Podcasts about Dentistry

In this episode, host Shawn Terrell discusses the common confusions surrounding Roth IRAs, particularly the differences between contributions and conversions. He emphasizes the importance of understanding these differences, the irrevocable nature of conversions, and the tax implications involved. The episode also highlights the need for accurate reporting on tax returns and offers resources for listeners seeking further information on tax rules and financial planning for dentists.-------------------------------Episode Resource ----------------------------------Meet with Dentist Exit Planning Advisor:Schedule Discovery Meeting-----------------------------------About Dentist Exit Planning:Website: dentistexit.comFacebook Group for DentistsYouTubeInstagramLinkedInSign-Up for Dentist Exit Email NewsletterEmail Shawn at: shawn@dentistexit.com

In this episode of the Very Dental Podcast, Alan sits down with Dr. Tiana Hall at the 2026 Voices of Dentistry meeting in Gilbert, Arizona, to explore the unique world of correctional dentistry. Tiana shares her transition from private practice and volunteer work to her current role as a prison dentist in Utah, explaining how the move helped her navigate professional burnout by trading administrative stress for a predictable schedule and a collaborative medical environment. The conversation dives into the clinical and logistical realities of working behind bars, from managing patient security and "speed-walking" through the campus to the specific challenges of treating rampant decay and "Suboxone mouth" caused by medication-assisted treatment.  Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, Paul, Bioclear, Hornbrook, Gary, McWethy, Papa Randy, or Lipscomb!  The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products. Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!  

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes is joined by returning guest and longtime friend of the podcast, Dr. Matthew Standridge, live from the Voices of Dentistry conference. Dr. Standridge shares his incredible journey from owning multiple rural practices in Kansas to selling them and transitioning into a career focused on education and clinical mentorship. He opens up about the unique and atypical process of selling one of his practices to a nonprofit organization pursuing FQHC status, and how that created a win-win for both the community and his personal goals.  Now living in Edmond, Oklahoma, Dr. Standridge reflects on the improved quality of life for his family and his renewed passion for teaching. He dives deep into his new online education platform, Orthodontic XP, designed to help general dentists implement clear aligner therapy confidently and effectively—especially those who feel stuck after initial certification courses. Dr. Standridge also shares key insights on team training, patient communication, and systems for case acceptance in ortho. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.drstandridge.com https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

Are you telling yourself a story about your practice that's slowly draining you?In this episode of The Authentic Dentist Podcast, Shawn Zajas and Dr. Allison House tackle the invisible force behind dental burnout: the narrative running in the background of your mind. Not the schedule. Not the patients. Not the overhead. The story you tell yourself about all of it.Shawn opens up about wrestling with his own sense of meaning and significance, even while committed to a path he believes in. Dr. House shares how she's stayed energized after 26 years in clinical dentistry by reframing every challenge, every difficult patient, and every clinical mystery as a puzzle to solve. Together, they push past the shallow "I get to" reframe and dig into what it takes to generate real, sustained energy for the work you're called to do.This conversation is for the dentist who's committed to their practice but running low on fuel. The one who drives to the office on Monday morning wondering where the excitement went. You don't need a new career. You need a new frame.If you're a dental professional looking for a sustainable path forward that honors who you are, not a cookie-cutter formula, this episode will meet you right where you are.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:Why "I have to" language is silently eroding your energy and fulfillment The high-performer strategy of relabeling nervousness as excitement, and how to apply it in your practice How Dr. House turns difficult patients, team challenges, and clinical unknowns into engaging puzzles Why surface-level gratitude reframes fall flat for most dental professionals The physical energy foundation (sleep, nutrition, exercise) that dentists routinely neglect How to connect your daily work to a personal mission, even if that mission is only three people Why aligning your professional frame to your natural wiring changes everythingCHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 01:01 The gift of aliveness: why the path isn't the problem 02:30 Why "I get to" doesn't work for everyone 03:00 The high-performer reframe: nervousness vs. excitement 03:25 Honoring what your body is telling you 04:00 Building software that matches your psychology 05:00 Reframing fatherhood, business, and legacy 05:49 Dentistry's Monday morning dread 06:15 Dr. House on building something and looking back 06:30 Praying for wisdom, not money 07:00 Life as a scavenger hunt for puzzle pieces 07:30 Aligning your perspective to your strengths 08:15 Winning over the difficult patient as a team 09:00 Energy is everything: why your frame matters 10:00 Wishing for more hours vs. working with your wiring 10:40 The physical side of energy: sleep, food, exercise 11:00 Defining your mission, even if it's smallABOUT THE AUTHENTIC DENTIST PODCAST: The Authentic Dentist Podcast bridges the gap between clinical excellence and personal fulfillment in dentistry. Hosted by Dr. Allison House, a practicing dentist with over 25 years of experience, and Shawn Zajas, a dental marketing expert and authentic brilliance strategist, this show tackles the profession's greatest challenges through honest conversations about ethical practice, authentic leadership, and sustainable success. Unlike typical dental podcasts focused on clinical techniques or production numbers, The Authentic Dentist offers wisdom for the whole practitioner, addressing who you are and how you show up in your practice and life.ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:Dr. Allison House is a practicing dentist with over 25 years of clinical experience, a former dental association president, and an advocate for ethical leadership in dentistry. She brings a grounded, pragmatic perspective shaped by decades of real-world patient care, team building, and organizational leadership. Her mission is to elevate the standards of the profession through mentorship, integrity, and authentic connection.Shawn Zajas is a dental marketing expert and the creator of the Authentic Brilliance methodology. With over 15 years in the dental industry, Shawn brings entrepreneurial insight, brand strategy, and a deep commitment to helping dental professionals find and express their authentic voice. His focus is on helping practitioners align their professional identity with their personal values for lasting fulfillment and impact.CONNECT WITH US: Website: theauthenticdentist.comKEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING: What reframe has helped you stay energized in your practice? Drop it in the comments. We read every one.If this episode resonated with you, share it with a colleague who needs to hear it. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.#theauthenticdentist #dentalpodcast #dentistburnout #authenticleadership #dentalpractice #mindsetfordentists #dentistlife #practicemanagement #dentalleadership #sustainablepractice

Occlusion cases stall when dentists focus only on how the teeth fit, instead of why the bite doesn't fit in the first place. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee to explain the #1 thing dentists get wrong about occlusion—and why it's not the teeth. You'll learn how to redefine occlusion beyond tooth contacts, how disc displacement changes the bite, why many “malocclusions” should be considered joint-driven until proven otherwise, and how better diagnosis can create a restorative diagnostic practice model that attracts the right patients. listen to Episode 1017 of The Best Practices Show!Main TakeawaysOcclusion must be defined as both how the teeth fit together and how the joints fit together, because joint position drives tooth position.Many cases that stall in treatment planning stall because the dentist doesn't know how to manage occlusion and TMD variables.Clicking and popping joints are most often ligament tears that create a disc displacement, not “stretching” that resolves on its own.Instead of asking how to remove a posterior interference, the better question is why the interference exists in the first place.Class II malocclusions are often related to joint conditions, and the disc-condyle relationship can explain why the mandible isn't forward enough.If you wait for TMJ pain to appear, you are often late, because many adult TMD presentations started during growth years.Diagnosis requires appropriate imaging, and evaluating only hard tissue can miss the disc-condyle interface that drives growth and occlusal change.Snippets:00:00 Podcast Welcome01:10 Meet Dr Jim McKee02:25 Young Dentist Challenges04:17 Why Occlusion Stalls Cases07:02 Redefining Occlusion08:26 Class Two Joint Clues11:34 Disc Displacement Basics13:25 Injury Causes Clicking14:47 Gasket Analogy Explained17:39 Posterior Interference Rethink21:00 Reading Patient Red Flags22:53 Growth Airway MRI Debate26:16 Supporting Orthodontists Better27:21 Malocclusion Is Joint Driven28:02 Prevalence And Planting Seeds30:29 Diagnostic Records Practice Model31:50 Fees And Low Stress Workflow33:15 Rethinking Orofacial Pain36:40 Bruxism And Sympathetic Drive38:50 Patients Are Not Crazy40:01 Imaging Before Appliances41:37 TMD As Practice Growth Engine43:19 Referrals And Study Clubs44:33 Chicago Study Club And Courses47:52 Wrap Up And ResourcesGuest Bio/Guest Resource:Dr. Jim McKee is a restorative dentist and educator focused on occlusion, TMD, and restorative diagnosis. He is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984. More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaUpcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.comSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

What if a warm welcome and a personal touch could be the most powerful tools for growing your dental practice?In this episode, Dr. Allon reveals how her journey from corporate dentistry to solo practice was powered by a desire for meaningful patient relationships, family support, and a relentless commitment to hospitality. She shares the step-by-step systems her Clear Lake office uses to maximize comfort and efficiency, from five-minute patient intake to comprehensive 90-minute new patient exams and personal follow-up calls after treatment. Dr. Allon also reflects on the behind-the-scenes grit required to launch her practice: navigating unexpected DIY build-out challenges, winning initial patients through strategic signage and ground marketing, and fostering a collaborative, no-ego team culture that attracts both patients and staff. Whether you're considering the leap into private practice or want inspiration on building trust and visibility, you'll find practical insight and encouragement in Dr. Allon's candid story.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The transition from corporate dentistry to starting a solo practiceHow to design a hospitality-driven patient flow that stands outWhy thorough new patient visits build lasting trust and referralsStrategies for marketing your practice with visibility (not just ads)Practical tips for juggling practice ownership with family lifeLessons learned from running your own office build-out on a tight budgetThe impact of personal follow-up calls and ground marketing techniquesHow to foster a team culture without egos or micromanagementOvercoming unexpected challenges during a post-pandemic openingWhy investing in patient relationships leads to rapid growthJoin us for a behind-the-scenes look at how real, patient-focused dentistry can transform your practice and your community!‍(This episode originally aired on 1/18/2024)‍Sponsors:‍Oryx: All-In-One Cloud-Based Dental Software Created by Dentists for Dentists. Patient engagement, clinical, and practice management software that helps your dental practice grow without compromise. Click or copy and paste the link here for a special offer! https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/oryx/Net32: Founded by a dentist, for dentists. Net32 is the leading online marketplace for dental supplies, helping dental and medical professionals save on high-quality products for over 25 years. Start saving today at: https://www.net32.com/dentalmarketer‍Guest: Dr. Liel AllonPractice Name: DentAllon DentistryCheck out Liel's Media:Practice: https://www.dentallondentistry.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentallon_dentistry/‍Host: Michael AriasJoin my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Love the Podcast? Subscribe on Your Favorite App! https://lnkfi.re/TDMPod

In this enlightening episode of the Holistic Dentistry podcast, Dr. Sanda Moldovan interviews Dr. Clayton Chan, a leading expert in TMJ and neuromuscular dentistry. They discuss the importance of understanding bite relationships, the role of objective measurements in dentistry, and how emotional and spiritual awareness can enhance patient care. Dr. Chan shares his journey in dentistry, the challenges he faced with TMJ disorders, and the holistic approach he advocates for in treating patients. The conversation also highlights the significance of physiological health in dentistry and the need for continuous education in this evolving field.     Want to see more of The Holistic Dentistry Show? Watch our episodes on YouTube! Do you have a mouth- or body-related question for Dr. Sanda? Send her a message on Instagram! Remember, you're not healthy until your mouth is healthy. So take care of it in the most natural way.    Key Takeaways: (00:00) Introduction to Holistic Dentistry and TMJ Relief   (02:11) Dr. Clayton Chan's Journey in Dentistry   (05:52) Understanding Bite and Occlusion   (09:24) The Role of Proper Jaw Positioning   (13:04) The Importance of Physiological Health in Dentistry   (16:33) Neuromuscular Dentistry and Objective Measurements   (20:15) Patient Adaptation and Dentistry's Impact on Health   (21:17) The Importance of Position in Dentistry   (22:08) Understanding Patient Pain and Dentistry   (23:21) Holistic Dentistry and Patient Health   (24:16) The Connection Between Occlusion and Systemic Health   (25:36) The Body as a Complete Unit   (26:22) Integrating Spiritual and Emotional Awareness   (30:07) Common Misunderstandings of TMJ Disorders   (33:27) The Complexity of TMJ and Its Treatment   (34:17) Courses for Dentists: Expanding Knowledge and Skills   (41:59) Official Outro Holistic Dentistry Connect With Us:  AskDrSanda | YouTube BeverlyHillsDentalHealth.com | Instagram  DrSandaMoldovan.com | Instagram  Orasana.com | Instagram  

Success in dentistry isn't just about being a great clinician; it's about being a master strategist. In this episode of The Millionaire Dentist, Casey Hiers and Jarrod Bridgeman sit down to discuss why "playing it safe" is often the riskiest move a practice owner can make.From Casey's battle with a stubborn sore throat to Jarrod's recent deep dive into a competitive Magic: The Gathering tournament, the guys find inspiration in the most unlikely places. They draw a direct parallel between the high-stakes strategy of a card game and the complex maneuvers required to run a profitable dental practice.Upcoming Tour Dates: Go to our EVENTS page for infoFacebook: Four Quadrants AdvisoryInstagram: @fourquadrantsadvisoryLinkedIn: Four Quadrants Advisory

A growing number of dentists are reconsidering PPO participation as costs rise and reimbursement falls. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with dental consultant Deborah Engelhart Nash to unpack why a reported 29% of surveyed dental practices stopped taking insurance in 2025, what fears keep dentists stuck, and how to transition the right way. You'll learn how to evaluate your patient mix, identify low-hanging fruit plans to drop first, communicate changes without blaming insurance, and redesign systems so your team can focus on people work instead of paperwork—listen to Episode 1016 of The Best Practices Show!Main TakeawaysA survey of dental marketers' client data reported that 29% of participating practices stopped taking insurance in 2025.Leaving insurance rarely fails when doctors do due diligence on patient concentration, capacity, and fee schedules before making changes.Doctors should prioritize dropping low-reimbursement plans and plans with low patient volume instead of quitting all plans at once.If a practice is booked out for months with in-network patients while losing money on those visits, reducing PPO participation can open capacity for higher-fee care.Successful transitions require team alignment, consistent messaging, and avoiding language that blames insurers or frames the decision as “about the money.”Practices should reframe insurance as an employer-provided allowance that helps offset care rather than something that determines the standard of care.Outsourcing insurance and billing work can help teams focus on patients, keep up with code changes, and improve claim outcomes.Snippets:00:00 Intro02:20 The survey source and the 29% statistic from 2025.03:15 Why some in-network hygiene visits can lose money.05:20 The “40% cut” example to explain PPO economics to teams.06:25 Why dentists don't go back once they leave insurance.07:10 The Anchorage example: when a single employer dominates the patient base.08:10 If you're booked out for months, cutting low-fee volume can create room.09:15 How umbrella plans expanded participation without doctors realizing it.10:10 Start with low-hanging fruit plans and lowest reimbursement fee schedules.12:05 The reminder: about 50% of Americans don't have dental insurance.13:20 How many active patients a solo doctor with two hygienists actually needs.15:15 Why the patient conversation should focus on quality of care, not fees.17:05 What callers ask first—and how to answer the insurance question.18:05 Predicting the future: hybrid models based on practice profile.20:10 “Roleplay” reframed as upskilling the team.23:05 Outsourcing insurance to specialists so teams do people work.24:00 72 insurance code changes in 2025 and why that matters.25:15 The biggest fear: upsetting the team, not the patients.30:55 The transition checklist: due diligence, team prep, timelines, and letters.33:00 Where to find Deborah and request the insurance letter template.Guest Bio/Guest ResourcesDebra Engelhardt-Nash has been in dentistry since 1985 as a consultant, trainer, author and speaker. She has presented workshops nationally and internationally for numerous associations and study clubs. She is a repeat presenter for organizations including Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting, the Yankee Dental Meeting, The Swedish Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Greater New York Dental Meeting. Debra has also appeared on several podcasts and webinars and authored several articles for dental publications.Debra served three terms as the President of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants who presented her their Lifetime Achievement Award as well as the Charles Kidd Meritorious Service Award. She is the Immediate Past President of the Academy for Private Practice Dentistry. She has been repeatedly recognized as a Leader in Consulting and Education by Dentistry Today and has been listed as top 25 Women in Dentistry. Debra is also the recipient of the Gordon Christensen Lecturer Recognition Award.Guest Resources:Deborah Engelhart Nash website: https://debraengelhardtnash.com/Text: 704-904-3459More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaUpcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.comSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Ever feel like you're juggling more than just patients and profit, like your ambition, family, and identity are all competing for your attention? In this episode of Just DeW It, Anne Duffy sits down with Dr. Sara Mahmood, a dynamic Dallas–Fort Worth CEO and founder known for scaling multiple businesses with confidence and clarity. Together, they pull back the curtain on the DeW community's mastermind approach, where intimate, leader-guided groups help women solve real problems, celebrate achievements, and grow together. Sara shares her journey from hearing about Dental Entrepreneur Woman to experiencing firsthand the transformative value of masterminds and why she chose to get involved without hesitation. The heart of their conversation centers on owning your strengths without apology. Anne and Sara dive deep into the insights from StrengthsFinder, where Sara reveals her initial struggle with embracing strengths like competition, significance, and achievement within a nurturing women's circle. Anne reframes competition in a positive light: “the balcony versus basement” approach, highlighting how healthy self-challenge can catalyze personal and professional growth. Sara gets candid about what she had to unlearn as a leader: letting go of the need to do everything herself and hiring ahead of demand, even when it meant bold investments. The episode closes with a vulnerable discussion on motherhood, ambition, and aligning visions with partners (plus a peek into Sara's latest ventures and her call for authentic connections within the DeW network.) What You'll Learn in This Episode: The behind-the-scenes power of mastermind groups for women leaders How to use StrengthsFinder to embrace (not apologize for) your competitive edge Reframing competition: healthy rivalry versus unhealthy comparison The art of delegating and why “80% done by someone else is 100% awesome” Scaling businesses by hiring ahead of need and trusting your vision Navigating the tension of motherhood, entrepreneurship, and the myth of “doing enough” The importance of spousal alignment and shared ambition Strategies for building high-performing, strengths-based teams How to create lasting connections within supportive networks like DeW Real-world examples of bold leadership moves in dentistry and beyond Tune in now for honest insights on strength, leadership, and building a legacy with strategies you can put into action today! Learn More About Dr. Sara Mahmood Here! Practice: Brush365: https://brush365dental.com/ Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suresmilesuperstar/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarathedentist/ Ready to Join the DeW Movement? Join Other Amazing Women in Dentistry and Grow Together at: https://dew.life/membership/ Mentions & Links: Events: The DeW Life Retreat Dental Nachos Events Chicago Midwinter Tools/Assessments: Gallup StrengthsFinder 2.0 Books: Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell The Four Agreements Programs: Mpower Journey (couples program)

Dr. Volker Menzel shares his transformative journey into carnivore diet, its impact on health, and the deep connections between nutrition, dental health, and metabolic processes. Discover how dietary choices influence systemic health, dental outcomes, and the importance of personalised medicine.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction00:41 Dr. Menzel's Personal Health Journey and Motivation01:57 Reversing Blood Pressure and Diabetes with Diet02:43 Impact of Carnivore Diet on Family Members' Health03:26 Oxalates, Dumping, and Dietary Sensitivities04:30 Anecdotal Evidence of Food Sensitivities and Personal Experiments04:59 Dentistry, Metabolism, and Nutritional Connections06:13 Dentists' Lack of Nutrition Education and Systemic Links07:54 Collagen, Soft Tissue Healing, and Metabolic Factors09:27 Effects of Carnivore Diet on Oral and Systemic Health10:42 Diet and Bacterial Infections in Oral and Systemic Diseases12:20 Role of Fats and Bacterias in Oral Health12:52 Challenges in Changing Dietary Habits and Behavior14:12 Fluoride, Tea, and Dental Health Concerns15:03 Plaque Development and Carnivore Diet Experiences16:39 Brushing Techniques and Oral Hygiene on Carnivore Diet19:11 Mercury Fillings and Dental Materials20:44 Soft Tissue and Bone Healing in Dentistry22:21 TMJ, Clenching, and Systemic Connections23:57 Mechanical and Metabolic Causes of Clenching and Grinding25:45 Adrenal Activation, Cortisol, and Collagen Breakdown27:33 Protein, Methylation, and Nutritional Strategies for Aging29:10 Impact of Metabolic Health on Dental and Surgical Outcomes30:31 Root Causes of Clenching, TMJ, and Systemic Stress32:17 Multifactorial Causes of Clenching and Stress33:56 Therapeutic Approaches: Physiotherapy, Splints, and Spinal Alignment36:37 Vicious Cycles of Clenching, Stress, and Systemic Effects38:14 Final Thoughts: Education, Personal Responsibility, and Diet39:28 Encouragement to Question, Learn, and Trust Your Instincts

From his first release 28 years ago on his daughter to being a board member of ICAP, Stefano Colasanto has spent his career focusing on oral dysfunction.  How this interacts with breastfeeding is where Katie Oshita comes in.  Together they discuss how this amazing organ, the tongue effects so much in the body and the resulting dysfunction when there are restrictions.  Listen here for more.Podcast Guest: Dr. Stefano Colasanto, graduated with honors in Dentistry in Rome in 1989, with a thesis about the links between posture and malocclusion. In 1992, he attended the Tweed Foundation in Tucson (Arizona). He specialized in Functional Orthodontics in 1991 and in Orthodontics in 1994 in Rome with a thesis about "Implications of postural regulator function". From 1992 to 1998, he attended and organized several courses in Applied Kinesiology.In 2000, he obtained a Diploma in Osteopathy from the CERDO school in Rome, where he became the head of teaching for diagnosis and manipulative therapy within the oral cavity. Since 2002, he has applied Myofunctional Therapy to dysfunctional patients, according to Garliner's principles. In 2004, he attended the annual course of the Italian Academy of Gnathology Neuro-Muscular according to Jankelson. In 2006, he attended the annual Planas in Barcelona (Spain) and the Course in "Neurostomatology" at the University of Chieti. In 2007, he co-authored the book "The New Orthodontics". In 2010, he was a professor in the Master of "Neurophysiology and pathology of static and dynamic postures" at the University of Pisa, in the Master in "Myofunctional therapy in postural field" at the University of Rome "La Sapienza", and since then at the Master in "Dentistry in developmental age "at the same University. Ordinary member of the Italian Orthodontic Society (SIDO) since 1995 and of ROI (Italian Register of Osteopaths) since 2001.In 2024, he translated “Tongue Tie” by Richard Baxter into Italian. In his clinic in Rome, he primarily studies the correlations between TMJ problems, malocclusion, swallowing, and posture using the osteopathic approach.Podcast Host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 25 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email katie@cuddlesandmilk.com or www.cuddlesandmilk.com  

Someone's smile is often the first thing we notice in another person, but it reflects far more than appearance alone. Dentistry and oral health sit at the intersection of daily ritual and long-term disease prevention, shaping far more than just a smile. From the chemistry of fluoride strengthening enamel to the mechanics of toothbrushing and flossing that disrupt plaque before it hardens, small habits carry outsized impact. But with trends like oil pulling, activated charcoal, and “natural” oral care flooding social media, where does evidence end and myth begin? Do these alternatives actually protect our teeth and gums—or could they quietly do more harm than good?In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Connie Wang, DMD, PharmD, a board-certified pharmacist turned dentist based in Boston, MA.Dr. Wang received her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Rhode Island and Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Now, Dr. Wang is a board-certified general dentist and the host of Just a Quick Pinch Podcast, a lifestyle and communications podcast for young women in healthcare.Follow Friends of Franz Podcast: Website, Instagram, FacebookFollow Christian Franz (Host): Instagram, YouTube

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Startup or acquisition... how do you choose? Between horror stories and conflicting advice, it's hard to get a straight answer. This episode breaks them down in a way that actually helps you decide (and avoid getting set back years). You'll learn what to look for during the due diligence process, the non-negotiables that determine success, and the number one factor for growth.Topics discussed:The pros and cons of starting a practice from scratchWhy acquisitions can turn into “pseudo startups”Due diligence and red flags most buyers missImportant factors that drive practice growthLeadership challenges and turnover after an acquisitionWhat matters more than location, capacity, and team cultureThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.comJoin us for Free Live Trainings and Community Discussion in the DPH Hero Collective on the DPH App.  Click Here to Join! Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Brianna has had the privilege of working in dentistry for over 14 years. Her journey took a pivotal turn five years ago when she lost her mother after her long battle with sleep apnea at the age of 59. Her mother's struggle opened Brianna's eyes to the crucial role airway health plays in overall well-being, igniting a deep passion in her to spread awareness about airway care. Now, as Vice President of Experience at Toothpillow, she is honored to be part of a team that's helping thousands of families access vital airway support. Every day, Brianna is driven by the mission to ensure no one has to face what her mother did, and she is committed to making airway health a priority for as many people as possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode, recorded live at Voices of Dentistry 2026, Dr. Mark Costes chats with Dr. Emily Maslovich, a first-time practice owner just weeks away from opening Bronco Family Dental in Gilbert, Arizona. Emily shares her journey from Midwestern dental student to startup founder, including how she found her location, her grassroots approach to hiring, and why she chose a de novo over an acquisition. They dive into the importance of culture-first hiring, training non-dental team members, and building systems before the chaos of growth begins. Emily also discusses how she's using organic community marketing to build a patient base before day one—and why betting on herself was the best decision she's made. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

Chas & Dr Dave discuss The Porn Capital of The World, Elephants In Mouseholes, and If You're Having Tariff Problems I Feel Bad For You Son, Cos I Got 99 Actions To Address A Foreign Threat But Raising Revenue Ain't One WARNING: This episode of PEP may contain explicit language.   Timestamps: 0:00 - Introducing: Dr Dave 1:56 - Grateful (90s Dentistry, Schwank) 11:32 - Tariffs Ruling 58:54 - Tariff Politics 1:21:54 - State of the Union 1:23:59 - Continuing with Topics That Actually Matter 1:43:56 - Attacking Iran? 2:11:44 - Obama Apes Controversy 2:28:37 - UAE Payoff 2:41:38 - Texas Dems Senate Primary 2:57:04 - Unleashed: Colbert Interview   SHOW LINKS: *Chat with the PEPpers on the Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/WxDD2PPvaW   THE (UPDATED) DR DAVE BOOK CLUB MASTERLIST: Connie Willis - Doomsday Book & To Say Nothing of the Dog (Mentioned 4:26, Ep 244) Richard Yates - Revolutionary Road  (Mentioned 1:48:45, Ep 240) Michael Lewis - Who Is Government? (Mentioned 2:19:59, Ep 235) Orlando Whitfield - All That Glitters (Mentioned 2:34:37, Ep 232) John Lyons - Balcony Over Jerusalem (Mentioned 2:45:26, Ep 231) Yukio Mishima - Spring Snow (Mentioned 2:35:12, Ep 227) John Steinbeck - Cannery Row (Mentioned 02:39, Ep 226) David Simon & Ed Burns - The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood (Mentioned 2:21:40, Ep 225) William Appleman Williams - The Tragedy of American Diplomacy (Mentioned 2:11:23, Ep 222) Mahmood Mamdani - Good Muslim, Bad Muslim (Mentioned 2:07:14, Ep 220) Carlo Rovelli - The Order Of Time (Mentioned 06:36, Ep 220) Carlo Rovelli - Reality Is Not What It Seems (Mentioned 06:36, Ep 220) Ryszard Kapuściński - Shah of Shahs (Mentioned 2:21:27, Ep 217) Ervand Abrahamian - Khomeinism (Mentioned 2:23:19, Ep 217) Anthony Seldon - Truss at 10 (Mentioned 1:36:09, Ep 215) Steven Teles - The Conservative Legal Movement (Mentioned 2:12:12, Ep 215) Amin Maalouf - The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (Mentioned 4:32, Ep 214) Geoffrey Blainey - The Causes Of War (Mentioned 43:49, Ep 198) Margaret Levi - Of Rule And Revenue (Mentioned 1:11:16, Ep 195) Margaret Levi - Consent, Dissent, and Patriotism (Mentioned 1:11:16, Ep 195) Sayaka Murata - Convenience Store Woman (Mentioned 2:14, Ep 194) Sid Meier - Sid Meier's Memoir! (Mentioned 16:30, Ep 178) David Simon & Ed Burns - The Corner (Mentioned 8:40, Ep 178) Maurice O. Wallace - King's Vibrato (Mentioned 14:26, Ep 164) Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky - Manufacturing Consent - (Mentioned 32:12, Ep 164) Robert Plunket - My Search For Warren Harding (Mentioned 1:49:12, Ep 158) Ian Lambot & Greg Girard - City of Darkness Revisited (Mentioned 39:25, Ep 157) Max Chafkin - The Contrarian (Mentioned 32:18, Ep 155) Claire Conner - Wrapped In The Flag (Mentioned 31:42, Ep 155) Rita Abrahamsen, Mike Williams et al - Global Right (Mentioned 31:12, Ep 155) Philip Gorski and Samuel Perry - The Flag And The Cross (Mentioned 30:49, Ep 155) Cynthia Miller-Idriss - Hate In The Homeland (Mentioned 30:10, Ep 155) Cory Doctorow & Rebecca Giblin - Chokepoint Capitalism (Mentioned 34:55, Ep 150) Elizabeth Ingleson - Made In China (Mentioned 31:50, Ep 150) John Corrigan - Religious Intolerance, America, and the World (Mentioned 1:16:18, Ep 141) Gérard Prunier - From Genocide to Continental War (Mentioned 48:18, Ep 141) Liu Cixin, - The Three Body Trilogy (Mentioned 1:11:04, Ep 136) Tilman Allert - The Hitler Salute (Mentioned 22:03, Ep 134) Philip Roth - Nemesis (Mentioned 1:56, Ep 133) Joshua Cohen - The Netanyahus Zeke Faux - Number Go Up Michael Paul Rogin - The Intellectuals and McCarthy Cathy Kramer - The Politics of Resentment Naomi Klein - Doppelganger Maria Bamford - Sure, I'll Join Your Cult Wendy Brown - States Of Injury Corey Robin. - The Reactionary Mind Patricia Lockwood - No One Is Talking About This David Cay Johnston - The Making of Donald Trump Jane Mayer - Dark Money Harry Frankfurt - On Bullshit Stephen King - The Dead Zone Elle Hardy - Beyond Belief Federico Finchelstein - From Fascism to Populism in History Robert Jervis - Why Intelligence Fails Alex Haley and Malcolm X - The Autobiography of Malcolm X Jonathan Haidt - The Righteous Mind David Graeber - Debt: The First 5000 Years Jerry L. Mashaw - Creating The American Administrative Constitution Brian Balogh - A Government Out of Sight Paul Connerton - How Societies Remember Paul Connerton - How Modernity Forgets Catherine Green and Sarah Catherine Gilbert - Vaxxers John Zaller - The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion Matthew Karp - This Vast Southern Empire Robert Fatton - The Guise of Exceptionalism Anatol Lievin - Climate Change and the Nation State: The Realist Case James Alfred Aho - The Politics of Righteousness The substack that Dr Dave apparently plagiarises liberally from! https://luke.substack.com/ James Beverley - God's Man in the White House Jane Chi Hyun Park - Yellow Future Matthias Gardell - In The Name of Elijah Muhammad Gosta Esping-Andersen - The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism Suzanne Mettler - The Submerged State Brendon O'Connor - Anti-Americanism and American Exceptionalism James Morone - Hellfire Nation Nathan Kalmoe - With Ballots and Bullets Winnifred Fallers Sullivan - The Impossibility of Religious Freedom Mary L. Trump - Too Much And Never Enough Richard Cooke - Tired of Winning Jon Ronson - So You've Been Publicly Shamed Rodney Tiffen, Ross Gittins, Anika Gauja, David Smith, Brendon O'Connor - How America Compares Tony Horwitz - Confederates In the Attic Ghassan Hage - White Nation George Lakoff - Women, Fire and Dangerous Things George Lakoff - Metaphors We Live By Michelle Alexander - The New Jim Crow Alex S. Vitale - The End of Policing Dave Cullen - Parkland: Birth of a Movement Thomas Sugrue - The Origins of the Urban Crisis Rick Pearlstein - The Invisible Bridge Rick Pearlstein - Before the Storm Rick Pearlstein - Nixonland Brian Doherty - Radicals for Capitalism Leon Festinger, Henry W. Riecken, Stanley Schachter - When Prophecy Fails Nancy L. Rosenblum & Russell Muirhead - A Lot Of People Are Saying Benjamin Moffitt - The Global Rise of Populism Jon Krakauer - Missoula   THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!

The Bulletproof Dental Podcast Episode 426 HOSTS: Dr. Peter Boulden, Dr. Craig Spodak and Ian de Jongh GUEST: Cory Pinegar DESCRIPTION This episode explores the transformative potential of outsourcing and remote teams in dentistry, focusing on cost savings, efficiency, and practice growth. Guests share insights on building hybrid teams, leveraging international talent, and optimizing practice operations. TAKEAWAYS Outsourcing in dentistry Building hybrid teams Cost savings and efficiency International talent and remote work Practice management and analytics CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction and Guest Credibility 01:16 Ian's Background and Connection to Dentistry 02:09 The Origin of Bulletproof Dental Ecosystem 02:56 Ian's Personal Journey and Family Background 03:56 The Need for Support Networks in Dentistry 05:06 The Value of Building Hybrid Teams 06:44 Decentralization vs Centralization in Dental Teams 08:52 The Impact of Unanswered Calls on Practice Revenue 11:57 The Productivity Myth in Dentistry 13:22 Layering Responsibilities in Dental Practices 15:14 Real-Life Examples of Call Overload 16:02 Missed Calls and Practice Profitability 17:23 Data-Driven Practice Improvements 18:21 The Emotional and Data Aspects of Practice Management 20:40 The Competitive Edge of Outsourcing 21:26 International Talent and Cost Savings 22:30 Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers 24:35 Global Talent and Long-Term Practice Growth 26:18 Emulating Big Business Strategies in Dentistry 28:06 Financial Benefits of Outsourcing 30:23 Craig's Advice on Cost Per Hour and Efficiency 30:44 When Outsourcing Is Not the Right Fit 31:48 Setting Realistic Expectations for Outsourcing 32:58 The Importance of SOPs and Systems 35:59 Identifying the Gateway for Practice Improvement 36:40 Starting with Insurance Verification and Call Management 37:36 The Biggest Opportunities in Practice Management 38:16 Vetting and Integrating Remote Team Members 39:13 How to Connect with GetReach and Bulletproof 40:24 Special Offer and Next Steps for Listeners 40:56 Outro  REFERENCES Bulletproof Summit Bulletproof Mastermind Reach  

Pediatric Dentist and Entrepreneur Dr. Tyler Hanks joins host Dr. Joel Berg for a discussion on designing your own brand rooted in authenticity. Dr. Hanks talks about how he has found success leaning into his passions and personality in ways that put patients and parents at ease as soon as they enter his practice. He also delves into the social media side of his practice and the trial and error of finding unique and engaging ways to meet families where they are when they're looking for expert advice. Guest Bio: Dr. Tyler Hanks, DMD, MPH is a board-certified pediatric dentist and the founder of Happy Tooth Pediatric Dentistry in Millcreek, Utah. Born and raised in Sandy, Utah, Dr. Hanks has deep roots in the community and a genuine passion for helping children develop lifelong healthy smiles. Dr. Hanks began his dental journey after graduating from Brighton High School and serving a mission in Nicaragua for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, and completed specialized pediatric dental residency training at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. With over a decade of experience observing pediatric practices, Dr. Hanks believes that a child's first dental experiences have a lasting impact on their attitudes toward oral health. This philosophy inspired him to create Happy Tooth—an intentionally welcoming, fun, and kid-friendly environment designed to make dental visits enjoyable and comfortable for families. Dr. Hanks lives with his family in Utah and enjoys spending time with his four sons. Outside the office, he loves cheering on sports teams, playing board games, cruising around Millcreek on his OneWheel, and daydreaming about Lake Powell. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Dr. Sanda Moldovan and Dr. David Frey discuss the significant role of physiologic dentistry in treating chronic pain, particularly TMJ disorders. They explore the symptoms of TMJ, the importance of understanding bite alignment, and how advanced technologies like CT scans can enhance diagnosis and treatment. The conversation also delves into the holistic approach to dentistry, emphasizing the connection between oral health and overall wellness, as well as practical steps for patients seeking relief from jaw tension and grinding. Want to see more of The Holistic Dentistry Show? Watch our episodes on YouTube! Do you have a mouth- or body-related question for Dr. Sanda? Send her a message on Instagram! Remember, you're not healthy until your mouth is healthy. So take care of it in the most natural way.    Key Takeaways: (00:00) Introduction and Celebration of Milestones (00:29) Understanding Neuromuscular Dentistry (03:20) Identifying TMJ Symptoms and Patient Profiles (05:53) The Evolution of Physiologic Dentistry (08:42)Tools and Techniques in TMJ Diagnosis (11:30) Advanced Technologies in Dentistry (14:16) The Impact of Dental Work on TMJ Health (16:37) The Interconnectedness of Dentistry and Overall Health (19:16) Understanding Airway and Bite Positioning (21:58) The Art and Science of Smile Makeovers (26:14) The Impact of Bite on Facial Aesthetics (29:48) Oral Health's Role in Whole Body Wellness (31:10) Addressing Chronic Jaw Tension and Grinding Guest Info David Frey Connect With Us:  AskDrSanda | YouTube BeverlyHillsDentalHealth.com | Instagram  DrSandaMoldovan.com | Instagram  Orasana.com | Instagram  

In this power-packed episode, Casey Hiers and Jarrod Bridgeman are diving into the "tax-heavy" side of dental practice ownership to ensure you aren't leaving money on the table. From the critical importance of a dental-specific CPA to avoiding those pesky IRS penalties, the guys break down how to stay ahead of the game.We're also looking at "last-minute" wins you can still claim for 2025, including deductible retirement and HSA contributions. Plus, don't miss the scoop on the brand-new Trump accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028—complete with government contributions—and why an IRS Identity Protection PIN is your best defense against tax fraud.Upcoming Tour Dates: Go to our EVENTS page for infoFacebook: Four Quadrants AdvisoryInstagram: @fourquadrantsadvisoryLinkedIn: Four Quadrants Advisory

If your practice only runs smooth when you are there, you do not own a business. You own a dependency. Victoria breaks down the hidden cost of owner reliance and the simple structure that turns you from the glue into the architect.

What if the reason you don't feel wealthy has nothing to do with your income and everything to do with how your practice runs without you? We unpack why so many high-earning dentists still feel one bad month from disaster and lay out a clear path to replace anxiety with real freedom.If you're ready to swap bigger numbers for better systems and design a practice that supports your life, not the other way around, this one's for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a reset, and leave a review to help more dentists find practical, freeing strategies that work.Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

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What if the most important person in your dental office isn't the one holding the drill?The dental hygiene profession is undergoing a massive transformation that reaches far beyond simple cleanings and into the realm of life saving medical integration. This conversation features Lancette VanGuilder, President of the American Dental Hygienists Association, who breaks down why the future of oral health depends on giving hygienists more autonomy and better license portability across state lines. She shares fascinating insights into how these professionals are now at the front lines of identifying systemic issues like sleep apnea and why a shift toward self regulation is essential for the survival of the workforce. From the challenges of rural healthcare to the importance of building a supportive office culture, this discussion explores how the next generation of hygienists is redefining what it means to provide comprehensive patient care in a modern world.Connect with Lancette

This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Pam and Brian sit down with Dr. Uche Odiatu for a conversation that goes far beyond the operatory.   With RFK's newly proposed inverted food pyramid making headlines, what does it actually mean for your patients—and for your own daily life? Dr. Odiatu breaks down how today's heavily processed diet (now making up 55% of adults' and 65% of children's calories) is impacting systemic and oral health in ways we can no longer ignore.   You'll hear:   The key nutrients almost everyone is deficient in   What to look for when choosing a high-quality fish oil   How the oral cavity is designed to protect itself—even when the diet is working against it   Practical, real-world strategies to reduce inflammation and support total health     Resources: odiatudmd@gmail.com   https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/08/well/08WELL-FOOD-PYRAMID1/08WELL-FOOD-PYRAMID1-superJumbo.png   https://epic.iarc.fr/   https://open.spotify.com/show/7iQXmUT7XGuZSzAMjoNWlX  

What if claiming the title of “CEO” could mean so much more than just running a business and actually unlock your inner creativity? On this episode of Just DeW It, host Anne Duffy sits down with former cosmetic dentist turned entrepreneur Dr. Jessica Emery, whose journey is living proof that women can lead and create on their own terms. Jessica shares how she left behind the confines of a traditional dental career to ignite a movement, Happy CEO, empowering women to trust their intuition, act on bold ideas, and embrace their full creative potential in business and life. Anne and Jessica delve into the unique pressures women face in dentistry, from perfectionism and scarcity mindsets to the weight of student debt and rigid old-school paradigms. Jessica reveals how reconnecting with intuition and community (rather than logic and metrics) fuels lasting success and fulfillment. They explore the role of heart-led leadership, building soulful support networks, and following the “breadcrumbs” of inspiration to imagine new possibilities. Jessica lights the way for us who might feel confined by systems, sharing practical tools for vision-casting, leveraging strengths, and helping women rise together. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why embracing “CEO” can mean “creator energy overflow” in your life and career How to break free from perfectionism and the “never enough” mindset Strategies to reconnect with your intuition for business and personal growth The link between mindset, energy, and burnout in high-pressure professions How scarcity and insurance dynamics impact women's self-worth in dentistry Steps for expanding beyond the limits of your training and debt The importance of women-only communities and vision-casting workshops Tips on building confidence through strengths assessment and aligned teamwork Practical advice for pursuing entrepreneurship alongside a clinical career Why mentoring (even just “one chapter ahead”) matters for new dentists Tune in now to discover how you can lead with vision, unleash your creative energy, and chart your own path in dentistry! Learn More About Dr. Jessica Emery Here! Books: The Dental Freedom Method: https://a.co/d/09fMcOKN The Dental Frequency Formula: https://a.co/d/0hfSFta3 Programs: Happy CEO: https://hellohappyceo.com/ Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjessicaemery Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentalsoiree/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentalgirlgang/ Ready to Join the DeW Movement? Join Other Amazing Women in Dentistry and Grow Together at: https://dew.life/membership/ Mentions & Links: Events: The DeW Life Retreat Smiles at Sea LVI (Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies) Tony Robbins Business Mastery Tools/Assessments: Gallup StrengthsFinder 2.0

The loan bill hits before your handpiece warms up—and it's bigger than your first apartment. We sat down with Dr. Alan Mead of the Very Dental Podcast to unpack the sticker shock of modern dental education, the real math behind associate versus owner income, and how to build skills that actually move your take-home. No five-step frameworks, just honest stories, practical tactics, and plenty of laughs to keep it human.We start with the big question: is dentistry still worth it when new grads face $4–5k monthly payments? From there, we break down the critical early decisions—whether to chase ownership for upside or remain an associate and become indispensable. You'll hear why leadership and communication pay as well as implants and endo, how to structure CE so it pays you back, and what case selection looks like when you need wins fast. We also talk about DSOs: why they can accelerate skill development and production, and how to spot the burnout traps before they grind your spark into dust.Skill building is a theme throughout: stacking meaningful repetitions, documenting questions in real time, and cornering instructors until ambiguity dies. We share the value of curation—picking a clear clinical lane, aligning your systems and team, and letting focus become your competitive edge. Along the way, we swap dental school war stories, joke about dentists opening doomed restaurants, and remind ourselves that humor is a survival skill when the numbers get heavy.Whether you're a new dentist staring down a $500k note or a seasoned clinician wondering if ownership still makes sense, you'll leave with a clearer playbook: pick a lane, get the reps, invest in communication, and let the value drive the income. If you're ready to design a practice that buys back your time and sanity, subscribe, share this episode with a colleague, and leave us a review—then book a strategy call at dentalpracticeheroes.com/strategy.Join us for Free Live Trainings and Community Discussion in the DPH Hero Collective on the DPH App.  Click Here to Join! Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Register for tonight's webinar, Say yes to Dentistry, here!Jan Bellows, DVM, DAVDC, DABVP, FAVD, and host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, discusses the importance of comprehensive oral prevention assessments (COPAT) over traditional dental cleanings. Throughout the episode, the duo will discuss why COPAT is better than COHAT, the importantace of full-mouth radiographs, and more. All of dvm360's dental content for the month of February is sponsored by C.E.T.

Episode Overview: We are re-releasing one of our most popular and impactful conversations! In this episode, Dr. Ashley Joves sits down with the legendary Dr. Rob Ritter for a masterclass in dental practice longevity, leadership, and the art of the high-end consult.Dr. Ritter shares the hard-won wisdom from his 30+ years in practice, diving into the "benevolent dictatorship" model of leadership, the truth about dropping PPOs, and why valuing your time is the ultimate key to success. Whether you're a startup owner or a seasoned veteran, Dr. Ritter's "Apple Store of Dentistry" philosophy will challenge you to elevate every aspect of your practice.In This Episode, We Discuss:The "Benevolent Dictatorship" [06:15]: Why clear leadership and boundaries are essential for a thriving team and practice culture.Dropping PPOs the Right Way [18:15]: How to transition out of network without losing your patient base (and why you should never send a "breakup" letter).The Art of the High-End Consult [26:45]: Dr. Ritter's step-by-step process for presenting complex, $30k+ cases with confidence.Valuing Your Time [36:38]: Why charging for consultations is the ultimate filter for attracting your ideal patients.Artist vs. Entrepreneur [52:01]: Defining what success looks like for you—whether it's mastering your craft or building a business empire.Special Announcement: Ready to implement the exact systems Dr. Ritter and his partner, Dr. Chris Ramsey, use in their world-class practice?

People often take the easy path, but what can you achieve and grow by jumping into thorny problems that don't have an obvious solution?Today's guest on Contrary to Ordinary is Dr. Alex Vieira. He's a pioneer in cleft-palate research, has authored more than 400 scientific papers, and is the most cited expert in the field.In this episode, Alex shares his journey from growing up in Rio de Janeiro during the military regime to becoming a leading figure in oral health research. He discusses his decision to pursue dentistry, influenced by an admired uncle, the challenges of starting his research career during the AIDS epidemic, and his fascination with the Human Genome Project.In this episode's commentary, Kim discusses the importance of the entrepreneurial mindset and the roles of genetics and environment in shaping human behavior. He emphasizes the value of collaboration, the importance of local contributions to global impact, and the need to maintain high research standards. Overall, Alex believes in following one's passion and making meaningful changes in the immediate environment, which he sees as having a trickle-down effect on broader societal improvements.Episode Highlights01:49 –Alex's early life.04:41 – How working with genetics changed the trajectory of Alex's career.08:00 – Kim's thoughts: Surround yourself with those you admire - the rest will follow.08:46 – The Human Genome Project and dentistry.12:10 – The road less travelled and the genetics of extraordinary.14:47 –Kim's thoughts: Can you change your genetic predisposition through forming new habits?15:55 – The complicated world of genetics and dental caries.19:49 – What drives Alex?20:41 – Kim's thoughts: The entrepreneurial mindset isn't just for business people.23:43 –How does Alex maintain a high standard of work?24:47 – What's next for Alex?25:56 – Alex's final thoughts.ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.CariFree WebsiteCariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestDr. Alex Vieira BioThe Human Genome Project WebsiteThe Power of Habit - Charles DuhiggAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - James Clear

Are you a high-earning dentist… living paycheck to paycheck? Do you ever feel financially stretched – despite earning well? Are you trapped in dentistry's “golden handcuffs”? And what would your life look like if you worked because you wanted to… not because you had to? In this rare solo episode, Jaz steps away from occlusion and restorative dentistry to talk about something just as important: personal finances and career security for dentists. After going deep down the money rabbit hole — reading books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Simple Path to Wealth, and I Will Teach You To Be Rich — Jaz shares how his upbringing, early career decisions, and financial education shaped his beliefs about wealth, freedom, and dentistry. This isn't financial advice.It's a mindset shift. And for many dentists, it might be the most important episode you hear this year. https://youtu.be/4OXruGIdb_g Watch IC068 on YouTube Your day list reflects your earning power. The work you do each day quietly sets the limits of what you can earn. Exams and single-surface composites create one kind of ceiling; comprehensive cases, ortho, rehab, sedation, and complex restorative work create another. Upskilling changes that ceiling and gives you far more control over your financial future. Want more mindset shifts like this?AskJaz — your on-demand dental brain — is built into the Protrusive App. Key Takeaways High income does not guarantee financial security. Dentistry can become “golden handcuffs” without asset building. Invest in yourself early — skill drives earning power. Lifestyle creep quietly erodes freedom. Financial independence means practicing because you want to. Define your rich life and align spending accordingly. Highlights of This Episode: 00:00 Why talk about money on a dental podcast?04:12 Perspective and gratitude as dentists10:45 The 45% paycheck-to-paycheck poll16:20 Associates vs principals — the reality22:34 Lifestyle creep explained27:18 Golden handcuffs in dentistry31:10 Growing up with financial scarcity40:02 Investing in yourself early in your career47:55 Index funds and financial resilience55:20 The 20% happiness illusion01:02:18 Defining your rich life01:08:42 Action steps and reflection #PersonalFinances  This episode isnot eligible for CPD/CE points, but never fear, there are hundreds of hours of CPD waiting for you on the Ultimate Education Plan. If you enjoyed this episode, check out IC022 – Income for Dentists and Jaz’s Top 10 Financial Literacy books inside Protrusive Guidance.

In this episode, host Shawn Terrell discusses how to think about timing Roth IRA conversions for a dentist who plans to exit from clinical dentistry. He uses the analogy of a long bike ride on RAGBRAI as a way to think about ideal timing.The objective for dentists like Dr. Bill is strategic timing of Roth IRA conversions to minimize tax burdens.-------------------------------Episode Resource ----------------------------------Meet with Dentist Exit Planning Advisor:Schedule Discovery Meeting-----------------------------------About Dentist Exit Planning:Website: dentistexit.comFacebook Group for DentistsYouTubeInstagramLinkedInSign-Up for Dentist Exit Email NewsletterEmail Shawn at: shawn@dentistexit.com

Send a textIf you've ever done the right thing for your patient and then been told you have to write it off — this episode is for you.In 2025, Utah passed one of the most important laws in modern dentistry — part of HB 495 — that made it illegal for insurance companies to force write-offs for services that were already rendered.Support the show

Dr. Volker Menzel shares his transformative journey into carnivore diet, its impact on health, and the deep connections between nutrition, dental health, and metabolic processes. Discover how dietary choices influence systemic health, dental outcomes, and the importance of personalised medicine.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction00:41 Dr. Menzel's Personal Health Journey and Motivation01:57 Reversing Blood Pressure and Diabetes with Diet02:43 Impact of Carnivore Diet on Family Members' Health03:26 Oxalates, Dumping, and Dietary Sensitivities04:30 Anecdotal Evidence of Food Sensitivities and Personal Experiments04:59 Dentistry, Metabolism, and Nutritional Connections06:13 Dentists' Lack of Nutrition Education and Systemic Links07:54 Collagen, Soft Tissue Healing, and Metabolic Factors09:27 Effects of Carnivore Diet on Oral and Systemic Health10:42 Diet and Bacterial Infections in Oral and Systemic Diseases12:20 Role of Fats and Bacterias in Oral Health12:52 Challenges in Changing Dietary Habits and Behavior14:12 Fluoride, Tea, and Dental Health Concerns15:03 Plaque Development and Carnivore Diet Experiences16:39 Brushing Techniques and Oral Hygiene on Carnivore Diet19:11 Mercury Fillings and Dental Materials20:44 Soft Tissue and Bone Healing in Dentistry22:21 TMJ, Clenching, and Systemic Connections23:57 Mechanical and Metabolic Causes of Clenching and Grinding25:45 Adrenal Activation, Cortisol, and Collagen Breakdown27:33 Protein, Methylation, and Nutritional Strategies for Aging29:10 Impact of Metabolic Health on Dental and Surgical Outcomes30:31 Root Causes of Clenching, TMJ, and Systemic Stress32:17 Multifactorial Causes of Clenching and Stress33:56 Therapeutic Approaches: Physiotherapy, Splints, and Spinal Alignment36:37 Vicious Cycles of Clenching, Stress, and Systemic Effects38:14 Final Thoughts: Education, Personal Responsibility, and Diet39:28 Encouragement to Question, Learn, and Trust Your Instincts

"Instagram is dentistry and Facebook is where friends and family are... Instagram is like meth, I can't get off it." — Alan Mead Alan sits down with a powerhouse trio—Dr. Russell Schafer, Dr. Mitch Hopkins, and Dr. Matt Standridge—live from Voices of Dentistry 2026. They bridge the gap between "Instagram Dentistry" and the daily grind of running a productive practice, covering everything from why 2D photography still beats 3D face scanning to the hard truths about dental school debt and clinical mastery. The Guest List: Dr. Russell Schafer: The man who helped name the "Group Function" and a recurring voice on the network. Dr. Mitch Hopkins: A first-time guest and longtime listener, sharing his journey into implant training and full-mouth rehabs. Dr. Matt Standridge: The "Tom Hanks of the Very Dental Podcast," returning to discuss the discipline of dental photography. Key Conversations: The Gateway to Comprehensive Care: Photography The group discusses Matt's presentation on photography. While high-end DSLRs create "dental porn" for Instagram, the real value lies in using photography as a diagnostic tool for every new patient. The "Dummy" Solution: Discussion on the ShoFu camera as a simpler alternative to complex DSLR setups. The IG Satire: A hilarious pitch for "Garbage Mouth Instagram"—high-end photography of the most neglected cases to stick it to the "AACD" types. 3D Scanning vs. The "Uncanny Valley" Despite the push for $10,000 3D face scanners, the consensus remains: 2D photos are more useful for lab design. * 3D renderings often fall into the "uncanny valley"—looking almost human but just "off" enough to be distracting. Photos are essential for designing smiles that actually fit the patient's face, not just their arches. Advice for the "Mid-Career" and New Dentists The conversation turns to the crushing debt and clinical gaps facing new grads. The All-on-4 Trap: Why jumping straight into full-arch implants because of debt can be a recipe for malpractice. The Power of Bread and Butter: A defense of molar endo, quadrant fillings, and the "Lean and Mean" model of dentistry. The PVS Skillset: Why learning analog impressions (and packing cord!) is still a vital skill in a digital world. Leveling Up Your Clinical Skills The episode wraps with a "lightning round" of advice for improving your work tomorrow: Design Your Own Crowns: Use software to marginate your own preps. It's the fastest way to realize where your technique is failing. Magnification & Lighting: Whether it's jumping from 2.5x to 4.5x loops or investing in high-quality surgical headlamps, if you can't see it, you can't treat it. Some links from the show: Clinical Mastery Series (Mitch teaches here) Russell's denture ce Matt's "Clear Aligner Boot Camp" Matt's "Self Ligating Band and Bracket" Course Matt at 3D Dentists Shofu Eyespecial camera Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, Paul, Bioclear, Hornbrook, Gary, McWethy, Papa Randy, or Lipscomb!  The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products. Are you a practice owner who feels like the bottleneck in your own business? If you're tired of being the hardest-working person in your office, I've got something you need to hear. Dr. Paul Etchison, is hosting a virtual event that is a total game-changer. Paul is honestly one of the most brilliant minds in dental leadership today, and he's hosting the 3-Day Freedom Practice Workshop from February 19th through the 21st. He's going to show you exactly how to break through that two-million-dollar revenue ceiling while actually compressing your clinical week. It's about building a leadership team that takes ownership so you can finally step into the CEO role you deserve. Head over to DentalPracticeHeroes.com/freedom to grab your spot. And do me a favor—mention the Very Dental podcast when you sign up. It's 100% guaranteed, so you've got nothing to lose but the stress. Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!  

On today's episode, Dr. Dan Brisky and Dr. Tom Pfau dive deep into real-world implant complications and the critical lessons that come with them. From a mispositioned anterior implant that required swallowing pride and starting over, to incision openings in full-arch cases that demanded creative solutions like Botox for excessive muscle activity, they break down what went wrong, how they fixed it, and how to prevent similar issues.  The conversation covers flapless pitfalls, the importance of tactile verification with a ball probe, suture technique nuances, managing tissue dehiscence, preventing bone loss, and even navigating high-stress moments like retrieving displaced root tips and broken burs from the sinus. This candid discussion emphasizes preparation, humility, surgical fundamentals, and having the confidence—and support system—to manage complications the right way. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.coloradosurgicalinstitute.com https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

When Bad Dentistry Is a Cry for Help: Why Dental Professionals Need to Look DeeperA dentist posts about a colleague's terrible work on Facebook. Dozens of comments pile on. Dr. Allison House was the only one who asked a different question: What if that dentist is struggling?In this episode, Dr. House and Shawn Zajas confront one of the most uncomfortable truths in the dental profession. When you see consistently poor clinical work from a colleague, the default response is judgment and criticism. But what if bad dentistry is a symptom of something deeper? Substance abuse. Depression. Financial crisis. Personal tragedy. Burnout.Dr. House shares three real stories from her 26 years in practice that reframe everything:00:00 Intro 04:23 What community do you want to be part of? 17:50 Things aren't always as they seem 20:09 The Facebook post that started everything 22:18 Dentist Concern for Dentist: Arizona's intervention model 24:07 One bad crown is human. Twelve bad crowns is a signal. 26:55 The dentist who went to rehab (and never knew who called) 28:30 "We never give each other any space to be human" 29:08 When patients and team members act out of character 31:36 The care package that changed a team member's trajectory 33:46 When dementia explains the behavior 36:11 Byron Katie's "The Work" and how it applies to dental practice 38:30 Wrap-upOne story involves a colleague whose patients kept showing up with bad work. When a patient reported smelling alcohol on that dentist's breath, Dr. House called Arizona's Dentist Concern for Dentist program. Trained professionals visited the colleague and confirmed a serious addiction. He went to rehab. Dr. House says plainly: "I'm pretty sure that had he continued down that road, he would have died."Another story hits closer to home. Dr. House once told a patient that a famous colleague's work was terrible. Then she tried to redo it. Same result. The patient was nearly impossible to work on. The lesson: bad outcomes are not always bad dentistry.The conversation goes beyond dentists. Dr. House describes a team member whose personality changed overnight. Her daughter had entered a treatment facility, leaving her to raise her granddaughter while processing grief. Instead of termination, Dr. House responded with a care package. She talks about a 15-year patient whose inappropriate jokes turned out to be early-stage dementia, not character failure.Shawn and Dr. House also walk through Byron Katie's "Judge Your Neighbor" exercise, a practical tool for examining your assumptions before reacting. It is a method Dr. House uses regularly in her practice and personal life to see situations from the other person's perspective.The takeaway is clear: one bad day is human. A pattern of bad days is a signal. And the right response is care, not condemnation.ABOUT THE AUTHENTIC DENTIST PODCASTThe Authentic Dentist Podcast bridges the gap between clinical excellence and personal fulfillment in dentistry. Hosted by Dr. Allison House, a practicing dentist with over 26 years of experience, and Shawn Zajas, a dental marketing expert, this show tackles the profession's greatest challenges through candid conversations about ethical practice, authentic leadership, and sustainable success.Unlike typical dental podcasts focused solely on clinical techniques or practice management, The Authentic Dentist offers wisdom for the whole practitioner, addressing who you are and how you show up in your practice and life.ABOUT YOUR HOSTSDr. Allison House brings clinical expertise, ethical leadership, and organizational wisdom from over 26 years in practice. She has served as the youngest president of her local dental association and is a passionate advocate for ethical standards and dentist wellbeing across the profession.Shawn Zajas combines dental marketing expertise with authentic brilliance strategy, helping dental...

This episode is all about the power of a phone call, and how you can maximize it. Kiera goes into the formula for phone call success, and how it will boost your patients' interactions with your practice. 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 gosh, I decided to shake up the background and hang out in my house and have you come hang out with me. And so if you're watching this, welcome. This is the studio. This is where I live. This is where I hang out and just trying a couple different things. I really obsessed about making this podcast a space where you feel like you're hanging out with me in my living room. And we're just sitting here.   chatting shop, we're sitting here talking about all things dentistry. And today I wanted to just go through a quick episode with you guys of how we can improve our conversion rates. So there's a couple quick levers of how we can improve our calls, our being able to get our forms and documents and being able to do this without spending more time because that's something that we all wanna do. And so ⁓ I think it's a lot of times like how can we convert our calls better? How can we get things done a little bit more efficiently? Do we do AI? Do we not do AI? And so.   I really feel like just small improvements. You guys know on Dental A team, I'm obsessed about small little improvements done to create efficiencies. I remember I was in a practice and they said, ⁓ okay, Kiera, like come on in, we wanna see you. And I went in and we were able to add about 13,000 to their practice. And they were like, Kiera, what did you do? I'm like, what did I do? It was just very simple, easy things. was, ⁓ we had patients stop at the front desk and start making their payments so we were able to make our collections higher.   We had them doing a handoff to their team of what were the next steps. So that way the patient felt confident of what they were doing next. ⁓ and we just scheduled patients. We assumed the yes. And those are not hard things. Those are not sexy things. Those things are just things that are going to help you guys tremendously. And so today it's like, let's figure out how we can convert a few more things. So. Dental A Team is truly a company where I believe that growing and having sustainable growth comes from optimizing before we spend more. And I know that it feels so.   Alluring and something that I want to do is I want to spend more and I want to get the magic pill and the reality is that you can probably get the exact same results with minimal effort if we just optimize a little things and so figuring out how we can catch more missed calls or how we can convert more new patients or figuring out how we can get more patients to say yes to treatment is something that's really really fun   A Team's podcast is tactical, practical, implementable. That's how we operate. That's how we like to consult. And I love working with practices. I love being able to see you guys ⁓ in your offices, being able to do things, ⁓ being able to just live your best life. Life is our passion. Dentistry is our platform. So, all right, you guys ready to dig in? Because I'm ready to dig in. The number one thing is, let's talk about our phone calls and optimizing our phone calls.   because that is our number one zone. And I think it's crazy how much we spend on marketing to get these new patients and how much we work on having a great patient experience. And then we have our newest trained person that knows nothing about our practice answering our most important phone calls. And so things on this are like when we miss phone calls or we don't handle a phone call correctly, those are little lost opportunities. And this isn't to rag on our front office team. We're busy. You guys, I've sat in the front office. I prioritize the patient in front of me over the phone. And so what are some little things that we can do?   And there are softwares. There's like patient prism and they're like, I pretty sure with weave, they have them where we can actually track and monitor and see our, ⁓ our phone calls and see how we're doing. But we want to just help our front office team. Like it is crazy. Jason, husband told me, ⁓ he was like, yeah, I, Kiera, if you don't like what someone tells you at a practice, just wait, call back and you'll get someone else and you'll get a different answer. And I think about that in practices and how often are we possibly doing this? How often is our practice maybe.   doing it where we actually are having Susie follow protocol and Sarah isn't and therefore Susie is undercut, but Sarah was trying to do what's right. They're both trying to do what's right. So this is where we're at front office teams. Let's make sure we're all saying the same thing. So no matter if they get Sarah or Susie or Kiera or Jason or John, every single one of them is the exact same. And this is going to help. So number one, we need to have actually in the front office team, especially usually there's quite a few of them. We need to make sure that one person   is dedicated to like first on phone, second on phone, third on phones. So everybody knows like, hey, what is the ring, the ring place? Now, if you're a really large practices, sometimes they put it in a call center. All those are totally fine, but we need to make sure that every single person is actually optimizing our phone calls. And so it is a, you can even get a phone tree where we optimize new patients. We have a line for billing questions. So that way we can actually know which phone call should I prioritize and know exactly this is a new patient phone call. Now, when we,   When we answer the phone, I actually put mirrors in front of a lot of our team members. We want them to smile. We want the patient to feel the energy on the other side of it. We want them to feel like they chose the best place. And I actually feel this is one of the greatest ways to optimize is if you just give your patients a little bit different experience on the phone of like, we are so excited to have you call us versus we are annoyed that you bothered us in the middle of our day. That tone and intonation is going to help patients say yes or no a lot more to you.   I remember, and I shared this example a few years ago, I was trying to find a PT and I called around to a bunch of different locations and I literally chose the place based on how they answered the phone. And I think I truly believe in today's world of AI and automations that what is going to become the number one differentiator more than cost, more than anything else is kindness. Kindness and customer service is going to be what far outshines most everything else because it's becoming a trait. ⁓   People are grumpy, people have the COVID cranks still, people are annoyed. I walk into stores and like, we're closing in 30 minutes. I'm like, fantastic, I'll just shop on Amazon. They don't yell at me. This is where I think we need to recognize our society and people want to be loved. We are human beings, we are human connections. And so really being able to give that. it is about, let's answer the phone. Let's have our intonations and our tone and that big smile.   And then let's make sure that we're following protocols. So how we block schedule, how we schedule patients, how we handle a new patient phone call. New patient phone calls are great to optimize. It is a, like we take control of it instead of saying, you have insurance? It's amazing. How did you hear about us? Let's change that tone and that vibe. So that way they feel like, my gosh, like I heard about you on Google. We absolutely love our patients. Like our Google reviews are what we're so proud of. And we strive to make sure that you as a patient coming in.   are going to be able to leave us those same reviews because you have the best experience with the best dentist. I'm Kiera, it's so nice to meet you. Let's get you all ready and set up for your appointment. What are we looking for? we coming in like when was the last time we saw the dentist? I want to make sure I set you up for the right type of appointment. We just take a few minutes to be human. A new patient phone call can literally be done in five minutes and make them feel human. It's taking control of the conversation initially. It is saying.   Hi, how did you hear about us? I'm Kiera, welcome to our practice. I know you're absolutely going to love it here. Let's get a couple of information. Let me start with your name, your phone number in case we ever get disconnected. I'm gonna make sure I get you so taken care of and we truly cannot wait to welcome you into our practice. ⁓ And then we go through, if they have insurance, fantastic. If they don't, if they're on an insurance plan that we don't take, that's fine guys. These people can still come. want you to, I'm gonna drill this down so hard on optimization of our phone calls. ⁓   Just because a patient doesn't have insurance, we are not going to let $1,000 dictate if this person comes to see us or not. You guys, $1,000, I know that not all insurances are 1,000, but that's usually about the max, but they pay so much more than that. And this is about a long-term relationship rather than a short-term transaction. I'm going to say that again, our new patients, it is about a long-term relationship rather than a short-term transaction. And if we can remind them of this is the greatest place, you're so welcome to be here. You're so like, we are so happy to have you here.   People choose that all day long. People want to know they're on a winning team. So how can we make them feel like they made the absolute best choice by choosing our practice? And I want you to audit phone calls. So for the next couple of days, I would like, and we actually track, we have trackers where it's like, let's get our new patient trackers and how many of these new patient phone calls scheduled and didn't schedule. And if you have your front office team track this for about one week, they will actually be able to see how many new patients are actually getting, how many are we converting and why are we not converting it.   Then if we actually listen to these calls back, we can fine tune one or two statements and be able to optimize and get people to come in. You guys like, this is one of the things I'm like, I don't know how much more easy I can make this for you. But if we just prioritize two or three little things on our phone calls, making sure we all schedule correctly, that we welcome them and we're excited and we just role play this for the next month, you will absolutely increase your practice. I promise you, because we're going to convert more phone calls. We're going to have more happy patients.   We're going to have patients who are more excited to come to the dentist because they're already feeling welcomed. These are little things that don't make a big, like they don't seem grandiose, but they make a huge, huge, huge impact. so making sure that we're optimizing that you guys, the phone is one of your most powerful resources in your practice. And if we have like, you do not want your billing representative and billers, this is nothing against you. am not a great biller. I was like, I don't want to go to bat. I don't want to go figure out the one penny you do. And that's why we have different roles.   You want somebody who's so excited, who loves your practice. ⁓ I've had front office team members that are in this role that are from like tanning salons or from a high end customer service or from a waiter waitress situation or a hostess situation where they just love and they want to welcome and they want to greet and they're so excited and they just make that person feel like a million bucks. so making sure that our phone calls are optimized really truly is going to help us and help us really ensure that our practice is optimized. And so with that new patient phone call,   It is a, let's snag them at the beginning, let's ask them how they heard about us, let's capitalize on that, let's find out what type of cleaning that they want or what they're calling for or when the last time was that they went to the dentist and then let's schedule them appropriately with VIP customer service. And then what I typically do is if we are using insurance, I say, fantastic, I'm gonna send over our new patient welcome information right now while I've got you on the phone, make sure it gets to you. And then I do need to get that back 48 hours before your appointment to make sure it's confirmed. Did you get that email from me?   Fantastic. When can I expect to see this? I want to make sure I don't miss it for you. And that way I can get your patient, your appointment confirmed. I have them commit to me right here, right then, because if I do that, this patient's already more locked and loaded to come into me. They've committed that they're going to get this back to me in the next two days. I'm going to look for it. And if you really, really want to stand out and shine on customer service, following up in two days, hey, Kiera, I didn't see that paperwork come through. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss it. You can set little reminders for yourself. This is not hard.   and listening as front office, you be like, my gosh. But I wanna say what is actually hard? Choose your hard on this. Chasing a patient, not getting my insurance until the day of being, like having new patients, no show on appointments, that's hard. Me following up in two days on their paperwork and making sure that they give it to me so I can, 48 hours ahead of time to make sure their appointment's confirmed, that's not hard. That's just a shift of your process that optimizes your process and makes it to where you actually have a ton less work. It feels like hard work today.   Just like if I were to say, okay, go sign your name. You're like, okay, I can sign it. Got it. If I say, okay, now sign your name, but you have to sign it every other letter, that's going to feel hard because that's actually easier than you signing all the letters. And if you practice every other letter a few more times, you actually become faster at that than you were at your initial signature. So just because it's different doesn't mean that it's hard and it's not efficient. It just means you're doing it as a different way. And so really looking at that and seeing how can I actually make this to where we can optimize our phone calls. And that's what we're going into.   You guys, just a small optimization of our phone calls, of how we operate, of how we ask for information, that's going to cut down so much more time that allows you to be in front of your patients, because you're not chasing all these forms all the time. I promise you, get patients to commit to you before they even get into your practice, and you're going to have a completely different practice. And so I want you just to remember that this is a great way for you to optimize on a phone call. Now, there's several other ways that we can optimize. We can optimize on our handoffs. You guys have heard me talk about NDTR about a thousand times.   We optimize on that and I say it's like, we don't just get a drop a sheet with our front office or we drop a patient and say like, good luck. It's a, we hand them off so they know exactly what they're doing. We hand them off every single time. It is a well-oiled baton and we practice that consistently from front office to back office, back office. Like let's not like bicker towards each other. Let's figure out what does front office information need to give us so that way we are all set for our appointment. And then what does clinical team need to make sure is in the notes so our insurance claims go out correctly.   And then what does clinical team need to bring to the front office? So that way it's a smooth handoff. And what do doctors need to say to team members? So that way we get all the information necessary while making sure the patient's front and center. That small optimization, which I will do on another podcast for you with the handoffs and the different pieces are going to be able to make it to where your patients absolutely 100 % schedule their appointments. And people are like, but it's so hard to do. Choose your hard guys. This is not hard. You want to add an up level your practice?   Optimize your phone calls, optimize your handoffs, optimize your life. I promise you, patients can feel perfection. These are things that I would recommend you do on a monthly, weekly basis where we role play this out until we perfect it and this is how we operate it. Do you think at Disneyland that they just like hope and pray that those things are gonna work out and that's gonna be perfect? The answer is no. They practice, they role play, they practice, they do it. They make sure that the way people are talking to guests is the exact same way no matter who it is and they employ hundreds and thousands of people.   So in your practice, you think that this would be doable? I hope you say yes, because when we can optimize, when we can make sure that our phone calls are the most important thing and our handoffs are the second most important thing, your patients will feel that. And then we get raving fans and then we get the reviews. You guys, reviews aren't just happenstance. Reviews are intentional. It's because they can feel the process throughout. They feel loved, they feel cared about, and they feel like you are going to take care of them. So optimize, you guys. This is the time for you to just optimize.   to have it to where it's so much easier for you, to where you're able to really, really, really drive these patients forward. So as a quick recap, let's talk about it. Number one, we're going to shine and outshine our competition by kindness and customer service. And that might be a theme that I'd roll out to your practice this year of kindness and customer service. We want patients to feel wanted in our practice and we want them to feel excited to be here with us. So what we do from there is we make sure we find out when we take a new patient phone call, what exactly, how did they hear about us?   We tell them they're on the winning team. This is the best place for them. We scheduled the appropriate appointment. We have the correct information. And then we ask for their paperwork back to confirm their appointment. Just that small shift is gonna change a lot of things for you. And then we optimize our handoffs so we're not just dropping people off. We're optimizing front offices giving clinical team the correct amount of Clinical team, think of how happy you'd be if the paperwork is already in there before the patient arrived and you're able to take your patients back on time. That would be like a hallelujah. Everybody would pop confetti and we'd say thank you.   Also, clinical team members, shout out when you do get that. Go tell your front office thank you, because what we praise typically gets repeated. So make sure that we're saying thank you for that. We take them back on time, information's passed to our doctor, doctor's back to us, us up to the front office, and we have the correct information on our claims, and we're giving that feedback of, if claims are being denied, let's tell each other what's being missed. We get those things fixed. You guys, your practice will be.   next level. And this is something where, yes, we always look for optimization and dollars on the schedule. And I will tell you, we can add 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 very quickly, but it's through very, very, very simple things. And simple does not mean easy. And I think that that's where people shy away from this, but I'm going to encourage you to be the practice that's optimized, optimizing the little ways. Maybe we use AI, maybe we listen to phone calls, patient prism, other, other platforms that are going to be great for you. Let's, let's actually have somebody go through and video our handoffs of a patient.   Like, let's just see it. Let's watch it back. Think about pit stops. There's a great YouTube video where they do a pit stop that was optimized in ⁓ racing and they practice it over and over and over and they timed themselves and they got better and better and better to where it was so fast and everybody knew exactly what they were supposed to do. And I think about a practice that way. Are we optimizing? Are we practicing the most important things? Are we obsessing about crazy things that really aren't moving the needle forward? That's your challenge. That's your choice. And if we can help you with this,   These are things I'm happy to share our new patient phone call script. Reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. Happy to share it and like, let's chat. Let's chat about your practice. Let's talk about what things we could optimize. What areas could we make more efficient for you? This is what I obsess about doing. This is what our team obsesses about doing. This is why we created Dental A Team. Things don't need to be hard for you to have success. And I encourage you to do that. Reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

On today's episode, recorded live at Voices of Dentistry 2026, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with DSI Black Belt coach and tech entrepreneur Dr. Deren Flesher. They dive into Deren's latest venture, Airo Dental, an AI-powered platform starting with a smart scheduling assistant built to handle missed calls, after-hours requests, and overflow—without replacing your front desk team. They discuss real-world applications, AI's limitations, and where the future of dental tech is headed. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

In this conversation, Dr. Jack Kall discusses his journey into biological dentistry, emphasizing the importance of nutrition, biocompatibility in dental materials, and the evolving landscape of dental practices. He addresses the ongoing debates surrounding fluoride and mercury fillings, highlighting recent developments and the future of biological dentistry as a mainstream practice. Want to see more of The Holistic Dentistry Show? Watch our episodes on YouTube! Do you have a mouth- or body-related question for Dr. Sanda? Send her a message on Instagram! Remember, you're not healthy until your mouth is healthy. So take care of it in the most natural way.  Key Takeaways: (00:00) The Journey into Biological Dentistry (04:24) Understanding Holistic and Biological Dentistry (07:16) The Role of Biocompatibility in Dental Materials (09:47) Innovations in Dental Treatments and Technologies (12:42) The Fluoride Debate: Current Status and Perspectives (27:28) Mercury Fillings: Progress and Challenges (33:51) The Future of Biological Dentistry (45:46) Official Outro Holistic Dentistry (1).mp3 Connect With Us:  AskDrSanda | YouTube BeverlyHillsDentalHealth.com | Instagram  DrSandaMoldovan.com | Instagram  Orasana.com | Instagram

A practice won't truly thrive until its team members are aligned and attached to your company's purpose. Tiff and Kristy go into what it takes to gain collective buy-in from those who keep your practice humming, including being reminded of fundamental desires, embracing vulnerability, understanding motivators, and a ton 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. I'm so excited for you to be here today. You know, I'm   always excited. I love podcasting. I have loved doing this over the course of all of the years that Kiera and I have been putting these out. They are so much fun. It is so cool to reach you guys and it is amazing to get the time in with our consultants. And I'm bringing her live to you, well not live, I guess. It's live for me. It's recorded for you. But I'm bringing her all this month for you because...   We just busted them out in one day, if I'm honest with you, Kristy. Thank you for being here. Thank you for blocking your afternoon for podcasting with me. And I'm excited for this topic. How are you and how excited are you for this topic?   The Dental A Team (00:41) Excited and I'm doing well. It's not 49 degrees in the morning. It's actually 71 here Oh 72 now, so know that's a little chilly to us, but I'm excited the sun's shining and We get our time together. So I'm excited   The Dental A Team (00:49) ⁓   That's fair. I love walks and I was doing morning walks until like mid December and I was like, I can't, I don't know if it's because I'm an Arizona girl or if it's because I have, you know, thyroid stuff and Hashimoto's, but that chill, as soon as it hits my body, I'm done for. You don't want to be around me. You don't want to know me. And so I have not been going outside in the morning nor later in the evening because that Arizona desert does something   different when that sun goes down. So very happy to hear 71. Those are my, I really, think my sweet spot is like 73 to 76. That's my ideal. So if we can find a place that's always 73 to 76, I say we jet. That's where we're going. We just stay there.   So I love this topic today because, I mean, I love every topic we go through, because you tend to really spin it for me and make everything fun. ⁓ But I love the emotional side of life and the buy-in side, and today really talking about how to get teams bought into your big why. And I like that because I love purpose. I like everyone to have a purpose. And I think when a practice owner   knows what they're after, they have their purpose, it allows the team to then see their purpose within that that why within the owner's purpose. And we actually talked about this a little bit. Now that I say that, it's like I've repeated that we talked about this at the Mastermind in September. And it was actually fun. Anyone who was there will hopefully remember maybe recap will remind you. But Kira was talking we were talking about   writing their why's like what are they doing? What's their purpose? And Kiera spoke about hers and it was really really emotional because Kiera and I get emotional   it was fun to see for her how her   purpose and her why came to life when she spoke about it because I think it morphed a little bit as she was saying it but then it was really fun because she was able to see how my purpose   is fulfilled within her purpose in that I think for owners, it's scary to think that your team has a drive or a why or a want, and it can feel like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. And if they have their own thing, they're gonna leave. And some of them will, that will happen. I've seen, I had a practice.   The Dental A Team (03:34) Hmm.   The Dental A Team (03:39) She was there in September. She'll remember, she'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I had a practice, I went, we did a stellar meeting. ⁓ it was so much fun. So much fun. She has the best practice, she has the best why. She's just an incredible human. Two days later, ⁓ she had a team member quit because she wanted to open up her own business and she wanted to do hair. And the inspiration from talking about why's and talking about what are we doing with our lives.   prompted her to quit and start a hair salon. She just, I was like, I am sorry and not sorry at the same time. So it can happen. And I think that's the fear for a lot of people. But watching Kira open up and then watching Kira get so emotional over how my why and my purpose is fulfilled within what I do, within my position.   The Dental A Team (04:15) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (04:33) it was like something morphed and changed for her and we all got to see it as like this butterfly effect. But I say that because I can't, I can have my own purpose and my own why, we all do. But when you can see how it aligns with the company that you're working with and how you can serve your purpose and your why within the job that you're in, that's really cool. And I think Kristy, for me at least,   personally as a team member, that helps keep me tethered to the job. Because if I don't know what the why is, where we're going, what are we growing for, why are we tracking these numbers, like what's the big deal, and I just wanna help people, I'm gonna move on until I find my place. And the find your place is being in alignment and being attached to the purpose that your company is serving and driving.   And that was a really long-winded way of introducing the topic. But I thought as soon as I said those things, I was like, oh my gosh, the September event. And so I hope all the doctors listening who were at the September event remember, because it was a really magical time for Dental A Team. And for those of you coming to future events, just buckle up, because there's always something really cool attached. But Kristy, passing the mic over to you, what are your thoughts? And really gaining team member buy-in, what do you?   What did I prompt for you in all of those words I just spewed?   The Dental A Team (06:02) Yeah. Yeah, and   all those words.   Tiff,   I know we were talking numbers earlier, so hopefully they were listening to that too, but the numbers are our gauge, but the buy-in has to be emotional. It's gotta be vulnerable and it's gotta go back to why you do what you do. Like, why'd you get into dentistry? And doctors why maybe, I mean, you said it, doctors why may be different than team members, but.   I venture to say almost every one of us that got into dentistry have some sort of passion for caring, you know? And we gotta get back to the root of that. And we even talked about ⁓ finances and getting to the emotional why. It's no different. If you want our teams to be bought in, you've gotta get to your emotional why. And you doctors have to be the North Star in that.   You can have leadership teams, right? But they've got to be very clear on the why. And it doesn't mean that our direction won't change, because it could change. But that intentional, why do you do what you do? Why do you wake up and get out of bed? We have to identify that.   The Dental A Team (07:17) I love that. You're spot on. And something shifts and changes, I think, for a person when they key in on that. And it's not just going with the motions. We can go through the motions in life very easily. And I think you finish high school and you go to undergrad and you go to school and you go to whatever. You go through dental school. You become a dentist. You do the thing and then you buy the practice. And it's like you get there and you're like, why did I do all that?   Right? They forget. They forget why they did the thing. And I listened to a Simon Sinek thing not too long ago. Well, you know, I love listening to him, his speeches. But one thing that he's been able to key in on for purpose is going back to your high school self. Because in high school really is when we decided what we wanted to do and we tagged it to a work.   like to a physical thing, like what is the job we're going to hold? But somewhere in there, our high school self wanted to serve a purpose and we attached the job to that purpose. So if we can kind of think back to our high school self and really think what did we love? What inspired us? What did we like doing? Where did we feel the most fulfilled and satisfied at that age?   that helps figure out what it was that you're intending to do in life. What is that purpose? Because the purpose isn't, this might rock a few of you, the purpose isn't to do the best dentistry in Kentucky and have smiles that last forever. That's not why you're here. You were not put on this earth to.   Do fillings you might be doing fillings, but that's the actionable piece. That's the what? but what's the why and We actually Kristy shared this recently with a client and Really like I feel like this kind of work on your purpose your your emotionally driven purpose is What can? re-inspire dentists   who might feel like they don't know what they're doing anymore. Why am I even here? Why did I become a dentist? Or teams that are like, what are we doing? Why are we pushing? What are we even after? But that emotionally driven why you can see where in your purpose, the what that you're doing, the job that you're doing, might be satisfying and fulfilling that space.   The Dental A Team (10:05) Wow, that was big. And yeah, you're absolutely right. We just went through this exercise and when you start feeling burnt out, it's great time to go back and revisit that why to reignite that fire and remember why you're doing it because you are going to go through the ebb and flow and the hard times to get there. But when you can let that be your burning desire in your gut, the rest of it's going to fall back into place. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (10:33) Yeah, yeah.   Thank you. I love all of this work. It's part of like who I am as a human is to help people figure out the inspiration that makes them love what they do every day. That is what I said in September. is my purpose is to inspire people to love what they do in life. So this stuff lights me up. Like I know I'm in my purpose when I get to talk about this stuff. So that's very easy. But how do you   Once we key in on that, Kristy, how do you suggest or coach doctors in sharing that with the team? Because it is incredibly vulnerable, especially when you figure out that your purpose has nothing to do with dentistry. Dentistry is the engine behind the purpose, a lot of, we talked about this earlier too, a lot of people are afraid to share those kinds of things. They're afraid to share the numbers, they're afraid to...   The Dental A Team (11:13) it is.   The Dental A Team (11:27) It's scary to be vulnerable and it's scary, it can be scary to inspire a team to want their own purposes too, again, because you don't, you're like scared they're gonna leave or go start a hair salon. But what do you, how do you coach them on that and how to be vulnerable?   The Dental A Team (11:46) Yeah. Well, I think it's funny that you said the hair salon, first of all, because that person can be a great referral source back to the practice. So it might not be all bad. That too. Yeah. And with that being said, it is vulnerable. And what's coming to my mind is how many times do   The Dental A Team (11:50) I do too.   That's fair. I was thinking that was the opposite of you. ⁓   The Dental A Team (12:11) And again, doctors, I'm not trying to pick on you, but how many times do they come to us and say, they're just here for a paycheck?   The Dental A Team (12:18) Mm. All the time.   The Dental A Team (12:21) And maybe we shouldn't make that wrong.   The Dental A Team (12:24) Yeah, I say   that. ⁓ my gosh, yes, drop the mic. I say that all the time. We are here for a paycheck. We have to pay our bills.   The Dental A Team (12:28) Yeah.   Yeah, and doctors paying something too, which means I think my soft spot goes back to sometimes doctors are afraid to say they're doing this for a quality of life or a legacy of life that they're going to leave and it is tied to money. And I don't think we need to be shameful of that anymore. I truly don't. And I think we need to give permission because even if I am here for a paycheck, that doesn't mean I'm going to serve differently. Right.   ⁓ It's okay and let that be the motivator because if they're getting that, they may serve even better.   The Dental A Team (13:13) Yeah, yeah, and you made me think of to speak to all the team members who are listening. For me, when I hear that somebody wants to a legacy or a legacy dental practice where their kids, if they decide to be dentists, can come be dentists, like this lifestyle, I want this lifestyle for my family. Well, I'm helping serve that I'm helping provide that. And in turn,   I'm also growing. I'm also reaping benefits of them succeeding. So I would much rather work for a doctor who's driven to keep going and keep growing than someone who's like, we're just here to do the fillings. Like cash your check, because I'm like, are we though? Are we going to be here in a year? Like is this stable? The doctor who's like, yeah, I want to build a legacy and I want to impact this community and my family in   XYZ ways. I'm like, cool, you're bought in. That means this is stable. I can get bought in on that because my family is going to grow as your family grows. And I can see myself here for a long time. And I think that's that team buying and that vulnerability of this is why I'm here because I'm here to serve my family. I'm here to pay my bills. I'm here to make sure Brody goes to college. I'm here to make sure that he has everything that he wants and desires. Ask my   The Dental A Team (14:16) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (14:42) checking account. That is my goal. Brody is happy and it's served by doing things like this. And if I want my goal, if my goal is to leave a legacy and be the entrepreneur who leaves a legacy for my family, that people can pick up that business and they don't have to work for anyone, then that's going to look different. I'm going go open a hair salon. I'm going to go do that thing. But I'm going to do that regardless of you telling me.   The Dental A Team (14:44) you   The Dental A Team (15:10) your purpose and your why, it's gonna happen no matter what. So don't be afraid to share it, just know you're serving, you're providing a space where people can grow. Whether they grow with you forever or they grow to a place where they're like, cool, I can go do that thing that I've always wanted to do, that's incredible. You got somebody to a point where they could go fulfill their life dreams, holy cow.   That's really freaking cool. And hopefully in the meantime, in the middle of that, you guys built some awesome systems that somebody can come in and learn. Because not everything's a guarantee, but the way you said that, Kristy, is just spot on. That vulnerability piece and allowing the team to decide if that's what they're here for or not, instead of leaving in the shadows, never speaking of it, and hoping that they stay anyway.   The Dental A Team (16:05) Yeah. How many times have you, I mean, I haven't worked at a lot of jobs, so I'm pretty loyal to my jobs, but for people that have gone, and I've interviewed people and hired people, so I'm speaking to myself in this too, but how many times have we shared our why in that process?   You know, and it all starts there. And you said something before, the what. The what may be getting to three million this year. And that's all we ever hear instead of the why. If we hear the why, then we can get behind the what. And then I like to say the core values just serve as how we behave to get to the why.   The Dental A Team (16:48) Yes.   Yes, yes, I love that because oftentimes core values are how we like how they want the community to view us. And so, you know, where we have integrity and we do great dental care and we have your dental, ⁓ your dentistry in mind and your dental health and is our is our heart. I'm like, I don't know how to show up to that. I don't know how to I don't know how to exude your dental health is my heart because it's not I don't.   I'm not here, I think dentistry is really cool, but I didn't go to dental school because I don't want to be a dentist. So that's spot on. It's hard to know what we're aiming for and what we're going for if we don't know the why or the what. A lot of times we're not trying the what either. So if we don't know what our goals are, if we don't know what our inspiration is, I tell people all the time, motivation is short lived. I can motivate you for a short amount of time, but if I can inspire you, inspiration lives inside of you.   Motivation comes and goes, it dies. It dies. That's why gym, you know, people who aren't inspired to go to the gym, they're not inspired by the change that the gym can make in their lives, like the steak, right? We talked about the steak and having ⁓ an all-on-four so we can eat a steak. If there's not inspiration tied to the health, the motivation to get up and go to the gym will die. It will fade. Every January, you're gonna be re-motivated to start the gym again. But if there's not inspiration living inside of you,   to be healthier, it will die off. So if I'm not inspired by the work that I'm doing, which if I'm doing new patient intake forms, like give me something to be inspired about. that's, you know, this can get really boring. Insurance verifications, why am I doing this? What difference does it make? Give me some inspiration so that I can attach to that and then give me the path of how I show up and live it every day. Those are your core values. So you need your   your mission vision, your why, what are we, why am I here, your inspiration, and then how do I show up to that?   The Dental A Team (18:55) I agree with you 100%. And I think you said something that we failed to realize. I wish I could remember the name of the book now, but there was one and he treats people that have heart attacks. And he's like, if you think I could motivate people, I should be able to motivate people because they're at best door, right? And I'm gonna try to get them to change eating or this.   The Dental A Team (19:06) Okay.   Yes.   The Dental A Team (19:20) they do for two weeks or two months because they remember what it was like to have a heart attack, but then they go back to the behavior. So even when we're faced with our own mortality, you just, I mean, it proves like we, it lives and dies. Yeah. Yep.   The Dental A Team (19:36) We're complacent.   Yeah, muscle memory sets in and it's easier to stay where you're at even in uncomfortableness. And even if your life is uncomfortable, it's easier to stay here than to make the change because you don't know what's on the other side of change. It's an unknown. You can't quite even imagine it or what you imagine you can't guarantee is going to happen. So it's easier to stay in the uncomfortable because it's what you know. There's no questions. It's gonna stop.   It's uncomfortable. It's easier to stay here and even face your own mortality than to say, okay, I'm gonna do this thing and whatever happens on the other side, I'm okay with, because that's scary.   The Dental A Team (20:17) Yep.   Well, I think the other thing, Tiff, that we failed to really tap into is you recognize it and you do it once. And how many times do we get with our clients and we're like, what is your what? Well, it's written down somewhere or it's in the drawer. Like you've got to revisit it and make it come alive or you just forget. And it's not front and center. And then that's when you get the burnout. And that's when you, you know, we've got to get back to that core and revisit it. So   I challenge you every time you have a team meeting, bring it up, talk about it. How are we living it? What are we doing that's in alignment with that and serving it? Because that's what's gonna inspire you to keep going. And so often, as a leader, that's one of my favorite things. How inspiring are you being in this moment? How inspiring am I being if I'm squatting, you're not doing this, you're not doing that. That's not inspiring change.   We talk about it all the time in hygiene. You say you're not flossing every day. Well, no, I just told you I'm not flossing. That's not inspiring me to floss every day. Right? So again, I just think putting a little spin and making sure you know your buy-in and then also revisit it. Don't put it in a drawer. ⁓ I once learned, and again, I apologize where I don't have the statistic behind me.   The Dental A Team (21:25) Yeah. Yeah.   resource.   The Dental A Team (21:45) They say, or resource, yeah, they say if you state your goal, you're a certain percentage ⁓ to achieve it. Is it James Clear? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe give them credit with credits on it. With that though, if you write it down, you're even exponentially higher. And if you say it, write it down and share it with somebody even more so.   The Dental A Team (21:55) I think so. Yeah. It might be atomic habits.   The Dental A Team (22:14) And then if you revisit it frequently, those are the people that really hit their goals.   The Dental A Team (22:16) Yeah.   And I challenge you to, you, meaning everyone and even myself, to consider goals that we're not willing to share with other people. It's much easier to tell ourselves that we're gonna do something and then not do it than to tell other people that we're gonna do something and then not do it. We will hold ourselves to a higher level of accountability if we vocalize it to people outside of ourselves, because we're okay to lie to ourselves. I'm okay. I'm okay to have.   low personal integrity until I can't take that anymore, until it hurts too much, but I won't do that public facing. So I encourage you guys to evaluate that to us there. Is there an unspoken goal that maybe if we just said it out loud and wrote it down and had some accountability partners around us, would we actually do it? Just like I said, I was gonna do a pull-up and let me tell you how many times Erin asks me if I've practiced for it.   The Dental A Team (22:51) Yeah.   Yeah.   The Dental A Team (23:14) You know?   The Dental A Team (23:14) I love it. You know, Tiff, I had a client one time that ⁓ she wrote, she was in a pretty tough spot financially and she wrote a check to herself, pulled it out a few years later and I mean, granted, visited through the way, did some of the things we talked about, but pulled it back out and it was like, holy cow, that she thought that was so undoable.   The Dental A Team (23:27) Mm, I love that.   The Dental A Team (23:42) and then it was surpassed. So challenge, I challenge our listeners.   The Dental A Team (23:44) ⁓ Yeah.   Yeah, I like it. Thank you. This was a fun. These are my favorite. You know that these are my favorite topics and I love having someone who's of the same mindset and I guess path of leadership. We listen to so much stuff and so many people and read so many books. So I love bouncing this stuff with you, Kristy. Thank you. And I think if we summed it up, I would say the biggest the action item from today is to sit down.   and get in touch with your purpose. And no, I know, Kristy, we've talked to a few clients, but specifically a client we worked with together that we had to stress that it's not perfect. It may not be perfect. It may take you months to really dial it in, but just start. You have to start somewhere. And oftentimes we hold ourselves back because we think we're not ready for perfect yet. It's not done. I don't have it like...   formulated yet. It's not my brain hasn't finished. Well, your brain's not going to finish if you don't get it on paper. Once you get it on paper, it's out of your brain and your brain can then process other things and other things come to light. So that would be my challenge. and Kristy, thank you again for today, for the whole day. Thank you. And thank you for just all of the, all of the light that you shed on this topic in general. think we can.   We can see lot of brilliance in that. So thank you for being here today, Kristy.   The Dental A Team (25:15) Yeah, thank you for ⁓ having the conversation with me.   The Dental A Team (25:19) Yeah, it's my favorite. I'll do this all day long. One care is like, what do you love? This is what I love. So how do we do that? But anyways, you guys, know, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. If you are looking for advice, you're looking for guidance. If you're a client, obviously reach out to your consultant. We all dabble in this stuff. We all do the leadership. We all have those paths. And if you're not yet a consultant or someone who's going to be a listener forever, that's   cool too, just know we're here, reach out. We love this stuff, we are passionate about serving the dental community in the best ways possible and reaching as many people as we possibly can. That's why we started the podcast years and years ago. So reach out to us, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com Drop us a review below, let us know what you loved about today and honestly, Kristy and I would love to hear from you guys. Again, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com, tell them, send this to Tiff and Kristy. We would love to hear from you guys on what is your why?   What is your purpose? What's your inspiration? And how are you gonna use it? I, truth be told, would love to see those emails. I know, Kristy, you would too. awesome. All right, guys, go do the things. Go be inspirational and check back with us. Let us know how your teams do. Thanks so much.

Alan dives deep into his decades-long journey with high magnification dentistry. In this episode, Alan breaks down why high-powered magnification isn't just for practitioners with "bad eyes" and why it has become the most humbling yet rewarding tool in his operatory. From the technical evolution of the varioscope to the critical importance of specialized lighting, Alan shares why he believes every restorative dentist should consider making the leap to the microscope to rediscover the joy and precision of their craft. The Eyesight Myth: Why magnification isn't a crutch for poor vision, but a tool to see beyond human limits—and why Alan wouldn't let a "naked eye" dentist work on him. Light vs. Magnification: A look at why lighting is arguably as important as the lens itself, including Alan's preference for Enova surgical headlamps over traditional overhead lights. Beyond Endodontics: Debunking the idea that microscopes are strictly for root canals and exploring their value in restorative diagnosis and execution. The Varioscope Revolution: How variable objective lenses have drastically lowered the learning curve for new microscope users compared to the "static" lenses of the past. The "Humbling" Reality of 15x: Why seeing your work under high power can be frustrating but ultimately raises the bar for your foundational skills and polishing techniques. Mastering Documentation: Practical tips on using beam splitters, keeping your camera in focus, and why a dedicated scope monitor is a game-changer for your workflow. Patient Perception: The surprising truth about why patients are often more impressed by 3D scanners than live microscope feeds. Some links from the show: Enova Illumination surgical headlamps Zumax OMS 2050 CJ Optik dental microscopes Global Surgical dental microscopes Bioclear Learning Center Enova Learning Center Belograd Academy MVision (Dr. Nazariy Mykhaylyuk) Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, Paul, Bioclear, Hornbrook, Gary, McWethy, Papa Randy, or Lipscomb!  The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products. Are you a practice owner who feels like the bottleneck in your own business? If you're tired of being the hardest-working person in your office, I've got something you need to hear. Dr. Paul Etchison, is hosting a virtual event that is a total game-changer. Paul is honestly one of the most brilliant minds in dental leadership today, and he's hosting the 3-Day Freedom Practice Workshop from February 19th through the 21st. He's going to show you exactly how to break through that two-million-dollar revenue ceiling while actually compressing your clinical week. It's about building a leadership team that takes ownership so you can finally step into the CEO role you deserve. Head over to DentalPracticeHeroes.com/freedom to grab your spot. And do me a favor—mention the Very Dental podcast when you sign up. It's 100% guaranteed, so you've got nothing to lose but the stress. Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!  

JOIN ELEVATED GP Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram   Dr. Dichter brings nearly 20 years of clinical, research and teaching experience — as a general practitioner and prosthodontist — to his position with Spear. He serves as an instructor in the Treating the Terminal Dentition and Fully Edentulous Patient seminar, in addition to multiple Spear Workshops. Dr. Dichter has served as a guest lecturer and clinical instructor at Oregon Health and Science University School of Dentistry, teaching occlusion and esthetics. He has been a Spear faculty member since the company's inception, as well as a contributing author for Spear Digest. He is passionate about education and is involved with multiple study groups in the U.S. and Canada. After earning his D.M.D. from OHSU in 1995, Dr. Dichter practiced general dentistry and eventually joined a startup practice in his hometown in coastal Oregon before moving to a practice in Portland. He brought 16 years of restorative dental experience into UCLA's world-renowned, full-time advanced prosthodontics residency, which he completed in 2014.

Tired of feeling like growth is always easier for someone else? We pull back the curtain on the real pivot point in practice ownership: not a lucky break, better reimbursements, or a unicorn office manager, but a clear decision to lead as CEO. Once that identity shifts, everything changes—how you spend your time, what you tolerate, how your team shows up, and how fast the numbers move.If you're ready to stop reacting and start designing a team-driven, profitable practice with real freedom, join me for a live, virtual training that's recorded for replay: dentalpracticeheroes.com/freedom. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who needs the push, and leave a review telling us the one thing you're done tolerating. Your next chapter starts with a choice.JOIN THE THREE DAY SEMINAR HERE Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Rural America has lost more than 10% of its family physicians since 2017, according to a report published late last year. What does that mean for patients and communities? On today's episode, host J. Carlisle Larsen speaks with Colleen Fogarty, M.D., the William Rocktaschel Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and lead author of the national study, about what the data reveals — and what happens when even one doctor leaves town. Next week, we listen to the second part of their conversation where they look at the forces driving this decline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Kris Bano is less than five years out of dental school — and already a partner at Centreville Family Dentistry.In this episode, we break down how he went from new grad at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry to rapidly growing his clinical skills in implants, cosmetic dentistry, endodontics, and full-arch cases — all inside a rural private practice.If you're a young dentist wondering how to:• Choose the right first job (private practice vs. DSO)• Find real mentorship• Grow beyond bread-and-butter dentistry• Increase treatment acceptance• Build skills faster in your first 5 yearsThis episode gives you the mindset shifts and practical strategies to accelerate your career.We also talk honestly about rural dentistry, ownership opportunities, and why communication skills may matter more than clinical skill early on.Part 2 will dive into the partnership journey.Dr. Bano's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drkrisbano?lang=enDr. Bano's clinical IG: https://www.instagram.com/kbdentistry/Engage with the podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dentaldownloadpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcast TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@dentaldownloadpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Haley's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dr.haley.dds⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Haley's TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.haley.dds?lang=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

"I think we're reaching a breaking point where people are starting to reflect and say, 'Man, I don't know if the juice is worth the squeeze anymore.'" — Dr. Paul Etchison Recorded live at Voices of Dentistry 2026 in sunny Gilbert, Arizona, Alan sits down with a VOD favorite, Dr. Paul Etchison of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast. They dive deep into the staggering reality of modern dental school debt, the "juice vs. the squeeze" of ownership, and why dentists should probably stay away from the restaurant business. The Debt Wall The financial landscape for new dentists has shifted dramatically. Alan and Paul compare the "then vs. now" of education costs: The 1997 Reality: Alan graduated with roughly $85,000 in debt. The 2009 Reality: Paul finished with around $235,000. The 2026 Reality: In-state tuition at schools like the University of Michigan can exceed $400,000 before living expenses, often resulting in $4,000–$5,000 monthly loan payments right out of the gate. Ownership: The Only Way Out? While ownership comes with "headaches," Paul argues it remains the most viable path to outrun massive debt. The Associate Cap: Even high-producing associates (doing $2M/year) are limited by their percentage. An owner doing the same production sees a significantly higher return. Value Creation: To be a top-tier associate or a successful owner, you must move beyond "bread and butter" dentistry and master communication and case presentation. Building Skills and Getting "Reps" Deep Dive vs. Scattershot: Instead of taking random weekend courses, find a specialty you enjoy (Endo, Ortho, etc.) and commit to it. The Endo Struggle: Paul and Alan discuss the importance of "reps" and why waiting for the "perfect" case often prevents you from ever getting good at the procedure. The Microscope Factor: Using a scope can find the MB2, but it doesn't necessarily make you faster without the volume of experience. The "Curated" Business Model If dentistry vanished tomorrow, what would these guys do? The Sausage and Bread Theory: Alan highlights small businesses in Northern Michigan that succeed through curation rather than volume. The Bourdain Warning: A nod to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, which famously warns dentists against buying restaurants just because they "throw a good party." Some links from the show: Paul's 3-Day Freedom Practice Workshop The Dental Practice Heroes Podcast Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain