This week we finally get another implant company on the podcast. At the DTG Symposium we met Joel Gonzales from MegaGen America. Joel likes to keep it real when talking about dental surgeries because he’s been there. Starting as an assistant in the Air Force and then working with a strict Prosthodontist, He started his implant career with Lifecore and it wasn’t long before MegaGen wanted him to be the VP of America. From surgical protocols, to why he thinks we are doing too much bone...

When someone in the industry seems to spend more time teaching others than working on their own work, we want to learn more. Elvis had the opportunity to take a 2 day hands-on course about pink layering on full arch zirconia and PMMA. The teacher was the wonderful Marina Caponigro. Of course, we had to have her on the podcast to learn about the technician behind the "fire in the belly". Marina talks about coming to America from the Ukraine to marry and work with a Prosthodontist, learning to...

Getting dental offices to send you work is not the easiest thing to do. If it was, we would all be a lot happier. You could offer your "first crown free" or "$10 off your first order", but what are you doing? Are you creating a lasting partnership or are you getting a doctor that will move to the next lab that offers the same deal. Enter David Lesh. David grew up in his father's lab. After sitting in every seat, David saw the need to create a lab EXCULISVE to doing work for other labs. After...

It’s amazing that so much time has passed since the 2023 DTG Symposium that happened last September. It’s also amazing all the wonderful people we were able to connect with and record. This week wraps up those conversations with two outstanding technicians in different points of their careers. First up is Salvador Carrillo who talks about learning about dental technology in Mexico, coming to the states for college, connecting with so many people in our industry, “retiring”, and using his...

Be sure to check out Part 3 of Ivoclar's "THE DENTAL SHOWDOWN" where Elvis Dahl and Dr. David Rice will discuss the complicated relationship of dental lab and dental office..... LIVE! November 9th at 7:00 pm Eastern. Register and bring your questions! It's amazing how many people traveled from all over the world to go to the GC America facility in Alsip, Ill to attend the DTG Symposium back in September. We would have thought them crazy until we got to attend the symposium and meet some of...

Back in September, a group called the DTG gathered for the first time in a while at the GC America facility in Alsip, Illinois. Luckily, we were honored to be a part of this amazing show. There was so many talented technicians in one room, our biggest regret is not getting to talk to all of them. BUT we did get two reluctant people to sit down and share their stories. First up is Shelia Raquel, president of White Peaks Dental Solutions USA. Shelia talks about being a dental assistant in the...

Back in September, Elvis and Barb attended the DTG Symposium that was held in the GC America facility in Alsip, Illinois. Such an amazing meeting filled with fantastic people. This week we start the collection of wonderful conversations. First up we talk to two talented technicians that are killing it in a in-office lab and they only graduated from New York City Tech in 2019! Erika Ramirez and Marjola Paloka are two of the three techs that are creating smiles at Gdental in New York City. From...

Kristina Vaitelyte was born in Lithuania the day it gained its independence to a family were every member ended up in dental. Even after trying not to have a career in teeth, Kristina couldn't fight her destiny when she saw digital dental design at IDS one year. While getting her Bachelor degree at Utena College, Kristina traveled the world to learn dental technology in different countries. She eventually found her home in the UK, working in an in-office lab getting to work directly with...

Looking to learn exocad? Check out the Institute of Digital Dentistry for a great online training program. Elvis approved! Join Elvis and Barb in Mallorca, Spain in May 2024 for exocad Insights. Make plans today and more details to follow! We love stories of success in the dental lab industry. One such story is the career of Todd Reid. Todd learned about dental technology from a high school friend and was soon on a path that led to owning Access Dental Laboratories in Syracuse, NY. It...

Nightshift Online Symposium! November 21: Removables with Jenelle Tabakovic and Emily Pittard November 22: Crown and Bridge with Dora Rodriges and Lisa Johnson Check out Part 1 of the Dental Showdown by Ivoclar featuring Elvis Dahl and Dr. David Rice! Join us for a FREE and LIVE Ivoclar webinar on October 12 at 7:00 pm eastern time. In 2024, an iconic company in the dental space will turn 100 years old! To start the celebration we welcome the Director of Marketing Communications with...

We love dental legacies. When we got contacted by a dental technician that works in a dental office with 3 family members as dentists and another getting ready to graduate dental school, we knew a great story of a busy technician would be there. Dr. Jill Morris and Dr. Burr Bakke own World Class Dentistry in Sarasota, Florida dealing in high-end cosmetic work and ceramic implants. They are joined by their son, Dr. Cameron Johnson who specializes in ortho and airway. Both of the younger...

We constantly talk about the lack of technicians in our industry. So why are the few programs left struggling to fill the seats? Brooke Harris is out to change that. Brooke is the Director of Dental Technology Program at the Indiana University Fort Wayne school. Brooke talks about getting into dental technology, the labs she worked at, going back to teach, becoming the director, creating a better program, switching to a bachelor program, and trying to raise awareness of the program and the...

Join Elvis and Barb THIS WEEKEND at the DTG Symposium on September 15-16 at the GC America Facility in Alsip, IL 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...

For the last three years, we have gone to the Ladies of the Mill Summit and recorded a ton of amazing females in our industry. This year is no different and we talked to some fantastic people. First up, we had our first opportunity to record ON-STAGE in front of a LIVE audience with Jessica Scott and Mandy Arena. Then we had a conversation with the force behind the NADL, NBC, and the FDLT, Rachel Luoma. After that we start our "Speed Recording" by spending just a few minutes with Jill...

Join Elvis and Barb at the DTG Symposium on September 15-16 at the GC America Facility in Alsip, IL Let's be honest, digital outsourcing is a great way to keep up on the growing amount of work coming into labs and the lack of finding good technicians to handle it. That is where Evident comes in. Evident has been providing lab management software for 15 years and understands what a lab needs. This week we meet the VP of Digital Design Services, Guy Manzies. Guy talks about all the things...

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...

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...

Join Elvis and Barb at the DTG Symposium on September 15-16 at the GC America Facility in Alsip, IL 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...

Prime Zirconia: White and Pink Esthetics: Ivoclar is having two amazing in-house training sessions in September featuring Jurgen Seger. September 7 & 9 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada September 11& 12 in Amherst, NY, USA SAVE 30% by using the code: VFTB30 You and a friend can each save 50% by emailing [email protected] and telling them you heard it on Voices From the Bench! TOPICS INCLUDE: Choice of zirconia material related to strengths, esthetics and...

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,...

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,...

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,...

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,...

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,...

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,...