It's the 11th running of the Race For the Future in Fort Worth, TX on September 14, 2025. This is YOUR chance to make a difference in a industry we all love so much. Important links:

Select: Race for the Future

All good things must come to an end. No, not this podcast... but the recordings we got while with the AMAZING people of exocad at IDS 2025. It was a wonderful trip and we got to meet and talk to a lot of fantastic people from around the world. This week is no different as we meet a married couple that met in a lab, married, and now own a lab. Agata Bak is from Poland but went to London to find more opportunities for dental technology. Iman Ansari is from Iran and also ended up in London. They both worked at the same lab and it took Iman a while to win Agata over, but he did, and they fell in love. After getting married and working at a few other labs, they put everything on the line and opened Black Pearl Dental Lab where they specialize in high end fixed work.

Then we meet the past President of exocad North America Larry Bodony. Larry recently retired but still stopped by to tell us the awesome story on how he got the job when at IDS 2011. Taking a chance on a new design software and them taking a chance on Larry, set into motion of growing exocad in North America. It took time and work, but soon exocad was gaining popularity. Larry talks about those early years, his use of "reverse" tradeshows, and now that he is retired, working with another new exciting software Bite Finder.

Special Guests: Agata Bak & Iman Ansari and Larry Bodony.

DON'T MISS the dental event of the year, November 7-8. Nowak Dental Supplies is hosing NOLA Lab Fest in New Orleans, Louisiana. Head over to nolalabfest.com to see the line up and to register.

Yet even more conversations that Elvis and Barb got while in the exocad booth at IDS 2025..... back in MARCH!! First up is a visit from on one our favorite companies that make bars, Panthera. Instead of our usual guest we get to meet Pierre-Luc Duchesne and Dereck Donnelly. PL is their Director of Marketing and Derek is head of Global Customer Experience. Together the talk about being at their second IDS show, how they make their product an experience for the customer, the Fusion Bar that only needs 5mm of clearance, their partnership with VITA, and the second coming of The Master Cup.

Then we got to talk to an Irish dentist that practices in Scotland, Dr. Eimear O’Connell. She was plastered on the walls of the exocad booth 20 feet tall because she was one of the "Heroes of Digital Dentistry" and her journey is astounding. Dr. O'Connell talks about learning that Cerec was harder than it looks back in 2007, learning to work with amazing labs, using exocad to help her sell treatment by using the ART function, and a very concerning trend in the UK that makes it harder to be a dentist.

Special Guests: Dereck Donnelly, Dr. Eimear O’Connell, and Pierre-Luc Duchesne.

It's the 11th running of the Race For the Future in Fort Worth, TX on September 14, 2025. This is YOUR chance to make a difference in a industry we all love so much. Important links:

Select: Race for the Future

August 14 & 15: PrograMill CAM Academy: A Hands-On Introduction to Digital Milling for Dental Professionals

This episode is featuring two conversations that Elvis and Barb got while in Gemany at the exocad booth at IDS 2025. First up is Paul Dowling & Jacqueline Ffrench who come from PD Ceramics in Ireland. Paul grew up in a dental family and played in the shed in the backyard that was the lab. After attending lab school in London, Paul came back to Ireland and opened his own lab. Knowing teeth and not business, Paul recruits Jacqueline from a dental office to help. Jacqueline is good with business and saw the struggles in the lab and set out to make it a better place. Now she and Paul are starting to do it all over Ireland.

Then from many miles away (at IDS it seems that way) we are joined by Thomas Baaske, the Global Technical Product Manager at Ivoclar Vivadent AG. That means he oversees a lot of the digital materials and equipment for Ivoclar and there is a lot. Thomas talks about his lab background, being with Ivoclar for over 14 years, the evolution of the milled denture, their new inventory system, and the new Ivotion Based Printed denture.

Special Guests: Jacqueline Ffrench, Paul Dowling , and Thomas Baaske.

It's the 11th running of the Race For the Future in Fort Worth, TX on September 14, 2025. This is YOUR chance to make a difference in a industry we all love so much. Important links:

Select: Race for the Future

It's hard to believe that IDS 2025 happened over 4 months ago and we are still bringing out conversations we got while at the exocad booth. This one is jam-packed with three conversations with 4 different people in the dental industry that really are making huge impacts. First up is two dentist that are using their time and talent to teach other clinicians from around the world how to implement the digital workflow in their practice. Dr. Milad Shadrooh (The Singing Dentist!) and Dr. Robbie Hughes are from opposite ends of England but both share the passion of education. They talk about their careers, what kind of courses they offer at Avant Garde Dentistry and how through a mentorship program, dentist can go digital both efficiency and confidently.

Then we meet the CTO of Align Technologies, Zelko Relic. Zelko talks about getting into dental, the history of Align Technologies and when they merged in Invisalign, Itero, and exocad. He also talks about the resources they put towards R&D, scaling a company to make over 1 million parts A DAY, what new technologies are currently being worked on, and how they are making the ultimate in providing the comprehensive solution to all.

We wrap up the episode with Ben Weber from ModuleWorks. What is ModuleWorks, well it's kind of hard to explain. You see, it's in about 90% of the manufacturing in the world. It's not the CAM, it's not the user interface, but it's in the background making it all come together. Ben talks about what ModuleWorks is, how it works, and why we can't live without it.

Special Guests: Ben Weber, Dr. Milad Shadrooh, Dr. Robbie Hughes, and Zelko Relic.

It's the 11th running of the Race For the Future in Fort Worth, TX on September 14, 2025. This is YOUR chance to make a difference in a industry we all love so much. Important links:

Select: Race for the Future

We are back with two great conversations that Barb and Elvis got while attending IDS 2025 in the exocad booth. First up is a Canadian Denturist who was just on the podcast back September but has a LOT to update us on. Jade Connors found some time (and found us) to update us on all the adventures she has been on since your last episode, her entry in the Candulor KunstZahnWerk competition, creating a work/life balance, and making sure patients get care beyond just a denture.

Then we meet Lisa Aguirre, the Marketing Manager for DGShape, the makers of the Roland mill and so much more. Lisa talks about her history working on the clinical side, being with Spear Education, and getting up to speed on all things DGShape. She also talks about some of the new mills and printers that they were launching at this year’s IDS.

Special Guests: Jade Connors, DD, RDT and Lisa Aguirre.

When you think of huge advances in digital dentistry, a lot of companies and names come up. But there are two that are really making a huge impact on how we get things done and they continue to do it with the passion of the lab industry supporting it.

First up is Björn Zäuner. Björn grew up in a dental family and wanted nothing to do with teeth. We've all heard this story, right? It wasn't long before Björn had a milling center and even an ortho lab. But he noticed that miss mounted cases were a problem and a main cause to most of his remakes. So he developed Bite-Finder to use AI to find the true bite and not the one "captured" with a blue bite or iOS scanner. He talks all about what it is, how it works, how to integrate it, and how you can try it for FREE for 2 weeks.

Then we meet the CEO and co-creator of exocad, Tillmann Steinbrecher. We have talked to literally hundreds of people on this podcast that all sing praises for the "purple program" and this time we get to hear the origin story. Tillmann talks about how is started as a research project where he and his partner saw potential for so much more. From walking around IDS 15 years ago with a laptop with a early version to being one of the leaders in dental design, Tillmann in his team has really changed the way labs stay ahead of the every changing workflow. He talks about the early versions, where the name and purple come from, how it's important to stay an open platform, and the importance of user feedback to keep getting better.

Special Guests: Björn Zäuner and Tillmann Steinbrecher.

DON'T MISS the dental event of the year, November 7-8. Nowak Dental Supplies is hosing NOLA Lab Fest in New Orleans, Louisiana. Head over to nolalabfest.com to see the line up and to register.

We are once again showcasing some wonderful conversation that we got while in the exocad booth at IDS 2025. It's funny to travel all the way to Germany to talk to two Americans, one of them even works with Barb!

First up is the CEO of the Leixir Dental Group, John Krier. John talks about coming to dental from orthopedics and the differences he is noticing. Only 18 months into his new role, John has already visited every lab in the Leixir group and has started to change the culture of over 1000 employees to empower them to take ownership of the work they do.

Then we meet fellow podcaster, Dr. Jeff Horowitz. Dr. Horowitz has two practices in South Carolina, GP and Sleep and airway. He talks about the importance of creating the space in the arches for better sleep and how they are even expanding the palate on adults. Dr. Horowitz is also 1/3 of the podcast Dentist IN the Know and tells us all about how a couple of dentists got together during the pandemic to chat about what they all love so much.

Special Guests: Dr. Jeff Horowitz and John Krier.

Elvis and Barb are back (once again) with more amazing conversations that they got at the exocad booth during the 4 days at IDS 2025 in Cologne, Germany. First up is two gentlemen out of Columbia that their lab 70 years ago decided that it was easier if they just started manufacturing their own materials. Juan David Jaramillo and Luis Diego Monsalve talk about the history of New Stetic, the regulation of getting it into 65 different countries, the world of making dental anesthesia, and how they use IDS as a way to connect with customers from around the world.

Then we bring back the wonderful Steve Campbell from Nexus Dental Laboratory in the UK. Steve is at IDS speaking for exocad and the new exocad ART. He talks about how with exocad, AI, and a video of a patient talking, we can create a video of the patient talking with their new teeth that haven't even been made yet. Steve also updates on Nexus since the last recording and the importance of encouraging your technicians to do better then you.

Lastly we talk to Dr. Nicolas Rohde from VHF Milling Machines. Dr. Rohde started with a business degree and a PhD in Organizational Practices. While in Maryland during school, he meets his wife and takes a job with a implant company and that's how he into dental. That company was a reseller for VHF mills and that is how he found them Dr. Rohde talks about moving back to Germany to run the US division, what sets their mills apart from others, and why they take the time to have their own CAM software to run their mills.

Special Guests: Dr. Nicolas Rohde, Juan David Jaramillo Gómez, Luis Diego Monsalve Hoyos, and Steve Campbell RDT.

Check out the article in the latest issue of JDT about Barb and Elvis' visit to IDS: https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnadl.memberclicks.net%2Fassets%2Fjdt%2FJDTJJ25%2FFeature%2520JDT_7_25.pdf&data=05%7C02%7CElvis%40derbydental.com%7Cc33fea7508384105f07a08ddad0e04e9%7C6fa28314e906466889bfaddab1c310c2%7C0%7C0%7C638856998445771892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=a64QAz1D6fk6BQEJASihLI%2FzjALozgRhkauA4gpLzpE%3D&reserved=0

We all know and love Nowak Dental Supplies for not only their products and services, but for everything they do for our industry. This week we talk to two people from Nowak Dental Supplies that are bringing the conference/party of the year to New Orleans in November. Brandi Nowak is one half of the owners and she tells the story of starting in 2000. Taking over her grandfather's legacy that started in the 40s, she has helped the company become what it is today. At the beginning of 2025, they brought on Marybeth Starr to help them grow even more. Marybeth is a veteran of the vendor side of dental laboratories and brings experience to get the job done. Together they have put together NOLA Lab Fest that is happening in New Orleans on November 7 & 8. This is a must attend event because it is going to be what these two are, fun.

Register today at: https://www.nolalabfest.com/

THANK YOU to Aidite for sponsoring us! Go buy their stuff from Nowak... win/win for everyone!

Special Guests: Brandi Nowak and Marybeth Starr.

While fresh back from the Florida Dental Lab Association meeting in Orlando, THANKS JENSEN DENTAL… we are still bringing you conversations from the exocad booth from the largest dental show in the world, IDS in Cologne Germany. But first…

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.

Special Guests: Dr Manish Chhabra and Tobias Specht.