Voices from The Bench

When you think of companies that have changed dentistry for the better, Ivoclar is always on that list. From the world’s first pressed ceramic to emax, from heat injected acrylics to milled dentures, Ivoclar has been innovating and making teeth better. This week Elvis and Barb talk to their VP of Product Marketing for North America Don Bell. Don was on the podcast almost 4 years ago and comes on to update us on what's been happing with the company. He talks about coming out of covid, learning from customer feedback, the evolution of dentures and the upcoming Ivotion print, living in the age of digital treatment planning through communication and collaboration, Ivoclar Academy, and end of the year promotions.

Special Guest: Don Bell.

We love Denturist and all they do to help patients and the ever-growing edentulous population. So imagine how excited Elvis and Barb were when they got to talk to Jade Connors from Alberta Canada. Jade owns Pearl Denture & Implant Centre and talks all about the journey leading up to it. You see, Jade is a millennial and openly talks about the mental struggles she had to overcome to find her love of dental. Starting with Art, she was afraid of going "corporate" so she looked at dental. Not liking authority, she went into dental lab technology and earned her RDT from Nait Polytechnic. It was then she decided to go back to school and become a denturist and the rest is history.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

See Jade at the National Denturist Association Oct 2-4 in Las Vegas: https://nationaldenturist.com/2024annualconference/

Special Guest: Jade Connors, DD, RDT.

Thank you to everyone that donated to our Race for the Future 10 triathlon. This was the biggest one yet in terms of money brought in. All of this money goes right back in to our industry and remember you can give all year long!

Sometimes the business part of the lab is not the most exciting. But honestly, it's super important for everyone to understand in order for a lab (or any business) to be successful. The thinking that more units equal more profit is just not true. The one to help your lab is David Lesh from 8&9 Consulting. David is back on for a third time and now he is sharing the secrets of the financials that labs need to be profitable. David emphasizes that if you're not growing profitable sales, you're merely exhausting your resources without reaping the rewards. He also shares practical tips on how to reduce COGS and set key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and improve financial performance and a unique approach to setting prices based on turnaround times, which can significantly increase the average selling price and overall profitability.

A lot of financial terms are used, so luckily David takes the time to explain to Elvis like a 3rd grader.

Get the Dental Lab Growth Calculator TODAY: https://www.8and9consulting.com/contact-us

Special Guest: David Lesh.

SHIRTS ARE BACK! **Elvis & Barbara are excited to release two new shirts (along with long sleeves and hoodies) to get ready for fall! This time we have two designs, one for removable techs and one for fixed.

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: https://fdlt.memberclicks.net/donor-form

This week we talk to Charlie Barbour from the UK. Charlie comes on to talk about how though an engineering program, he found the dental laboratory industry. Getting hired at Bristol Crown, a lab-to -lab milling center for the ALS Dental Group. He starts by loading mills and scanning models, and soon noticed of how many of the crowns looked the same. Pushed by self-learning, Charlie was soon designing crowns in Exocad and he even started making teeth libraries for other labs in the ALS group. Going back to lab school, he had an assignment of drawing crowns and a new passion started. Now Charlie is taking his art to the next level by creating detailed and brightly colored pieces that include not only crowns, but implants, abutments, full arches, dentures, and so much more.

Special Guest: Charles Barbour.

SHIRTS ARE BACK! **Elvis & Barbara are excited to release two new shirts (along with long sleeves and hoodies) to get ready for fall! This time we have two designs, one for removable techs and one for fixed.

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.

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.

Special Guest: Jamie Stover CDT.

We all know the minute we remake something in the lab, the profit is gone. We just accept it and do our best to not have any remakes. But ALSO, a lot of it is not our fault and to keep a dentist happy, we eat it and do the remake anyway. What if there was a way to warranty everything the lab does for 5 years? I mean EVERYTHING..... even removables. Not only does that make your lab more attractive to dental offices, just think how easier it would be if every remake was a simple "okay" because you knew you would be paid for the remakes. Well, enter Quantum Health Holdings. Less than a year ago, Jack Manno and Kim Solomon met insurance and warranty expert Max Zanan. Max has been working in the auto insurance area for a while and now he provides the service to dentist warranting their work. Jack and Kim thought it would be perfect for dental labs. Learn how you can provide a service to dental offices that most labs can't (or don't) offer, all while building good wealth for either retirement or to reinvest back into your lab.

Check it all out at: dentalprotectiongroup.com/dentallabs.html

Special Guests: Jack Manno , Kim Solomon, and Max Zanan.

We spend a lot of time in our lab doing repetitive tasks that let's all agree, no one really enjoys doing. File organization, nesting, adding pins and supports... the list goes on. Kris Wouters has a long history in the 3D printing industry. After joining OQTON and working on automation strategies, Kris and the rest of the dental division started their own company to focus on the dental lab industry. They started OQCAM to help labs streamline and simplify their digital workflow. Kris talks about his history, the history of the company, some great examples on how OQCAM can work in a lab, and how it's scalable to work with labs of all sizes.

Special Guest: Kris Wouters.

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.

Before we get into this week's episode, Elvis and Barb want to give a big THANKS to Jensen Dental for hosting us at this year’s Florida Dental Laboratory Association Symposium. A great meeting with a great company. Go show them some love and get some MIYO.

First up we talk to two legends in our industry, Dany Sakr and Nick Azzara. Nick talks about what he is doing with a DSO group and reminisces about his time working with Dany. Dany talks about his journey from Lebanon to the US to learn dental technology in the early 80s, getting into digital early in it's existence, opening Sakr Dental Arts, and how they keep their lab relevant about just making crowns.

Then we meet for the first time Ifet Ahmeti. Ifet learned the craft in Albania in 2009. Since then she has been in Switzerland to learn quality, Indiana to learn removables, and then opened her own in-office lab in Philadelphia. She has since moved to Tampa, Florida and opened another lab, Dentart Dental Studio. Ifet talks about managing clients when you are a solo technician, the importance of using the best materials, and why seeing patients allows you do make the best restoration.

Then we wrap up all of the FDLA with past podcast guest, Whitney Coutney. Whitney has had a great journey from assistant to in-office tech in Kentucky, to full arch designer in Florida. In 2022 she wanted to get into education and partnered with Nowak Dental Supplies to on-board and teach labs the digital workflow. Whitney talks about how she handles labs doing a "software switch", helping technicians learn practical uses of either 3shape or exocad, and how she keeps up on the ever-evolving technology.

Head to a Nowak Invitational near you!

Special Guests: Dany Sakr, Ifet Ahmeti, Nick Azzara, and Whitney Courtney.

Elvis and Barb are back again this week recording wonderful people at the Jensen Dental booth at the Florida Dental Laboratory Association Symposium. THANK YOU JENSEN! (go get MIYO)

First up is MIYO expert, teacher, guru Terry McQuiston. Terry talks about his dental journey that eventually landed him at Jensen Dental teaching everyone the wonders of this amazing liquid ceramic. His role now is onboarding labs and making sure they have their "ah ha" moment and not become "missing in action".

Then we meet the new VP of Global Sales for Argen, Juston Gates. Juston is new to not only Argen, but also our industry. He talks about where he came from, how it compares to our profession, and some exciting things that Argen has just released.

We wrap up the episode with everyone's favorite person to see at a dental show (and if you don't know her, go be her friend), Nina Rapuano. Nina talks about joining Jensen Dental as her first "adult job", why she loves the people and culture, and giving back every year and swimming during the Race For the Future.

Special Guests: Juston Gates, Nina Rapuano , and Terry McQuiston.

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.

We are starting off the collection of conversations from the Florida Dental Laboratory Association Symposium in Orlando, Florida. Last June the AMAZING people at Jensen Dental gave us space in their fantastic booth to record some of the attendees.

First up is Enja Dorchuluun from Sakr Dental Studios. Enja talks about her history at Sakr, how they are using automation in the lab, and getting ready to move the lab from 5 buildings to one.

Since we were in the Jensen Dental booth, we had to talk to the technician known for his amazing work with MIYO, Bart Cothran. Bart chats with us about his journey into dental, owning his own lab, teaching MIYO to others, and some great tips for this amazing liquid ceramics.

Then we wrap up the episode with a technician full of so much passion to giving back, he's going through the board of the FDLA for the second time. Fernando DeLeon was in dental school in Guatemala when he decided being a dental technician might be a better fit. Fernando talks about his passion for changing a life, his passion for giving back, and his passion on doing the best he can for his patients.

Special Guests: Bart Cothran, Enja Dorjchuluun, and Fernando DeLeon.