Voices from The Bench

Hey, Voices of the Bench community! Erich Neuhaus, Marketing Manager at Ivoclar here. Bring greater efficiency and flexibility to your denture workflow with Ivotion, Ivoclar's digital denture system. Ivotion helps labs reduce manual production steps while delivering predictable, high-quality aesthetics. With new shade options available in both Ivotion Dent Multi and our Ivotion Monolithic Discs, you can broaden your offering and deliver more personalized results. Reach out to your local Ivoclar representative today and discover what I've ocean can do for your lab.

As full-arch dentistry continues to grow, so do the demands on today's dental laboratories. That's why Knight Dental recently launched SimplyARCH Studio, a dedicated production environment built exclusively for full-arch restorations. To support this specialized workflow, Knight invested in an XTCERA milling system and carefully evaluated multiple CAM software solutions before choosing hyperDENT. The decision came down to exceptional milling quality, minimal hand finishing, and impressive production efficiency. But what truly set hyperDENT apart was the implementation process. From the very beginning, the team provided more than software training—they shared the knowledge and experience needed to build an optimized workflow for complex full-arch cases. With proven expertise in advanced milling strategies and laboratory production, hyperDENT helped ensure SimplyARCH Studio was designed for long-term success from day one.

This week we head to Doncaster, England, to meet Chris Golze, a dental technician who turned a small newspaper ad into a lifelong career in dentistry. Chris got his start in the lab at just 17, working in the model room before moving into crown and bridge. After years in the industry, co-owning a lab, and eventually striking out on his own, Chris found his niche in thermoforming appliances and built a business around doing what he enjoys most.

We get into the world of custom thermoformed appliances, from sports mouthguards and whitening trays to retainers and bruxism splints. Chris explains how custom mouthguards can become a canvas for creativity, with layered colors, graphics, logos, and personalized designs that go far beyond the standard guard. We also talk about the challenges of running a specialized lab, finding your place in the industry, and making the leap to doing things your own way.

Of course, it wouldn't be a conversation with Chris without a little humor! Known for his dental technician memes and social media presence, Chris shares how connecting online with other technicians helped him discover a much bigger, more supportive dental lab community than he realized existed. From funny moments and unusual requests to the relationships that make this industry special, this episode is a reminder that there's more than one way to build a successful career in dental technology.

Dental lab owners and managers — are you spending too much time chasing paperwork, checking portals, tracking cases, and answering doctors asking, “Is my crown done yet?”

You didn’t start a dental lab to become a full-time paperwork wrangler. LabNCloud is the all-in-one, cloud-based platform built by techs, for techs, with 90+ features to streamline your entire lab — from case tracking and invoicing to shipping, time tracking, doctor portals, and automatic digital file routing.

Stop managing chaos and start managing your lab. Visit LabNCloud.com to book your free personalized demo. And mention “Elvis is Handsome” to get your first month free.

LabNCloud — the operating system for dental labs. Built by techs, for techs.

Your customers are checking you out on social media long before they ever fill out a form or pick up the phone. By the time they reach you, they’ve already started forming an opinion. That’s why consistency on social media matters.

Creating content is hard. Posting consistently is even harder. That’s why we built icortica Social. Create, schedule, publish, and report on your social media all in one place — and let your entire team contribute.

With a simple QR code, your team can send photos and videos straight from their phones to marketing, whether they’re in the lab or at an event. icortica Social works as a standalone app, so no existing icortica subscription is required.

Make social media easier. Stay consistent. Grow your presence.

Check it out at icortica.com/social.
Special Guest: Chris Golze.

Hey, Voices of the Bench community! Erich Neuhaus, Marketing Manager at Ivoclar here. Bring greater efficiency and flexibility to your denture workflow with Ivotion, Ivoclar's digital denture system. Ivotion helps labs reduce manual production steps while delivering predictable, high-quality aesthetics. With new shade options available in both Ivotion Dent Multi and our Ivotion Monolithic Discs, you can broaden your offering and deliver more personalized results. Reach out to your local Ivoclar representative today and discover what I've ocean can do for your lab.

NOLA Lab Fest is back, and Voices From the Bench will be recording live from the Hilton New Orleans Riverside on October 16th and 17th! Join Elvis and Barbara as they hang out with the HyperDent team, talk shop with some of the best in the dental industry, and host the always-entertaining Lab Family Feud. The fun kicks off Thursday, October 15th, with Jude Grayson leading a half-day workshop for lab owners and department leaders, sponsored by HyperDent. While you're there, check out Roland DGA's CAM trade-in special, where you can trade in your old CAM software for HyperDent and unlock the full potential of your mill with better milling quality, faster milling times, and the ability to mill Ivotion dentures with Elevate denture solutions. Registration is open now at NOLALabFest.com, and spots are limited. Don't miss out on the fun, the learning, and probably a few too many beignets!

This week we're finally checking a guest off our wish list as Jay Shin from TruAbutment joins us to talk about the company, his unexpected journey into the dental industry, and the technology that's changing implant dentistry. Jay shares how he went from running dry cleaners and a poke restaurant to learning the ins and outs of custom abutments, and how True Abutment grew from its early days into a major player in digital implant solutions.

We get into what makes TruAbutment's split-file workflow so popular with dental labs, the development of custom abutments and full-arch solutions, and how IO Connect and T-Marker are helping labs capture implant positioning data. Jay also gives us a look at the future, including T-Snap, new 3D-printing materials like True Flexible, and the company's expanding digital workflow solutions. There's plenty of implant talk, exciting technology, and a few ideas from Elvis that might just make it into a future product.

Your customers are checking you out on social media long before they ever fill out a form or pick up the phone. By the time they reach you, they’ve already started forming an opinion. That’s why consistency on social media matters.

Creating content is hard. Posting consistently is even harder. That’s why we built icortica Social. Create, schedule, publish, and report on your social media all in one place — and let your entire team contribute.

With a simple QR code, your team can send photos and videos straight from their phones to marketing, whether they’re in the lab or at an event. icortica Social works as a standalone app, so no existing icortica subscription is required.

Make social media easier. Stay consistent. Grow your presence.

Check it out at icortica.com/social.

Dental lab owners and managers — are you spending too much time chasing paperwork, checking portals, tracking cases, and answering doctors asking, “Is my crown done yet?”

You didn’t start a dental lab to become a full-time paperwork wrangler. LabNCloud is the all-in-one, cloud-based platform built by techs, for techs, with 90+ features to streamline your entire lab — from case tracking and invoicing to shipping, time tracking, doctor portals, and automatic digital file routing.

Stop managing chaos and start managing your lab. Visit LabNCloud.com to book your free personalized demo. And mention “Elvis is Handsome” to get your first month free.

LabNCloud — the operating system for dental labs. Built by techs, for techs.

Hey, Voices of the Bench community! Erich Neuhaus, Marketing Manager at Ivoclar here. Bring greater efficiency and flexibility to your denture workflow with Ivotion, Ivoclar's digital denture system. Ivotion helps labs reduce manual production steps while delivering predictable, high-quality aesthetics. With new shade options available in both Ivotion Dent Multi and our Ivotion Monolithic Discs, you can broaden your offering and deliver more personalized results. Reach out to your local Ivoclar representative today and discover what I've ocean can do for your lab.

NOLA Lab Fest is back, and Voices From the Bench will be recording live from the Hilton New Orleans Riverside on October 16th and 17th! Join Elvis and Barbara as they hang out with the HyperDent team, talk shop with some of the best in the dental industry, and host the always-entertaining Lab Family Feud. The fun kicks off Thursday, October 15th, with Jude Grayson leading a half-day workshop for lab owners and department leaders, sponsored by HyperDent. While you're there, check out Roland DGA's CAM trade-in special, where you can trade in your old CAM software for HyperDent and unlock the full potential of your mill with better milling quality, faster milling times, and the ability to mill Ivotion dentures with Elevate denture solutions. Registration is open now at NOLALabFest.com, and spots are limited. Don't miss out on the fun, the learning, and probably a few too many beignets!

Getting paid for your work should be the easy part of running a dental lab, right? Unfortunately, that’s not always how it goes! This week,we sit down with Matt Travis from Burt and Associates, a familiar name to many in the dental laboratory industry who specializes in helping labs collect unpaid invoices. Matt shares how he got his start in dental lab collections, including a memorable first collection involving Mike Zuber, a little too much fun the night before, and a $5,000 invoice that got paid before he even left the dental office.

But there’s a lot more to collections than making phone calls and demanding payment. Matt explains how Burton Associates approaches overdue accounts, why labs can get into trouble by continuing to send cases to customers who aren’t paying, and how difficult it can be to decide when a customer has become a debtor. The conversation also covers credit applications, checking a customer’s credit before extending terms, protecting accounts receivable, and why having clear policies in place can save a lab from a whole lot of headaches. With stories of unpaid balances reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars, this episode is a reminder that doing great work is only part of running a successful dental lab. You have to collect the money, too!

Your customers are checking you out on social media long before they ever fill out a form or pick up the phone. By the time they reach you, they’ve already started forming an opinion. That’s why consistency on social media matters.

Creating content is hard. Posting consistently is even harder. That’s why we built icortica Social. Create, schedule, publish, and report on your social media all in one place — and let your entire team contribute.

With a simple QR code, your team can send photos and videos straight from their phones to marketing, whether they’re in the lab or at an event. icortica Social works as a standalone app, so no existing icortica subscription is required.

Make social media easier. Stay consistent. Grow your presence.

Check it out at icortica.com/social.

Dental lab owners and managers — are you spending too much time chasing paperwork, checking portals, tracking cases, and answering doctors asking, “Is my crown done yet?”

You didn’t start a dental lab to become a full-time paperwork wrangler. LabNCloud is the all-in-one, cloud-based platform built by techs, for techs, with 90+ features to streamline your entire lab — from case tracking and invoicing to shipping, time tracking, doctor portals, and automatic digital file routing.

Stop managing chaos and start managing your lab. Visit LabNCloud.com to book your free personalized demo. And mention “Elvis is Handsome” to get your first month free.

LabNCloud — the operating system for dental labs. Built by techs, for techs.

Will your next equipment purchase pay for itself? It’s the question every lab owner asks. But here’s another one: How much is it costing you not to invest?

Every remake, hour of downtime, and case outsourced because you’re at capacity eats into your profits. The right milling solution can help increase production, reduce interruptions, and keep your technicians focused on revenue-generating work.

That’s why dental labs continue to choose Roland DGSHAPE DWX milling solutions. Built for dependable performance, they help keep your lab running smoothly and create opportunities for growth.

Because the best investment is one that keeps paying you back.

Learn more at rolanddental.com.
Special Guest: Matt Travis.

Hey, Voices of the Bench community! Erich Neuhaus, Marketing Manager at Ivoclar here. Bring greater efficiency and flexibility to your denture workflow with Ivotion, Ivoclar's digital denture system. Ivotion helps labs reduce manual production steps while delivering predictable, high-quality aesthetics. With new shade options available in both Ivotion Dent Multi and our Ivotion Monolithic Discs, you can broaden your offering and deliver more personalized results. Reach out to your local Ivoclar representative today and discover what I've ocean can do for your lab.

NOLA Lab Fest is back, and Voices From the Bench will be recording live from the Hilton New Orleans Riverside on October 16th and 17th! Join Elvis and Barbara as they hang out with the HyperDent team, talk shop with some of the best in the dental industry, and host the always-entertaining Lab Family Feud. The fun kicks off Thursday, October 15th, with Jude Grayson leading a half-day workshop for lab owners and department leaders, sponsored by HyperDent. While you're there, check out Roland DGA's CAM trade-in special, where you can trade in your old CAM software for HyperDent and unlock the full potential of your mill with better milling quality, faster milling times, and the ability to mill Ivotion dentures with Elevate denture solutions. Registration is open now at NOLALabFest.com, and spots are limited. Don't miss out on the fun, the learning, and probably a few too many beignets!

This week, we sit down with Milos Miladinov, a dental technician, educator, photographer, and digital dentistry enthusiast who has spent years pushing the boundaries of what technology can do in the dental lab. Milos shares his journey from discovering dental technology almost by accident in Romania, building a lab with his wife, becoming an early adopter of digital workflows, and eventually making the move to the United States and starting over from scratch.

Milos takes us deep into digital dentistry, including virtual patients, intraoral scanning, CBCT, face scanning, digital veneers, print-and-press workflows, and the technology he believes is changing the way technicians work. We also get into one of his biggest passions: dental photography. Milos explains how learning to photograph his own work completely changed the way he saw it, why proper lighting and positioning matter, and how technicians and dentists can improve their photography without spending a fortune.

And because this is Milos, the conversation doesn't stop there. We talk about AI, marketing, SEO, digital tools, new materials, zirconia, microwave sintering, and even his unique approach to creating “tooth tattoos” to add natural-looking details to monolithic restorations. Milos has a constant curiosity for new technology and a willingness to actually try it, test it, and figure out how it can make dentistry better. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about technology, creativity, photography, business, and what it takes to keep moving forward in an industry that never seems to stop changing.

https://www.toothpic.ai/

Your customers are checking you out on social media long before they ever fill out a form or pick up the phone. By the time they reach you, they’ve already started forming an opinion. That’s why consistency on social media matters.

Creating content is hard. Posting consistently is even harder. That’s why we built icortica Social. Create, schedule, publish, and report on your social media all in one place — and let your entire team contribute.

With a simple QR code, your team can send photos and videos straight from their phones to marketing, whether they’re in the lab or at an event. icortica Social works as a standalone app, so no existing icortica subscription is required.

Make social media easier. Stay consistent. Grow your presence.

Check it out at icortica.com/social.

Dental lab owners and managers — are you spending too much time chasing paperwork, checking portals, tracking cases, and answering doctors asking, “Is my crown done yet?”

You didn’t start a dental lab to become a full-time paperwork wrangler. LabNCloud is the all-in-one, cloud-based platform built by techs, for techs, with 90+ features to streamline your entire lab — from case tracking and invoicing to shipping, time tracking, doctor portals, and automatic digital file routing.

Stop managing chaos and start managing your lab. Visit LabNCloud.com to book your free personalized demo. And mention “Elvis is Handsome” to get your first month free.

LabNCloud — the operating system for dental labs. Built by techs, for techs.
Special Guest: Milos Miladinov.

Hey, Voices of the Bench community! Erich Neuhaus, Marketing Manager at Ivoclar here. Bring greater efficiency and flexibility to your denture workflow with Ivotion, Ivoclar's digital denture system. Ivotion helps labs reduce manual production steps while delivering predictable, high-quality aesthetics. With new shade options available in both Ivotion Dent Multi and our Ivotion Monolithic Discs, you can broaden your offering and deliver more personalized results. Reach out to your local Ivoclar representative today and discover what I've ocean can do for your lab.

NOLA Lab Fest is back, and Voices From the Bench will be recording live from the Hilton New Orleans Riverside on October 16th and 17th! Join Elvis and Barbara as they hang out with the HyperDent team, talk shop with some of the best in the dental industry, and host the always-entertaining Lab Family Feud. The fun kicks off Thursday, October 15th, with Jude Grayson leading a half-day workshop for lab owners and department leaders, sponsored by HyperDent. While you're there, check out Roland DGA's CAM trade-in special, where you can trade in your old CAM software for HyperDent and unlock the full potential of your mill with better milling quality, faster milling times, and the ability to mill Ivotion dentures with Elevate denture solutions. Registration is open now at NOLALabFest.com, and spots are limited. Don't miss out on the fun, the learning, and probably a few too many beignets!

This week we sit down with Mike Archibald, the “black sheep” of the Archibald family and the third Archibald we’ve had on the show. Mike shares his journey from starting in his dad’s laboratory at just 17 years old to becoming a technician, educator, speaker, and advocate for having the conversations that don’t always happen in dentistry. We talk about functional dentistry, ceramics, teaching, family expectations, imposter syndrome, recovery, mindset, and the importance of being willing to step away and find a healthier perspective on life. Mike also tells us about Table 52, his vision for creating a community where people can have honest conversations about the struggles behind the scenes, along with his work with Harvest Dental and Open Bench. It’s a very real conversation about dentistry, family, personal growth, and what happens when you stop worrying about looking like you have it all together and start focusing on becoming the best version of yourself.

Open Bench: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKvmZEdlxtQM

Hey, listeners—ever wonder what Elvis is doing when he’s not recording Voices from the Bench?

He’s a client rep for Derby Dental Laboratory, out in the field every day doing chairside visits and building relationships. His job is simple—keep doctors happy and keep them coming back.

And he couldn’t do it without icortica.

Right from his phone, Elvis can see sales, remake rates, account notes, risks, and cross-sell opportunities—even before he walks through the door. No spreadsheets. No surprises. Just the info he needs to grow accounts.

Stop digging for data and start taking action.

Head to icortica.com and schedule your demo today.

Dental lab owners and managers — are you spending too much time chasing paperwork, checking portals, tracking cases, and answering doctors asking, “Is my crown done yet?”

You didn’t start a dental lab to become a full-time paperwork wrangler. LabNCloud is the all-in-one, cloud-based platform built by techs, for techs, with 90+ features to streamline your entire lab — from case tracking and invoicing to shipping, time tracking, doctor portals, and automatic digital file routing.

Stop managing chaos and start managing your lab. Visit LabNCloud.com to book your free personalized demo. And mention “Elvis is Handsome” to get your first month free.

LabNCloud — the operating system for dental labs. Built by techs, for techs.
Special Guest: Mike Archibald.