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 love us some labs that have a rich family story behind them. Barksdale Dental Lab is the newest lab to share their family's history. Betty and Steve Barksdale opened their lab in 1980. They made sure two things were always done, good quality work done right and to always treat their technicians like family. Blake Barksdale joined the lab during high school and pushed the lab to improve workflow and efficiency by adapting to digital technology. Betty and Blake talk about the history of the lab, how they find and retain technicians, and name drop all the wonderful people in our industry that has helped along the way.

Whip Mix is now providing its milling customers with Prima Milling Tools, the high performance milling tools engineered specifically for Roland mills. This new tool range outperforms the competition. The results show not only that the tools last 29% longer than most others, their precision creates pin-point accuracy, ensuring a perfect fit for the patient.

The uncoated tools save up to 40% per restoration over the market leaders, VISIT WHIPMIX.COM OR CALL (800) 626-5651

Did you know that most inLab MCX5 users that have ordered burs from Gro3X once, keep on ordering Gro3X burs over and over again? Because Gro3X burs are engineered by some of the folks who have been providing burs to some of the largest US production labs for years.

Did you also know, that most Roland and DGShape users have no idea what they are missing out?

To give Roland and DGSHAPE users the opportunity to find out for themselves how good Gro3X burs work also for their machines, Gro3X is now offering a BUY 3, GET 2 BURS FREE special. This is exclusively for Voices From The Bench listeners.

Simply go to the Gro3X website at gro3x.com click on burs, then select Roland & DGSHAPE. Add five burs of your choice to your cart, click on CHECK-OUT, enter discount code B3G2Burs and check out.

Is your lab in a position to take on new customers? Do you have the capacity to service more doctors? AmericaSmiles has helped hundreds of labs across the country to acquire new dental accounts.They're the biggest name in Dental Laboratory marketing. Don't waste time mailing and calling hundreds of doctors just to see poor results and hear overwhelming rejection. Let AmericaSmiles do all the heavy lifting for you. For just $195 a month, the AmericaSmiles One Voice program will help you skip to the front of the line. They'll prospect your local or target area, produce your creative marketing, and do all of the cold calling to leave you with extremely qualified appointments; guaranteed to help you find your ideal clients and grow your business.

Visit AmericaSmiles.net/One-Voice to learn more about how you can increase your lab's bottom line. Use promo code VOICESFROMTHEBENCH during checkout to qualify for a month-to-month agreement enabling you the freedom to cancel the marketing service any time! If you’d like to speak with an agent who can answer your questions about a time-tested, completely done-for-you approach to marketing, please call 708 279 9031. Join AmericaSmiles One Voice today - Getting new dentists to try your lab has never been easier.

Special Guests: Betty Barksdale and Blake Barksdale.