Voices from The Bench

We love it when we have a guest on and we get surprised with all the amazing things they do. Daniel Alter did just that. We knew he was a teacher at the New York City College of Technology restorative department and did something with IDT magazine , but as the conversation unfolded, Daniel's passion for our industry was strong. Daniel talks about learning the craft and opening a lab, taking that d...

BEFORE September 27th order a Voices From the Bench: The Face Mask. His friends call him Taco. His enemies call him Taco. But the industry tells him thanks. Gary Iocco from Apex Dental Group has been a promoter and supporter of our industry for a long time. As he starts his "semi-" retirement, Gary reflects back on the early days of getting into the industry, opening his own lab, and getting with...

### Order a "Voices From the Bench: The Face Mask" today! We welcome Leonard Hoffman to the podcast. Leonard took over his family's business, Aurident in 1983. Since then he has had to adapt the business to the digital needs of the industry. He talks about the early days with same day delivery, getting into zirconia and digital scanners, and making sure that customer service still remains number o...

Happy Labor Day 2020. I think most can agree that we deserve a day off. But let's talk about a little tool that has taken a lot of the manual labor out of dental labs over the years. As digital workflow grew and expanded, mills became a necessary piece of equipment. But inside these workhorses are the true "laborers'', the burs. These small, yet crucial pieces allow most labs to do what they do al...

With news of LMT Lab Day Chicago being pushed back to May, this is a great time to stay connected with the industry though the podcast. Like us on Facebook and Instagram, share the episodes with your friends, co-workers, vendor reps, and doctors. Leave us a review and send us an email at info@voicesfromthebench.com . We want to hear from you! Every lab looks for a partner that they can align with...

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 syst...

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 o...

Three things in life are constant. Teeth, teeth, and taxes. Yay, taxes! Are you excited for taxes yet? You should be, because there is an amazing tax credit you or your lab could be getting right now. Tracy Lustyan from the alliantgroup comes on the podcast with John Beasley from Classic Craft Dental Lab in Savannah Georgia to talk about how Tracy took John through the whole process of getting the...

There are many online groups for dental technicians. Very few of them have had a profound impact in such a short amount of time. Jeffry Tobon from DesignLab Dental and Sander Polanco from FMR Prosthetic Center saw a need for good quality education for all technicians no matter what software or systems they use. That is when they created Digital Dental Craftsmen , an online platform that allows ins...

We welcome to the podcast two Denturists from Washington State. Vallan Charron and Melissa Brulotte, both rich in family history, talk about the early days of getting Denturism recognized, going through the school, running a practice during and after COVID, and how other states can start the processes of bringing Denturim to their state. National Denturist Association American Denturist School Bat...

Elvis and Barb are excited to bring you a conversation they had with Lou Azzara, the CEO of Dental Services Group (DSG) . Lou started in the industry with Captek and now he oversees 40+ labs across the United States. He talks about how DSG handled COVID and their predictions for life after COVID. Lou explains his inspirations and why it is extremely important to him that each lab, each technician,...

When a non-dental individual thinks of Ottawa, Illinois, they probably think of 4H and quilt shows. (Two things on the town's main page). But if they ever hear this episode they will know that a great dental lab started in this small town and has grown to be well respected in the area and in our industry. Jim Caruso's grandfather opened Ottawa Dental Lab back in the 30's and now the operation is 4...

Elvis and Barb talk to the guys that run Alien Milling Technologies . These two brothers, after leaving their dad's lab, opened up a milling center in California that does design and milling all right here in the US. Saro and Raffi Hatzakortzian talk about how they got into the milling business, what's it it like running a milling center, what exciting things they are working on, and how Alien Mil...

Barb loves a good lab story about taking over a parents lab and then passing it on to their kids. Jerry Kaizer from Murray Kaizer is just one of those tales. Jerry talks about starting in the lab, working with his brother and sister, becoming a leader in the removable business, bringing all his kids into the lab, and what we can do as the current generation of technicians to make sure the next gen...

June is CDT and Dental Technician Appreciation Month. There is no better way to celebrate than talking to a couple of people who have volunteered their time to help promote, educate, and strengthen our industry. First up is Dennis Urban CDT from Dental Services Group who is also the Chairperson on the National Board of Certification (NBC) . Dennis talks about getting his CDT, finding the motivatio...

There are names in our industry that almost everyone knows. One of those names is Peter Pizzi. Maybe you have seen him speak? Maybe you read his articles in the IDT magazine , that he is editor-in-chief of? Elvis and Barb had a fantastic casual conversation with Peter as he tells them about the early days of getting into dental technology, who was his influencers and where he picked up his skill....

June is CDT and Dental Technician Appreciation Month. Send us your audio thanks to info@voicesfromthebench.com . Super easy but super supportive! With all the canceled dental laboratory shows, it was nice to release all the conversations we got at the Argen booth at LMT Lab Day Chicago 2020. But sadly, it has now run out. But we end them with two great recordings. First up is Michael Thomas CDT an...

A Big thanks to all the Dental Technicians out there for keeping our industry strong! We have an episode packed full of great technicians from all around the world. Remember when we could still travel. When we were set up at the Argen booth at LMT Lab Day Chicago 2020 we talked to a great technician/dentist duo. Tommy Rodgers CDT from Iverson Dental Labs specializes in full arch hybrids and teamed...

Happy Memorial Day 2020.... the oddest one ever. First up we wanted to bring you some more "Vendor Perspective’s" from our industry and how they are dealing with the pandemic. We talk with Shawn Nowak from Nowak Dental Supplies who talks about what they did when everyone shut down, what they have been doing, and what Nowak is doing as we all start getting back to work. Get your PPE gear: https://w...

NADL Free Webinar - Navigating the New Normal in Dentistry: A Panel Discussion May 21st: 2:00 - 3:00 EST Barbara Warner Wojdan, CDT, AAACD: Mike Cash, CDT, Rudy Ramirez, and Larry Weiss, CPA Elvis and Barb wanted to bring a perspective of the pandemic response from the vendor side of things. Elvis talked to Pat Higgins, who is the new Vice President of Marketing and New Business Development at Whi...

Remember when we all packed into a hotel convention center in a very busy city to talk about the dental laboratory industry? How crazy were we? :-) Elvis and Barb are back with more conversation they got while at the Argen booth at LMT's Lab Day Chicago 2020. First up we talk to a very well-rounded dental technician that has moved more in 6 months then most move in a lifetime. But all this experie...

Elvis and Barb had the extreme pleasure to speak with Béatrice Robichaud who is the co-founder of Panthera Dental and Kim Solomon who is the Senior Vice-President of US sales. Béatrice and Kim tells us the story of how Pantera got started, Why they got into sleep apena devices , the use of tele-dentistry, and how Panthera stepped up to print PPE for hospitals. Download the .STL file of Panthera's...

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 Pat...

YAY! Half of April 2020 is done! That is something to celebrate, right? We welcome Bennett Napier from the NADL back on the podcast to update us on our industry and the COVID-19. NADL Interactive Roundtable Discussion: Big Picture Thinking for Dental Laboratories post COVID-19 - A Strategic Conversation Webinar Wednesday, April 22, 2020 1:00pm-2:00pm EDT ADA News Stories Remember when a whole bunc...

We are back with another conversation from the pre-COVID-19 days. Long before LMT Lab Day Chicago we got contacted by a orthodontics doctor who is helping labs get into clear aligners. Dr. Amanda Wilson has spent time in private practice and has work along a few big aligner companies. Now she owns StraightSmile Solutions that works with doctors and LABS to help them get into this booming aspect of...