.

Live from LMT Lab Day Chicago, Elvis and Barb bring the mics to the Ivoclar stage for three very different conversations that all point to one big theme—this industry is evolving fast, and you better evolve with it.

First up, Savannah Elkins and Josh Williams from GPS Digital RPD jump into the digital removable world, where analog roots meet full-on additive workflows. Savannah shares how she went from pouring models to cranking out 100+ RPD frameworks a day, learning design in record time through hands-on training and a little “YouTube University.” The conversation dives into printed frameworks, flexible materials, and the push toward becoming a full lab-to-lab removable resource. It’s fast, it’s scalable, and yes… they absolutely test durability by throwing, stepping on, and possibly feeding things to alligators.

Next, Darin McCue from SalesLift Consulting flips the script and talks about what’s really holding labs back—and it’s not production. With a mix of passion and hard truth, Darin explains that most lab owners aren’t failing because they can’t make teeth—they’re failing because they don’t run a business. From leadership and communication to sales and team culture, he challenges owners to step off the bench and into a leadership role before burnout or failure forces the issue. His message is clear: if you don’t work on your business, it will eventually work against you.

Finally, Vicki Thomas and Carrie Ling bring a completely different energy, focused on community, collaboration, and leveling the playing field for smaller labs. Vicki shares the story behind launching Savvy Lab Solutions, a buying group built to give small and mid-sized labs access to the same pricing and vendor relationships as the big players. Carrie backs it up with real-world experience, explaining how vendors now proactively reach out with discounts and new products—saving time, money, and opening doors she didn’t even know existed. The conversation highlights the power of partnerships, word-of-mouth growth, and the realization that 78% of the industry is made up of labs that have historically been overlooked.

Join us at exocad Insights 2026, happening April 30–May 1, 2026, on the stunning island of Mallorca, Spain. This two-day event features powerhouse keynotes, hands-on workshops, live software demos, and top-tier industry showcases—all in one unforgettable setting.

Barb and Elvis will be on site bringing you exclusive interviews, plus don’t miss the FIRST 5k run on the coast! And of course, cap it all off with the legendary exoGlam Night under the stars.

Tickets are limited. Visit exocad.com/insights-2026 and use code VFTBPalma15 for 15% off.

Special Guests: Carrie Ling, Darin McCue, Josh Williams, Savannah Elkins, and Vicki Thomas.

If you’re passionate about creating natural, beautiful smiles—but want to simplify your workflow without sacrificing aesthetics—this is for you. I’m honored to be part of Ivoclar’s development team introducing a powerful new stain and glaze system featuring Structure Paste, IPS e.max Ceram Art. Create stunning depth and lifelike color in as little as one firing.

Let’s continue to innovate, simplify, and create meaningful change—one smile at a time.

When it comes to digital dentures, design is easy—manufacturing is where things get messy.

That’s why the Elevate Denture Solution brings it all together. Built by Roland DGSHAPE, Ivoclar, and FOLLOW-ME! Technology Group, it combines machine, materials, and CAM into one fully optimized workflow—so you get consistent, high-quality results without the guesswork.

Want to simplify production and scale with confidence? Check it out at rollanddga.com/elevate.

"Live" from the Ivoclar ballroom at Lab Day 2026, Elvis and Barb dives into conversations that perfectly capture what this industry is all about—innovation, relationships, and a whole lot of nerding out.

We kick things off with Frederic Rapp, who went from growing up in his dad’s basement lab in France to scaling it into one of the largest labs in Europe. After selling the business, he found his way back into the industry through innovation—helping labs unlock the gold mine sitting inside their own data with icortica. From dashboards to AI-driven insights and even voice-activated notes in the parking lot, it’s all about working smarter, not harder… and maybe not looking like an idiot when you walk into a doctor’s office.

Then things shift to a great partnership with Casey Baldwin and Darin Lockaby, where we get into a seriously cool collaboration between Ivoclar and DESS. Think plug-and-play workflows that let labs mill their own abutments in-house—FDA compliant, streamlined, and actually simple. With margins tighter than ever, this kind of control over production isn’t just nice… it’s becoming necessary.

From scaling labs to scaling data, from implants to AI, this episode is packed with insight, laughs, and a clear message: the labs that embrace technology (without losing the human touch) are the ones that are going to win.

Join us at exocad Insights 2026, happening April 30–May 1, 2026, on the stunning island of Mallorca, Spain. This two-day event features powerhouse keynotes, hands-on workshops, live software demos, and top-tier industry showcases—all in one unforgettable setting.

Barb and Elvis will be on site bringing you exclusive interviews, plus don’t miss the Women in Dentistry Lunch, celebrating career growth, wellbeing, and the real stories shaping our profession. And of course, cap it all off with the legendary exoGlam Night under the stars.

Tickets are limited. Visit exocad.com/insights-2026 and use code VFTBPalma15 for 15% off.

Special Guests: Casey Baldwin, Darin Lockaby, and Frederic Rapp.

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.

We return to the "Olympics of Dental", IDS in Cologne Germany. Set up very nicely in the exocad booth, Elvis and Barb got to talk to three more amazing people from around the world. THANK YOU EXOCAD!!

We start the episode with Amy Tate who joined her uncle a year ago at nexus dental laboratory because she saw all the amazing places it has taken him. Now enrolled in a 3 year online course, a mentorship, and also working in the lab, Amy is all in with dental technology and shares her hopes for the future.

Then we chat with Rami Gamil, who years ago saw a need for dental technology in Egypt. After getting a degree in it in France, Rami now owns multiple locations called TriScan that provides iOS, CBCT, and bunch of other digital services to local dentists. His next focus is all about education.

We wrap up the episode with the dental technician to Denturists, Pam Rehm. Growing up in Canada, Pam spent a fair amount of time in a dental chair. That drove her to become a dental technician and she found out how great the Denturist community was. After getting into teaching, she truly found her passion. She’s now with Argen Canada and her focus is making sure Denturists get a digital workflow that works for their practice.

### 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: Amy Tate, Pam Rehm, and Rami Gamil.

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.
Join the Race: https://fdlt.memberclicks.net/donor-form

Meet Jamie Stover. If you spend any time at dental shows or just around the industry in general, you have probably crossed paths with Jamie before. You see, Jamie started in the industry back in 1998 after a suggestion from his dentist brother. After finding his way into a dental lab, Jamie has been a delivery driver, model room technician, ceramist, and so much more. It wasn't long before he was manager and even Operations Manager. While he was moving the lab from analog to digital, Jamie found the Carbon Printer and discovered something great. He now works for them as Senior Manager of Application Strategy and Integration. What does that mean? Well, we had to ask too. Turns out Jamie gets to help any lab with a Carbon printer with any question or issue the lab has. Even if it isn't related to the Carbon Printer. How cool is that? He's also the current Chair of The National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology and talks about the importance of getting your certification and giving back to the industry.

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: Jamie Stover CDT.

Sean Siegel talks about an amazing raffle to win “The Spirit of the Esthetic Revolution™”—a 1995 Harley-Davidson® Softail Classic motorcycle donated by Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc.
Learn more!

http://dentallabfoundation.org/news-events/ticket/
It's only $25 a ticket or 5 tickets for $100

Shawn Nowak talks about the fifth running of the Race For The Future. This year it is back in Chicago with the Transamerica Chicago Triathlon August 25-26, 2018.

Sign up as a racer: Here
*receive $10 off registration using the discount code TEAM18DENTAL *
Please notify the Foundation of your participation by emailing foundation@dentallabfoundation.org so we can include you in any race correspondence.

Give to support your favorite racer: Here
Become a sponcer: Here

See it all and more at http://dentallabfoundation.org/

Special Guests: Sean Siegel and Shawn Nowak.

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.

Elvis and Barbara talk with Prof. Renata Budny about the Restorative dentistry (Dental Laboratory Technology) program at the New York City College of Technology, of the City University of New York.

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

Special Guest: Renata Budny, CDT, TE.