Podcasts about American Dental Association

Kiera is joined by the tooth-healer himself, Jason Dent! Jason has an extensive background in pharmacy, and shares with Kiera where his pharmaceutical experience has bled over into dentistry. This includes the difference between anti-quag and anti-platelet and which medications are probably safe, what to do to shorten the drag time in the pharmacy, how to write prescriptions most efficiently, and more. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is a really awesome and unique day. It is, think the second time I've had somebody in the podcast studio with me live for a podcast and it's the one and only Jason Dent. Jason, how are you? I'm doing well. Good morning. Thanks for having me. It is crazy. I I watch Instagram real like this all the time where people are like in the podcast and they're hanging out on two chairs and couches and now look at us. We're doing it. Cheers. Cheers.   That was a mic cheer for those of you who are only listening, but yeah, Jace, how does this feel to be on the podcast? It's weird. Like I was not nervous at all talking about it. I got really nervous as soon as you hit play. So if I stumble over my words, please forgive me ahead of time. Well, Jason, I appreciate you being on the podcast because marketing had asked me to do a topic about teledentistry and I was like, oh shoot, that's like not my forte at all. so   You and I were actually chatting in the hot tub. call it Think Tank session and you and I, we have a lot of good ideas that come from that Think Tank. A lot of business. no phones. That's why. We do leave our phones out. But I was talking to Jason and this is actually a podcast we had talked about quite a while ago. Jason has a lot of information on pharmacy. And if you don't know, Jason isn't really, we were going through all of it last night. It's kind of a mock in the tub. And I think it's going to be great because I feel like this is an area, I'm working at Midwestern and   knowing about how dentists, pharmacology was surely not your favorite one. Jason actually helps a lot of dentists with their clearances. And so we were talking about it and I like it will just be a really awesome podcast for you guys to brush up on pharmacology, different things from a pharmacist's side. So Jason, welcome. Thank you. Yeah, no, we were talking about it and here's like, what should I talk about on the podcast next? I have all these different topics and she's like, what do you know? And the only real interaction I have with dentists is doing clearances for procedures. We get them all the time, which makes sense.   Lots of people are on blood thinner, I've always told Kiera, like, hey, I could talk about that. Like, that's kind of a passion of mine. I'm not a dentist. Or my name is Jason Dent. So in Hebrew, Jason means tooth. No, no, no, sorry. Nerves are getting to me. Jason means healer and Dent means tooth. So my name means tooth healer. So, here's a little set. Hold on, on, hold Can we just talk about? I brought that up before you could talk about it more. So.   My name means tooth healer but I did not become a dentist. I know you wanted me to become a dentist. did. I don't know why. I enjoy medicine. I know what you're going to get to already. The things you're going to ask me. There's been years of this. But nevertheless, that's my name. We'll get that out of the way. But you did give me a great last name. So I mean, it's OK. You're All is fair and love here. SEO's up for that. But yeah, Jason, I'm going to get you right into the show. And I'm going to be the host. And we're going to welcome to the podcast show. Jace, how are you?   Good, good, good. Good, good, good. So by getting into clearances, right? This is what you're kinda talking about with you know, before we get to clearances, I actually wanted Jason, for the listeners who don't know you, who haven't talked to you, who don't know, let's kinda just give them like, how did you go from, Kiera wanted you to be a dentist, to now Jason, you are on the podcast talking as our expert on pharmacy. fantastic. I've always really loved medicine, a ton. As a kid getting headaches and taking Excedrin, like you just feel like a miserable pile of crap.   and then you take two pills and all of a sudden you feel better. Like that's amazing, like how does that happen? Also getting ear aches as a kid, just being in so much pain and then taking some medicine and you start feeling a lot better. I always had a lot of appreciation for that. I've always been mechanically inclined. I went to, started doing my undergrad and took biology and learned about ATP synthase, which is a spinning enzyme that's inside the mitochondria, like a turbine engine. I used to work on small engines on my dirt bike and thought that is so cool. So I really got wrapped up into chemistry.   All the mechanics of chemistry really pulled me in. I'm not getting goosebumps. checking. I usually get goosebumps when I think about chemistry. But it's so cool. You think an engine's awesome, like pistons and camshafts and pressures, the cell is the same thing. It's not as loud, so it's not as cool. But it's fascinating. that's why we're like. ⁓   chemistry and really got into coagulation. So I did my residency after pharmacy school. we went to Arizona for three years. ⁓ You did and your main focus, you were never wanting to be the guy behind the counter. No, I haven't done that. Yeah. No, I love them though. I've always really want to go clinical. ⁓ But I love my retail ⁓ pharmacists. They're amazing resources. And ⁓ I use the retail pharmacist every day still to this day, but I went more the clinical route, really love the chemistry aspect of it.   did my doctorate degree and then I did my residency in Reno. Reno's kind That's how we got here everybody. Welcome to Reno. Strategically placed because I was really interested in critical medicine and where we're located we cover a huge area. So we pull in to almost clear, we go clear to Utah, clear to California, all of Northern Nevada. We get cases from all over. So we actually are kind like the first hub of care for lot of areas. So we really get an eclectic mixture of patients that come in that need-   all kinds of different cases that are coming to them. So it's what I really wanted. So I did my residency in critical care there. And then for the next 10 years, I worked in vascular medicine with my final five years being the supervisor of the clinic. Ran all the ins and outs of that. So my providers, two doctors were on our view. So when we talk about dentistry, talk about production, those kinds of things, totally get it. My doctors were the exact same way, my vascular providers. ⁓   There's some pains there, right? You wanna be seeing patients as much as possible, being able to help as many people, keeping the billing up. And had other nurse practitioners, four practitioners, a fleet of MAs, eight pharmacists. We also had that one location we had, going off the top of my head, I think we had eight locations running as well. And we took care of all the different kinds of vascular cases that came to us. Most common was blood clots, ⁓ which is just a...   which is an easier way of saying VTE. There's so many different ways to say a blood clot. Like you might hear patients say, I've had a PE or a DVT or a venous thromboembolism or a clot in my leg, right? They're all clots, but in different locations. Same with an MI, and MI can be a clot as well. ⁓ there's a lot of, everybody's kind of saying the same thing, but sometimes the nomenclature can make it sound hard, but it really is actually pretty simple.   No. And Jason, I love that you went through, you've been in like, and even in your, ⁓ when you were getting your doctorate, you were in the ER. You also worked in retail pharmacy. remember you having a little sticker on your hand. And retail pharmacy, I have a lot of respect for those guys. They have a lot of pressure on them. and then you also, ⁓ what was that test that you had to take that? I don't know. You were like studying forever for it. ⁓ board certification for, ⁓ NABP. Yeah. So I did that board certification as well.   And now you've moved out of the hospital side onto another section in your career. Now in the insurance, right? So it's really, really interesting. So now I'm on the other side reading notes and evaluating clinical appropriateness and trying to help patients with getting coverage and making those kinds of determinations. So yeah, I've really jumped all over. Really love my clinical days. I know. don't I don't I do miss them. But yeah, kind of had a good exposure to a lot of.   pharmacy a lot a lot of dentists actually with all the places that come through which Jason I really appreciate that and honestly I know you are my spouse and so it's fun to have you on but when I go into conversations like this I don't know any of this information and so finding experts and Jason I think here's me talk more about dentistry and my business than I do hear about him on pharmacy so as we were chatting about this I really realized you are a wealth of knowledge because you've been on the clinical side so you've done a lot of patient care and you've seen how   medications interact and I know you've had a few scares in your career and ⁓ you've known some physicians that have had a few scares and ⁓ you've seen plenty of patients pass away working in the ER and gosh in Arizona drownings were such a big deal. I remember when you were in the ER on your rotations I'd be like who died today? Like tell me the stories and you've really seen and now going on to the insurance side I felt like you could just be such a good wealth of knowledge because I know dentists are sometimes so   I would say like maybe just a little more anxious when it comes to medications. I know that dental students from Midwestern were like here was like four months and we had to like pass it, learn it. And Jason, you've done four years plus clinical residency, plus you've been in it. And something I really love about Nevada Medicine is they've been so collaborative with you.   like your heart, your cardiologist, they diagnose and then they send to you to treat with medicine and... Yeah, I've been really lucky being here in Reno too. The cardiology team has been amazing to work with. We started a CHF program, sorry, congestive heart failure program for patients. So we would collaborate with cardiologists. They'd see the cardiologists and then they send them to the pharmacist to really manage all the medications. So there's pillars of therapy ⁓ called guideline directed medical therapy and the pharmacist would take care of all that. So that's gonna be your...   your beta blockers, your ACEs, your ARBs, your Entresto, which would be a little bit better, spironolactone. So just making sure that all these things are dosed appropriately, really monitoring the heart, and make sure that patients are getting better. we've had real positive outcomes when the, sorry, this is totally off topic. do, talk about that study. When we looked at when patients were coming to see our pharmacists in our clinic that we started up, the patients were half as likely to be readmitted. And this was in 2018, and our pharmacists,   We're thinking about all the medications. We're usually adjusting diabetes medications too at the same time. Just kind of naturally just taking care of all the medications because we kind of got a go ahead from the providers, a collaborative practice agreement that we could make adjustments to certain medications within certain parameters. So we weren't going rogue or maverick, but we were definitely trying to optimize our medications as much as possible. And then years later, some studies came out with, I'm sure you've seen Jardins and Farseegh. not trying to, I'm not.   I don't get any kickback from them. I have no conflicts to share. But because our pharmacists were really optimizing that medication, those medications were later shown to reduce hospitalizations and heart failure, even though they're diabetes medications. Fascinating. So it wasn't really the pharmacists. It was just the pharmacists doing as much as they can with all the tools that were in front of them. And then we found out that the patients were going back to the hospital.   half as much as regular patients. So, yeah, being here, it's been so amazing to work with providers here. the providers here want help, want to help patients, don't have an ego. I mean, I just, it's awesome. I love it. I do love how much I think Jason sees me geek out about dentistry and I watching Jay's geek about his pharmacy and how much he loves helping patients. And ⁓ really that was the whole idea of, all right.   Dentistry has pharmacy as a part of it. And I know a lot of dentists are sending in clearances and I know working in a chair side, it would be like, oh no, if they're on warfarin or on their own blood clot, you guys, honestly don't even know half of what I'm talking about because this is not my jam, which is why Jason's here. But I do know that there was always like, well, we got to talk with their provider. And so having Jason come in and just kind of explain being the pharmacist that is approving or denying or saying yes or no to take them off the blood thinners in different parts, because you have seen several dental   I don't know what they're called. What is it? Clarence's? that what comes to you? don't even know. All day my mind, it's like, here is the piece of paper that gets mailed to you to the pharmacist and then you mail it back. So whatever that is. But Chase, let's talk about it because I think you can give the dentist a lot of confidence coming from a pharmacist. What you guys see on that side. When do you actually need to approve or disapprove? Let's kind of dig into that. Yeah. Well, first of all, I think I'm not a replacement for any kind of clinical judgment whatsoever. Every patient's different. But the American Diabetes Association, you   I work with diabetes a lot. American Dental Association has some really great guidelines on blood thinners and I would always reference them. I actually looked at their website today. Make sure I'm up to speed before I get back on this again. They have resources all around making decisions for blood thinners. And I think the one real important thing in putting myself in the shoes of a dentist or any kind of staff that's around a patient that's in a chair, if they say I'm on a blood thinner, right, a flag goes up. At least in my mind, that's what goes up.   Like, okay, how do we get across this bridge? And I think the important thing to really distinct right then when they say they're on a blood thinner is that is kind of a slang word for a lot of different medications, right? Like it's the overarching word that everybody pulls up saying, I'm on a blood thinner. It's like, okay, but I don't know what say. It's like, I have a car. You're like, okay, do you have a Mazda? Do you have?   Toyota, Honda, what do you have? or even worse it'd be like saying I have a vehicle, right? So when somebody says they're on a blood thinner, it opens up a whole box of possibilities of what they're Blood thinners are also, doesn't, when they're taking these types of medications that are quote unquote a blood thinner, it doesn't actually thin the blood, like adding water to the blood, if that makes sense, or like thinning paint, or like thinning out a gravy, right? It doesn't do the same thing. Blood thinners, really what they're doing is they're working on the blood, which.   which is really cool, try not to tangent on that. ⁓ When they're working on the blood, it's not thinning it per se, but it's making it so that the proteins or platelets that are in it can't stick together and make a cloth quite as easy. So whenever somebody's on a blood thinner, I usually ask, what's the name of the blood thinner that you're on? It's not bad that they use that slang, that's okay, on the same page, but it's really broken into two different classes. There's anticoagulant and antiplatelet.   And a way to kind of remember which is which, when residents would come through our clinics, the way that I teach them is a clot is like a brick wall. You know, it's not always a brick wall. Usually the blood is a liquid going through. But once they receive some kind of chemical message, it starts making a brick wall with the mortar, which is the concrete between the and the bricks, the two parts. When it's an anti-quagent, it's working on that mortar part. When it's an anti-platelet, it's working on the bricks part, right? You need both to make a strong clot or strong brick wall.   But if you can make one of them not work, obviously like if your mortar is just water, it's not working, right? You're not gonna make a strong brick wall. So that's kind of the two deviants right there. So that's what I do in my mind real quickly to find out because antiplatelets are usually, so that's gonna be like your Plavix, Ticagrelor, Brilinta. And hold on, antiplatelets are bricks? Good job, bricks. They're the bricks. And so the reason I was thinking you could remember this because I'm, antiplatelets, it's a plate and a plate is more like a brick.   And anti coagulant, I don't know why quag feels like mortar to me, like quag, like, know, it's like slushy in the blood, like it's coagulating. It's a little bit of that, like, honestly, I'm just thinking like coagulated blood is a little bit more mortar-ish. And so platelet is your plate, like a brick, and anti-quag is like.   the gilly between the bricks. Okay, okay, I got it. Yeah, so there's an exception to every rule, but when they're on that Don't worry, this is Kiera, just like very basic. You guys are way smarter listening to this, and that's why Jason's here. No, no, you helped me pass pharmacy school. When we were doing all the top 200, you helped me memorize all know what flexorill is, all right? That's a muscle relaxant. Cyclo? I don't know that part. It's a cyclo, because you guys are cycling and flexing. I don't actually know. just know it's a muscle relaxant, so that's about as far as I got. When we're looking at antitick platelets, so that's the brick part, so that's going to be your, you know,   Hecagrelor, Breitlingta, Clopidogrel is the most common one. It's the cheapest one, so probably see that one the most. Those, I mean, there's an exception to every rule, but that's generally being used after like a stent's placed in the heart. It can be used for VTE, there's some out there, but that's pretty rare. But also for some valves that are placed in the hearts, it can be used for that as well. So antiplatelet, really thinking more like a cardiac event, right? Like I said, there's always an exception to every rule, but that's kind of where my mind goes real quickly, because we're gathering information from the patient.   They're on anticoagulant. Those are like going to be the new ones that you see commercials for all the time. So Xeralto, Alequis, those are the two big ones right now. They're replacing the older one. And also we were supposed to do a disclaimer of this is current as of today because the ADA guidelines do change. this will be current as of today. And Jason, as a pharmacist, is always looking up on that. I had no clue that you are that up to speed on dental knowledge. so just throwing it out there that if you happen to catch his podcast,   a few years back that obviously check those guidelines for sure. But the new ones are the Xarelto and Eloquist. They're replacing the older ones of warfarin. Warfarin's been around for a really long time. We've seen that one. Those are anti-coagulants. So when you're looking, when a patient says that, generally they're on that medication because they've possibly had a clot in the past or they have a heart condition called atrial fibrillation. Those are kind of the two big ones. Like I said, there's always caveats to it, but that's kind of where my mind goes real quickly. And then,   as far as getting patients cleared, the American Dental Association has really good resources on their website. You can look at those and they're always refreshing that up. They even say in their own words that there's limited data around studying patients in the dental chair and with anticoagulants or anti-platelets. It's pretty limited. There's a few studies, some from 2015, some from 2018. There's one as recent as 2021, which is nice. But really, all of those studies come together and it's really more of an expert consensus.   And with that expert consensus, they have kind of simplified things for dentistry, which is really nice. ⁓ comparing that to, we have more data for like total hip replacement, total knee replacement. We have a lot of data and we know really what we should be doing around then. But going back to dentistry, we don't have as much information, so they always say use clinical judgment, but they do give some really great expert guidance on that. So if a patient's on an anticoagulant, ⁓   they generally recommend that it doesn't need to be stopped unless there's a high bleeding risk for a patient. as a provider or as a clinician in the practice, you can be looking at high bleeding risk. Some things that make an oral procedure a little bit lower risk is one, it's in the compressible site, right? Like we can actually put pressure on that site. That's the number one way to stop bleeding is adding pressure. It's not like it's in the abdominal cavity where we can't get in and can't apply pressure. So number one, that kind of reduces the bleeding risk.   is number one. Two, we can add topical hemostatic agents. Dentists would know that better than me. There's a lot of topical ways to do that. So not only pressure, but there's those things as well. And also, but there are some procedures that are a little bit more likely to bleed. And that's where you and dentists would come in hand in What's the word in APO? Oh, the APOectomy. I got it right. Good job. like, didn't you tell me last night that the ADA guideline was like what?   three or four or more teeth? great question. So you can extract one to three teeth is what their expert consensus One to three teeth without. Without really managing or stopping anticoagulation or doing anything like that. I think that's some good guidance from them. I'm gonna add a Jasonism on that though. So with warfarin, I do see why dentists would be a little bit more conservative or worried about stopping the warfarin because warfarin isn't as stable as these newer agents. Warfarin, the levels.   quote unquote levels can go really high, they can go really low. And if the warfarin levels are high, they're more likely to bleed. So I do think it makes sense to have a really recent INR. That's how we measure what the warfarin's doing. I think that makes a lot of sense, but the ADA guidelines really go into the simplification version of all these blood thinners. Generally, it's recommended to not stop them because the risk of stopping them outweighs the benefit of stopping them in almost every case. Almost every case.   ⁓ So when you're with that patient, right, they say I'm on a blood thinner, finding out which kind of blood thinner that they're on, you find out that they're on Xeralto, right? How long have you been on Xeralto for? I've been on it for years. You don't know exactly why, but if they haven't had any recent bleeding, you're only gonna remove one tooth. ⁓ You can do what's called a HasBlood score. That kind of looks at the bleeding risk that they'd have. That'd be kind of going a notch above, but in my mind, removing one tooth isn't a real serious bleeding risk. I'd love to hear from my dentist friends if they...   disagree, right, but ADA says one to three tooth removals, extractions, that's the fancy word. Extractions, yeah, for extracting teeth out. Is not really that invasive. Sure. It's not that high risk, so it's usually perfectly fine. So if a patient was on Xarelto, ⁓ no other, this is in a vacuum, right? I'm not looking at any other factors, which you should be looking at other factors. I would be perfectly fine to just remove one to two.   And when those clearances come in, because dentists do send them, talk about what happens. You guys were working in the hospital and you guys would get these clearances all the time. do. We get them so often. I mean, we get like four or five a day. We'd love to give it to our students, student pharmacists, and ask them what to do. And they would usually look up the American Dental Association guidelines and come up with something. We're like, yep, that's what we say too. In fact, we say it so many times a day that we have a smart phrase.   which just blows in the information real quickly and faxes it right back to the So it's like a copy paste real quick. So what I wanted to point out when Jason told me this is dentists like hearing this and learning this, this can actually save you guys a ton of time to be able to be more confident, to not need to send those clearances on. And we were actually talking last night about how I think this might be a CYA for dentists. like, as we were talking, I think Jason, you seeing so many other aspects of medicine, like you've literally seen patients die, you've seen other areas.   And so coming from that clinical vantage point, we were realizing that dentists, we are so blessed to live in an injury. I enjoy dentistry because possibly there's someone dying, not super high, luckily in dentistry. The only time that I have actually had a doctor have a patient pass away, and it was only when they were completely sedated and doing ⁓ some other things, but that was under the care of an anesthesiologist. And so that's really our high, high risk. And so hearing this, Jason,   That was one of the reasons I wanted him to come on is to give you doctors more confidence of do we have to always send to a pharmacist? I mean, hearing that on the pharmacy side, they're just sending these back and not to say to not see why a to not cover this because you might be questioning like, well, do I really need to? But you also were talking about some other ways of so number one, you guys are just going to copy back the 88 guidelines. So so 88 guidelines. Yeah. And I think that that gives a lot of confidence to a provider or a dentist is that you can go to the 88 guidelines and read them, right? Like you're listening to some   nasally monotone pharmacist on a podcast. Rumor has it, people love him at the hospital. were like, you're the voice, he's been told he has a good radio So for the clinic, I was the voice. Like, yeah, you've reached the vascular clinic, right? And they're like, oh my gosh, you're the voice. But sorry, you me distracted. That'll be your next career, Jace. You're going to be a radio host. OK. I would love that. I love music. But you're hearing from a nasally guy, but you can actually read the ADA guidelines. You just go right to the ADA, click on Resources, and under Resources, it has the   around anticoagulants, I think that's the best way to get a lot of confidence about it because they have dentists who are the experts making calls on these. I'm just reiterating what they say, but I think it makes a lot of sense to help providers. And the reason why my heart goes out to you as well is having the providers that used to work underneath me, they're always looking for our views, which is a fancy way of making sure that they're drilling and filling. Can I say that? Yeah, can say drilling and filling. They're being productive, right? They're being productive, right?   They're always looking to make sure if a patient's canceling, like get somebody in here. Like I need to be helping people all day long. That's how I, we keep the lights on. That's how I help as many people. And so if you have a patient coming in the chair and it has an issue, they say I'm on Xeralto. Well, you can ask real quickly, why are you on Xeralto? I had a clot 10 years ago. my gosh. Well, yeah, we're pretty good to go. Then I'm not worried. We're only removing one tooth or we're just doing a cavity or a cleaning. Something like that. Shouldn't be an issue whatsoever because there's experts in the dental. ⁓   in the dental society, the ADA guidelines that recommend three teeth or less, minimally invasive. They really recommend if it's gonna be really high bleeding risk. And clinically, that's where you would come in, ⁓ or yourself. know, apioectomy is one that's like on the fence line. I don't know where implants set. though, and like we were talking, implants aren't usually like a date of procedure. Most people aren't popping in, having tooth pain, and we're like, let's do an implant. Now sometimes that can be the case, but typically that one's gonna have   a few other pieces involved. And so that is where you can get a clearance if you want to. ⁓ But we were really looking at this of like so many dentists that I know that you've seen will just send in these clearances because they are. And I think maybe a way to help dentists have more confidence is because you know, I love routines. I love to not have to remember things. So why don't we throw it in, have the team member set it up where every quarter we just double check the ADA guidelines. Are there any updates? Are there any other things that we need to do on that? That way you can just see like   getting into the language of this, of what do I need to do? Because honestly, you guys, know pharmacy was not a big portion for it, so, recommending different parts, but I think this is such a space where you can have confidence, and there's a few other things I wanna get to, and I you- I some pearls too. Okay, go. I'm so when she get me into talking about drugs, I'm not gonna stop. So, some other things around that too is these newer blood thinners like Xarelto Eloquist, they now have reversal agents, so a lot of providers in the past were really worried about bleeding because we can't turn it off. We can turn those off. Warfarin has reversal as well, right?   So I'm looking at these patients. It's really low risk. It's in the mouth, generally speaking. Very rarely are they a high bleeding risk. Now if you're doing maxillofacial surgery, this does not apply, right? This does not apply whatsoever. you're like general dentist, you're pediatric dentist. Yeah, yeah, and it's kind of on the fly. So just trying to really help you to be able to take care of those patients on the moment, have that confidence, look at the ADA guidelines, have that in front of you. I don't think it's a bad thing to ever...   check with their provider if you need to. If you're thinking, I feel like I should just check with the provider, I would never take that away from you. But I just want to kind of steer towards those guidelines that I have to help. But what did you want to share? No, yeah, I love that. And I think there were just a few other nuggets that we were chatting about last night that can help dentists just kind of get things passed a little bit easier. So you were mentioning that if they were named to their cardiologist, what was it? was like, who is the last? Great question. Yeah, when a patient's on a blood thinner,   It could be prescribed by the cardiologist. It could be prescribed by the family provider or could have been punted to like a vascular clinic like where I was working. It can go to any of those. And when you send that fax, right, if it goes to the cardiologist and it's supposed to go to the family care provider, like it just kind of goes, goes nowhere, right, from there. So I think it's a really good idea to find out who prescribed it last. If the patient doesn't know who prescribed their blood thinner last, you can call their pharmacy. I call pharmacies all day long.   I have noticed in the last year, they are way easier to get a hold of, which has made my job a lot easier, working on the insurance portion. So reaching out to the pharmacy, finding out who that provider is and sending it to them, because they should be able to help with that. I thought that was a good shift in verbiage that you had of asking instead of like the cardiologist, because that's who you would assume was the one. But you said like so many times you guys would take care of them, and then they go back to family practitioner, and you guys would get the clearances, but you couldn't clear because you weren't overseeing. So just asking the patient.   who prescribed their medication for them last time. That way you can send the clearance to the correct provider. then- And they might not know. You know patients, right? They're like, I don't know, my mom's or else, I don't know who gave it to me. Somebody told me I need to be on this. But at least that could be another quick thing. And then also we were talking last night about-   ⁓ What are some other things that dentists can do when like writing scripts to help them get what I think like overarching theme of everything we discussed is one how to help dentists have less I think drag through pharmacy. ⁓ Because pharmacy can take a little while and so perfect we now know the difference between anti-quag and anti-platelet. We know which medications are probably safe. We know we can check the ADA guidelines so that we were not having to do as many clearances. We also know if they're on a medication to find out and we do need a clearance.   who we can go to for the fastest, easiest result. And now, in talking about prescriptions, you had some really interesting tips that you could share with them. Yeah, so with writing prescriptions, right, pharmacies are pharmacies. So I'm not gonna say good thing or bad thing. There are challenges working with pharmacies. I'm not gonna play that down at all. ⁓ If you're writing prescriptions and having issues and kickbacks from pharmacies, there's some interesting laws around ⁓ writing prescriptions. Say that you're trying to ⁓ prescribe   augmentin, you know, 875 BID, and you tell the patient, hey, I want you to take this twice a day for seven days, and then you put quantity of seven, because you're moving fast, right? You want it for seven days, quantity of seven. Quantity would actually be 14, right? It's not that big of a deal. Anybody with common sense would say if you're taking a pill for twice a day for seven days, you need 14 tablets. But LAHA doesn't allow pharmacists to make that kind of a change, unfortunately. They have to follow what you're saying there. So you're going to get a...   An annoying callback that says, you wrote for seven tablets. I know you need 14. Is that OK? Just delays things, right? So ⁓ I really like the two letters QS. That's Q isn't queen. S isn't Sam. Yeah. It stands for quantity sufficient. So you don't have to calculate the amount of any medication that you're doing. So for me, as a pharmacist, when I was taking care of patients, I hated calculating the amount of insulin they would need for an entire month. So I would say.   Mrs. Jones needs 15, I'd say 15 units ⁓ QD daily. ⁓ And then I say QS, quantity sufficient, ⁓ 90 day supply through refills. So the pharmacy can then go calculate how much insulin that they need. I don't have to even do that. So anytime you're prescribing anything, I like that QS personally. So that lets the pharmacy use ⁓ common sense, as I like to call it, instead of giving you a call. I think that's super helpful. I also thought of one thing too.   going back to blood thinners is when it's kind of like a real quick, like they're not gonna have you stop the blood thinner at all. like you're seeing if you can stop the blood thinner for a patient, there's some instances it's just not gonna happen. And that's whenever they've been, they've had a clot or a stroke or a heart attack within the last three months. Three months. Yeah, that's kind of like the.   Because so many people are like, they had a heart thing like six years ago. And so I think a lot of my dentists that I worked with were like, we got to stop the blood thinners. But it sounds like it's within three months. Yeah, well, I'm just the time. Like this is general broad strokes. What I'm just trying to say is when you want to expect a no real quick. Got it. Right. So because benefits of stopping a blood thinner within those first three months of an event is very, very risky versus the, you know, the benefit of reducing a little bit of blood coming out of the mouth. Right. Like that's not that bad.   when somebody's had a stroke or a heart attack or pulmonary embolism, a clot in the lung, like we can't replace the lung, heart or brain very easily. We can replace blood a lot better. We've got buckets of it at most hospitals have buckets of it, right? So I'm always kind of leaning towards I'd rather replace blood than tissue at all times. So that's kind of a quick no. If they've had one those events in the last three months, we are really, really gonna watch their brain instead of getting.   root canal, right? Like really worried about them. So you'll just say no. And they could the dentist still proceed with the procedure or would you recommend like a three month wait? Or is it provider specific way the pros and cons because sometimes you need to get that tooth out. Great question. think then it's going to come into clinical. That's that's when you send in the clearance, right? Like, and it's great to reach out to the provider who's managing it for you. But I think it's kind of good to know exactly when you get a quick no quick no is going to be less than three months.   ⁓ Or when it's going to be like a kind of a typical, yeah, no problem. If it's been no greater than six months, they're on the typical anticoagulants or alto eloquence. Nothing crazy is going on for them. You're only removing two teeth. This is very, very low risk. But again, I'd urge everybody to read the ADA guidelines. That way you feel more comfortable with it. I'm not as eloquent as they do. They do a real good job. So I don't want to take any of their credit. I think they do a real good job of simplifying that and making you feel confident with providing.   more timely care for patients. Which is amazing. And Jayce, one last thing. I don't remember what it was. You were talking about the DEA and like six month rule. yeah. Let's just quickly talk about that and then we'll wrap this because this is such a fascinating thing for me last night. Yeah. So when comes to prescribing controlled substances, most providers have to have a DEA license. OK. First of all, though, what's your take on dentist prescribing controlled substances? ⁓ I don't think, you know, I worked on the insurance side of things. Right. And I look at the requirements for the   as the authorizations, what a patient, the criteria a patient needs to hit in order to qualify for certain medications. A lot of times for those controlled substances, they have pretty significant issues going on, like fibromyalgia or cancer-related pain or end-of-life care versus we don't, in all my scanning thread, I don't have a ⁓ perfect picture memory. Sure. But I don't usually see oral.   pain in there. There is some post-operative pain that can be covered for those kind of medications but I really recommend to keep those lower and in fact in a lot of our criteria it recommends you know have they tried Tylenol first, they tried, have they filled NSAIDs or are they contraindicated with the patient. So really they should be last line for patients in my two cents but there's always going to be a caveat to the rule right? Of course. comes through that has oral cancer and you're taking   like that would make sense to me. Got it, so then back to the DEA. Yeah, okay. Okay, ready. So as a provider, you should be checking the, if you're doing controlled substances, you should be checking the prescription drug monitoring program, or sometimes called the PDMP, looking to see if patients are getting ⁓ controlled substances from another provider. So it's really just a check and balance to make sure that they're not going from provider to provider to getting too many narcotics and causing self harm or harm to others.   And so with checking that PDMP before prescribing, I think a lot of providers do that. A lot of softwares that I'm aware of, EMRs, electronic medical records, sometimes have links so that you can do that more quickly. However, I don't think it's as intuitive that they need to be checking that every six months in some states. And like here in Nevada, you're supposed to be checking it every six months, not for a patient, but for your actual DEA registration to see if anybody else is prescribing underneath you. Because if you don't check that every six months, you could get in some serious trouble with...   not only DEA, but even more the Board of Pharmacy and your state. Now, I don't know all 50 states, so I check with your state to see if you need to be checking that every six months, but set an alarm just to check that real quickly, keep your nose clean. ⁓ I've had providers, I've had to remind to do that. And if somebody was using your account, prescribing narcotics, you'd never know unless you went and checked that PDMP.   Yeah, I remember last night you were like, and if that was you, I would not want to be you. The Board of Pharmacy is going to be real excited to find you. So that was something where I was like, got it. So, and we all know I'm big on let's make it easy. And Jason, I love that you love this so much and you just brought so much value today. And like also for me, it's just fun to podcast. fun. Yeah. But I got a nerd out on my world a little bit. Bring it into yours. I work with dentists or at least you know, when I was working in Vascular Clinic all day long. Great questions that would come through. Yeah.   So I think for all of us, as a recap on this is number one, I think setting yourself ⁓ some cadences. So maybe every quarter we check our ADA guidelines and we check our, what is it, PDMP. PDMP. so each state, so they call it Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. We need that. Yeah, but there are different acronyms in different states, though. That's just what it's called in Nevada. I forget what it is in California, but you can check your state's prescription monitoring program, make sure that opioids aren't being prescribed under your name. Got it. So we just set that as a cadence.   We know one to three teeth most likely if they're on a blood thinner is According to the 88 as of today is good to go You know things that are going to get a quick know are going to be within the last three months of the stroke the heart attack or the Clot I'm thinking like the pulmonary embolus. Yeah, that's what we're trying to prevent   Those are gonna be quick knows and then if we're prescribing, let's do QS. We've got quantity is sufficient so that we're not getting phone calls back on those medications that we are. And then on narcotics, just being a bit more cautious. Of course, this is provider specific and in no way, or form did Jason come on here to tell you you are the clinical expert.   Jason's the clinical expert on medications. And if you guys ever have questions, I know Jason, you geek out and you want to talk to people so that anyone wants to chat shop. Be sure to reach out and we'll be able to connect you in. we've even talked about possibly, so let me know listeners. You can email in Hello@TheDentalATeam.com of ask a pharmacist anything. I talked to Jason. I was like,   We'll just have them like send in questions and maybe get you back on the podcast or we do a webinar. But any last thoughts, Jace, you've got of pharmacy and dentistry as we as we wrap up today? No, I think that's pretty much it. So check the ADA guidelines. I think it's really good to have cross communication between professions. Right. If you're working with the pharmacy, CVS, Walgreens or something like that or Walmart, I know that it can be challenging. Right. They're under different pressures. You're under different pressure. So I think ⁓ just coming in with an understanding, not being angry at each other.   you know what mean, is super beneficial and working together. When it comes to it, every dentist that I've talked to is actually worried about their patient. Every pharmacist that I've worked with is really worried about the patient as well. So we're trying to accomplish the same thing, but we have different rules and our hands are bound in different ways that annoy each other, right? Like I know Dr. Jones, want 14 tablets, but you said seven. And I know Common Sense says I should give them 14, but I've got to make that change.   knowing that their hands are tied by the law. They can't use as much common sense, which is aggravating. I mean, that's why I love what I gotta do here. I gotta just kind of help a lot more and use common sense and improve patient care. But those kinds of things I think are really beneficial as you work together and then not being so afraid of blood thinners, right? So I think those guidelines do a great job of giving you confidence and not worrying about the side effects. And there's a lot of things that you can do locally for bleeding.   You have a lot of control over that. I think that's pretty cool, the tools they have. Yeah. And at the end of the day, yes, you are the clinician. You are the one who is responsible for this. so obviously, chat, but I think collaborating, talking to other pharmacists, talking to them in your state, finding out what are the state laws, things like that I think can be really beneficial just to give you peace of mind and confidence. And again, dentistry, are maybe a bit more risk adverse because luckily we don't have patients dying That's great thing. Yeah, that's fantastic. I want my dentists to be risk adverse. I think so too. But Jason, I appreciate you being on the podcast today.   And for all of you listening, ⁓ more confidence, more clarity, more streamline to be able to serve and help our patients better. if we can help you in any way or you've got more questions, reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.  

Send us a textI want to start today by talking about something that almost every dentist and practice owner I know has experienced at some point in their career.Frustration.Frustration with insurance companies. Frustration with contracts. Frustration with reimbursement. Frustration with feeling unheard.And when that frustration boils over, most dentists are told one of two things:“You signed a contract.” Or… “Just drop insurance.”I've heard that response from state associations. I've heard it from leaders in the dental industry. I've heard it from colleagues.And I struggle with it — not because it's always wrong, but because it has become the default answer, and default answers don't solve systemic problems.Support the show

Send us a textIn the last episode, we talked about why speaking up matters.Why silence isn't neutral. Why caring sometimes requires discomfort. And why staying quiet to preserve the status quo has not worked.But today's episode is different.Because it's one thing to say, “We need to speak up.” It's another thing to answer the question everyone is really asking:What does effective advocacy actually look like?Support the show

A conversation on leadership and what the future of our profession could look like. We're talking with ADA President Dr. Rich Rosato.  For more information, show notes and transcripts visit https://www.ada.org/podcast Show Notes  In this episode, listen to a conversation on leadership and the future of the dental profession with ADA President Dr. Richard Rosato.  Dr. Richard Rosato, a Concord, New Hampshire, oral surgeon is president of the American Dental Association. In addition to being a past president of the New Hampshire Dental Society, he's served on various ADA committees, councils, and task forces, later representing District One on the ADA Board of Trustees from 2019-2023. The married father of three is a graduate of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.  Dr. Rosato reflects on transitioning into the role of ADA President, and shares his focus on unity, visibility, and action across the profession.  What are the key priorities of Dr. Rosato's leadership? He shares with our audience the philosophy and pillars of his ADA presidency, including the long‑term vision for shaping the future of dentistry through Oral Health 2050, a forward‑looking initiative designed to guide the profession. The effort includes the development of five expert panels focused on the topics that matter most to dentists and their patients.  The importance of dentists' voices at both the state and national levels is reinforced by Dr. Rosato, as he addresses declining membership numbers, while encouraging active engagement as a way for members to shape policy, direction, and the future of the profession.  The discussion reinforces the importance of dentist participation at both the state and national levels. Dr. Rosato encourages active engagement as a way for members to shape policy, direction, and the future of the profession.  Dr. Rosato underscores his trust in collective dialogue, diverse viewpoints, and allowing thoughtful processes to unfold by sharing his belief that the "smartest person in the room is always the room" itself.  How can effective leaders handle friction?  Dr. Rosato discusses one of his most significant leadership challenges and highlights the importance of leading with both short‑term realism and long‑term optimism. Rather than viewing limitations as setbacks, he explains how constraints challenge leaders to be more creative, innovative, and intentional in shaping meaningful solutions for members.    Resources  Read the statement on clinical autonomy referenced in this episode.  Learn more about advocacy and how you can join the ADA, America's leading oral health advocate, in fighting for what matters to you and your patients.  Connect with Dr. Rosato on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or email at rosator@ada.org.  Stay connected with the ADA on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for the latest industry news, member perks and conversations shaping dentistry. 

Send us a textThere's a difference between complaining… and caring enough to speak up.And today, that's what this episode is about—saying something because you care, not because you want attention, not because you want conflict, and not because you're trying to tear something down.It's about speaking up when staying quiet would be easier.Support the show

Send us a textToday's episode is… honestly, it's personal.Because bullying in dentistry isn't just “someone being mean.”Bullying in dentistry becomes:fear-driven decision-making,silence when people should speak,compliance when something is wrong,and retaliation when someone asks questions.And I want to say something upfront:This isn't an anti-insurance episode. This isn't an anti-association episode. This isn't an episode meant to create enemies.This is an episode about one thing:The bullying mentality—wherever it shows up—and how it holds our profession hostage.Support the show

Send us a text“HB 495: Virtual Credit Card Opt-Outs — Protecting Dental Practices from Hidden Fees”Support the show

Dr. Glenn Vo sits down with Dr. Brett Kessler, Past President of the American Dental Association, for a candid conversation about what really happens inside the ADA advocacy, budgets, member value, and why unified dentistry matters right now. They unpack: ⦁ How Dr. Kessler's leadership journey started (and why “getting involved” isn't a secret club) ⦁ What the ADA tackled this past year: wellness, advocacy, fluoride legislation, and organizational restructuring ⦁ Why member dues matter and what happens when dentists “check out” ⦁ How the ADA approaches DSOs, insurance, and professional autonomy ⦁ What's next: Oral Health 2050 and the future of oral health delivery

Send us a text“HB 359: The Law That Sparked a Movement”Support the show

Send us a text“Utah Leads the Nation: Why the ADA Isn't Talking About It — and Why We Are”Support the show

Send us a textWELCOME TO 10 WEEKS OF LEGISLATION HERE IN UTAH!But Rob and Tracy, I'm not in Utah, how does this apply to me? It's simple, if you're in another state, take this information to your state dental association and get them to pass legislation like we have here in Utah.If you've been following dental policy this year, you probably noticed that Utah passed more meaningful reforms than any other state… but you wouldn't know that from reading the American Dental Association's updates. And that's the problem. We worked for years to protect patient choice, fair reimbursement, and provider rights — and somehow, those wins didn't even make the ADA's 2025 legislative recap. And why do we care? Not for recognition, but to help guide and motivate other states to serve their association members, and the patients they serve.” Support the show

Send us a textInsurance companies allow — and even encourage — billing for non-covered services… Meanwhile, some association leaders accuse dentists of unethical billing for using the exact CDT codes the ADA created.You can't make this stuff/shit up.If your blood pressure isn't elevated yet, just wait.We're going to talk about:How dental associations became the enforcement arm for insurers instead of advocates for dentists.Why certain leaders have adopted insurer-aligned mindsets that actively harm the profession.How the ADA's own language contradicts what associations preach.And why it's time — long overdue — for dentists to say: Enough. Is. Enough.Support the show

Send us a textIn dentistry—as in life—leadership is not a title, but a responsibility. Too often, we imagine leadership as a rank to be achieved, a position to be claimed, or an office to be won. But genuine leadership is not defined by where you sit at the table; it's defined by what you do when you're at the table—and more importantly, what you do when you're not.At its core, leadership is action. It's the daily choice to step forward, to shoulder responsibility, and to serve others even when no one is watching. For state and national dental association leaders, this means moving beyond advocacy for oneself to a broader commitment: fighting for the profession, for patients, and for the future of oral health.Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode, we pull back the curtain on Delta Dental's latest effort to “train” HR departments on how to talk about their plans. On the surface, it looks like education—but behind the scenes, it's strategic messaging designed to make employees hear only the positives and none of the truth about coverage limitations, provider restrictions, and patient choice.We explore how these trainings teach HR professionals to polish the Delta Dental brand while avoiding the real issues—like low reimbursements, restrictive contracts, and the control Delta exerts over provider care. By shaping the message at the HR level, Delta ensures employees stay loyal to their network and blind to what's really happening behind the smile.Tune in as we decode Delta Dental's playbook and show how employers can empower their teams with facts, not spin.Support the show

Send us a textTracy takes our listeners into a deep dive on how third-party payers are discouraging their clients to see out-of-network dentists. In this episode, we expose the truth behind Delta Dental's latest campaign targeting HR departments. Their message? Convince employees that going “out of network” will cost them more. The reality? It costs Delta control. We break down the misleading talking points, reveal what the data actually shows, and explain how this manipulation keeps both employers and employees in the dark—while protecting Delta's profit margins, not patient care.Support the show

Send us a textDietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and resistance figure, once observed: “Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. Stupidity, not evil, is the greater threat. Not because it's more powerful, but because stupidity is unreachable. You can expose evil, you can argue with it, you can shine a light on it, you can resist it, but stupidity just does not respond. It does not engage. It just is, and it spreads.”Though written in the context of political oppression, Bonhoeffer's words resonate profoundly within dentistry today. The challenges our profession faces—insurance restrictions, reimbursement struggles, regulatory burdens—are not merely fueled by malice or greed. More often, they are perpetuated by what Bonhoeffer described: a surrender of independent thought and discernment.In this article, we will examine how Bonhoeffer's warning applies to dentistry, dental insurance, dental association leadership, and dental teams. More importantly, we will explore how liberation—not simply instruction—is the only antidote.Support the show

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3154: Kayla McDonell examines the science behind coconut oil's role in oral hygiene, especially its traditional use in oil pulling. She separates myth from evidence, showing how this natural remedy may help reduce bacteria and plaque while reminding readers that it should complement, not replace, professional dental care. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-oil-and-teeth Quotes to ponder: “Coconut oil has been used for thousands of years as a natural remedy for many health conditions.” “Oil pulling is an age-old practice where you swish oil around in your mouth to kill bacteria and promote oral hygiene.” “While oil pulling with coconut oil may reduce harmful bacteria, plaque, and gingivitis, it should never replace standard dental care.” Episode references: American Dental Association: https://www.ada.org National Institutes of Health - Oil Pulling and Oral Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198813/ Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-traditional-and-complementary-medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3154: Kayla McDonell examines the science behind coconut oil's role in oral hygiene, especially its traditional use in oil pulling. She separates myth from evidence, showing how this natural remedy may help reduce bacteria and plaque while reminding readers that it should complement, not replace, professional dental care. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-oil-and-teeth Quotes to ponder: “Coconut oil has been used for thousands of years as a natural remedy for many health conditions.” “Oil pulling is an age-old practice where you swish oil around in your mouth to kill bacteria and promote oral hygiene.” “While oil pulling with coconut oil may reduce harmful bacteria, plaque, and gingivitis, it should never replace standard dental care.” Episode references: American Dental Association: https://www.ada.org National Institutes of Health - Oil Pulling and Oral Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198813/ Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-traditional-and-complementary-medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Dr. Joel Berg is joined by Dr. Tim Wright on this episode of little teeth, BIG Smiles for a discussion of hot topics in dentistry and how those topics make it into the profession's academic publications. Dr. Wright also delves into his experience as Editor of JADA, the Journal of the American Dental Association. Now in his fourth year, he explains the manuscript submission and review process, as well as the topics he anticipates being the next big “cover stories” and emerging topics. Guest Bio: Tim Wright received his DDS degree from West Virginia University and completed his Pediatric Dentistry training and Master of Science Degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He currently is a Professor in the Division of Pediatric Dentistry and Public Health at The Adams School of Dentistry at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he has served as Pediatric Dentistry Department Chair and Department of Endodontics Interim Chair. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, and a Past President of the American Association of Dental Research. He has Chaired the Counsel of Scientific Affairs for the American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He has published over 200 peer reviewed scientific manuscripts, edited three textbooks and authored 27 text chapters. Dr. Wright is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of the American Dental Association and Chair of the AAPD Evidence Based Dentistry Committee.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There is a video about a dentist joking about giving less medication to people not of her political persuasion. To her audience, I guess they found it funny.  There is a larger story than the dentist and the joke. I waited. I hoped someone would bring a non-political reason what the joke was bad, very bad and unprofessional.    For the record, there are million of us that have some form of dental anxiety or dental phobia.  We need the skills of a professional, qualified and compassionate dentist.   We are scared out of our skulls because we don't know what a few bad teeth yankers of the profession will do to us. Or we clearly remember what a few of them have done to us.   In this episode, a brief definition of dental anxiety and phobia and resources for you to empower yourself.    Resources Mentioned:  There is a website associated with the American Dental Association website called Mouth Healthy. It offer three tips on dealing with dental anxiety.  Cleveland Clinic page on what is dental phobia, the symptoms, causes and treatment options.   The University of Pennsylvania Dental Medicine has a page on how to get over dental anxiety   For those of you in the United Kingdom, the Dental Fear Central page has some good information and suggestions on dealing with dental anxiety.   Emergency Resources The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support specifically for LGBTQ+ youth through phone (1-866-488-7386), text (START to 678-678), and online chat. Available 24/7. They also provide peer support and community.    Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. There are phone lines for those serving overseas. Visit the website to find the current status of the Veteran line and international calling options.    National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support 24/7. This service operates independently of the 988 service. Users can use text, chat or use WhatsApp as a means of contact.   Disclaimer:  Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.  Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder. This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Send us a textTwo wonderful softwares at battle with each other. Unfortunately, Dentrix is flexing their mighty muscle, and it just might lead to dental practices making the switch to other dental practice management software. Vyne is the preferred software when it comes to the submission of dental insurance claims. Hopefully they'll fix their integration issues. Tracy takes on the podcast on this power struggle issue.Support the show

Dr. Len Tau, aka the Reviews Doctor, is on the podcast. With Kiera, he goes into the most critical nuts and bolts of making sure your practice stands out (or at least keeps pace with) online reviews amid AI. He explains jargon terms like ranking power and factors and velocity of reviews, whether or not you should actually be responding to reviews of your practice, and a ton more. Visit SuperchargeYourDentalPractice.com and enter the code RAVING to save $100 on registration for Dr. Tau's annual conference. About Dr. Tau Dr. Len Tau thrives on helping practices maximize their online reputation, marketing, and social media strategies. As a speaker, Len is known for his lively and engaging presentations packed with ready-to-use strategies. He regularly travels the country sharing his marketing brilliance and passion for practice growth with audiences. As a consultant, he offers practice leaders with real-world solutions tailored to fit their specific challenges and opportunities. Len loves to help doctors and their teams understand and implement successful online systems to build their practice. He currently serves as general manager of the Dental for Birdeye Reputation Marketing Software. Selected as one of Philadelphia's Top Dentists by Philadelphia Magazine, he continues to experience growth year after year in his fee-for-service practice focusing on general, cosmetic, reconstructive and implant dentistry. Following his father into the dental profession, Len graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and continues to pursue ongoing continuing education opportunities. He has had the privilege of serving patients for two decades. He is an active member of numerous professional organizations including the American Dental Association, the Pennsylvania Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, the Eastern Dental Society, the Northeast Philadelphia Dental Implant Study Club, and the American Academy of Clear Aligners. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Kiera Dent (00:00) Hello, Dental Team listeners. This is Kiera and today I am so excited. This is one of my dear friends. We've known each other for several years in the industry. I'm super freaking pumped. I'm going actually be at his event next year in September. Little teaser. Stay tuned. He's got an amazing event he does every year in September. I have Dr. Len Tau. He is one of my faves. He is better known ⁓ as an authority in the dental consulting world, reputation marketing, and a practice growth. He's recognized by dentistry today as a top dental consultant for eight straight years.   He is the author of Raving Patients and 100 plus tips to 105 star reviews in a hundred days. Like this man knows how to do it. He's one of my faves. We really do collaborate on so many fun things. After 20 plus years in clinical practice, he now helps dentists nationwide, increase revenue, case acceptance and visibility. He leads the dental vision at BirdEye, hosts the Raving Patients podcast and runs the Supercharger Dental Practice Conference, which is the one I was alluding to that we're gonna be at next year in September, empowering practices to thrive in today's competitive landscape.   He's truly one of my faves. And today we're gonna dig into like, how do you get online reviews? But Len, welcome. I'm so happy to have you on the podcast. How are you today?   Dr. Len Tau (01:06) I'm good, thanks for having me, I'm excited to be here.   Kiera Dent (01:08) Of course. And this just came about because Len like, let's just do a little teaser. You're prepping full like steam ahead right now for your event that's coming up in September in Florida. ⁓ I love like the last time you and I were on the podcast, we talked about you in clinical dentistry. And then we reconnected after some time and you've left the chair, you're living your best life and you full blown gone into the event space. So just like, I know we're gonna get into like online reviews and how AI is changing that it's going to be just a really, really fun episode today. But tell us a little bit like   How is it going from like full blown dentist in the chair to now full blown events, like running these awesome events that we're super excited to be a part. Just kind of give me a little insight to that.   Dr. Len Tau (01:46) Well, it's been, it's been a lot of, a lot of fun. It's been very different, obviously, you know, for 23 years, I practiced dentistry, um, for about 12 of those, 13 of those who was full time. And then I went part time in 2017 until I sold and retired in 2022. Um, but one of the things I've grew up on in dentistry was going to dental events and, the big, the ones, the small ones, you know, all over the country and as a dentist first, and then as a vendor.   Kiera Dent (02:08) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Len Tau (02:15) Um, since 2013 or 14, so a long time in the space. know, one of the things that really hit me was that the events are not really put on very well. They're not, um, you know, whether you, if you're a dentist, there's issues when you're a vendor, there's issues. And I said, you know what? I want to change the game. And, um, one of my goals when I retired from dentistry was to start putting on events. So in 2023, um, in, in September, we did an event in Delray had 208.   Kiera Dent (02:25) Right.   Dr. Len Tau (02:44) Dennis there, 33 sponsors. was, first day was business, second day was marketing. Excuse me. First day was marketing. Second day was business. Had a 13, 14 speakers. It went off better than I could ever imagined. I then moved to the last year in 2024 to Scottsdale. And we were at the Scott Resort and Spa, which is a beautiful hotel and the event was good. It wasn't great. Definitely moving to different coasts.   I felt there was not as much, know, engagement, excitement about the event. So I, my family and my wife and I decided, Hey, we're going to do this. Let's have people come down to me. I live in beautiful, you know, part of Florida. we're having this year's event and the next three of them at super at, ⁓ at pure 66, a brand new hotel, ⁓ in Fort Lauderdale. It's literally half hour from my house, five miles from the airport, easy to get to. So this year event is September 26th and 27th.   Kiera Dent (03:32) Bye.   you   No.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Len Tau (03:45) We've got 14 speakers, ⁓ mixture of business and marketing. So we've got people talking about social media, about content. We have people talking about saving money on taxes. We're talking about how to become a fee-for-service practice. ⁓ So a lot of different great content and top speakers, Steve Rasner, Paul Goodman, ⁓ Jeff Buski, ⁓ Richard, Rich Maddow. So some real, real heavy hitters. And then some people who people haven't really heard of, Melanie Diesel, who's new in the dental industry.   So, but I like to do it differently and my events are very high end. You come, you're going to see things you probably have never seen before. I give a ton of time to the vendors so the vendors love me because they make sure that they get integration or interaction with the attendees. So you're going to be speaking in 2026, same weekend at September 25th and 26th in 2026, same hotel, pure 66.   Kiera Dent (04:28) Sure.   Yeah.   Dr. Len Tau (04:40) We're ramping things up right now. We're literally a month out from the events. still have people signing up. I still have people wanting to reach out as sponsors. And it's, it's, it's, is the fun time for me. Cause when I'm done, I'm, you know, I get a couple of months of break and then I start promoting 2027 again. So ⁓ it's been a good time. I really enjoy it. And I find that I've kind of ⁓ created something that's very different and the attendees really enjoy it and the vendors really enjoy it. So if I can make everybody happy,   Kiera Dent (04:45) No.   Dr. Len Tau (05:09) That's all I'm looking to do here.   Kiera Dent (05:11) ⁓ and Len, I hope the audience, if they can't see it, they can hear it. I think it's so fun because I mean, I've seen you in different spaces in your career, in your life. And there is just this like giddy, like younger version of Len that I feel is emerging of like, it's like giddy boyhood, like excitement of I'm excited to put these on. I'm excited to do these events. And it just makes me so happy for you. And what I think I'm hearing is yes, attendees are happy. Vendors are happy. But I also hear that Len is very happy and to do something   in dentistry is just very, very fun. It's very exciting. And so we're jazzed. I'm really excited. I love good events. I love great time. I love to help. love business marketing. Everybody can take that. That's not Kiera's jam. Like I, that's why I wanted to bring you on. You guys are very good at marketing. You're very good at that space. but to talk about how to help people have their best lives to grow the practices that they want to grow. I think you and I are so synergistic in that. So we're super excited and I love, I mean, I'm not going to highlight the fact that there were   a couple of sixes in that is September 26 at Pier 66. You guys hopefully like, I like the alliteration. Don't put anything weird on it guys, but I do appreciate that you made it easier. September six and nines flipped upside down are a six. Like hopefully everybody can remember September 26, Pier 66. It'll be a good time in 2026. I mean, we got four lines, so we're okay. We've at least got four sixes, not we didn't end on three, but I really hope an exciting step. We'll make sure we put some info for people.   For this year and for next year, I think it'll be a fun time. Dental A Team will be there, so come hang out with us. ⁓ Len, I'm super excited. I will not spoil secrets, but a lot of the things he told me for the events, I will say he does put his heart and soul into it. So Len, excited about that. Thank you for sharing. Good luck for this year. We're gonna be rooting you on this year and next year. And now let's pivot. Let's go into like your jam. You're in BirdEye, you're in marketing, you're on online reviews. AI has come into the scene. Practices are changing.   I also will say, I hope everybody listens to you of their like succession story. You hung up the hand piece, but you are still full steam ahead in dentistry. And so I hope people see that like there is no path to dentistry. Like you just, it's a, it's a beautiful world that you're in. So let's talk though, online reviews, AI, how is this working? How do we make sure that practices are still being visible? Chat GPT is on, on the prowl.   There are clients signing up with us now that have found us on chat. GPT, which is so random. It's changing how people have been doing things. Walk me through. What are you seeing with these online reviews? The importance, how to bring AI in? Like, let's just kind of go in a rift on how practices can still be visible with AIs. Like just showing up to the scene.   Dr. Len Tau (07:43) So I wanna talk about chat CPT for a second. ⁓ I refer to it as my best friend. ⁓ It helps me edit. No, I haven't named it yet. No, I haven't named it. ⁓ you have?   Kiera Dent (07:50) Have you named it? I've got to just ask Len. Have you named? I have! Me and Chet,   I had a name and now her name is Wanda. I don't know why, I don't even know where Wanda came, but people are like, here, are you hanging out with Wanda again? Cause I agree. Like they're our best friends. So go on Len. I can't wait to hear what you name your Chet GPT cause mine is currently Wanda.   Dr. Len Tau (08:06) I'll have to, I   have to name it now that I have to think of something. ⁓ but no, I started using it. I'm like, this is really helpful and it's only gotten better. And, just to give you an idea is, ⁓ my wife and I, and my son, my son just graduated high school. He's literally just started his freshman year at, university of Florida on a free ride. ⁓ smart, smart ass kid. I'm very proud of him. But, you know, and I travel a ton, but I travel a ton for business and I made a commitment. I think I told you that,   Kiera Dent (08:25) Boo? Yeah.   Dr. Len Tau (08:35) during the summer when he was going away for school, I was not going to travel. So from March to literally next week, beginning of September, I haven't traveled at all for business. we did plan some really great travel for our personal lives. And one of the things we did was we had a cruise, a 17 day cruise to Europe. ⁓ And when I decided I did not want to do the excursions to the cruise, cause they're really expensive and you're with all these people. I prefer to kind of just go and tour myself.   Kiera Dent (08:44) It's awesome.   Dr. Len Tau (09:05) So I use ChatGPT in every city. And I said, I'm going to the city. This is what I'm going to get in. This is the cruise I'm going on. It got the cruise itinerary. And I said, I want to set up private tours in every city with different people. And it helped me pick the best tour guides. They referred me to a website called Tours by Local, which is an amazing website that you can meet people who are local that will take you around.   show you the city and it was amazing. It was amazing. So I thank Chachi PT for doing that because I wouldn't have known about half these things if I didn't do it. And in fact, one of the women, and actually the very first place you went to, which was in Split, Croatia, which was beautiful. I told her that literally that's kind of how I went down this road was I asked Chachi PT, what should I do in Split? And they said, you need to use this tour guide. She's the highest rated tour guide and has the best reviews on tours by local. like,   What's towards by local? And that started this whole thing. So she was, she was amazed to hear that. So, ⁓ I have been using Chad GPT for a long time, like I said, and even now it is people I know type in, know, get me to the best dentists in the area. And it's very much based on reviews. So you have to be a highly rated practice. you may not believe in reviews and if you do, think you're not smart, but you know, if, if you want to be at the forefront of where people are looking,   Kiera Dent (09:58) Yeah.   Yes.   Dr. Len Tau (10:25) You have to generate reviews in a significant amount. Velocity now, which is how often you're getting them, is one of the biggest ranking factors on Google, whether you want to believe chat GPT or not. ⁓ But you have to get reviews. You can't, you know, rest on your laurels and say, well, I have enough because you never have enough. Okay. And, ⁓ and you've got to let Google rank you high. And there's been a big discrepancy in the industry, a big, I don't want to say a misunderstanding.   Kiera Dent (10:43) read.   Dr. Len Tau (10:52) But I've been in the review space now since 2013, so 12 years. And in the past, dentists thought that if they get reviews, they're going to rank. And that's not the way it is anymore. If you have reviews, but don't pay attention to the other ranking factors, you actually don't rank well. And that's a problem. So, chat GPT AI is so important, but you still got to dominate Google. You still got to get to the top of the pages.   And that's really where the direction is going. and if you aren't there now and you are ignoring it, you're never going to get there. So I would love to talk to you about our list in instruct or educate the listeners and viewers of these ranking factors that they need, need to pay attention to, or they're going to be left behind when it comes to ranking on Google.   Kiera Dent (11:27) Yeah.   absolutely. And I'm excited for this too, because, I did notice that you've got to like, AI is just crawling the web. That's where it's getting, it's being taught. It's crawls it. It looks through all of it. And so agreed with you. have a lot of clients and like, we want the secret pill of marketing. And I might get your reviews up. Like it is constant and consistent that if you get those reviews up and you bring pieces to the table, that people literally like that's what's going to rank you higher. So I'm excited, Len to, to dig in deeper because it is like how   getting more reviews, but to hear that there's more beyond just the reviews really can help these offices like get the best bang for their buck, help more practices. And I'm like, it used to be when I first started consulting when I used to tell offices get to like 100 Google reviews. It is now I'm pushing people like five, six, 700 reviews that you need to be getting ranked into. And I don't know if you're seeing like a cutoff line or if it matters on that. So I'm really excited to dive into like, what are the rankings? What are the pieces? Is there a difference? But I'm like now   100 reviews, when I look at somebody I'm like, hmm, like if there's another dental practice that has maybe 400, 500 new clients come on, the first thing I do is I go look them up to see how many reviews do you have? And I'm shocked at how many dental practices actually are not showing up when I Google their names and they're like, no, no, care, we're here. And I'm like, but if I'm a prospective new client that doesn't work in your practice and I don't see you all the time and I just tried to find you and I'm looking for you.   How many patients who are not looking for you are not finding you as well. So yeah, take us away, and I'm super curious, very intrigued by this. It's fascinating. And I'll also say, because AI is new, feel like people got like a reset slate. Like, hey, you can actually get back into the game if you haven't been into the game, if you just start playing now. If you don't, I agree with you. I do think that you will unfortunately get obliterated without trying if you don't get into the game now.   Dr. Len Tau (13:28) 100 % so and I couldn't agree with you more. So the best thing to do here is if you're listening to this, I want you to go to a Google search and I want you to type your practice name in. Okay, so that's the first thing to do. Right.   Kiera Dent (13:39) and not in your office. Don't do it in   your office. Go somewhere else. Like try it somewhere else.   Dr. Len Tau (13:44) Right, well, and 100%, that's another thing is that if you're gonna look up your ranking specifically, you do not wanna do that from your office location, okay? Because you're not gonna get real results. You also wanna go into incognito mode or private browsing mode on your phone or your computer if you're doing that to check ranking. But this is not specifically about ranking. This is more about how you appear online. So go to Google and type in your practice name. Not your name unless it's the name of the practice, but your business name, okay?   Kiera Dent (13:52) Yes.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Len Tau (14:13) and it doesn't have to be what's registered with the state board. It's how you, when you answer the phone, what you say, okay? Pennsylvania Center for Dental Excellence was my practice name, okay? So you wanna look yourself up. So these are some of the ranking factors that Google looks at. Obviously one of them is your total number of reviews you have. Definitely a ranking factor, but the total number has not been as important as some other factors as well. So.   Kiera Dent (14:20) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Len Tau (14:40) Average number of reviews in the industry right now is about 350. It used to be like 100 was the golden number. Now 350 is the average in the industry. So are you average? Are you below average or are above average? Okay, that's something to look at. The second ranking factor, which is even more important is the velocity of reviews. So how many reviews, how often you're getting them. Okay, so if you're getting once every two weeks, not enough. If you're getting them once every week,   Kiera Dent (14:46) Yes.   Dr. Len Tau (15:10) Not enough. You don't need them every single day, but two or three every single week is ideal. Okay, because you think two or three every week gives you eight to 15 a month times 12 months is 100 reviews a year, which is a nice number. Okay, so you have to have that velocity. All right. Third ranking factor is the total score, your average number of stars. So   I would like you to be anywhere from 4.6 to five stars. Okay. I don't think you have to be only five stars. think there's a negativity related to that. If you're only five star reviews, but I also don't want you to below 4.5. Okay. ⁓ And if you're at 4.3, 4.2, or even 4.1, another better review or two, and you're to be in the threes. And that's really where you don't want to go. Cause you lose a huge percentage of patients who may come in if you're less than four stars. Okay. Another ranking factor.   is the primary category. So how do you know your primary category? If you look under your Google, your name, will say right where the stars is, will say, hopefully dentist in your town or dentist in your county or dentist in your city. Okay. So your primary category should be dentist because we're a dental practice. Okay. If you're an oral surgeon, you may want it to be oral and actual facial surgeon. If you're an endodontist, want it to say endodontist. You don't want it to say dentist if you're a specialist. Okay.   ⁓ That's a big ranking factor and I'll give you an example. I, ⁓ my wife had some plastic surgery over the last couple of years and we were referred to that doctor. So we didn't need to search for him. We were referred to him. went in, we liked him, we used his services. ⁓ And of course, being a plastic surgeon, I talked to him about reviews. He now uses BirdEye, but he had me speak in an event that he holds down here in Boca Raton.   And I talked about this exactly. And I asked everybody, cause it was a small group. What is your primary category? And he goes, he said to me, literally, he says, I'm listed as a nurse practitioner. He wasn't listed as a plastic surgeon. He was listed as a nurse practitioner. So his categories were all messed up. So when you actually typed in plastic surgeon near me, he never showed up because his category was wrong. So primary category is a very important ranking factor as well. Now you also have to make sure your secondary categories are also. ⁓   Kiera Dent (17:15) No.   Dr. Len Tau (17:35) ⁓ under ⁓ are there as well as under the proper categories. So secondary categories, if you're a dentist, dental clinic, teeth whitening services, denture care center, orthodontist, if you're doing aligners, if you're endo, you're doing root canals, you can have endodontist. If you do periodontist, can do periodontist. You want to make sure you have nine secondary categories. Okay, if you don't have them, you want to add them.   Now, how do you add them? It's very easy. You go to Google using ChatGPT or anything and say, how do I add secondary categories to my Google business listing? Okay. It will tell you exactly like a recipe how to do it. You need to add those secondary categories. All right. And if you want help doing it, you can always reach out to me. The last ranking factor, which is really important is making sure that the practices name, address, and phone number is consistent. Okay. So just to be clear, most   website companies do not do local SEO. They do website SEO, which is making sure the website is SEOed so the website ranks higher on the organic rankings. We're talking about getting the Google business page ranking higher, which the website companies are not focused on. So when it comes to the name, address and phone number, is it consistent? You have to be consistent. And this is a Google requirement.   It is not a patient thing. It's not a me thing or you thing. It's a Google requirement that this data is consistent. So the name is obviously important. So if you have the and or the ampersand, you may find things inconsistent. When it comes to the address, if you have, you know, South State Streets, Unit 510, you can have South or S, you can have Street or ST, and then you can have Suite, Unit, Number, or STE.   All these variations need to be consistent. So one of them has to be done and one and stuck with. And then if you are using a tracking number for whatever reason on your Google business listing, you may find your inconsistent there as well. So when you make everything consistent and you get a higher velocity of reviews, guess what happens over time? You rank higher on the maps. And when you rank higher on the maps, you get more visible for patients to find you. So that's where the secret sauce is. And   Not that this is a sales pitch about BirdEye, but that's exactly what BirdEye does. BirdEye does those. We check all those boxes for you. And then what ends up happening is a practices get more reviews. But more importantly, when they ask patients how they find them, they're going to see that they found them because of their ranking online and the reviews drove them to the practice. So that's how this whole thing plays a role in getting a practice more visible and credible.   Kiera Dent (20:06) Thank   Wow. So I was over here like taking a lot of notes, which I really loved. I love the number, the 350 at the average, the velocity, like three to five per week you were saying. It doesn't need to be an everyday, but I do agree like them consistently coming through the total score, the 4.6 to five primary category, secondary category, making sure we have nine. And then you were talking about like the practice name, phone number, all of that has to be consistent. So the addresses have to be the same. And that's going to help you rank higher.   Did I miss anything? Those are my notes, Len. And I'm just curious, like, did I catch them all? Because there was a lot of pieces to consider. And then I have some follow ups as well. So like, did I miss anything in that list?   Dr. Len Tau (21:02) No, I   think you got it all there.   Kiera Dent (21:06) Okay, so hopefully that was a good recap for everybody. If you were listening, I tried to like summarize everything he said, because I really feel that those are super valuable pieces to know. Now, Len, there's a couple of things that happen and I'm very curious of what you've seen. Maybe you know, maybe you don't know. It's just a riff for me genuinely curious over here. Does it impact for the business to respond to the reviews? Because I know there was like a big misnomer out there like for a while, like you have to respond to every single review that helps you rank higher. What's the   What's kind of the lay of the land right now responding to the reviews that come in?   Dr. Len Tau (21:39) So there's been a big push over the years to respond to reviews. And there's also been those naysayers who don't want you to respond to reviews. So I want to make this very clear. When you respond to a review and you acknowledge them as a patient, you are technically violating HIPAA. Okay. Now by the letter of the law, if you do that, you violated HIPAA and can be in trouble. Now in all the years I've been doing this, I've only seen one   Kiera Dent (21:49) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Len Tau (22:08) example of a positive review being responded to and the dentist got in trouble. Okay. So if someone writes a review for you and it's five stars and you say, thank you so much for your feedback. We were glad you had a great experience in our practice. Okay. You technically violated HIPAA there because you acknowledged that they came into the practice. I don't think you'll ever run into any problems with that. I don't, I've never seen any instance when a, when a practice has got into trouble. But again, by the letter of the law, it's a violation.   Here's where the person ran into a problem. Okay. So the review in question, the patient wrote, I'm so happy with my appearance after I went to so-and-so's dental office. I think they were in Texas. The dentist responded, we're so happy that you, thank you so much for your review. We're so happy that you loved our magic needles. Okay. So it, from what I understand is the patient had Botox or   dermal fillers placed and that's what they call their magic needles. So the patient wrote, wrote a letter to the practice saying, I didn't appreciate you letting the world know that I had Botox done and asked for the review response to be taken down, which the dentist immediately did. Took it down and apologized, but it really pissed the patient off and the patient sued the dentist and won. Okay. Because the dentist went out of their way to   Kiera Dent (23:08) Mm-hmm.   Right.   Dr. Len Tau (23:33) you know, release private information that wasn't supposed to be done. So in that case, you shouldn't be doing that. Okay. Now on the same note, I would be very careful responding.   Kiera Dent (23:37) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Len Tau (23:45) to a review that's left by a negative, a negative review that's written by a patient. I would be very careful responding publicly to that because it's very hard to respond without violating HIPAA. So a simple response like, we're sorry to hear about your experience. Please contact the office to discuss the concerns as we're unfortunately unable to comment due to HIPAA release privacy stuff. That's fine. But.   Again, I just not sure it's the best thing to do. So you have to be careful with negative reviews. What it doesn't do is we really haven't found any relationship between responding and ranking. Okay, so you have to, I always leave it up to the people to respond. I like using AI to respond as well, because I think it comes up with HIPAA compliant and really good responses. ⁓ But you have to decide what you want to do for your own practice.   Kiera Dent (24:16) Mm-hmm.   Interesting.   That's actually really helpful to know. ⁓ Okay, good feedback for people to ponder and decide what they want to do on. The second piece is   some people lose their Google My Business and they're not able to be found. ⁓ And I don't know if you have reasons why. I don't know if it's from like a name change or it's inconsistent. So like a lot of offices have a lot of reviews, but when you go to search them, they're hidden on Google My Business. Like it will show up on the person's side, but nobody externally can find it. Do you have any ideas of like what causes that or what offices can do if they're struggling with that?   Dr. Len Tau (25:11) So I want to clarify that what question you asked there. I'm sorry to ask a question when you asked the question was when you say that you're saying that when they search for their Google business listing, they can't find it or when someone is searching for the office, they're not visible on the maps.   Kiera Dent (25:15) Hey, that's okay.   So when they're searching, so if I just go into Google and I type in like my perfect smile, the website might link, but the Google My Business with all, and they might have like 150 Google reviews, like it might be, like they've got them all and the office can see it when they like log in as like, this is, you own this, but they've lost it and it's no longer visible publicly. Do you know what causes that or how they can get that back? It's okay if you don't, I'm just genuinely curious. Cause I know some offices struggle with this, especially with like name changes of practices.   going through different ownerships. ⁓ Some of them have told me it's like when I changed the name of my practice, it no longer showed up. Like we have all these reviews, but we're not showing up. Do you know what causes that or how practices can get back being visible?   Dr. Len Tau (26:02) Yep. Now that you   asked it that way, so that usually means that your Google business listing has been suspended. And if you can't find it on search, but you see it, means it's suspended in most cases. Name changes, address changes, other things you do can cause it to be suspended. There are, if you look up on use chat GPT, ⁓   and say, why is, why can your Google business page be suspended? There is a list of different reasons why it can get suspended. ⁓ if you're getting reviews the wrong way is a big one. So, like you should not be incentivizing for reviews. And I'm talking about incentivizing the patients. You shouldn't be getting reviews in your physical office space because there's IP address conflicts and location services on the patient's phone. So if you're doing that, not only will you can potentially lose reviews, but you can't get it suspended, but you can look on.   Kiera Dent (26:37) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Len Tau (26:55) on chat GPT or Google and just say, what are the reasons that your business page can be suspended? And they're there. So usually you have to ⁓ re-approve it or re-verify that page. And there's certain things you do. You'll have to take a video of yourself in front of the practice, showing the address, showing the name of the business on the door. So there's things you will have to do to get it over to Google. So they'll re-verify you. And then once it happens, there's a good chance they'll unsuspend the listing. But that happens for that reason.   Kiera Dent (27:24) Gotcha. Okay. That's super helpful because I know a few offices have struggled with that. So was just curious for that. All right. This has been so helpful to figure out rankings. It's been helpful to understand. ⁓ My last question as we wrap up today on reviews has been so helpful, Len, is how do offices go about like, what are your recommendations? Yes, bird eye, swell, podium. Like there's a lot of review in Weave. I do, I usually recommend using an external one outside of things. think that they like, if they're just, if that's what they do, they're going to be experts at it.   But how can offices ethically and appropriately, like obviously great patient experience, but how do they increase these Google reviews? What are some of the best tactics you've seen to help these offices out?   Dr. Len Tau (28:04) So being biased, I mean, I'm a true believer in BirdEye because we help with the reviews and the ranking part. ⁓ Swell, which is a great product. know the guys who swell really well. A lot of their doctors don't rank well because they don't focus on the listings part of it or the ranking part of it. ⁓ I'm not a fan of Wee from a review perspective because they swell BirdEye and Podium, make it very easy. Weave doesn't. It's just the way we do it with our three other products. ⁓   I always say this, you can get reviews any way you want. The most effective is gonna be use some software, simple as that. But it all starts with the practice and it all starts with, I like to create a reputation culture in the practice, which means you know that every time a patient comes in the practice, that they're going to be evaluating you and reviewing you potentially. And you've gotta be on your best behavior, you've gotta put a happy smile on your face, you gotta treat them like they're the...   Kiera Dent (28:40) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Len Tau (29:00) king of the world, okay? You gotta roll out the red carpet. And if you don't do that, they may write a bad review, okay? But if you don't create that reputation culture, I think it's gonna be hard to get the practice to really accelerate the reviews. So creating that reputation culture using great verbiage skills. I love calling it feedback, not a review. If you call it a review, it sounds like you're begging for it. ⁓ The feedback conversation is much more comfortable to have. So, you know, it's an interesting situation, but if you don't ask, you don't get.   So you've got to ask. I think if you ask and you combine it with a really good software, you'll get a really good number of reviews. If you don't ask, you don't get. It's that simple.   Kiera Dent (29:30) Mm-hmm.   Yeah.   ⁓ well, that was so great. I appreciate this so much. And it's fun to hear about how AI is helping. It's fun to hear about how you still have to be great on Google. So ⁓ I just appreciate you. I appreciate you being here. I appreciate the knowledge you shared. appreciate for offices. I hope they take action and Len any last thoughts, how people can connect with you if they want more help on this. know ⁓ like truly in my opinion, this is the simplest marketing. Everybody wants to like sexy magic pill of marketing. And I'm like, no, it's like really great experience. Ask for the reviews, ask for the feedback.   like rank so that way people can find you I've had offices that had like three four or five new patients and they're like I need this marketing I need all these things which I'm not here to say not to do it but I will say great reviews will boost you very quickly so Len any last thoughts you've got how people can connect with you because it's been truly just an incredible episode today   Dr. Len Tau (30:26) So ⁓ I'm around the country a lot. So you can always connect with me in person if I'm at some of these events. If you wanna come to Supercharge, you can connect me there. SuperchargeYourDentalPractice.com You can use the code RAVING to save $100 on registration. ⁓ We also have some scholarships available. So if you do wanna come, you can reach out to me personally. So ⁓ my cell phone's all over the internet. The easiest way, if you have any questions, you want advice, you want help, I'm the guy to reach out to. My phone number is 215.   Kiera Dent (30:40) Awesome.   Dr. Len Tau (30:55) 292-2100. And my best email is Len, L-E-N, at drlentau.com, which is D-R-L-E-N-T-A-U.com. And you can email me, you can text me, you can call me, tell me you heard about me here and you need some advice. I'm more than happy to offer it to you. I do it all the time. ⁓ I love when people reach out to me because they know I'm an expert. So I do it kind of as a favor to people. ⁓ But no, you reach out to me, I'm happy to give advice.   Kiera Dent (31:23) amazing. Len, thank you so much for being on the podcast. I'm super excited for Supercharge 2025 and especially 2026. So everybody snag that. And truly, I hope you take action from today's podcast. This is easy ways for you to boost your marketing, be found and seen online. And Len, thank you for joining me today. I truly, truly appreciate you.   Dr. Len Tau (31:41) Thank you for having me, Kiera, I appreciate it.   Kiera Dent (31:43) Of course. And for all of you listening, thank you for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Keeping yourself up at night? Tips to calm worrying thoughts with Dr. Kimberly Harms In this helpful mini-episode of The Afterlight Podcast with Lauren Grace, Dr. Kimberly Harms shares simple yet powerful ways to quiet the mind and ease those looping, late-night worries. Learn how to: Shift out of fear-based thinking The power of prayer Embrace the power of asking for help when you need it most If worry has been stealing your sleep, this conversation is for you. Tune in now. This is part of our full-length episode: Love, loss, and legacy: Honest conversations about life and death with Dr. Kimberly Harms, https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-w3tv4-1889255 ----more---- About Welcome to The Afterlight Podcast with Lauren Grace, a spiritual podcast full of stories and conversations that prove we're never alone. Lauren Grace, host of The Afterlight Podcast, is a high-impact coach and medium dedicated to helping professionals deepen their connection to their soul so they can experience more freedom, fulfillment, and purpose.   Connect with Lauren Grace, Lauren Grace Inspirations: Lauren on Social @LaurenGraceInspirations Website: https://laurengraceinspirations.com Want to work with Lauren? Book a Free Discovery Call with Lauren: https://laurengraceinspirations.com Free Offers: https://laurengraceinspirations.com/freeoffers   The Afterlight Podcast:  The Afterlight Podcast on Social @theafterlightpodcast To be a guest, apply here: www.theafterlightpodcast.com Sign up for our newsletter: https://laurengraceinspirations.com/contact   Meet Dr. Kimberly Harms Dr. Kimberly Harms has been around the block in life.  She has served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service, a dental school professor, a grief counselor, a death doula, a civil mediator, a clinical dentist with her late husband Jim in Farmington MN, a school board Chair, President of an international women's organization, the first woman President of the Minnesota Dental Association, a National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association (21 years), Coach for Widows, an award-winning, best selling author and international speaker on the topics of grief, conflict and legacy planning and the cohost of the RethinkingDeath.Life Podcast.  She has also suffered many personal losses, including the deaths by suicide of her mother and son and the death by broken heart of her husband after their son's death.  These days, she enjoys her most important role yet: mom to two remarkable kids and grandma to six delightful grandkids, splitting her time between Kansas City and Minneapolis to soak up every precious moment. Connect with Kim here: https://www.drkimberlyharms.com Resources: https://www.drkimberlyharms.com/resources

Dr. Brett Kessler returns for a conversation with KJ on the latest trends and the developments in the Dental World. We talk AI, Materials, Digital Workflows, Labs, if you're a dentist you do NOT want to miss this episode! Ladies & Gentlemen, you're listening to "Confessions From A Dental Lab" and we're happy you're here. Subscribe today and tell a friend so we can all get 1% better :)Connect with Dr. Kessler on instagram at @bikodds and email him at kesslerb@ada.orgFollow KJ & NuArt on Instagram at @lifeatnuartdental, you can also reach us via email: kj@nuartdental.comAsk us about our scanner program!Learn more about the lab and request information via our website: https://nuartdental.com/contact

Send us a textWhy Do Dental Specialists Feel Restricted in Charging Referred Patients, or should I say, using up the PPO patient's benefits?If you've ever wondered why your dental specialist friends seem hesitant to bill additional fees for value-added services, or their full fee, or why your dental specialist family member says they have to “keep their fees within the referring dentist's range,” you're about to find out.Support the show

Send us a textJoining us today is the Executive Director of the Florida Dental Association, Drew Eason. Listen to this frank discussion on the American Dental Association's challenge to stay relevant and why its existence is necessary.

[01:02:08] Meta AI Grooming ChildrenDiscussion of Meta's chatbot seducing vulnerable users and grooming children, raising alarms over how AI is weaponized for control. [01:10:12] Congress Uses Crisis to Push Digital IDCriticism of Senators using Meta's scandal to advance online ID systems instead of stopping child exploitation. [01:16:56] Larry Fink & BlackRock Control WEFAnalysis of BlackRock's Larry Fink taking over World Economic Forum power, enforcing ESG/DEI agendas, and forcing global corporate compliance. [01:43:07] Trump & Ukraine Peace DealCoverage of Trump's position on Ukraine peace negotiations, skepticism over EU/NATO motives, and fears of engineered perpetual war. [01:55:04] U.S./UK Boots on the GroundTrump assures “no American boots” in Ukraine but hints at air support; UK pushes to deploy ground forces immediately. [02:06:25] Vaccine-Autism Study ExposedChildren's Health Defense scientists challenge a 2002 New England Journal of Medicine study dismissing autism links, calling its math flawed and data manipulated. [02:16:31] Lawsuit Against CDC Over 72-Dose ScheduleA major lawsuit highlights the CDC's failure to test the combined childhood vaccine schedule, alleging constitutional violations and industry capture. [02:23:21] Texas Sues Eli Lilly for BriberyAttorney General Ken Paxton sues the pharma giant for bribing doctors to push high-profit drugs, drawing parallels to the opioid crisis. [02:32:13] Mercury Fillings & Global BansExposure of the American Dental Association's ties to toxic mercury amalgam fillings, contrasted with EU and global bans ignored by U.S. regulators. [02:55:23] Election Rigging & Gerrymandering TeaserClosing segment transitions into election rigging and gerrymandering, previewing corruption on both political sides. [03:01:12] Gerrymandering & Rigged ElectionsDiscussion on redistricting battles in California and Texas, showing how both parties manipulate maps to lock in control and eliminate real voter choice. [03:10:06] Usury: Biblical Condemnation & Modern ExploitationShift to economic corruption, exposing how usury was once banned in Christian and civil law, but now thrives through credit cards, mortgages, and payday loans. [03:47:14] Trump, Heaven & Zionist Third Temple PlansTrump claims foreign policy wins could earn him heaven; contrasted with Zionist efforts to breed red heifers and rebuild the Third Temple, seen as delusional legalism. [03:57:00] Zionism, Prophecy & Final WarningsClosing critique of Zionist attempts to “force God's hand” in prophecy, with warnings against false gospels and misplaced faith in political or religious schemes. Follow the show on Kick and watch live every weekday 9:00am EST – 12:00pm EST https://kick.com/davidknightshow Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to https://davidknight.gold/ for great deals on physical gold/silver For 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to https://trendsjournal.com/ and enter the code KNIGHT Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.com If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-david-knight-show--2653468/support.

[01:02:08] Meta AI Grooming ChildrenDiscussion of Meta's chatbot seducing vulnerable users and grooming children, raising alarms over how AI is weaponized for control. [01:10:12] Congress Uses Crisis to Push Digital IDCriticism of Senators using Meta's scandal to advance online ID systems instead of stopping child exploitation. [01:16:56] Larry Fink & BlackRock Control WEFAnalysis of BlackRock's Larry Fink taking over World Economic Forum power, enforcing ESG/DEI agendas, and forcing global corporate compliance. [01:43:07] Trump & Ukraine Peace DealCoverage of Trump's position on Ukraine peace negotiations, skepticism over EU/NATO motives, and fears of engineered perpetual war. [01:55:04] U.S./UK Boots on the GroundTrump assures “no American boots” in Ukraine but hints at air support; UK pushes to deploy ground forces immediately. [02:06:25] Vaccine-Autism Study ExposedChildren's Health Defense scientists challenge a 2002 New England Journal of Medicine study dismissing autism links, calling its math flawed and data manipulated. [02:16:31] Lawsuit Against CDC Over 72-Dose ScheduleA major lawsuit highlights the CDC's failure to test the combined childhood vaccine schedule, alleging constitutional violations and industry capture. [02:23:21] Texas Sues Eli Lilly for BriberyAttorney General Ken Paxton sues the pharma giant for bribing doctors to push high-profit drugs, drawing parallels to the opioid crisis. [02:32:13] Mercury Fillings & Global BansExposure of the American Dental Association's ties to toxic mercury amalgam fillings, contrasted with EU and global bans ignored by U.S. regulators. [02:55:23] Election Rigging & Gerrymandering TeaserClosing segment transitions into election rigging and gerrymandering, previewing corruption on both political sides. [03:01:12] Gerrymandering & Rigged ElectionsDiscussion on redistricting battles in California and Texas, showing how both parties manipulate maps to lock in control and eliminate real voter choice. [03:10:06] Usury: Biblical Condemnation & Modern ExploitationShift to economic corruption, exposing how usury was once banned in Christian and civil law, but now thrives through credit cards, mortgages, and payday loans. [03:47:14] Trump, Heaven & Zionist Third Temple PlansTrump claims foreign policy wins could earn him heaven; contrasted with Zionist efforts to breed red heifers and rebuild the Third Temple, seen as delusional legalism. [03:57:00] Zionism, Prophecy & Final WarningsClosing critique of Zionist attempts to “force God's hand” in prophecy, with warnings against false gospels and misplaced faith in political or religious schemes. Follow the show on Kick and watch live every weekday 9:00am EST – 12:00pm EST https://kick.com/davidknightshow Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to https://davidknight.gold/ for great deals on physical gold/silver For 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to https://trendsjournal.com/ and enter the code KNIGHT Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.com If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-david-knight-show--5282736/support.

Send us a textImagine you offer two options to your patients—one with premium materials, one standard. Sounds good, right? But what happens when those better options come at a cost that insurance won't cover?Now ask yourself—when you pass on those costs to higher-paying patients, is that ethical? Or are you just playing Robin Hood with root canals?Here's the kicker—many practices do this silently. PPO plans cover less, yet those patients often walk out with the same high-quality restorations that cash-paying or premium-insured patients get. So, who's really paying? Your MEPAT patients… the ones funding your LEPAT patients' dental care.Support the show

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Join Elevated GP: www.theelevatedgp.com Net32.com  Follow @dental_digest_podcast Instagram Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram    Peter Milgrom, DDS is Emeritus Professor of Oral Health Sciences at the University of Washington. He has been recognized throughout the world as a clinical scholar and innovator in a career spanning nearly 50 years. Among numerous awards, he received the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Bergen, Norway, the Norton Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research by the American Dental Association, the Distinguished Dental Behavioral Scientist and Irwin M. Mandel Distinguished Mentor Awards of the International Association for Dental Research, the Public Service Award from the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, and the Innovator Award from the University of California, San Francisco. Professor Milgrom is best known today for having created the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) program in Washington State and introducing fluoride varnish and silver diamine fluoride in the United States. He is best known clinically for having co-created the Dental Fears Research Clinic at UW. Having published more than 325 research papers and books,. Dr. Milgrom has consulted with government, non-profits, and industry throughout his career.

Have you heard of Photobiomodulation (PBM)? Or are you thinking... ‘photo-what?!' Is red light therapy just voodoo science—or is it already part of mainstream healthcare? Can PBM really help with wound healing, pain relief, and even reduce the risk of dementia? In this episode, Professor Praveen Arany joins Jaz Gulati to break down the science and clinical relevance of PBM in dentistry. They explore how this light-based therapy works, its applications in managing oral lesions, and why it's already standard care for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. They also discuss real-world cases, practical protocols, and how PBM could shape the future of dental care. Whether you're a skeptic or just curious, this episode will open your eyes to an emerging and evidence-based treatment modality. https://youtu.be/lQrawr3-YQA Watch PDP234 on YouTube Protrusive Dental Pearl: SHEEP Scoring as a practical tool to assess the prognosis and restorability of compromised teeth.

In this mini-series, we explore different health professions to get a better understanding of the variety of team members involved in patient care. For this episode, we chatted with Andre Moore about his journey in healthcare law.Andre Moore is a Chicago native and a final-semester law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he is a fellow at the Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago's (UIC) School of Public Health. Over the past two summers, he gained in-house legal experience, most recently at the American Dental Association, where he worked on healthcare compliance and data privacy and security matters.Episode produced by: Deborah ChenEpisode recording date: 4/29/2025www.medicuspodcast.com | medicuspodcast@gmail.com | Donate: http://bit.ly/MedicusDonateContact info for Andre Moore: lmoore22@luc.edu

On today's legally speaking podcast, I'm delighted to be joined by the wonderful Dr Kimberly harms. Dr harms is an international speaker with 30 years of dental, grief, conflict and transition management experience, she is an award winning Best Selling Author. She was the first woman president of the Minnesota Dental Association, and has served as the national spokesperson for the American Dental Association for 21 years. Dr harms is passionate about challenging societal norms surrounding death and end of life planning.So why should you be listening in? You can hear Rob and Kimberly discussing:- End-Of-Life Planning Being An Act Of Love, Not Just A Legal Requirement- Transparent Communication Preventing Family Conflicts After A Loved One's Death- Emotional Legacy: As Important As Financial Inheritance- Confronting Death Openly Helping Families Process Grief More Effectively- How Personal Resilience And Forgiveness Can Transform Traumatic Loss Into Meaningful ImpactConnect with Dr. Kimberly Harms here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-harms-bb524666

#ThisMorning on #BRN #Wellness | #Helping #Kids Who Don't Visit a #Dentist as Much as They Should | Megha Sata, MD, American Dental Association r | #Tunein: broadcastretirementnetwork.com #Aging, #Finance, #Lifestyle, #Privacy, #Retirement, #Wellness

Here's the typical scenario: dental offices are not profitable by procedure, so they work the hygienists to death in order to make up for lost revenue. Then there's the lack of support Hygienists need when diagnosing periodontal disease. Need I say more?It's no wonder why dental hygienists are burned out... But is there something dentists can do to reverse this problem? Enjoy the podcast...Support the show

The ADA introduced a new role. Is the Oral Preventive Assistant a problem for Dental Assistants? Everyone in dentistry is talking about something big. For dental assistants, this change feels like a direct challenge to their daily work. The American Dental Association's proposed Oral Preventive Assistant role could redefine work, value, and entire career paths. Are assistants about to take on more without fair compensation, pushing them further into burnout? We explore key questions about increased workload, the "slippery slope" concerns, and growing tensions among dental professionals. This episode reveals how the Oral Preventive Assistant could impact the dental profession. Get the truth behind the headlines! To truly grasp the full scope of this critical issue, make sure to watch the entire podcast; every moment holds crucial insights into dentistry's evolving future. Connect with Stephanie Website: https://www.polishedposture.net/ Podcast (Straight Up With Steph): https://straightupwithsteph.buzzsprout.com/ —-------------------------------------------- Hey friends—cool news! The Dental Assistant Nation Podcast was featured on Feedspot's Top 100 Dental Podcasts and their Top Dental Assistant Podcasts list. Huge thanks to you for listening, subscribing, and supporting the show. Couldn't have done it without you. Go check it out—we're listed alongside some amazing shows! 100 Best Dental Podcasts - https://podcast.feedspot.com/dental_podcasts/ 4 Best Dental Assistant Podcasts - https://podcast.feedspot.com/dental_assistant_podcasts/ —--------------------------------------------

Dr. Jeanette MacLean, a trailblazer in minimally invasive SDF practices, joins Dr. Joel Berg to discuss how observations and a willingness to try a different approach can positively benefit both providers and patients. Dr. MacLean shares how her own learning experiences seeing the same patients year after year in private practice led to her desire to consider less aggressive treatment options. She also delves into how the collaborative pediatric dental community was imperative in guiding her path. Guest Bio: Dr. Jeanette MacLean has been in private practice as an Owner for 20 years. As an appointee to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Speakers Bureau and has provided lectures across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as webinars viewed in over 40 countries. Dr. MacLean graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Northern Arizona University in 1999. She received her dental degree, with honors, from the University of Southern California in 2003 and completed her specialty training in pediatric dentistry in 2005 at the Sunrise Children's Hospital through the University of Nevada School of Medicine. Dr. MacLean is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Fellow of the American College of Dentists, Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, and Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Her research has been published in the journals Pediatric Dentistry, the Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, the British Dental Journal, and Compendium. She has been featured twice in the New York Times: She is also an active member of the Central Arizona Dental Society, the Arizona Dental Association, the American Dental Association, the Arizona Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She is married to Timothy Budd, an attorney, and they have a son, Charlie, and a daughter, Sabrina. She has donated her time to underprivileged children both locally and in Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica, and has been honored for her volunteer work and humanitarian achievements. She speaks conversational Spanish, and her interests include party planning, crafts, Jazzercise and all things Disney. She is also active in Local First Arizona, the Arizona Dental Associations' AHCCCS Subcommittee and Women in Dentistry group. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Newly Erupted, host Dr. Joel Berg talks about the keys to avoiding burnout with Dr. Trudy-Ann Frazer. Dr. Frazer shares her three-step approach to mitigating burnout, particularly for female practitioners and what steps to take once you realize burnout has taken hold – either in yourself or your team. Guest Bio: Dr. Trudy-Ann Frazer has experience working exclusively with children. It is her goal to promote good oral habits to children and parents as a part of preserving beautiful, healthy smiles for a lifetime. She earned her DDS from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee as the Valedictorian, then completed her certificate in Pediatric Dentistry residency from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York. She is a proud graduate of Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama where she received her Bachelor of Science in Biology. Dr. Frazer was born in Negril, Jamaica and grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. She has dedicated much of her professional career to educating and serving children and participated in numerous outreach activities, which include several mission trips to offer dental services to children in Jamaica. She is also involved in various organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Association, and National Dental Association, as well as a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She enjoys swimming, basketball, camping, traveling and spending quality time with her family and friends.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

**Discussion begins at 6:00**In 1901, Frederick McKay was a dentist who opened a practice in Colorado Springs and found that his patients all seemed to have stained/mottled teeth, but no cavities.  Why was this?  He determined, after nearly 30 years and with the help of other researchers, that they all had what is now called fluorosis – and it was the result of high levels of fluoride in the Colorado Springs drinking water.  He reported his findings to the dental community, and people started comparing fluoride levels and dental hygiene in various geographical areas. In the 1930s, a dentist with the US Public Health Service, sought to determine how high the level of fluoride in the water could be before it caused mottling, in hopes they could remove fluoride from water sources where there were higher levels.  During his study, he learned that low doses had a protective effect.  It was reported that when natural fluoride concentration was greater than 1 part per million, the incidence of cavities was seen to be reduced by some 50-65% and the World Health Organization began to recommend supplemental fluoride where levels were low.In the 1940s and 50s, there was a push to fluoridate water in the US and Canada, reportedly in an attempt to improve dental health.  This practice was immediately divisive, and remains that way today.  Today, the American Dental Association remains a strong advocate of adding fluoride to water and estimates that every dollar spent on fluoridation saves about fifty dollars in future dental expenses.  Nonetheless, for the last7 0 years there have been people who felt that the government had and continues to have a more nefarious goal… Was this all a communist plot to undermine American health or control the population?  Other critics note similarities between MK Ultra studies and fluoridating water.   The potential goal of mind control was even referenced in the 1964 political satire Dr Strangelove – in which one of the characters, General Jack D. Ripper believes that fluoridation of public water supplies is a Communist conspiracy designed to weaken American willpower. He sees it as a sinister plot to destroy "our precious bodily fluids".  Was this all a conspiracy to cover up and get rid of fluoride, an industrial waste product of fertilizer?  Finally, there are those who believe that water fluoridation is an infringement of individual rights - similar to mass medication or vaccination without consent.  Additional concerns surround the potential negative health effects including bone cancer, thyroid issues, and cognitive deficits in children – but what is the truth?    Is fluoride in our water a cheap and effective way to improve dental health?  Or is there something more sinister at play?Send us a textSupport the showTheme song by INDA

In Who Moved My Cheese?, Dr. Spencer Johnson uses a simple allegory involving four characters (Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw) who navigate a maze in search of “cheese” — a metaphor for what we want in life, such as a job, relationship, or health. The story centers on how each character reacts when the cheese is moved, reflecting the need to adapt to change.This narrative is eerily applicable to the current state of dental insurance — particularly how companies like Delta Dental operate. Dentists and patients alike are characters in this real-life maze, constantly trying to locate the “cheese” of quality oral health care. But the challenge is that insurers aren't just moving the cheese; they're changing the maze itself. The rules are always shifting: what procedures are covered, reimbursement rates, required pre-authorizations, and even what counts as “necessary” care.For providers committed to delivering the best, most advanced care, this inconsistency is not just frustrating — it's professionally and ethically compromising.Support the show

  We're tackling the widespread misunderstanding about insurance, how it works, navigating the challenges, and what's being done to help dentists on this issue.  Special Guest: Dr. Sara Stuefen  For more information, show notes and transcripts visit https://www.ada.org/podcast

Today we are delighted to welcome Dr. Erin Smith and Dr. Timothy Imafidon Jr, passionate art collectors and owners of Goldsboro Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics. Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Dr . Erin Smith completed her undergraduate education at Duke University in Durham. After her graduation she earned her Doctorate from Howard University before heading south to continue her training at Jacksonville University School of Orthodontics, earning certification in Orthodontics and Maxillofacial Orthopedics. Professionally, Dr . Smith is a member of the American Association of Orthodontists, American Dental Association, and the National Dental Association. Personally, she is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Dr. Timothy Imafidon Jr . is a Board Certified pediatric dentist who was born in High Point, North Carolina. Growing up, he called North Carolina, Ohio and Indonesia home before heading off to Guilford College in Greensboro where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Following college, Dr. Imafidon completed four additional years of dental school at Howard University in Washington D.C. before completing a two-year residency program at Jacobi Medical Center, a teaching hospital affiliated with Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. While in N.Y . he received extensive training in treating special needs and medically compromised children at the Rose F. Kennedy Center for Developmental Disabilities. He is a member of the North Carolina Dental Society, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association. He is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi.  In this episode of The Art Elevator podcast, Sarah Reeder and Larissa Wild speak with Dr. Erin Smith and Dr. Timothy Imafidon Jr. about their journey in collecting art. I Topics discussed: - How to start educating yourself on the type of art you are interested in - Their tips on how to start a collection - How their collecting focus on African American art has influenced their friends, family and clients - The importance of supporting artists whose work speaks to you - The joy of living surrounded by art You can read more in the show notes here: https://larissawild.com/post/13416-the-art-elevator-episode-48---insights-on-collecting

Having tough conversations with those you love and the power of resilience with Dr. Kimberly Harms In this heartfelt mini-episode of The Afterlight Podcast with Lauren Grace, Dr. Kimberly Harms shares thoughtful insights on navigating the conversations we often avoid—but truly need to have. Lauren and Kim explore: Why we cannot change the past—and how shedding old hurts allows us to move forward without becoming victims of our history The importance of preparing for death and creating a positive legacy no matter what stage of life you're in How open, honest conversations about end-of-life wishes can bring peace, clarity, and connection Teaching children to live fully while you're here, so they can flourish when you're gone This episode is a powerful reminder that letting go of what we cannot change, and facing life's realities with love and openness, helps us—and those we care about—find freedom and peace. Listen now. This is part of our full-length episode: Love, loss, and legacy: Honest conversations about life and death with Dr. Kimberly Harms, https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-w3tv4-1889255 ----more---- About Welcome to The Afterlight Podcast with Lauren Grace, a spiritual podcast full of stories and conversations that prove we're never alone. Lauren Grace, host of The Afterlight Podcast, is a high-impact coach and medium dedicated to helping professionals deepen their connection to their soul so they can experience more freedom, fulfillment, and purpose.   Connect with Lauren Grace, Lauren Grace Inspirations: Lauren on Social @LaurenGraceInspirations Website: https://laurengraceinspirations.com Want to work with Lauren? Book a Free Discovery Call with Lauren: https://laurengraceinspirations.com Free Offers: https://laurengraceinspirations.com/freeoffers   The Afterlight Podcast:  The Afterlight Podcast on Social @theafterlightpodcast To be a guest, apply here: www.theafterlightpodcast.com Sign up for our newsletter: https://laurengraceinspirations.com/contact   Meet Dr. Kimberly Harms Dr. Kimberly Harms has been around the block in life.  She has served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service, a dental school professor, a grief counselor, a death doula, a civil mediator, a clinical dentist with her late husband Jim in Farmington MN, a school board Chair, President of an international women's organization, the first woman President of the Minnesota Dental Association, a National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association (21 years), Coach for Widows, an award-winning, best selling author and international speaker on the topics of grief, conflict and legacy planning and the cohost of the RethinkingDeath.Life Podcast.  She has also suffered many personal losses, including the deaths by suicide of her mother and son and the death by broken heart of her husband after their son's death.  These days, she enjoys her most important role yet: mom to two remarkable kids and grandma to six delightful grandkids, splitting her time between Kansas City and Minneapolis to soak up every precious moment. Connect with Kim here: https://www.drkimberlyharms.com Resources: https://www.drkimberlyharms.com/resources

Dr. Joel Berg is joined by cariology expert Dr. Brian Novy for a discussion on all there's still to learn about dental caries. Dr. Novy delves into the importance for practitioners to understand the science of cariology, particularly when working with patients and families that may be opposed to traditional treatments, like fluoride. He also shares his personal path in evidence-based dentistry research and how this work has improved his approach to educating the future generation of dentists. Guest Bio: Often described as “The tenth dentist,” Dr. Brian B. Nový has faculty appointments at Virginia Commonwealth University and Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He served on the American Dental Association Council of Scientific Affairs from 2010-2014, and in 2016 was appointed the consumer representative to the United States Food & Drug Administration Dental Products Panel. His papers are published in various journals including the Journal of the American Dental Association, the Journal of Dental Research, the Journal of Evidence Based Dentistry, Dentistry Today, Inside Dentistry, Dental Economics, Compendium, the National Academies of Medicine, and the International Journal of Equity in HealthSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Kimberly Harms' many life roles have included serving as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service, a dental school professor, a civil mediator, a clinical dentist, the President of an international women's organization, and a National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association. She is also a death doula, a grief counselor, an award-winning, bestselling author, and an international speaker on the topics of grief, conflict, and legacy planning. Having suffered the deaths by suicide of her mother and son and the death by broken heart of her husband after their son's death, Kim knows from personal experience that it is possible to prepare for a healing path to joy and peace no matter what life brings. Be sure to tune in for this powerful interview, as Kim shares the wisdom she has gained through tragedy, how she pulled herself out of her pit of despair, the tasks of mourning, the importance of overcoming grief and challenges in our lives to leave a legacy of joy and resilience, and so much more! Grab your copy of Are You Ready?: How to Build a Legacy to Die For---✨ Grief & Rebirth Resources and Healing Tools ✨Welcome to a space for finding healing modalities, inspiration, and growth. Below, you'll find some of the most important resources to help guide you through your journey. ---

Story at-a-glance In an open letter, I urge the American Dental Association to discontinue supporting water fluoridation, based on research linking fluoride exposure to reduced IQ scores, ADHD symptoms and thyroid dysfunction Most Western European nations have rejected water fluoridation in favor of education, fluoride-free products and dietary improvements to address dental health concerns I call for the elimination of mercury amalgam fillings, as research shows elevated blood mercury levels in patients with multiple amalgam fillings The European Union implemented a comprehensive ban on dental amalgam in January 2025, while many other countries have restricted or banned its use, particularly for vulnerable populations Despite global shifts toward safer alternatives, U.S. federal programs like Medicaid continue using amalgam fillings, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations with limited health care options

We're diving into the oral microbiome and how your mouth could be impacting both egg and sperm quality. Could what's happening in your mouth be impacting your fertility? In this episode, we dive into the surprising connection between your oral microbiome and reproductive health. From silent gum inflammation to the role of mouth breathing, you'll learn how your oral health can influence everything from egg quality and implantation to gut balance and sperm DNA. We're breaking down practical steps—like dental cleanings, gentle oral care, and smart toothpaste swaps—that can make a real difference on your fertility journey. If you're trying to conceive and looking for overlooked but powerful strategies, this one's for you. 

Let's face it—most of us would rather do anything than talk about death. But avoiding the conversation doesn't make it go away—it just leaves your loved ones drowning in decisions, grief, and sometimes financial chaos. In this episode of Everyone's Talkin' Money, I sit down with Dr. Kimberly Harms, a grief counselor, death doula, mediator, author, and former national spokesperson for the American Dental Association, who has lived through more loss and reinvention than most of us can imagine. From losing her son to suicide, her husband to a broken heart, and her career to injury, Kim rebuilt her life by embracing the hardest conversations—and now she teaches others how to prepare emotionally and financially for the inevitable. We talk about: Why open conversations about death and money reduce family conflict and emotional trauma The importance of legacy planning, estate organization, and writing a “love letter” binder Common financial regrets people share at the end of life—and how to avoid them What every member of the sandwich generation needs to know about long-term care and expectations How to talk to your kids (and grandkids! and parents!) about death without fear or shame Why grief + money = explosive—and how to avoid drama by planning ahead The surprising role of hospice, and why dying on your terms can be the greatest gift you give Kim's wisdom will leave you inspired to tackle your own plans, have those long-overdue conversations, and rethink what a “wealthy” life really means. You're going to walk away knowing: Financial planning is crucial for emotional preparedness in end-of-life scenarios. Hospice care focuses on comfort rather than prolonging life. Many families experience conflict after a death due to lack of communication. Leaving a legacy of love is the most important aspect of life. Planning for retirement and end-of-life care can alleviate burdens on family members. Kim encourages writing love letters to family members as a lasting legacy. Conversations about death should be normalized to reduce fear and discomfort. Joy and resilience are essential themes in navigating life's challenges. If you just want to make life easier for your loved one, or yourself - this is your must-listen episode. Connect with Dr. Kimberly Harms: https://drkimberlyharms.com Learn more about her book Are you Ready? How to Build a Legacy to Die For  Rethinking Death.Life podcast Connect with me (Shari!) on Instagram: @everyonestalkinmoney Subscribe to Everyone's Talkin' Money and leave a review if this episode moved you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since fluoridation became widespread in the 1950s, cavities in kids have fallen drastically. The effort is considered one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. But it's also one of the most controversial. At really high doses, fluoride is toxic – it can calcify your ligaments and joints and even fuse your spine. It also potentially has impacts on our brains. There's a small but growing body of research suggesting that fluoride can inhibit intelligence in children. This is still unsettled and hotly debated science but, as host Nate Hegyi finds out, in our polarized and increasingly digital world… unsettled science can quickly become doctrine. Featuring Rene Najera, Philippe Grandjean and Mark HartzlerFor a transcript and full list of credits, go to outsideinradio.org. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.LINKSThe CDC has a website that tells you how much fluoride is in your drinking water. Here's the reasoning behind the U.S. Public Health Service's recommended limit for artificially fluoridating water. The National Toxicology Program suggests that a child's IQ could be impacted if they or their pregnant mother ingests more than 1.5 ppm of fluoride in their water. Philippe Grandjean's peer-reviewed study suggests that the safe level of fluoride in water for pregnant women is much lower than what the U.S. Public Health Service recommends.The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association have cast doubt on the National Toxicology Program's conclusions and say that the fluoride levels in U.S. waters are safe. A U.S. district court judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to take a second look at its limits for fluoride in the water, citing the National Toxicology Program's monograph.