Voices from The Bench

Most dental technicians have a little nerd in them. You know, that desire to learn more about what we do. The most used material on the fixed side of our industry is Zirconia. Introduced in the mid-2000's, it has taken over as the "go to" restoration in dentistry. But what exactly is Zirconia? How does it get from the earth into a mill? Paul Cascone from Argen comes on the podcast to explain all of this in terms that Elvis and Barb can understand. Everything from the mining to the fabrication of the pucks to getting the shade right. Amazing information to feed your inner nerd.

ArgenZ HT+ Zirconia Discs

Few things create more interest today than the Digital Denture. Whip Mix has developed a processing system for printed dentures, which uses Dentca, the first 3D-printed denture and denture teeth resins to receive FDA clearance. Their physical properties and biocompatibility pass FDA requirements and enable the printed denture properties to be very similar to conventional dentures. The material, coupled with fast and easy 3D-printing with Asiga printers and the convenience of curing with a Uvitron UV light, results in fewer dentist visits, predictable fit, re-printable data files, lower costs and excellent intraoral denture performance. To learn how to create your own Digital Denture, check the Whip Mix website for their Digital Denture courses and for more information about the system.

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.

Special Guest: Paul Cascone.

Roe Dental is known for being on the cutting edge of just about everything in our industry. If you ever got to hear B.J. Kowalski speak, you would know. Elvis and Barb had a chance to chat with B.J. a few weeks ago to find out what goes on in the mind of Roe's owner. B.J. talks about getting into the business, being a early adopter to the digital workflow, getting into guided surgery, using a system to control implant parts, bringing in a dentist to provide dental care to all his employees, using a unique program to give other technicians a chance to do chairside conversion, and a lot more. It's a jam packed conversation that covers a ton.

CHAIR: Clinical Help & Assistance In-Region

Inventrix : LabTrac

Zimbus: Smart Inventory Cabinets

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

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.

Special Guest: BJ Kowalski.

Don Bell, the Vice President of Product Marketing in North America for Ivoclar Vivadent, has seen a lot of products come and go. He has seen a lot of technology come and go. As labs and manufacturers enter this new era of dentistry, Don and Ivoclar has had to adapt. But in a good way. Don talks about what happened at Ivoclar during the shutdown and how they are coming back, their one-puck denture milling system called Ivotion, the e.max ZirCAD Prime, and what's next for Ivoclar.

The UP 3D P5 milling maching from Aurident is a 5 axis, efficient, dry mill. Great for milling zirconia, PMMA and wax. It boasts software that produces high precision and fast milling. It can mill a crown in 14 minutes and the tool life yields about 60-80 hours of quality restorations. A game changer for labs of all sizes, big and small. For under $20K, a small lab can now do their own milling instead of outsourcing and reducing their profits. Quite impressive! Give Aurident a call at 800-422-7373 or you can 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 Guest: Don Bell.

• Join Elvis Dahl from Derby Dental Laboratory and the Voices From The Bench Podcast and Dr. Dr. David Rice from igniteDDS as they break down the challenges that happen between the clinics and labs. We are calling it “THE DENTAL SHOWDOWN”.
• This 3 part Ivoclar webinar on LinkedIn kicks off September 14 at 7pm eastern. It’s LIVE so we encourage everyone to show up and voices your own challenges. It’s time to talk about it.
• Register TODAY!

On August 27th many brave and fearless dental technicians will take to the water and road to participate in the 2023 Chicago Triathlon. They don't do it for fame or personal gain, but to raise money for the Foundation For Dental Laboratory Technology.
PLEASE head over to dentallabfoundation.org and click the DONATE TODAY button. Log in and choose the “Race for the Future” option. There you can put the name of a racer you want to sponsor. You can put:

Barb Warner
Team Abutments (Elvis Dahl, Mark Williamson, Bobby Kennedy)
Voices From the Bench (50/50 split between Barb and Elvis' team)

Most have heard of the Dental Technician's Guild (DTG) and all the amazing members they have doing amazing work. The person who created the whole group is Von Grow. Von comes on the podcast to update us on the newest Symposium that is coming back after a 4-year break. On September 15 and 16, The DTG Symposium will be held at the GC Facility in Alsip, Ill. Joining Von on the podcast are to fantastic speakers for the upcoming show. Hugo Hébert from Quebec, Canada talks about his journey in dental technology, finding the DTG, and what he is speaking on at the Symposium. Firas Dahbour from Jordan also talks about his journey, his world traveling adventures, what he has gotten out of the DTG, and what he is speaking on.

Elvis and Barb will be at the DTG Symposium recording all the amazing speakers and attendees. JOIN US!

Did you know that Ivoclar has Digital Equipment Sales Specialists? These experienced professionals are here to help make your transition to digital, a smooth one. They help provide customized solutions, analyze your ROI, provide hands on assistance and localized support. All of this, catered to your needs. Contact a Digital Equipment Sales Specialist today by emailing [email protected]. Tell them you heard it on the podcast!

Special Guests: Firas Dahbour, Hugo Hébert, and Von Grow, DTG.

As states start to allow dental offices to open up to non-emergency patients, labs are starting to get back to work. Of course, it will be a slow start, but it is a sign of things starting to get back to the "new normal". First up is a weekly update from Bennett Napier from the NADL talking about the next webinar and what's new with our industry and the COVID-19.

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.