The Bent Wire - An Orthodontic Lab Podcast

Cade Tippett
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Careers
  • Updated Weekly

The Bent Wire is a podcast about the people, technology, business, and future of the orthodontic laboratory industry. Hosted by Cade Tippett, from the youtube channel @RetainerDesigner and a dental laboratory technician with nearly 30 years of experience, each episode explores what’s really happening behind the scenes—from new technology and AI to training the next generation of technicians, running a lab, and preserving the skills that make our industry unique. Expect honest conversations, industry news, interviews, and plenty of opinions from inside the lab.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    Can One Person Really Run a Modern Dental Lab? -w/ Tiffany Prater | The Bent Wire Ep. 3

    Can one person really run a modern dental lab? In Episode 3 of The Bent Wire, I sit down with Tiffany Prater, an orthodontic lab owner who has built a technology-driven, one-person lab—and, as she puts it, has no desire to have employees again. Tiffany and I have a lot in common. We both came into the orthodontic laboratory from the clinical side, we've both embraced digital technology, and we're both trying to figure out what the modern laboratory technician actually looks like. But we don't do everything the same way. Tiffany outsources some of the work I keep in-house, uses technology differently, and has built her lab around a very different workflow. We talk about why she makes those decisions, what technology has changed for her, and whether doing everything yourself is actually the best way to run a lab. We also connect the conversation back to the first two episodes of The Bent Wire: • Where are all the technicians going? • Does technology replace technicians—or change what they do? • If you can't find employees, can technology make a one-person lab more productive? • What skills will the next generation of technicians actually need? • Does a modern technician still need traditional hands-on skills? • Where does the bottleneck move when technology takes over part of the production process? Tiffany also shares what it was like going from having employees to running the lab herself, how technology changed her role as a business owner, and what she thinks the future of the orthodontic laboratory could look like. And somewhere along the way, we discover that apparently our business plan was simply: "Don't fail." 😂 This is a conversation about technology, outsourcing, employees, education, business, and what it really takes to build a laboratory around the life you actually want to live. 💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION Would you want to run a one-person laboratory? If you own a lab, would you rather hire another technician or invest in technology? What work do you keep in-house—and what do you outsource? And what skills do you think the next generation of dental laboratory technicians will need? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I may feature your comments in a future episode of The Bent Wire. 👇 RESOURCES & LINKS Orthodontic Lab Academy — Learn the foundational skills behind the technology: https://www.skool.com/orthodontic-lab-academy-5726/about Hawley Retainer Blueprint Desk Mat: https://retainer-designer-shop.fourthwall.com/products/retainer-blueprint-desk-mat DLAT/ORG Southwest Conference & Expo: https://orthodonticresource.com/ 🎙️ THE BENT WIRE The Bent Wire is an orthodontic laboratory podcast about the people, technology, business, education, and future of the industry. Hosted by Cade Tippett, BS, CDT. New episodes every week. Happy bending & God Bless! Cade “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” — Colossians 3:23 (NLT) Things I order for my Lab: https://www.amazon.com/shop/retainerdesigner 00:00 Ep 3 - Tiffany Prater 00:28 Can One Person Run a Modern Lab? 03:50 Finding Future Employees 06:28 The Hidden Profession 09:33 Career Origin Stories 13:40 From Assisting to Lab Ownership 20:43 The Digital Transition 25:14 A Day in the One-Person Lab 34:10 Outsourcing & Keeping It in the States 45:11 Starting Over with $10K 50:21 Why a One-Person Lab 01:01:54 Pricing, Marketing & Knowing Your Worth 01:12:06 Destination Ortho Lab & What's Next

  2. Oct 13

    Are Machines Going to Replace Us? | AI, Automation & the Dental Lab Technician Ep 2

    Last week on The Bent Wire, we talked about the shortage of dental laboratory technicians. This week, I started wondering: if we're already short on technicians, could technology actually be part of the solution? But what happens when the technology gets so good that we don't need the technician anymore? In Episode 2, I take a look at how technology has already changed the dental laboratory—from plaster models and handwritten prescriptions to digital models, 3D printing, automated wire bending, AI-assisted design, and digital workflows. I also talk about my own experience with the DenckOrtho Bender-S and how it has changed the way I work. It hasn't replaced me as a wire bender. It has changed what I spend my time doing—and moved the bottleneck somewhere else. That's really the bigger question: Did technology replace the technician… or did it change what the technician does? We also look at AI, CAD automation, cloud design, 3D printing, and what the orthodontic laboratory technician of 2035 might actually look like. And this is where I think foundational skills become even MORE important. A machine can produce a wire, but can you tell whether that wire is actually right for the case? As I say in the episode, we have to understand both the traditional craft AND the technology. 💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION Do you think technology will eventually replace parts of the dental laboratory technician's job? What technology has changed your lab the most? Are you using AI, automated wire bending, 3D printing, CAD automation, or cloud design? And what do you think the dental laboratory technician of 2035 will look like? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I may feature your comments in a future episode of The Bent Wire. 👇 RESOURCES & LINKS DentalRevolution.ai — "The Dental Lab Technician Isn't Disappearing. The Job Is Being Rewritten." https://dentalrevolution.ai/article-dental-lab-tech-rewritten/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Maxinomics — Video discussing AI, automation, and jobs https://youtu.be/zRv5kW5mAxM?si=0oT4Y4NeWDPFrro3 Orthodontic Lab Academy — Learn the foundational skills behind the technology. https://www.skool.com/orthodontic-lab-academy-5726/about Hawley Retainer Blueprint Desk Mat — My ortho-specific desk mat for digital designers. https://retainer-designer-shop.fourthwall.com/products/retainer-blueprint-desk-mat DLAT/ORG Southwest Conference & Expo — April 1–3, 2027 in Grapevine, Texas. https://orthodonticresource.com/ Happy bending! Cade Episode 2 — Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” 00:00 Are Machines Going to Replace Us? 01:02 Technology Has Already Changed the Lab 02:52 What Technology Has Already Replaced 05:10 From Manual Workflows to Digital 07:50 Did Technology Replace the Technician? 08:15 What Does "Replace" Actually Mean? 08:30 How Much of a Hawley Can a Machine Do? 13:32 Doing the Task vs. Understanding the Task 15:17 My Bender-S Experience 17:00 Technology Doesn't Always Save Time 18:00 My Bender-S Doubled My Productivity 19:40 What Can the Wire Bender Actually Do? 20:34 What Still Requires a Technician? 21:15 Would You Trust a Machine You Didn't Understand? 22:41 Why Foundational Skills Still Matter 22:58 This Episode's Sponsor... Me! 😆 24:17 AI, Automation & the Future of the Lab 25:00 The Bottleneck Is Moving 27:50 When Technology Makes the First Draft 28:20 Does the Appliance Actually Work? 29:00 Why Material Knowledge Still Matters 30:49 The Future Technician Is Not a Button Pusher 31:47 AI Is Changing the Technician's Role 33:45 Is Automation Making Wire Bending Better? 34:06 What the Data Says About AI & Jobs 35:33 What AI Can Teach Us About Jobs 37:35 CAD Automation Is Coming 38:02 What Technology Still Can't Do 40:15 Technology Doesn't Replace the Profession 42:08 What Does the Technician of 2035 Look Like? 44:23 What Might a Future Ortho Lab Look Like? 45:59 Cade's Humble Opinion 48:01 Who Is Going to Teach the Technician of the Future?

  3. Oct 6

    Where Did All the Technicians Go? | The Bent Wire Ep. 1

    Where did all the dental lab technicians go? In the first episode of The Bent Wire, I dig into a workforce problem facing the dental laboratory industry: experienced technicians are retiring, fewer people are entering the profession, and accredited dental laboratory technology programs have declined dramatically. I share the research that caught my attention, including BLS data, LMT’s State of the Industry survey, and a recent JDT article about the shrinking education pipeline. But is technology part of the problem—or could it be part of the solution? I also share my own perspective after nearly 30 years in the orthodontic laboratory industry, and why I believe the future isn't technicians versus technology. It's technicians USING technology. We'll talk about digital workflows, 3D printing, AI, automation, training the next generation, and why we can't automate our way out of understanding what we're doing. And this is just the beginning of The Bent Wire—a weekly conversation about the people, technology, business, education, and future of the orthodontic laboratory industry. 👇 RESOURCES & LINKS Movix / Movix AI:https://www.movixtech.com/solutions Linkedin Areticle:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/retirements-outpacing-new-techs-31-marina-domracheva-0lwic/?trackingId=T0jZKQCfQVuuzOpKCQl4nw%3D%3D "Where Did All the Dental Lab Technology Schools Go?"https://youtube.com/live/-rXTSozjOI8?feature=share BLS – Dental Laboratory Technicians:2024 - https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com#tab-6 2025 - https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm#tab-6 Everyday Smart – Dental Lab Workforce Information:https://www.facebook.com/share/1DGAerGQhe/ Orthodontic Lab Academy:https://www.skool.com/orthodontic-lab-academy-5726/about Hawley Retainer Blueprint Desk Mat:https://retainer-designer-shop.fourthwall.com/products/retainer-sketch-tee DLAT/ORG 2027 Conference:https://orthodonticresource.com/ 💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION Are you a dental lab technician or lab owner? Were you trained through an accredited school or on the job? What percentage of your lab's work is digital? Where do you think technicians fit into the future of the dental laboratory industry? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I may feature your comments in a future episode of The Bent Wire. Happy bending!Cade Ecclesiastes 4:9“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.”

  • 3 Episodes

About

The Bent Wire is a podcast about the people, technology, business, and future of the orthodontic laboratory industry. Hosted by Cade Tippett, from the youtube channel @RetainerDesigner and a dental laboratory technician with nearly 30 years of experience, each episode explores what’s really happening behind the scenes—from new technology and AI to training the next generation of technicians, running a lab, and preserving the skills that make our industry unique. Expect honest conversations, industry news, interviews, and plenty of opinions from inside the lab.

Information