Open Bench Ep.007 - Green State Staining for Zirconia; Getting Depth without Killing Optics

This week on Open Bench, Mike Archibald breaks down green state staining and influencing for zirconia — why working from the inside out preserves the optical depth that gets lost once you layer stain and glaze on top. In this episode: Community posts — analog model work, veneer layering, hippo dentures, and creative before/after content Bench Brief: green state staining technique — why green state influencing beats post-sinter stain-and-glaze for light transmission and depth Working from the inside out: cervical influence, fossa warming, and how internal staining bleeds through Brush size and control for halo effects, line angles, and mammalon highlighting The danger zone with red stains, and why restorations crack When to stain in the polishing sequence — pre-polish vs. final polish — and why timing determines whether your stain survives Infiltrated/dunked zirconia: shading first, drying fully, then influencing Open Bench Q&A: same-day workflow logistics, wax recommendations, and mill-to-press vs. print-to-press output gains 00:00 Introduction to Open Bench and Community Highlights 09:58 Green State Staining: Techniques and Insights 31:29 Color Selection and Application Techniques 34:29 Creating Depth and Illusion in Restorations 38:28 Polishing Techniques and Their Importance 44:09 Staining and Influencing Zirconia 51:24 Challenges in Same-Day Workflow 55:02 Wax Recommendations and Efficiency in Production Mike also teases his upcoming one-stroke green state stain system, built for repeatable, teachable results across a lab team. Coming next week: a special guest takeover covering digital workflows, 3D printing, and software — bring your questions. Harvest Dental Products | harvestdental.com