Podcasts about Dentistry

"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

The Bulletproof Dental Podcast Episode 425 HOSTS: Dr. Peter Boulden and Dr. Craig Spodak DESCRIPTION In this engaging conversation, Peter Boulden and Craig discuss their recent mastermind retreat, sharing insights on personal growth, community support, and the challenges faced in the dental profession. They emphasize the importance of building relationships with patients, navigating quality problems, and embracing change and innovation in business ownership. The discussion also touches on the role of technology in enhancing patient experiences and the necessity of being part of a supportive community to thrive in dentistry. TAKEAWAYS Physical proximity enhances relationships and learning. Mastermind retreats foster clarity and growth in dentistry. Community support is crucial for overcoming challenges. Quality problems are a sign of growth and success. Business ownership requires a willingness to embrace change. Building relationships with patients leads to better outcomes. Technology is rapidly transforming the dental landscape. Continuous learning is essential for personal and professional growth. Switching ecosystems can lead to new opportunities. The patient experience is key to differentiating practices. CHAPTERS 00:00 High Energy Intro and Weekend Recap 02:56 Mastermind Retreat Insights 05:57 Navigating Growth and Clarity in Dentistry 09:00 The Importance of Community and Support 11:44 Quality Problems vs. Low-Quality Problems 14:39 The Journey of Business Ownership 17:27 Embracing Change and Innovation 20:21 Building Relationships in Dentistry 23:05 The Role of Technology in Dentistry 26:02 Creating Meaningful Patient Experiences 28:47 Final Thoughts and Takeaways 36:53 Outro REFERENCES Bulletproof Summit Bulletproof Mastermind  

On today's episode, recorded live at Voices of Dentistry 2026, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Drs. Eric Appelsies and Alex Kantor, the duo behind the podcast Just a Couple of Dentists. They share how podcasting helped them build community, stay curious, and keep perspective as they navigate practice ownership and young family life. The conversation explores burnout, doing mission work to reconnect with dentistry, and the challenges of wearing every hat as a business owner. They also give a sneak peek into their upcoming tech projects aimed at solving real operational pain points in dental practices. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.coupleofdentists.com https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

What if lasting energy and better health didn't require complicated routines or constant stress? In this episode, Dr. Debbie Ozment, DDS, shares her refreshingly simple approach to enhancing vitality, preventing disease, and creating sustainable wellness habits that truly work. As the host of the Vitality Made Simple podcast, Dr. Ozment focuses on early detection, prevention, and practical strategies that help people feel their best at every stage of life. With decades of experience in dentistry and integrative health, she highlights how oral health, inflammation, toxins, and emotional stress can quietly drain energy and impact long-term wellbeing — and what you can do about it. In this conversation, we explore: ·       How small, consistent lifestyle changes can extend your vitality span ·       The connection between oral health, inflammation, and chronic disease prevention ·       Simple, stress-free ways to support mental, emotional, and physical wellness Dr. Ozment has been in private dental practice since 1985 and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. She later earned a Master's degree in Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. Trained at the Mayo Clinic and certified as a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, she brings a truly integrative perspective to modern health. Follow Dr. Ozment on Instagram @drdebbieozment to stay up to date with her latest insights and resources. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/38oMlMr  Keep up with Debbie Ozment socials here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drdebbieozment/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drdebbieozment

Do you want your patients to feel confident and cared for and to become raving fans about your practice? Kiera takes listeners through specific steps to help practices refine what their patients go through upon entering to exiting your office. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I'm excited for a quick tactical practical tip for you guys that I just think is magical. And I'll start with like a story about it to kind of kick us off. ⁓ Jason and I, we just recently went to Ruth's Chris. We decided we were gonna do a day date and Jason and I, went to the spa. I convinced him to go to the spa. He's not like obsessed about it, but really loved in like the hot tub room that they actually turned on a football game for him. So.   I don't know how the spa gods were on my side that day, but they definitely were. And then we decided to go to Ruth's Chris. And if you guys are familiar with Ruth's Chris, ⁓ it's ⁓ an amazing steakhouse. And ⁓ I noticed when we went in there, there was just a different vibe. And I've been very obsessive about high-end restaurants, reading the book, Unreasonable Hospitality. I think I'm more aware of it. If you guys haven't read that book, I definitely recommend putting that on your book wish list. And what was interesting is,   When we came in, they said, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Dent, great to see you. And they took us back to our table and the waitress was so kind to us. And she said, here's this information. What information do you guys need? There were seat spot for us. The busser came through and was like, we really love working with people like you. You guys just make our life so much easier. They're like, here, let's just box this up for you. You made great choices for you. They had all of our stuff boxed for us. The presentation was beautiful.   They didn't come by and they weren't annoying to us, but they were so genuine to us. And then as we were leaving, they said, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Dent. And they knew all about us. Okay. So that was one experience. Another experience has been Jason and I were in Bali and we went to the four seasons and I remember if you've been to Bali, you'll understand. Jason and I both got Bali belly. And if you haven't heard mine was, I got it on our flight home. I've never in all my years of flying, knock on wood, I've never once thrown up ever on a plane.   Mine is my flight home that was a nice nine hour flight from Taiwan to San Francisco. And I threw up and had diarrhea the entire freaking time of that flight. I had thrown up about 13 times in two hours and I figured out, if I can make a system for this, like it was hold the vomit bag, go to the bathroom and brush my teeth all at the same time. I realized you can create a system for anything. So that's a little bit beside the point. So I'm here to tell you about great experiences. But at the four seasons, they were top notch. They had an app. They would text us.   When I asked them like, hey, you guys have any medicine? They're like, ⁓ we don't have medicine. Here's the pharmacy. We can get it for you. We'll have it to your room. They had it to our room for us. They brought different things for us because they knew that we were sick. They had a turndown service for us. They paid attention to our likes. Our wants, made sure everything was done every single night for us. It was one of the most incredible experiences. And I think about it, like people are like, Kiera, you traveled all over the world. You've gone to Antarctica. You go to these places. And I'm like, Bali, even though I threw up for eight hours on my flight home.   Bollywood one of my most amazing experiences and I'm like, what was it? Like it was how I felt at Four Seasons. It was how I felt of everybody was so happy for us to be there. They were so grateful for us to be there. People would say hello to us. They knew our names as we walked through. And ⁓ I've just been paying attention to like Ruth's Chris was recent. The Four Seasons was another one. And then I think about other experiences that maybe weren't as great. I think about...   Hotels Jason and I we flew home. We missed a flight coming home from an international flight So we had to snag a hotel the only hotel available for us was a hotel I will not say But it was we'll just say a budget-friendly hotel and I remember we checked in and no one was there They weren't happy to see us. They were annoyed to see us the shuttle. I'm not joking you It was supposed to be there in 15 minutes We waited two hours to get our shuttle and they kept telling us one's on the way one's on the way. They were like you need to call this person By the time we got there our bed was dirty   The bathroom was broken. And I just thought, man, I remember that experience. I don't remember the Four Seasons experience, but which one do I want to go back to? Which one do I tell my friends about? Which one am I like, I threw up and I was so sick from Bali. You guys, would never recommend doing a cooking class internationally. I know exactly what caused our sickness. my gosh. And my stomach like to this day still hurts about it. But yeah, I loved that trip so much because of how I felt. And so that's what I want to go into today of   the patient experience in designing and creating a journey that the patient wants to be a part of and they want to rave about. And I know we've talked about this at several other times ⁓ because it's something where I remember I was at a conference once and they said, Kiera, what people remember is the beginning and the end. They don't really remember the middle. And so in dental practice, it's our beginning. It's our first phone calls and it's the end on how they leave. Yes, they might remember the middle of the procedure, but typically speaking, it's those, those two points in anything like think about a show you go to. You usually remember the beginning.   You remember the end. think about Taylor Swift and I'm like, definitely remember the countdown clock. Like I can remember that. remember everything coming out. Middle, like there was a lot going on and the ending, everybody can remember that. But, and yes, there are still things and that's not to say the middle can't be great, but we want to make sure that it is this experience that people are so obsessed with because we want to help them feel so good. And I think the dental office is such an intimate space. Dentistry is intimate. Everything that we do in dentistry is intimate. And so if we can help patients feel   a certain way and that doesn't mean we have to be perfect, but it does mean that we create a patient experience and a patient journey for them. So for me, even in Dental A Team, it should be that the patient experience, our customer experience is very intentional and not accidental. So we kind of think through it, like what do want our patients to feel? What do we want our patients to say about us? And it's also crazy because you can go look at your reviews right now and see what the patient experience is today.   what you've created maybe not intentionally or intentionally. Just go read it. What is it? For us at Dental A Team, I want people to feel like it's fun. I want it to feel like it's easy. I want people to feel like, my gosh, like they understood me, that they're thinking ahead of where I'm at, that they can guide us and that we are non-judgmental and that you and your team are gonna rise to the next level. Go read our reviews. That's what it is. But that's by intentionality and design. That's our core values. That's what we talk about constantly. It's how we onboard our consultants.   It's how we refine. how we take feedback from clients of if they're not getting it, how can we make this process easier? How can we make it easier for our consultants? How can we give better education? Like what can we do because that's the experience we want them to have. And so, ⁓ this is going to be an episode. If you really want patients to feel like super confident and cared for and to become raving fans for you to where they love the dentist, you have an opportunity to change how people feel about going to the dentist. And I think it's an amazing opportunity if you choose to do it. So   Number one is like, let's think about first impression. Remember, like it's the it's the end caps. And I think if we can even just design those two really, really intentionally, like four seasons and Roos Chris, did you notice in both of those? And this is not on purpose. I just sharing the story. I talked about my entrance and my exit at Bali. We were freaking sick on that last day. And I remember that the most more than anything. Yes, they did the turn down service and that was great. But I didn't talk about our New Year's Eve dinner that we had. I didn't talk about the waiters like none of that.   And as I think back, I'm like, yeah, that was really nice. I remember our first initial and our ending. Same thing with Ruth, Chris, how they entered us and how they exited. I talked about both of those. Go back and rewind. And that was not on purpose, but this even just proves my point that the experiences you remember are those end caps, the beginning and the end. So what is our presence? So number one is how do we answer the phone on the first new patient impression? That's going to be it. I talked about this just recently. If you haven't heard that, go back and listen, but like, how do we greet people? And are we like smiling when we answer? Are we excited or are we like,   Oh my gosh, another freaking phone call, like, hello. Right? I don't know if any of you had a mom who had a mom voice where she's like, Kiera Cherie. And I was like, hello. My mom was like, I didn't do that. I'm like, oh mom, you did. And you had the snap and you'd give me those mom eyes, right? Moms had those two voices. My sister's husband, he was like, my mom used to like snarl at me with her teeth. My mom didn't do the teeth, but we all know like, and I feel like that's how it should be like, we could be busy in the patients, but as soon as that phone rings, I want our front office to feel like.   my gosh, I am so excited to be answering this phone call. We are so excited you're here. Like almost like buddy the elf, like you're so excited. Maybe not that enthusiastic, but like that same sentiment. We are so excited. So we want it to be this like welcoming. We are happy you're here. We're not annoyed that you're here. And that's the very first impression. And then when they come into the practice, this is our next first impression. And if we botch our phone, we oftentimes can make it up on our second, but I will tell you that first phone impression is going to be paramount. So get our best person answering those.   best person and all of our front office team needs to realize when you answer the phone, you go on stage and you like sit up and you smile, even put mirrors up there so they can see themselves. You guys, not a joke. My mom said I was so vain. She gave me a like desk with a mirror and I used to sit there and talk on the phone in front of the mirror. And I was like, why do you do this? And I'm like, mom, like watch how I talk and I look at things and I look at, I practice my smile and it could have been a little vanity. Uh, but I know it's helped me present and be able to speak. And I guarantee you a lot of that mirror training.   is why I'm able to go present on stage today and be able to engage and invoke emotion because I practiced for a long time in the mirror. So having that mirror, having people see how they are, because if I'm sitting down, I'm like, hey guys, welcome to the podcast versus, hey guys, welcome to the podcast. You feel two very different things. And I feel too, I'm like super jazz on the second one. The first one I'm like, cool, I got a freaking podcast today. No, like I'm excited. I'm excited to hang out with you. I'm honored that you share your time with me. So we want it to be, and whatever your experiences, and some doctors you might not be like Kiera level 20.   Well, guess what? My team is Kiera level 20. We want to answer the phone in that level. If you are more like subdued and you're more like spa boutique, your phone needs to answer. Like I would be utterly shocked if I called the spa and they're like, hi, welcome to the spa. I'd be like, whoa, tone it down. Like this is the spa. And that's even Kiera who's excited. The dental office, it's like welcoming and engaging and like, hi, I'm like so excited you called. We're truly going to take great care of you. And I'm really excited to bring you into the practice. Notice I even have a patient voice that's different than my podcast voice, which is different than a spa.   My spa was like, hi, welcome to Serenity Spa. I'm so glad you're here. And I'm Kyra Dent and I'm changing right here, but it's because I feel that. And that's what I want people to experience in our phone and how people walk in is going to be our first step. So we need you to truly train and what is it? And if you haven't built this for your front office team, help them see this is what our, this is what our patient experience is. We want a confident, energetic, calm, whatever it is, first interaction. And we want our   online experience. our website, our scheduling, our messaging, our phone messaging to follow that same experience. So if that's our first impression, they're still filling it. Then they want to make the phone call. And we want to just like reduce any friction. How can I make this easier? I'm going to send you the paperwork. I'm going to schedule you now. I'm going to make sure I get this back in 48 hours. So I've got your appointment confirmed. This is how we're going to work. And I'm also setting clear expectations of we are so excited to have you here. And these are the rules of the game that we play by.   You notice like I even feel myself go into like a confident and welcoming human. That's our first experience. And if you will refine this, you will start to notice you train your patients from day one of we are so happy to have you. This is how we operate. We have you run on time. We have you send in our information. You always confirm your appointments 48 hours ahead of time. And we are so excited to welcome you to our family, whatever it is. listening to our new patient phone calls, experiencing that, putting the mirrors up there.   And then it's a, when the patient comes into the practice, let's make sure that that's an amazing experience too. Is our waiting room area clean? Do we have our front office person? You guys like, it drives me wild when I walk into a practice and it is cluttery with paper. You guys clear that clutter and make it clean. Dental practices need to be sterile. Yes, you can have cutesy stuff, but it still needs to feel clean and sterile. Front office team members, I'm gonna be a little bit hard right now. Do not freaking eat food in the front where patients can see you.   Go to the back. watch it so often. You're just sitting there like you break your crack or anything. No one can see you. They can. They see crumbs. It just feels. People can feel perfection. They can feel cleanliness. They can feel dirtiness. And this isn't me like ripping into you. I bend that person. I used to my snack drawer down there. That's not professional and that shouldn't be in the front office. Get it into the back office. Let's make sure it's clean. You can have all your cups. You can have all the things, but it needs to be clean. It needs to be sterile. It needs to be welcoming and inviting. Think about when you walk into a hotel. It's very inviting. Some   junkie janky and you're like, I don't want to stay here. Some are like, my gosh, this is amazing. Same thing with restaurants. How do we want our patients to feel? Let's make sure that the ambiance feels the same way. Even if your front office is on the phone, you can always welcome and say hi. Like while you're on the phone, I'll be right with you. That way they can feel super welcomed or like, hey, here's an iPad. I'll chat with you. And then as soon as like, Kiera, I'm so happy you're here. Welcome to the practice. Let me grab you a bottle of water. Do you prefer stilled or, or like do you prefer room temperature or chilled?   little small things that does not take a lot of effort, but that sets a very different impression rather than welcome to the practice. Okay. So let's make sure that first impression is very, very important. This is that first end block of the practice and patient experience. It's going to make it radically different for you and your practice. Then on the other side, is it's going to be during the visit? We need to make sure that we're still well oiled because if our front and end of those bookends are good, but the middle is ick.   They're going to actually remember that more than they remember these polished pieces. So the middle doesn't have to be like perfect perfection every time. what? Dentistry runs long. But as often as we can, let's be on time to our patients. Let's make sure that we have really clean handoffs. Let's make sure that when we are presenting our exams doctors that we use that NDTR. What's the next visit? What's the date? What's the time to return and make sure our re-care cleanings are scheduled. Make sure that the patient has that every time. Look me in the eyes. Involve me in that experience of patient, doctor, clinician. We're here.   All right, Kiera, we wanna see you back in two weeks for that crown on the upper right. We're gonna take great care of you. I need about an hour and a half for that. And we'll make sure that sister Susie over here gets you scheduled for your cleaning. What questions do you have for me? I'm really excited to work with you. Great, they know. And I will tell you if doctors will take the little bit of time to be super concise and clear on next steps, next visit, that's what people are remembering. So again, remember, yes, you've got the bookends of the appointment.   but also within the appointment in the chair, they're remembering how you seat them and how you end. Doctors, the essay heard the exam, but they're remembering your anchoring point of your end point. So nail that end point. Clinical team members, remember the end point. I used to try to like make jokes at the beginning and then have a good time at the end because I knew that that's what they were going to remember. Even if the procedure was hard, I still made sure that they had a great experience at the end. And if it was a hard procedure, I'm like, gosh, you did such a good job. I'm really, really proud of you. You did it.   you're gonna have the best results after this, whatever it is, but just make sure that they're clear, especially on exams. There is nothing worse than confusion. Confusion is the enemy of execution. So be crystal clear on where we're headed. And then after that, what we're gonna do is we're gonna let them know like, here's the next visit, here's what's gonna happen, we're gonna move them through it. This way your patients are so crystal clear on what's going on. And then at the end,   We have an amazing experience. So front office team, you're back on the, you're the shining stars. You welcome them in, you talk to them on the phone, and then you're the last impression. So making sure your people who are sitting in those seats recognize their role and their value in this whole experience. So on this, it's a perfect, let's get you scheduled. I make this really easy for them. Beautiful. What questions do you have for me? We say the same thing from what they said in the clinical team to the front office team. Front office has really good notes. So the clinical team just picks it right up.   And we have this in here of a very, very, very good experience at the end. Then if they had a great experience, I asked them for a review and say, Hey, I'd love you to share your experience with us. I can't wait to see you next time. Gosh, you're seriously one of my favorite patients. And I'm so grateful you're a part of our practice. That's not that hard, but what's that patient? You remember, gosh, they loved me when I came in, they loved me when I went out. And what it is, is it's not all these little pieces. It's the experience of how they felt just like me. I didn't tell you all the nuances of Ruth's Chris   I didn't tell you that my steak was amazing. I didn't tell you I had sweet potatoes. None of that. What I did tell you is how I felt at both. And guess what? I could have told you any experience, but I told you what's crazy is even at the spa, the football game was at the end. I didn't even tell you about my massage. I told you about the little thing that stood out to me. And remember, bad things actually could be what your patient's experiencing, even though you think you've got good pieces. If I've got an amazing welcoming, but I've got a jerk of a team member who's rude,   they're gonna remember that, cause that's gonna stand out way shinier than this one. And sometimes my doctor can be amazing, but your front office cannot be the same experience and it feels disjointed. And so you gotta make sure that you're, you have a team that's very similar and that we talk about what is our experience? How do I patients to feel? What are our core values? This is culture, but it's patient experience too. And if we get a whole team rallied around this, you're going to be able to have massive raving fans, but it's done with ease. So doing simple little things. So what I would say is when we have this of,   Let's go through number one, what is our patient experience? How do we want patients to feel? Look at our reviews and see what are they already saying and is that what we want? And if not, let's change it. Then let's make sure our phone calls, our website and our first impression when they come into the practice is dialed in and exactly what we want. Let's make sure are in the middle, pretty dang good. Doctors, you're ending with great exams. Clinical team members were ending with a great experience at the end of the exam. And then we take them up to front office and front office, we shine, we dazzle and we are so grateful to have these patients.   Now, if you're listening as a front office team member, you're like, I absolutely don't want to do that. It might be a wrong seat for you. I'm just going to say that front office team members are on stage. Just like I don't want to put a Disneyland, like someone who absolutely hates greeting guests and like putting them through the ticket counter. If they're like, I hate this job. They're, they're not the person. Cause that patient's going to feel that that guest is going to feel like, ⁓ checking into a hotel. I've got the person who's like, gosh, here you are. This is just a job and you're driving me nuts versus the person like, we are so happy you're here.   Make sure I've got right people in right seats for this experience. And that's critical. They could be the right team member, just the wrong seat. So let's make sure if you're listening to this, that you love this. I truly do. And I know Tiff does, and I know Kristy does, and I know Dana does, Britt actually, she's not the front desk. She doesn't like that guys. So she's not always on the podcast. And if Britt was listening, she'd be like, that's correct. I prefer back scenes. She likes to be there. Shelbi, you've never heard Shelbi on the podcast, cause she's like hard past no Kiera, that's not who I am.   but I've got all my consultants who would be like, yeah, Trish put her on. She'd love it. She'd say to the friend, she'd make everybody her best friend, Monica, Pam. They'd love it. So make sure you've got right people, right seat, and then make sure you really commit to having this incredible patient experience and you can check it. Let's do a monthly review, like do an audit of what are the top things the reviews are saying, have Chat GPT help you. There's easy ways to make sure that what we want of our patient experience is what patients are saying. And if not commit to change, it's how patients feel that they're going to remember more than it's what you say.   And if we can help you guys reach Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. These are the small annoying like cobwebs that make the big difference for patients that we are obsessed about helping you with. So reach out, running a successful practice does not have to be hard and it can be very easy for you. So reach Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

What does it really take to scale a business without sacrificing culture?In this episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast, Nicole Greer sits down with Dr. AJ Tremont and Taylor Plyler of Mint Hill Dentistry to unpack how intentional leadership, servant mindset, and people-first systems have helped them grow four thriving dental practices—while maintaining a five-star experience for patients and employees.From shutting down operations for culture days (yes, really!) to using EOS, core values, and powerful storytelling exercises to build trust and connection, this conversation is a masterclass in what it means to lead with heart and still win in business.You'll hear real stories about hiring for character, creating psychological safety, overcoming scarcity mindset, and why culture isn't something you hang on the wall—it's something you live every day.Vibrant Highlights:00:02:44 – Culture Always Wins: Dr. AJ Tremont explains why they willingly shut down operations and invested time and money into their people—because when culture is strong, everything else follows.00:07:20 – Core Values in Action (Not on a Wall): AJ and Taylor share how they actively use core values by nominating and recognizing team members who live them, turning values into daily behaviors instead of empty words.00:11:59 – Going Above and Beyond for Patients: A powerful story about a team member driving 25 minutes to help an elderly patient—showing what “being a difference maker” truly looks like in action.00:19:23 – The Exercise That Changed Team Relationships: The team uses a vulnerability-based storytelling exercise inspired by The Five Dysfunctions of a Team that deepened trust, empathy, and respect across roles.00:26:39 – Fail Fast and Lead with Heart: AJ and Taylor share their leadership philosophies: don't fear failure, embrace hard conversations, and remember that servant leadership fuels both performance and profit.Connect with Dr. Tremont and Taylor:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj-tremont-987115264/minthilldentistry.com (Mint Hill, NC)southerncharmdentistrync.com (Concord, NC)albemarledentistry.com (Albemarle, NC)Also mentioned on this episode:The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: https://a.co/d/0dEvm4mhAuthor Keith Cunningham: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Keith-J.-Cunningham/author/B00606AQZ2?ref=ap_…Ready to build a culture where people feel valued, energized, and committed?Bring Nicole Greer, The Vibrant Coach, to your leadership team, organization, or conference to ignite clarity, accountability, energy, and results.Visit: vibrantculture.comEmail: nicole@vibrantculture.comWatch Nicole's TEDx Talk: vibrantculture.com/videos

A clinical conversation about the updated recommendations to enhance radiography safety in dentistry.  Special Guest: Dr. Erika Benavides  For more information, show notes and transcripts visit https://www.ada.org/podcast   Show Notes In this episode, we are having a clinical conversation about the updated recommendations to enhance radiography safety in dentistry.   We explore the major changes from previous guidelines, the rationale behind discontinuing patient shielding, the importance of patient‑centered imaging, and practical implications for dentists and academics.   Our guest is Dr. Erika Benavides, a Clinical Professor and Associate Chair of the Division of Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Radiology, and the Director of the CBCT Service at the University of Michigan, School of Dentistry. She is a Diplomate and Past President of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (ABOMR). She also served as Councilor for Communications of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Chair of the Research and Technology Committee. Dr. Benavides is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and has published multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts in the multidisciplinary aspects of diagnostic imaging. She has been a co-investigator in NIH funded grants for the past 10 years and recently served as the Chair of the expert panel to update the 2012 ADA/FDA recommendations for dental radiography. Her clinical practice is dedicated to interpretation of 2D and 3D dentomaxillofacial imaging.    The two-part recommendations were updated by an expert panel which included radiologists, general and pediatric dentists, a public health specialist, and consultants from nearly every dental specialty.  Dr. Benavides shares some of the main takeaways and new updates is that that lead aprons and radiation collars are no longer recommended. This recommendation includes all dental maxillofacial imaging procedures and applies to most patients.  Also, a recommendation to avoid routine or convenience imaging, and focus instead of patient-centered imaging, based on the patients' specific needs. And, when possible, previous radiographs should be obtained.   Dr. Benavides shares that imaging must be patient‑specific, not protocol-driven, and encourages dentists to ask the following questions before dental imaging: "Do we need this additional information? Is this additional information going to change my diagnosis, or it's going to contribute to the diagnosis and treatment planning?"   The group discusses some of the possible challenges, and opportunities, to implement these new recommendations.    Resources:    This episode is brought to you by Dr. Jen Oral Care. Learn more about Dr. Jen.  Read the full clinical recommendations American Dental Association and American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology patient selection for dental radiography and cone-beam computed tomography  Find more ADA resources on X-Rays and Radiographs.  Stay connected with the ADA on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for the latest industry news, member perks and conversations shaping dentistry.  

On this episode, host Dr. Joel Berg is joined by Dr. Jorge Castillo, past president of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) to discuss Dr. Castillo's session at AAPD 2026 in Las Vegas. The session, featuring Dr. Castillo and other international experts, delves into the global perspectives on early intervention with developing dentition and how pediatric dentistry and orthodontics intersect during that decision-making process. Dr. Castillo also lends his voice to the ongoing little teeth, BIG Smiles discussion relating to the co-location of pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, sharing his perspective on international trends, particularly in comprehensive care clinics. Guest Bio: Jorge L. Castillo, DDS, M Dent Sci, MSD, PhD, is a board-certified pediatric dentist and orthodontist with an extensive academic and international leadership background. He earned a Master of Dental Sciences in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Science in Dentistry in Orthodontics from the University of Washington, and a PhD from the Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia. Dr. Castillo is a Professor in the Department of Stomatology for Children and Adolescents at the Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia and serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Health Sciences at the University of Washington. He is a Diplomate of both the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Board of Orthodontics. A past President of the International Association of Pediatric Dentistry (2013–2015; 2021–2023), Dr. Castillo currently serves on the Executive Committee of the World Federation of Orthodontists (2025–2030). He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and has lectured internationally across the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is dentistry still worth it in 2026? With rising interest rates, staffing shortages, shrinking insurance reimbursements, and the polarizing narratives on social media, this question is louder than ever. In this episode, Dr. Derek Williams breaks down the real state of the dental industry today—no fear-mongering, just clarity on the math and the mindset required to win. We dive deep into the specific challenges modern dentists face, from "complexity inflation" to the realities of overhead costs. Whether you are a dental student questioning your debt, an associate looking for a career path, or a practice owner trying to protect your margins, this video covers what has changed in the business of dentistry and what hasn't. Connect with us: Take our FREE lifestyle and practice assessment: https://thelifestylepractice.com/practice-assesment/ Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get access to TLP Academy: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tlp-podcast-for-dentists/id1476544801 Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com 

Staring at your AR and seeing chaos instead of clarity? We've been there, and we built a simple path out. We walk through a practical, three-part framework that turns one scary number into a clear diagnosis, so you know what to fix first and how to keep cash flowing without drama.If your AR feels like a magic eye poster, this is your focusing lens. Walk away with a short checklist, clear ownership, and a plan to make cash flow predictable. If this approach helps, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a five-star review to help more practice owners find it. And if you want hands-on help building these systems, grab a free strategy call at dentalpracticeheroes.com/strategy.Register for the 3 Day Virtual Event...THE DPH FREEDOM PRACTICE WORKSHOP (Seats are Limited!) Learn how to make more money on less days!  Register for the 3 Day Virtual Practice Freedom event at https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/freedomTake 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.

Few surgeons in the world combine the depth of clinical experience and academic rigor that Dr. Waldemar Polido brings. A Professor and practicing Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon in Indianapolis, he began his dentistry education in Brazil and has since built a career at the forefront of complex implant surgery. In this conversation, Dr. Polido shares his three-part implant philosophy, systematic surgical approach, and the evolution of solutions for patients with severe maxillary atrophy. We also explore common surgical complications, strategies for prevention, grafting techniques, and the post-operative processes that ensure long-term success. Packed with insights from a highly experienced and knowledgeable guest, this episode is essential listening for oral maxillofacial surgeons seeking to expand their mastery of zygomatic implants.Key Points From This Episode:Dr. Polido's education, surgical residency, and academic background.His three-part philosophy on implantology as influenced by Brånemark. Four systematic concepts that support his approach to long-lasting implants. How Dr. Polido's approach towards determining which solution to use has evolved. Reducing complications during zygomatic implant surgery.Where grafting typically comes in during the implant process.Post-op processes for pain control and follow-up. Foreseeing and addressing complications during surgery. Advice on how oral maxillofacial surgeons can learn more about zygomatic implants.Predictions for the next 15 years of implant dentistry.Rapid fire questions: Dr. Polido's best read of the past year and more. Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:Dr. Waldemar Polido on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/waldemardpolido/ Dr. Waldemar Polido on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/prof.waldemarpolido/ Dr. Waldemar Polido Email — wdpolido@iu.edu Dr. Per-Ingvat Brånemark — https://www.branemark.se/branemarklegacy Indiana University School of Dentistry — https://www.dentistry.iu.edu/ The SAC Classification in Implant Dentistry — https://www.iti.org/the-sac-classification-in-implant-dentistry ZAGA Centers — https://zagacenters.com/ Dr. Carlos Aparicio — https://www.apariciozygomatic.com/ E. Armand Bedrossian on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-armand-bedrossian-dds-msd-facp-7752b8184/ Pikos Institute — https://www.pikosinstitute.com/ Complexitiez — https://www.complexitiez.com/ AAOMS — https://aaoms.org/ All Physicians Lead — https://www.amazon.com/All-Physicians-Lead-Redefining-Leadership/dp/B0CN2RG5F7 Do You Feel Like I Do?  — https://www.amazon.com/Do-You-Feel-Like-Memoir/dp/0316425311 Landman — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14186672/F1: The Movie — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16311594/ Adolescence —

In this episode of Growth in Dentistry, Steve Jensen sits down with Heather Crockett from ACT Dental to discuss practical strategies for overcoming burnout and building a thriving dental practice. They explore the "Sunday Scaries" phenomenon that many dental professionals experience and provide actionable advice on leadership, self-awareness, delegation, and work-life balance.Listen to the episode to hear about:Identifying the root causes of Sunday night dreadThe Power of ReflectionThe Three Hats of LeadershipSelf-Awareness as a Leadership ToolThe Show-Do-Teach methodAvoiding Maintenance ModeSetting Boundaries...and much more!Resources:Learn more about ACT Dental: https://www.actdental.com/Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaThe Working Genius Model: https://www.workinggenius.com/The DiSC® Assessment: https://www.discprofile.com/Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team: https://www.fivebehaviors.com/See a demo of Dental Intelligence and get a $50 gift card: http://get.dentalintel.net/podcast

In this episode, host Shawn Terrell discusses the financial implications of Roth IRA conversions for dentists nearing retirement, particularly focusing on how these conversions can mitigate tax burdens and provide greater control over retirement funds. He explains the strategic advantages of converting deferred accounts to Roth IRAs, highlighting the long-term benefits of tax-free withdrawals and reduced required minimum distributions (RMDs).Shawn also mentions the importance of tackling difficult tasks promptly, using the metaphor of 'eating the frog' to illustrate the benefits of making hard decisions while mitigating procrastination.-------------------------------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 us a textThe sky is falling according to some of the numbers reported by the ADA and Health Institute. The numbers they report are somewhat misconstrued and don't add up. Having said that, Tracy and I give a narrative on the numbers, and are happy to report that 2026 is looking great for dentistry.Support the show

In this episode of the Group Function podcast, host Alan Mead sits down with Dr. Alex Kantor and Dr. Eric Applesies from the Just a Couple of Dentists podcast to unpack the "regular ass dentist" experience of buying, starting, running and selling dental practices! Fresh off their presentation at the 2026 Voices of Dentistry conference, the Eric and Alex (a married couple of dentists) dive into the logistics of optimizing a practice for sale, emphasizing that maximum value is built in the 18 to 24 months before a transition by tightening systems and improving hygiene "show rates." The conversation balances technical advice on EBITDA and overhead reduction with a candid—and occasionally spicy—critique of the post-COVID hygiene labor market, ultimately highlighting how dentists can prepare their businesses for a successful handoff to either a private buyer or a DSO. In their session and conversation with Alan, Dr. Alex Cantor and Dr. Eric Applesies highlighted several key levers to pull when prepping a practice for sale. Their core philosophy is that "a dollar saved is $4 to $6 earned" during a valuation. Key Optimization Strategies The 12-to-24-Month Runway: Valuations are typically based on the last 12 months of profit (EBITDA). To ensure your systems are fully "flushed out" and consistent, start implementing changes 18 to 24 months before you intend to sell. Hygiene "Show Rates": Increasing your show rate from 70% to 90% is considered "low-hanging fruit." Because hygiene has low variable costs (mostly just prophy paste and floss), nearly every dollar of a kept hygiene appointment goes directly to the bottom line, which is then multiplied during a sale. Aggressive Appointment Confirmation: Use automated texts to keep appointments top-of-mind. The "48-Hour Rule": If a patient hasn't confirmed 48 hours out, inform them they will be removed from the schedule. Follow Through: Actually remove unconfirmed patients to give your team two days to fill the spot with someone who wants to be there. Overhead Reduction (The "Spend" Side): Supplies: Move away from the "old school" model of buying through a single rep who brings donuts. Use platforms like Crazy Dental or Net 32 to treat supplies as a commodity and secure the lowest price. Labs: Look for efficiency gains through model-less workflows and digital scanning, which can reduce lab fees and turnaround times. Clinical Extraction: If you want to retire immediately after the sale, stop working clinically one year prior. This proves to a buyer (especially a DSO) that the practice's revenue is sustained by systems and associates, not just your individual production. Know Your "Game": Private Buyer: Better if you want a quick exit (6–12 months) and have a smaller practice. DSO Buyer: Better for high-revenue practices ($5M+ range), but usually requires you to stay on for several years as an associate. Some links from the show: Just A Couple of Dentists Podcast 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!  

Kid dives in with myofunctional therapist Alex Clinton, the founder of Building Healthy Faces on how nasal breathing and tongue posture shape facial development at every age. They unpack mewing, nasal hygiene routines, the BOLT score, and how her Building Healthy Faces approach helps parents start with breathing first, then structure, for better sleep, focus, and smiles.Connect with Alex ClintonWebsite → functionaloralhealth.caWebsite → buildinghealthyfaces.comBe featured on The Kid Carson ShowCollapse time on your growth NOW.  Step into a premium interview experience, and create content for your business with Kid Carson.Learn more:

AI is changing how patients find dentists—but it's not replacing your front desk tomorrow. In this episode, Dr. Len Tau sits down with Evan Maass (Founder/CEO of DentistOffices.com) to break down what's real vs. hype in AI, where dental marketing is still failing practices (hello, "mystery SEO reports"), and how visibility is shifting from traditional Google search toward AI-driven recommendations. Evan also shares where reviews, directories, and user-generated content (like Reddit) fit into the next decade of "getting found." What You'll Learn The biggest problems dentists face with SEO and ad spend (and how to spot "scam SEO") Where AI is useful today (keyword intent, targeting, automation) vs. where it's not ready (phone answering agents replacing humans) How AI search and traditional Google search overlap—and what "AI visibility" really means Why reviews + user-generated content will matter even more in the future What to ask a marketing agency before signing a contract (ownership, references, specialization) How directories (DentistOffices, Yelp, Healthgrades, etc.) can influence being recommended by AI tools — Key Takeaways 00:38 Welcome + Sponsors + Episode intro 01:46 Meet Evan Maass + background 02:50 What DentistOffices.com is and how it works 05:55 How DentistOffices compares to ZocDoc 06:55 State of dental marketing: SEO frustration + ad waste 08:50 AI in dental marketing right now: what's useful vs. hype 11:05 Why AI phone agents aren't "prime time" yet 13:27 The review risk: AI agent frustration + negative reviews 14:34 A safer setup: auto-attendant for new vs. existing patients 15:10 Testing AI agents (the "rhinoplasty" question) 16:02 AI security + "jailbreak" concerns 17:30 In 5 years: what roles AI may replace in practices 20:00 Will Google disappear? AI search vs. Google evolution 23:39 Reviews and trust signals: why they matter more over time 24:35 Why Reddit influences AI recommendations 25:15 How dental offices can use Reddit carefully 31:00 Questions to ask marketing agencies before hiring 35:00 Specialist vs. "do-it-all" marketing + budget realities 38:50 Lightning round success, habits, mindset, favorites 43:25 How to reach Evan + add your practice to platform 45:20 Wrap-up + "Your reputation matters"   — Learn proven dental marketing strategies and online reputation management techniques at DrLenTau.com. This podcast is sponsored by Dental Intelligence. Learn more here. This podcast is sponsored by CallRail, call tracking & lead conversion software for dentists. Find out more here. Raving Patients Podcast is your go-to place for the latest and best dental marketing strategies that will help you skyrocket your practice. Follow us for more!

Did Triman ever buy his own camera setup? Has he figured out which niche or specialty he wants to pursue? Are molar endodontics and surgical extractions still his fear procedures? And how's he getting on with those tricky fee discussions and private patient conversations? Dr Triman Ahluwalia returns for another catch-up — one year after stepping into his first associate position. In this episode, Jaz follows Triman's journey from new graduate to confident young clinician, exploring what's changed and what lessons he's learned along the way. From building confidence in complex procedures to improving communication and investing in the right tools, this episode is packed with insights every fresh grad and early-career dentist can relate to. https://youtu.be/gJNUM6JSLfE Watch IC066 on YouTube Takeaways Investing in photography can enhance documentation and patient engagement. Confidence in discussing costs with patients improves with experience. Mentorship is vital for growth and learning in dentistry. Building a strong portfolio is essential for career development. Choosing the right educational path depends on personal learning styles. Communication with patients should focus on care rather than costs. Dentistry offers diverse pathways for specialization and growth. Highlights: 00:00 Teaser 00:30 Introduction 03:18 Patient Demographics and Practice Insights 06:04 Investing in Photography Equipment 10:13  Handling Complex Procedures and Referrals 13:20 Choosing the Right Courses for Career Growth 17:21 Communicating Costs and Building Confidence 18:32 Midroll 21:53 Communicating Costs and Building Confidence 27:31 Learning from Senior Colleagues and Mentorship 31:50 Building and Improving Your Dental Portfolio 33:56 Final Reflections and Advice for Young Dentists 38:41 Outro

The Bulletproof Dental Podcast Episode 424 HOSTS: Dr. Peter Boulden and Dr. Craig Spodak DESCRIPTION In this episode of the Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast, Craig Spodak and Peter Boulden discuss various aspects of running a successful dental practice, focusing on the importance of hygiene, incentives for staff, and the challenges of scaling. They explore the disconnect in dental hygiene practices, the need for alignment within teams, and the potential for burnout in the profession. The conversation emphasizes the value of creating a robust business model that prioritizes general dentistry and hygiene, while also allowing for specialization when appropriate. The hosts encourage listeners to pivot and adapt their business strategies to ensure long-term success and satisfaction in their dental careers. TAKEAWAYS Sales-based jobs often yield better results in dentistry. There is a significant disconnect in dental hygiene practices. Incentives are crucial for performance in dental teams. Simplistic and replicable business models scale faster. A strong hygiene program can drive restorative work. Burnout in dentistry often stems from high complexity and stress. Alignment within teams is essential for success. Dentists have the power to pivot their business models. A robust hygiene program can enhance practice profitability. Understanding unit economics is vital for sustainable growth. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction and Personal Anecdotes 02:55 The Disconnect in Dental Hygiene Compensation 05:50 Streamlining Dental Practices: Lessons from Tesla 08:30 The Value of Simplicity in Dentistry 11:23 The Profitability of General vs. Complex Dentistry 14:13 Building a Robust Hygiene Program 17:18 Creating a Stable and Sellable Dental Practice 19:45 Building a Sustainable Business Model 21:06 Aligning Team Goals for Success 23:31 Avoiding Burnout in Dentistry 25:49 The Importance of Pivoting in Business 29:12 Navigating Change and Volatility 33:19 Creating a Resilient Dental Practice 37:10 Outro REFERENCES Bulletproof Summit Bulletproof Mastermind

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

In this episode of the Healthy, Wealthy and Smart podcast, Dr. Karen Litzy interviews Dr. Aisha Akpabio D.D.S., a Detroit-based dentist and entrepreneur. They discuss the challenges and triumphs of being a female healthcare provider while running a business. Dr. Akpabio shares her journey from employee to owner of her own dental practice, the importance of design in healthcare, and the significance of representation in the field. They also address the balance between delivering high-quality care and managing business aspects, as well as the importance of self-care for longevity in the profession.   Takeaways   ·      It takes courage to bring people together in healthcare. ·      Transitioning from employee to entrepreneur requires a mindset shift. ·      Business education in dental school is minimal. ·      Delivering exceptional care justifies pricing. ·      Patients appreciate a personal touch over corporate practices. ·      Design can significantly impact patient experience. ·      Representation in healthcare matters for community trust. ·      Self-care is essential for longevity in the profession. ·      Balancing work and personal life is crucial. ·      Living in the moment is important for personal growth.   Chapters   ·      00:00 Introduction to Female Healthcare Entrepreneurship ·      02:58 Dr. Aisha Akpabio's Journey and Practice ·      05:51 Transitioning from Dentist to Entrepreneur ·      08:41 Navigating Healthcare Pricing and Value ·      12:05 Competing with Corporate Dental Practices ·      12:57 The Importance of Design in Healthcare ·      16:49 Legacy and Representation in Dentistry ·      20:02 Self-Care and Longevity in Dentistry   More About Dr. Akpabio:  Dr. Aisha Akpabio D.D.S. is a Detroit-based dentist, entrepreneur, and community advocate dedicated to smiles and systems of care. As the founder of Diamond Smiles Dentistry, she is redefining what it means to build a thriving dental practice rooted in wellness, accessibility, and neighborhood revitalization. A graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program, she leads with vision and heart, creating opportunities for growth in underserved communities while mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals. Beyond dentistry, she is passionate about wellness, motherhood, and empowering others to build healthy, wealthy, and purpose-driven lives.   Resources from this Episode: Diamond Smiles Dentistry Website Instagram- Diamond Smiles Dentistry Facebook - Diamond Smiles Dentistry   Jane Sponsorship Information: Book a one-on-one demo here Mention the code LITZY1MO for a free month   Follow Dr. Karen Litzy on Social Media: Karen's Instagram Karen's LinkedIn   Subscribe to Healthy, Wealthy & Smart: YouTube Website Apple Podcast Spotify SoundCloud Stitcher iHeart Radio

In this episode of the Medical Sales Podcast, host Samuel Adeyinka sits down with Dr. S. Thaddeus Connelly, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, professor, and researcher, to give medical sales professionals a rare behind the scenes look at what it takes to earn a surgeon's trust and win in the OR environment. Dr. Connelly breaks down his path from dentistry to an MD and PhD, what a real operating room setup looks like, and exactly how reps add value during complex cases like TMJ replacement surgery. He explains why long term relationships matter more than flashy pitches, what "subtle" outreach really means when approaching surgeons, and the consistent habits of the best reps he's worked with for decades. The conversation also dives into the biggest innovations transforming his specialty, including virtual surgical planning, custom plates, guided implant workflows, and how AI is starting to reshape imaging, planning, and rep responsibilities. If you sell into surgeons or want to, this episode is a masterclass in professionalism, patience, and how to become the rep who belongs in the room. Connect with Dr. S. Thaddeus Connelly: LinkedIn Connect with Me: LinkedIn Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here's How »

In this episode of the Integrative Health Podcast, Dr. Jen sits down with Dr. Paige Prather, a leading expert in airway and biological dentistry, to explore why dentistry must “zoom out” beyond teeth and aesthetics to consider the airway, jaw development, and whole-body health.Dr. Prather explains how modern dentistry and orthodontics—especially extraction-based treatments—can unintentionally shrink the airway and contribute to lifelong breathing issues, sleep disorders, and chronic sympathetic dominance. They discuss how changes in modern diet, bottle feeding, and reduced breastfeeding have altered jaw development compared to our ancestors, leading to narrower palates and compromised airways.This episode dives into common compensation patterns like clenching and grinding, TMJ pain, headaches, neck tension, sleep apnea, and behavioral challenges in children that are often misdiagnosed. Dr. Prather also highlights the role of biological dentistry in addressing hidden stressors such as cavitations and tongue ties, and how advanced appliances can guide growth and healing—often without invasive surgery.If you or your child struggle with sleep, chronic pain, anxiety, sensory issues, or fatigue, this conversation may reveal a critical missing piece.Dr. Jen talks with Dr. Paige Prather about airway dentistry, jaw development, clenching, grinding, sleep apnea, tongue ties, cavitations, and holistic dental solutions for whole-body health.Dr. Paige Prather is a leading expert in airway and biological dentistry. She specializes in evaluating jaw development, airway volume, and oral restrictions that impact sleep, nervous system regulation, and systemic health. Her work focuses on identifying root causes—such as tongue ties, cavitations, and cranial strain—and using holistic, growth-guiding dental approaches to support long-term healing in both children and adults.Website: https://airwayandbiologicaldentalcenter.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paigeprathersmilestn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigeprathersmiles/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paigeprathersmiles9188 PODCAST: Thank you for listening please subscribe and share! Shop supplements: https://healthybydrjen.shop/CHECK OUT a list of my Favorite products here: https://www.healthybydrjen.com/drjenfavorites FOLLOW ME:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/integrativedrmom/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/integrativedrmomYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@integrativedrmom FTC: Some links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I truly appreciate your support of my channel. Thank you for watching! Video is not sponsored. DISCLAIMER: This podcast does not contain any medical or health related diagnosis or treatment advice. Content provided on this podcast is for informational purposes only. For any medical or health related advice, please consult with a physician or other healthcare professionals. Further, information about specific products or treatments within this podcast are not to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

In this engaging episode, Brian and Pam chat with Dr. Jeannette MacLean, a board-certified pediatric dentist, as they dive into the power of effective partnerships between general dentists and pediatric specialists to deliver the best possible oral health outcomes for children.

Send us a textHave you ever opened your insurance payment report and realized that money was taken from one patient's payment — to repay an ‘overpayment' on someone completely different?If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. Insurance companies have been playing this shell game for years, taking money from one patient's account to pay back another, sometimes without any warning.That's exactly why Utah passed House Bill 495 — the Overpayment & Recoupment Protections Law. And it's one of the most important reforms for every dental office to understand.Support the show

This is a must episode for clinical directors, dentists, dental assistants and hygienists. Walter Parra, VP of Marketing & Sales at Microcopy shares his thoughts: The Evolution of Single Patient Use (SPU) Products Quality and Customer Service as Differentiators Understanding the Needs of Group Practices To learn more visit https://microcopydental.com or contact Walter Parra at walter.parra@microcopydental.com 

In this episode, Dr. Joy breaks down what a prevention-first approach really looks like and why it's not just better for patients, but also better for your practice. We'll dive into why preventive care shouldn't stop at age 18, what steps practices can take to start offering more adult preventive services, and how to navigate insurance roadblocks to ensure patients receive the care they need. Dr. Joy breaks it down with real-world tips, a ton of experience, and the kind of insight you can actually put into action with your patients.

In this episode Alan sits down with Dr. Abe Hoellrich in Scottsdale, Arizona, during the Voices of Dentistry conference! Abe's practice focuses on sedation dentistry in Columbus, Ohio. He offers an insider's perspective on the "turf battles" surrounding anesthesia privileges, weighing the tensions between general dentists, oral surgeons, and medical doctors. The discussion highlights the nuances of patient safety versus access to care, with Abe arguing for the superior safety of reversible IV sedation compared to oral methods and emphasizing the need for stringent training to preserve the future of dental sedation. Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, 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!  

Dr. Stubbs returns fora great conversation on the interconnectivity of dentistry, the importance of staff, labs, attitudes, and her best tips to help aspiring dentists make it into dental school.Ladies & Gentlemen, you're listening to "Confessions From A Dental Lab" and we're happy you're here. Subscribe today and tell a friend so we can all get 1% better :)Connect with Dr. Stubbs via email: yvonnestubbs02@yahoo.comFollow KJ & NuArt on Instagram at @lifeatnuartdental.com, you can also reach us via email: kj@nuartdental.comLearn more about the lab and request information via our website: https://nuartdental.com/contact

When boundaries feel hard, it's often not because you don't understand them — it's because resistance shows up quietly. For many dentists, that resistance looks like overgiving, pushing through fatigue, or second-guessing yourself long after the day is done.In this short guided meditation, I'll help you:Notice resistance with compassionTune into your body instead of pushing past itExperience boundaries as clarity, not conflictThis practice isn't about fixing yourself or forcing change.It's about listening — honestly and without judgment.You're in control of your experience. Engage as much or as little as feels right.Get The 8 Must-Have Boundaries Every Dentist Needs for Sustainable Success here for FREE: yogafordentistst.net/boundarieschecklistGet the Boundaries for Dentists self-paced digital course here: https://www.crownofwellness.com/boundariesFor a visual experience, check out this episode on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Y⁠oga for Dentists YouTube Channel⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang out with like-minded dental professionals on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @yogafordentistsEmail me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠josie@yogafordentists.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How to Enjoy Life in Dentistry without Sacrificing Your Body and Mind: click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.crownofwellness.com/enjoydentistrywebinar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, please take a moment to give Yoga for Dentists a 5-star rating or leave a review!Thank you so much!

Host Dr. Joel Berg chats with Dr. Elise McCollum about how she turned a family hobby into a way to support community care. Dr. McCollum shares her journey as a dentist with an interest in wine to a full-fledged vineyard owner, and how her two passions have converged to support access to care and the AAPD Foundation. Guest Bio: Dr. Elise McCollum earned her DDS degree from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in 2020. Following graduation, she completed a General Practice Residency at the VA Portland Health Care System in Portland, OR, where she gained advanced clinical training in comprehensive care for medically complex patients. After residency, Dr. McCollum worked in an oncology clinic, further deepening her experience in interdisciplinary care and patient-centered treatment with oncology patients. In 2022, she relocated to Louisiana, where she joined the faculty at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. While she valued teaching, her passion for hands-on patient care led her back to the clinic, where she began practicing at Children's Hospital New Orleans. Following the birth of her daughter, Dr. McCollum became a dentist for Thrive Kids, The New Orleans Children's Hospital affiliated nonprofit dedicated to improving access to medical and dental care for underserved pediatric populations. In this role, she provided preventive care while also engaging in education and outreach initiatives focused on early oral health. Dr. McCollum recently moved to Washington, DC, and is currently in the process of obtaining dental licensure in both Washington, DC and Maryland. She is the mother of two young children, ages four and two, and remains deeply committed to pediatric care, education, and advocacy for improved access to oral health services. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dental health is one of the most overlooked and most misunderstood areas of feline care. Many cat parents are told their cats “just need a dental,” without fully understanding what that means, when it's truly necessary, or what questions they should be asking their veterinarian.In this episode of Back in the Closet with the Two Crazy Cat Ladies, we're joined by Dr. Katie Kangas, one of the leading veterinarians in pet dental health. Dr. Kangas breaks down the do's and don'ts of feline dentals, including when dental procedures are genuinely needed, what red flags to watch for, which practices to avoid, and how to advocate for your cat's safety and long-term oral health.This is one of the most important episodes when it comes to our cats' health - so don't miss it! Learn more about Dr. Kangas here: https://intvetcare.com/Chapters:00:00 Intro08:00 When to Get a Dental12:00 Routine Mouth Exams16:35 Dentistry vs Teeth Cleaning20:15 Anesthesia Prep28:34 Perioperative Care Questions for Vet32:18 Prepping for Dental36:15 X-rays vs Dental X-rays37:20 Post-Op Pickup43:30 Post-Op Care45:35 Pain Medication52:13 Antibiotics55:47 Accupuncture and Chiropractic 01:00:54 Raw Feeding01:08:25 MCT and Coconut Oil

Tax season officially kicks off on January 26th, and if you're treating your filing as just a compliance chore, you're likely leaving money on the table. In this episode, Jarrod Bridgeman, Kevin Rhoton (MBA, CPA), and Brodie Hough (CPA) sit down to dissect the evolving tax landscape for dental practice owners.The guys start by debunking the "Tax Bracket Myth"—the common fear that earning more will lead to a lower take-home pay due to higher rates—and explain how this misunderstanding might be sabotaging your practice's growth.Whether you're looking to optimize your 2025 filings or set the stage for a more profitable 2026, this episode provides the roadmap to becoming a truly Millionaire Dentist.Upcoming Tour Dates: Go to our EVENTS page for infoFacebook: Four Quadrants AdvisoryInstagram: @fourquadrantsadvisoryLinkedIn: Four Quadrants Advisory

On today's episode, Mark sits down with Dr. Brian Bhaskar, a newly minted oral and maxillofacial surgeon, third-generation dentist, and founder of Cindy, a digital referral management platform designed to modernize how dentists communicate. Dr. Bhaskar shares his journey from Division I basketball at Gonzaga to completing a six-year oral surgery residency at the University of Washington, and how firsthand frustrations with outdated referral systems inspired him to build a HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based solution for seamless collaboration between general dentists and specialists.  The conversation also explores life after residency, the realities of private practice, balancing entrepreneurship with clinical excellence, and why better communication leads to better patient experiences. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://sindireferrals.com https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

Clinicians and patients are in a state of prognostic uncertainty when they are unsure about the future course of an illness. By embracing uncertainty while cultivating prognostic awareness, neurologists can serve the critical role of supporting patients and families through the living and dying process. In this episode, Casey Albin, MD, speaks with Robert G. Holloway, MD, MPH, FAAN, author of the article "Managing Prognostic Uncertainty in Neurologic Disease" in the Continuum® December 2025 Neuropalliative Care issue. Dr. Albin is a Continuum® Audio interviewer, associate editor of media engagement, and an assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Holloway is the Edward and Alma Vollertsen Rykenboer Chair and a professor of neurology in the department of neurology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York. Additional Resources Read the article: Managing Prognostic Uncertainty in Neurologic Disease Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @caseyalbin Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio. Be sure to visit the links in the episode notes for information about earning CME, subscribing to the journal, and exclusive access to interviews not featured on the podcast. Dr Albin: Hello, this is Dr Casey Albin. Today I'm interviewing Dr Bob Holloway about his article on managing prognostic uncertainty in neurologic disease, which appears in the December 2025 Continuum issue on neuropalliative care. Welcome to the podcast, and please introduce yourself to our audience. Dr Holloway: Hi, Casey, and thank you. Again, my name is Bob Holloway. I'm a clinician and neurologist up in Rochester, New York, and I've been doing both neurology and palliative care for many years. Dr Albin: Well, that's fantastic. And I really wanted to emphasize how much I really enjoyed reading this article. I know that we're going to get into some of the pearls that you offer, but I really want to tell the listeners, like, this is a great one to read because not only does it have sort of a philosophical take, but you also really provide some pragmatic tips of how we can help our patients manage this prognostic uncertainty. But maybe just tell us a little bit, what is prognostic uncertainty? Dr Holloway: Yes, thank you. Well, I think everyone has a sense of what prognostic uncertainty is. And it's just the uncertain futures that we as clinicians and our patients face. And I would just say that a way to summarize it is just, how do we manage the "not yet" of neurologic illness? Dr Albin: I love that. In neurologic illness, there is so much "not yet" and there are so many unknowns. And what I thought was really helpful about your article is you kind of give us three buckets in which we can think about the different types of uncertainty our patients are facing. What are those? Dr Holloway: This is, I think, an area that really is of interest to me, thinking about how to organize the prognostic "not yet" or that landscape. And one way I've tried to simplify it is to think about it as data-centered. And that's the world that we mostly live in as neurologists. That's the probability distributions. We also have kind of system-level uncertainties, and that's the uncertainties that our health system affords for our patients. And then we have, also, the patient-centered uncertainties and the uncertainties that those two prior categories cause for our patients. And that's a big uncertainty that we often don't address. Dr Albin: In reading the article, I was really struck by, we spend a lot of time thinking about data uncertainty. Can we get population-based research? Can we sort of look at prognostication scoring? I live in the ICU, and so we think a lot about these, like, scoring metrics and putting patients into buckets and helping us derive their care based on where their severity index is. And I'm sure that is true in many of the divisions of neurology. But what I did not really appreciate---and I thought you did a really fantastic job of kind of drawing our attention to---is there's a lot of system-centered uncertainty. Can you give us a little bit of examples, like, what is system-based uncertainty? Dr Holloway: I think system-level uncertainties just encompass the practical information gaps that may arise during our healthcare encounter. And a lot of, I think, the uncertainty that our patients face and families, they actually describe it as they feel captive by the uncertainty. And it's just the unknowns, not just what affords from the actual information about the disease and its prognosis in the future, but actually the level of the system, like, who's going to take care of them? How do you manage arranging for nurses to come into the home or all those practical-level uncertainties that the system provides that sometimes we don't do a good job of road-mapping for patients. Dr Albin: Absolutely. Because I feel like we have a little bit of a gap in that often as physicians. Like, the family asks, what will hospice at home look like? Well, you know, that's a question for case management. I think they'll come in and they'll tell you. But it strikes me that that's a real gap of my being able to walk patients through. Will they get home health care? Will they have transportation set up? Will there be a nurse who comes in to check? How often are they available? What's the cost going to be? All of these practical aspects of dealing with an illness that are beyond sort of our scope of knowledge, but probably have a huge practical impact to the patient. Dr Holloway: Without question, every encounter patients wonder about, that kind of future wish landscape that we- all our future-oriented desires and hopes. And so much of that is the practical aspects of our health system, which is often fragmented, kind of unknown, uncertain. And that's a huge source of uncertainty for our patients and families. And then that leads to many other uncertainties that we need to address. Dr Albin: Absolutely. I think another one that we, again, maybe don't spend quite as much time thinking about is this patient-level uncertainty. What's going on there? Dr Holloway: Yeah. So, I think patient-level uncertainty is that uncertainty that they experience when confronted with the two other types of uncertainty: the actual data-centered uncertainty and the system-level uncertainty. And that's that, kind of, very huge kind of uncertainty about what it means for them and their family and their future futures. And that's a source of huge stress and anxiety, and often frankly bordering on dread and fear for our patients and families. That actually gets into very levels of uncertainty that I would call maybe over even in the existential realm. Patient-level uncertainty in the actual existential questions or the fear and the dread or the kind of just unnerving aspect of it is actually even more important to patients than the scientific or data-centered uncertainty that we focus most of our attention on. Dr Albin: Yeah, I think this is, to me, was getting towards that, like, what does the patient care about and how are they coping with what is in many times a really dramatic shift in their life expectancy or morbidity expectations and this sort of radical renegotiation about what it means to have a neurologic illness? And how does that shift their thinking about who they are and their priorities in the world? Is that right? Dr Holloway: One thousand percent, and in fact, I will say---and I think is one of the main take home messages is that, you know, managing prognostic certainty is not an end in itself. It really is to help patients and families adaptively cope to their new and often harsh new reality, that we could help them adapt to their new normal. I think that is one of our main tasks as neurologists in our care teams is to help patients find and ultimately maybe achieve existential or spiritual or well-being even in their new health states. You know, that you certainly often see in the intensive care unit, but we often always see in the outpatient realm as well, and all our other diseases. Dr Albin: I think that's really hard to do. I think those conversations are incredibly difficult and trying to navigate where patients want to be, what would bring meaning, what would bring value. I think many of us struggle to have these pretty real and intense conversations with families about what really is important. And one of the things I really liked about this article is you kind of walk us through some steps that we as clinicians can take to get a little bit more comfortable. Maybe just walk us through, what are some of the things that you have found most helpful in trying to get families and patients to open up about what brings them meaning? How are they navigating this new, really uncertain time in their life? Dr Holloway: Yeah, so I do kind of have a ten-point recommendations of how to help cultivate a more integrated awareness of an uncertain future. I mean, I think the most important thing is actually just recognizing that embracing uncertainty as an amazingly remarkable cognitive tool. I mean, let's face it, uncertainty, when it happens with neurologic illness and disease, is often fearful. It's scary. It kind of changes our world. But on the flip side of it, it's a remarkable cognitive tool that actually can help us find new ways and new paths and new creativity. And I think we can use that kind of opposites to help our patients find new meaning in very difficult situations. So, thinking about uncertainty, kind of being courageous, leaning into it and recognizing that it does create anxieties and fear, but it also can kind of help create new solutions and new ideas to help people navigate. Dr Albin: I was hoping that maybe you could give us an example of, like, how would you do that? If a patient comes in and they're dealing with, you know, a new diagnosis and they're navigating this new uncertainty, what are some of the things that you ask to help them reframe that, to kind of take some of the good about that uncertainty? How do you navigate that? Dr Holloway: One of the other recommendations is actually just resetting the timeline and expectations for these conversations. That it shouldn't be expected that patients should accept their harsh new reality immediately, that it takes time in a trusted environment. And that there's this, like, oscillating nature of hopes and fears and dread, and you've just got to work with them over time. And with time, and once you understand who the patient and family are and understand where they find meaning and where they find, actually, joy in their life, or what actually brings them meaning, you can start recasting their futures into credible narratives in their kind of future landscape in ways that I think can help them enter into their new realities within the, you know, framework of disease management that you can offer them within your healthcare team or your healthcare system or wherever you are in the world and the available resources that you have to offer patients and families. Dr Albin: So, this sounds like a lot to me like active listening and really trying to get to know what is important to the family, what is important to the patient. And I guess probably just creating that space even in that busy clinical environment. Do I have that right? Dr Holloway: You can absolutely do that, right. You know, and honestly, active listening, we are challenged in our busy healthcare system to do this, but I think with the right listening skills and the appropriate ways of paying attention, you can definitely illuminate these possible, kind of future-oriented worlds for patients and help them navigate those new terrains with them. Frankly, I think that's a real new space for us in neurology. We don't think about and train how to create credible narratives for patients and families. We do it on the fly, but I think there's so much more work to do. How do you actually keep, you know, that best-case, worst-case, most likely credible narratives for patients that can help them adapt to their new realities and support them on their new journeys? Dr Albin: I love that best-case, worst-case, most likely case. I find that framework really helpful. But you talk in your article, it's not just about using that best case or worst case or most likely, but it's actually building some forecasting into that and having some real data to kind of support what you're saying. And there's a lot of growth towards actually becoming good as a medical forecaster. Can you describe a little bit, what did you mean by that? Dr Holloway: You're absolutely right. I think, actually, one of the skillsets of becoming and managing prognostic uncertainty is actually becoming a skilled medical forecaster. And it's a really tall order. So, we've got to be both good medical forecasters as well as helping patients adaptively cope to their new reality. But the good medical forecasting is actually now going more quantitative in thinking about the data that's available to help think about the important outcomes for patients and families and then predicting what their probabilities are so you can shape those futures around. So, yes, we do have to have an open mindset. We do have to actually look at the data that's available and actually think about, what are those long-term probabilities and outcomes? And we can be honest about those and even communicate them with families. But it's a really good skill set to have. Dr Albin: Yeah. This to me was a little bit about, how do you bring in the data knowledge that we try to get over time as we develop our expertise? You're developing not just a reliance on population-based data, but in my experience, I have seen this. And that sort of ability to kind of look at the patient in front of you, think about the big picture, but also a little bit about their unique medical comorbidities or prior life experiences. So, some of that database knowledge, and then bringing in and getting to know what is important to the patient. And so, sort of marrying that data-centric/patient-centric mindset. Dr Holloway: I love it. I guess the other way of saying that, too, is we need to think with precision, but communicate in narratives. And it's okay to gently put more precise estimates on our probability predictions with patients and families, what we think is the most likely case, best and worst case. Because patients and families want us to be more precise. We often shy away from it, but- so, it's okay to think in precisions, but we've got to put those in narratives in the most likely, best-, and worst-case scenarios. And don't be afraid if you think in terms of ninety percents, ten percents, fifty percents; most patients and families don't mind that. And what they're telling us is they actually want to hear that, if you are comfortable talking in those terms. Dr Albin: Yeah, absolutely. And giving a sense of the humility to say, like, this is my best guess based on medical data and my experience, I would say, but again, none of us have a crystal ball. And I do think families, as long as you're sort of couching your expectations into the sort of imperfect, but I'm doing my best, really appreciate that. Dr Holloway: They totally do all the time. Just say, I simply don't know for certain, but these are my best estimates. That's a good way of just phrasing that. Dr Albin: Yeah. So powerful. I don't know for certain. And then I wanted to just kind of close out, because there's this one term that you use that I thought was so interesting. And I wanted you to kind of tell our listeners a little bit about what you mean here, which is that, when you're actively open-minded, you're using this, quote, "dragonfly eyes." What do you mean by that? Dr Holloway: So, the dragonfly eyes, as you know, they can look at three sixty around them and they just, they move in all directions. Being actively open minded, I guess the biggest example I would say is, I don't like the term prognostic discordance, which means that there's a difference of subjective estimates of prognosis between patients and families. Being openly minded is actually embracing the potential information that the family has about prognosis and incorporating that into your estimates. So, I wouldn't say it's discordances, per se; I think being really actively open-minded is taking that all in and utilizing that as, you know what, they know more than you do about the patient and their loved ones, and they may have insights that can inform your best estimates of prognosis. So, the true dragonfly prognosticator actually is one who embraces and doesn't consider it discord, but considers it kind of new, useful information that I just need to weigh in so I can help the family in my best professional way in terms of developing a prognosis, whatever the condition may be. Dr Albin: I can imagine this is just so challenging and something that takes a long time to sort of perfect all of this. I think you say right below that, you need a growth mindset to do this because it is hard, and it's going to take an active participation and an active desire to get better at these conversations with our families. Dr Holloway: One thousand percent. You are so right that it takes time, effort, and not feeling like you're being challenged, but that actually you are including them in your entire body of knowledge, that you're just- it's part of all you're collecting. And even, I was on service last week, and I talked to residents and students about that very issue. It's like take their prognosis. And someone who came in, we thought CJB, very sad, tragic case, but we were thinking about what the future may look like and how do we actually work with the family who had very what we thought was unrealistic expectations. I said, well, no, this is not discordance. This is just useful information that we can take understand where they're coming from and incorporate that into the ways we want to build relationships, build trust, and over time we'll get to a point where we hopefully can work with them and have them have that fully integrated awareness of their future. Dr Albin: Yeah, that's beautiful. It really is this ongoing negotiation that really requires so much listening, understanding, and then obviously information and expertise about the data that we're presenting and the likelihood outcome, recognizing that there's a lot of uncertainty in all of this. Which, you know, again, this is kind of a 360 talk. At every level there is uncertainty, and that's what makes it so hard. Dr Holloway: Yeah, you're absolutely right. And actually, even in the article I kind of used the term radical uncertainty as that, no matter how resolvable all this uncertainty is, there will always still remain that radical element of our existence which we have to actually incorporate and be prepared for. And actually, not only of ourselves, but actually for patients and families and helping manage that. Using narratives and credible narratives and kind of ranges of possibilities is the best way to do that in a personalized way. Dr Albin: Well, this has been a fantastic conversation, and I know that we are running a bit short on time. So, as we wrap up and you think about this topic, are there any key take-home messages that you hope our listeners will walk away with? Dr Holloway: I think one main emphasis is that despite all the successes we feel we have in neurology, is that we all have to recognize that prognostic uncertainty is just going to increase in the future. But this is going to be for several reasons. One is that, just, the illness uncertainty of all of our great therapies are just going to be creating more uncertainty for the future. And precision medicine is paradoxical, and that actually it creates more uncertainty. So, I think we need to be prepared that we have to manage prognostic uncertainty better, because it's definitely going to increase. And two, it's what I said earlier, is that actually managing prognostic uncertainty is not an end to itself. It's actually helping patients and families adapt to their new and sometimes harsh new reality and actually help them to ultimately get to a place where maybe either their condition is neither dreaded, but actually they can accept it as their new reality and actually achieve some sort of existential well-being and existential health. I think that we have a lot more to emphasize in this area. And for far too long, we've focused on the certainty aspect of our field and not enough on the uncertainty in the world of medicine to help our patients and families. Dr Albin: And gosh, isn't there just so much uncertainty? And I think this has been beautiful. So, thank you again for coming and sharing your expertise. Dr Holloway: Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure. Dr Albin: For all of our listeners out there, this is a truly fantastic article, and I would just like to direct you to going to read the cases because not only do the cases offer a little bit of practical advice, but there's one that's actually sort of a philosophical discussion about, what does it mean to be alive and confront death? There's some beautiful artwork that's featured as well. So this is just a really unique article, and I'm excited for our listeners to have a chance to check it out. So again, today I've been interviewing Dr Bob Holloway about his article on managing prognostic uncertainty in neurologic disease, which appears in the December 2025 Continuum issue on neuropalliative care. Be sure to check out Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use the link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

In this episode of the Growth in Dentistry podcast, Steve Jensen sits down with Ragan Hartman, a dental industry expert with over 27 years of experience in healthcare management and executive coaching. Ragan shares actionable verbal skills and scripting techniques to address common challenges facing dental practices today and provides actionable scripts to use in your practice. Listen in to hear more about: The power of words in dentistryHandling accounts receivableMitigating cancellationsManaging no-showsGoing out-of-networkHandling escalations...and so much more!Want to reach out to Ragan and get a copy of the scripting guides she mentioned? You can call/text her at 931-808-8820 or email her at raganhartman@fortunemgmt.com. You can also contact her via the Fortune Management website: https://www.fortunemgmt.com/profile/ragan-hartman. See a demo of DI and get a $50 gift card: http://get.dentalintel.net/podcast.

Dentistry isn't just about shiny teeth. It's about your airway, your inflammation, and the biology driving how you feel every day. Miss that, and you miss one of the clearest windows into whole-body health. In this episode of Medical Disruptors, I sit down with Dr. Ariana Ebrahimian, DDS, and we widen the lens: the mouth is not a standalone body part. It's a living ecosystem with a direct line to your airway, your sleep, your inflammation, and your long-term risk profile. We talk about why breathing problems can start in the structure of the jaw and palate in childhood, why mouth breathing is a red flag that deserves more than a shrug, and how oral posture and tongue function can shape the airway over time. But we don't stop at breathing. We get into oral dysbiosis, bleeding gums, and the uncomfortable truth that what's happening in your mouth doesn't stay in your mouth… bacteria can travel, inflammation can spread, and “routine” dental choices can ripple into the rest of your biology. We also challenge common habits people assume are harmless: constant snacking, soda, alcohol-based mouthwash, and the oversimplified fluoride conversation, then bring it back to practical, grounded alternatives. If you've ever felt like your healthcare is fragmented, one specialist per body part, this episode is your reminder that the body doesn't work that way. Your mouth is a gateway. And when you understand that, you start seeing your health differently. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Check us out on social media: drefratlamandre.com/instagram drefratlamandre.com/facebook drefratlamandre.com/tiktok #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters [00:00:00] Meet Dr. Ariana[00:03:30] Young sleep apnea[00:08:10] Mouth breathing spectrum[00:19:30] Oral bacteria, whole body[00:37:45] Braces, airway, extractions Guest Links: FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550221271156 IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.ariana.e/ YT: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.Ariana.E Website: https://www.doctor-ariana.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Heal Your Hormones podcast, Dr. Danielle interviews Dr. Toni Engram, a biological dentist who shares her personal journey with autoimmune disease and how it transformed her approach to dentistry. They discuss the principles of biological dentistry, the impact of dental materials on health, the importance of oral health in managing autoimmune conditions, and the controversies surrounding root canals and mercury fillings. Dr. Engram emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to oral health, including nutrition and understanding the body's overall health.About Dr. Engram:DR. TONI ENGRAM is a biological dentist, integrative health coach, and owner of Flourish Dental Boutique in Richardson, TX. After her own personal health struggles with an autoimmune disease, Dr. Engram shifted her practice philosophy to focus on whole-body health, and the prevention and safer treatment of oral disease. She has degrees from Texas Christian University and Baylor College of Dentistry. Dr. Engram is a member of the IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology) and the IABDM (International Academy for Biological Dentistry and Medicine). She is SMART certified in safe amalgam removal technique, accredited through the IAOMT, and is a TBI Ambassador through The Breathe Institute. She is also a certified Integrative Health Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.  You can learn more through her ⁠Website, ⁠Instagram, or Youtube.Let's ConnectInterested in becoming a client? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule your strategy call here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Order Your Own Labs - LabShop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fullscript Supplement Dispensary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Most dentists push for a yes right now. We take a different path and show how planting a clear, respectful seed today leads to an easy yes at the next visit—no pressure, no awkward sales pitch, just a plan the patient helped shape. Using four common scenarios—SRP hesitation, x-ray refusal, cracked teeth without symptoms, and adult crowding—we walk through the exact words, visuals, and boundaries that turn doubt into acceptance.Enjoy the strategies? Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts. If you want personal guidance for your team, book a free strategy call at dentalpracticeheroes.com/strategy.  SET UP A CONSULTATION WITH GARY @ LEGALLY MINE CLICK 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.

Ever notice how two dental practices can sit a mile apart, offer the same services, and charge similar fees, yet one stays booked out while the other struggles to fill chairs? The difference is rarely clinical skill. It is visibility. Most dentists still believe SEO lives on their website. Google does not agree. Today, the real fight for new patients happens inside your Google Business Profile. That is where rankings are decided, trust is built, and calls are generated. If your profile is treated like a digital Yellow Pages listing, you are already behind. The Biggest SEO Misconception In Dentistry A great-looking website does not equal growth. Many practices obsess over design elements, videos, and aesthetics while ignoring the engine that actually drives traffic. SEO is not about how polished your site looks. It is about whether Google understands who you are, what you do, and when to show you. There is also a growing belief that AI has made SEO obsolete. The opposite is true. SEO feeds AI. If your digital footprint is weak, AI-powered search will simply skip you. Strong SEO is no longer optional. It is the baseline for being discovered at all. Why Google Business Profiles Dominate Local Rankings Search for any dentist, orthodontist, or specialist in your area. What shows up first? The map pack. Google Business Profiles sit above traditional organic results, and only three practices make the cut. That scarcity is intentional. Google wants to surface what it believes are the best local options, fast. This matters even more now as Google begins layering AI directly into Business Profiles. Pricing prompts, service summaries, and conversational answers are already being tested in other industries. Dentistry is next. If you are not optimized where Google is investing its AI future, you will miss the next wave of patient discovery. Free Growth Session Google Business Profiles Are More Than A Directory Treating your profile like a static listing is a costly mistake. Google Business optimization works much like website SEO. Categories, services, descriptions, and photos act as ranking signals. If you want to be found for Invisalign, implants, or pediatric dentistry, those services must be intentionally built into your profile. Think of it this way. If your website never mentioned Invisalign, you would not expect to rank for it. The same logic applies inside Google Business. Practices that structure services, write optimized descriptions, and maintain fresh activity give Google clear signals about relevance. That clarity is rewarded with visibility. Review Velocity Is A Competitive Weapon Most dentists understand reviews matter. Fewer understand how they actually work. Google looks at more than total review count. It tracks history, consistency, and momentum. A practice earning steady reviews each month often outranks competitors with a larger but stagnant total. Reviews serve two roles. They are algorithmic trust signals and they are patient decision drivers. The practices winning here do not leave reviews to chance. They build internal systems, train staff to ask at the right moment, and treat reviews as a non-negotiable growth lever. Discipline beats hope every time. Free Growth Session Hyperlocal SEO Expands Your Reach Without New Locations Local SEO is no longer just city-based. It is neighborhood-based. Patients search from specific pockets of a city. Google responds by prioritizing proximity and relevance at a hyperlocal level. Practices that only optimize for one city limit their reach. By creating hyperlocal content, aligning website pages with nearby areas, and reinforcing those signals through Google Business and reviews, practices extend their visibility radius. Think of it as casting multiple lines instead of one. More hooks create more opportunities to be found. Ranking Is Only Step One. Conversion Is Where Growth Happens Ranking does not guarantee patients. Once you appear in the map pack, patients compare fast. Reviews, photos, branding, and credibility signals decide who gets the call. A practice with five reviews will lose clicks to one with five hundred. Grainy photos and thin websites erode trust. Strong branding, clear doctor credibility, and proof of experience convert attention into action. Google gets you seen. Trust gets you chosen. Free Growth Session Practical Takeaways Dentists Can Use Now Here is where to focus if you want results, not theory. Log into Google Business Insights monthly and review calls, clicks, and profile interactions Build a consistent internal review system with full team buy-in Optimize categories, services, and descriptions for high-value treatments Align website content and Google Business messaging so they reinforce each other Track real outcomes like calls and bookings, not just keyword positions Stop guessing. Start measuring what actually moves patients. The Bottom Line Google Business Profiles are no longer secondary assets. They are becoming AI-powered decision hubs for local search. Dentists who treat them as set-it-and-forget-it listings will fade. Those who optimize, monitor, and adapt will own their local market. Visibility creates opportunity. Execution creates growth. If you want to win, start where Google already is. Free Growth Session The post Local SEO for Dentists: The Strategy Everyone Gets Wrong appeared first on HIP Creative.

In this episode, host Shawn Terrell discusses the importance of planning for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) in retirement, using the analogy of a problematic driveway to illustrate the need for proactive financial strategies. He emphasizes the consequences of not having a plan for RMDs, including higher taxes and implications for beneficiaries. The conversation also touches on strategies to manage RMDs effectively to minimize tax burdens and ensure financial efficiency for both the individual and their heirs.-------------------------------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 us a textI want to start today by talking about something that almost every dentist and practice owner I know has experienced at some point in their career.Frustration.Frustration with insurance companies. Frustration with contracts. Frustration with reimbursement. Frustration with feeling unheard.And when that frustration boils over, most dentists are told one of two things:“You signed a contract.” Or… “Just drop insurance.”I've heard that response from state associations. I've heard it from leaders in the dental industry. I've heard it from colleagues.And I struggle with it — not because it's always wrong, but because it has become the default answer, and default answers don't solve systemic problems.Support the show

Welcome to Dentist Money Two Cents, a look at the latest financial and economic news from the past week.
 On this episode of Dentist Money's Two Cents, Jake, Will, Lauren, and Rabih talk about what the best investment of 2025 really was and why staying invested matters more than timing the market. Then they discuss why boomers tend to have less retirement savings than millennials, unpacking the shift from pensions to 401(k)s, the lasting impact of the Great Recession, and how automatic enrollment and modern investing tools may give younger generations a long-term edge. Finally, they explore commonalities between dentistry and college football as private equity enters both spaces. Learn more about the Dentist Money Launchpad Program, join the waitlist to learn everything you didn't learn about money in dental school through a series of live courses built exclusively for D4s and recent grads! Book a free consultation with a CFP® advisor who only works with dentists. Get an objective financial assessment and learn how Dentist Advisors can help you live your rich life.

Dr. Alexa Laskaris is a dentist with multiple ventures that fuel her passion. We talk about the crossroads of the dental world, clothing, technology, entrepreneurship, and what it means to be more than just a number. Ladies & Gentlemen, you're listening to "Confessions From A Dental Lab" and we're happy you're here. Subscribe today and tell a friend so we can all get 1% better :)Connect with Dr. Laskaris on instagram at @alexa_laskaris and email her at alexalaskaris@gmail.comVisit https://brokenumbers.com/ to learn more about her brand and to purchase her unique products.Follow KJ & NuArt on Instagram at @lifeatnuartdental.com, you can also reach us via email: kj@nuartdental.comLearn more about the lab and request information via our website: https://nuartdental.com/contact

On today's episode, we bring you Dr. Mark Costes' second impactful presentation from the Music City SCALE 2025 event. In this talk, Dr. Costes blends tactical strategy with raw vulnerability as he opens up about achieving his lifelong financial goals—only to find himself exhausted, unfulfilled, and deeply unhappy. He shares the pivotal moment that led him to rethink success, prioritize fulfillment, and build a model for personal and professional transformation.  You'll learn about the six foundational areas that determine practice health, how to avoid burnout with smarter operatory planning, and why redundancy—not minimalism—is the true path to lifestyle freedom. Mark also dives into the power of patient exam counts, how poor leadership affects everything from culture to profitability, and why dentists must think more like NFL head coaches than all-star players. If you've ever wondered why hitting your numbers still doesn't feel like success, this episode is a must-listen. 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

The debate over horse dentistry needs to be resolved before it escalates into an all-out war, leaving horses without the dental care they need. The two main issues fueling this conflict—hand floating versus power equipment, and the debate over whether only veterinarians or non-veterinarians should perform dental work—have been ongoing since the 1960s. I know this history well, as I began my own journey into equine dentistry in 1983. Like many forgotten histories, this discussion often pits people against one another without understanding past mistakes and solutions. Those involved focus solely on their own perspectives, turning the debate into a personal battle in which the horses are caught in the middle, suffering as their needs are misrepresented or ignored. As this conflict continues to play out on social media and in veterinary meetings, an increasing number of horse owners are opting not to have their horses' teeth cared for. Consequently, horses are left chewing in pain or struggling with the bit, only to see a dentist when the dental issues become severe, rather than receiving preventive maintenance. In this podcast, I will discuss this dilemma by examining the various schools of thought, which often rest on unproven theories and distorted facts. It's time for all parties to cease fighting and for veterinarians to expand their scope of care, offering more options for horse owners. By doing so, we can ensure that more horses receive the dental care they need, which is essential to Help Horses Thrive In A Human World™. ********** Community.TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a place to learn about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its information is free, and there is a membership side that allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and deepen their understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide who works with horses. The Equine Practice, Inc. website discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Click here to make an appointment. The Horsemanship Dentistry School is a place for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. Please give a thumbs-up or a  5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with longtime friend and respected dental entrepreneur Tiger Safarov, founder of Zen One. Tiger shares his incredible immigrant journey—from arriving in the U.S. not knowing English to building a thriving dental construction company, and later pivoting to launch a tech platform revolutionizing dental supply management.  They dive into Tiger's inspiration for Zen One, the evolution of the platform from a scrappy startup to a streamlined, AI-powered solution, and his deep commitment to supporting private dental practices in an increasingly DSO-dominated industry. With a strong emphasis on integrity, innovation, and real cost savings, Tiger explains how Zen One empowers practices to take control of their variable expenses and boost profitability without compromising on quality. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://dsn.zenone.com https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

A real-world breakdown of multi-practice ownership, associate management, rural dentistry challenges, and the financial and emotional reality of scaling back to a profitable solo dental practice.

What REALLY Makes a Dental Practice Thrive? 26 Years of Hard-Earned Wisdom with Dr. Tarun AgarwalWhat happens when you stop creating a job and start building a business?

This throwback episode was originally recorded live from the main stage at Voices of Dentistry 2022 where the original Dental Hacks—Dr. Alan Mead and Dr. Jason Lipscomb—reunite for a hilarious and nostalgic session. The duo kicks things off by catching up on life since their "breakup" and going head-to-head in a competition to determine who has endured the worst patient horror story of the pandemic era. Later in the show, the classic Brain Trust format returns as Dr. Mark Costes and Dr. Justin Moody join the stage for a round of "Ask Us Anything." The panel covers a wide range of topics, including their surprising hobbies outside of dentistry, pandemic takeaways, and critical advice regarding practice startups versus acquisitions for the next generation of dentists. Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, 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!