Podcasts about dentists

So, what's the real story of Richard Brumfield? Even today, it's a remarkably unsatisfying account. There's plenty of evidence that Brumfield committed the murder — but there's also a bunch of evidence that makes no sense at all in that context. Why would a murderer mail a box of sexy panties to the exact place he planned to run away to, the day before an apparently premeditated crime? Was “Mrs. Norman Whitney” a real person, and if so, who was she? Did Brumfield have a second family in Calgary? Then, too, why would a man who's contemplating a murder like this use such a small amount of dynamite? Why would he stage the entire pageant on Pacific Highway, the most heavily traveled road in the area? Was there a second man involved in the plot, as the district attorney broadly hinted to reporters? Why was his wife so doggedly insistent that the burned corpse was that of her husband, when it was so obvious to everyone else that it was not? Was she in on it? And those suicide attempts: How many people, crazy or not, can cut two inches into their own throats with a dull instrument? How many can hang themselves from a bunk bed without help? If he had help, who could have provided it? It's possible that all these anomalies can be explained by Brumfield simply being an unhinged homicidal maniac, and yeah, maybe that's all there was to it. But looking back over the record at all the loose ends hanging off this messy little murder mystery, a person sure has to wonder. (Roseburg, Douglas County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/20-06b.brumfield-murdering-dentist-mystery-part2of2.html)

Dr. Publio Silfa practices in New York and takes great care in the details of his practice and the care his team provides. He shares how he offers "unreasonable hospitality" at his practice, his most impactful CE courses, and how he emphasizes teamwork to achieve the best results. 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. Silfa on instagram at @doctorsilfa and email him at psilfa@gmail.comFollow KJ & NuArt on Instagram at @lifeatnuartdental, you can also reach me via email: kj@nuartdental.comLearn more about the lab and request information via our website: https://www.nuartdental.com/new-dentist-contact-form/

Join Elevated GP: www.theelevatedgp.com Free Class II Masterclass - Click Here to Join Follow @dental_digest_podcast Instagram Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram Dr. Drew McDonald is a board-certified orthodontic specialist renowned for his expertise in airway and temporomandibular joint (TMJ)-focused treatment planning, surgically facilitated orthodontic therapy (SFOT), and complex interdisciplinary care. He is based in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he leads McDonald Orthodontics, a practice dedicated to comprehensive, patient-centered orthodontic solutions. 

On a warm summer's evening in 1921, Dr. Richard Brumfield loaded about a dozen sticks of dynamite into his snazzy red convertible and left Roseburg, headed for handyman Dennis Russell's tiny shack in the hills near Dillard. Dr. Brumfield had hired Russell to blast out some stumps from around a rural farm property he owned. At least, that's what he'd told Russell when he hired him. But, as it turned out, he was lying about that. What Brumfield really wanted to hire Russell for was to impersonate a corpse. His corpse.... (Roseburg, Douglas County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/20-06a.brumfield-murdering-dentist-mystery-part1of2.html)

Have you ever wondered how the insurance plans you accept today could make or break the sale of your dental practice someday? In this powerful episode, Michael Walker sits down with Kim McCleskey and Kyle Francis from Professional Transition Strategies to uncover how your current insurance participation, especially with PPO plans, can dramatically affect the value and marketability of your dental practice. Kim and Kyle share real-world stories, actionable advice, and clear steps for dentists who are planning a future transition or simply want to strengthen their financial foundation. They discuss common misconceptions about reimbursement rates, the role of insurance in buyer interest, and how to begin making smart, strategic changes. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/  If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/ 

Navigating the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can be intimidating for individuals and businesses alike. In these situations, it helps to have a former IRS professional on your side. On this episode of the Art of Dental Finance and Management podcast, Art is joined by Ben Peeler, Partner in Charge of Eide Bailly's Tax Controversy and Procedures group. Ben provides updates on proposed personnel cuts at the IRS and what they mean for current and future audits. Ben also discusses issues with S Corporation shareholder loans, why it's important to report all your income, and what documentation is necessary for expenses. Finally, Art and Ben discuss the IRS's “Dirty Dozen” — the worst of the worst scams taxpayers may encounter this year. Tune in to receive actionable insights from someone familiar with the ins and outs of the IRS.

The use of medical management of caries is, for the most part, not taught in dental schools and it's not used nearly enough among practicing dentists. Removing the infected dentin with a microbrush and then treating the affected dentin with SDF followed by the placement GI can result in an incredibly high success rate. So the question is, why aren't more dentists doing this in their practice. Dr. Frachella believes a good part of the reason is that most dentists don't look at this treatment as profitable. He disagrees. So let's find out more from our guest, Dr. John Frachella, who is not only knowledgeable but also quite entertaining. Dr Frachella is a pediatric dentist with 50 years experience in the delivery of dental services in public and private settings. He's worked in private practices across the country and for a decade was on staff at OHSU (Oregon Health Sciences University) Dental School. He lectures at NYU Dental School for the largest dental residency program in the US. Thanks to our episode sponsors: Centrix Dental - https://www.centrixdental.com/ GC America - https://www.gc.dental/

In this episode of the Nifty Thrifty Dentists Podcast, Dr. Glenn Vo sits down with the inspiring and multi-talented Dr. Ashla Martin—a pediatric dentist, DJ, branding genius, and outreach powerhouse based in Cedar Hill, Texas. Tune in to learn: How Dr. Martin created her unforgettable brand using colorful wrapped cars called Freckles the Smile Mobile Why incorporating her DJ skills into her practice makes kids LOVE coming to the dentist The power of outreach and her nonprofit mentorship program Dentist at Heart Her journey from general dentistry to pediatric specialist and how faith and purpose played a role Why every pediatric dentist should consider stepping up their branding game

So many catchphrases, we can't even be bothered to remember them. So whilst we try and make something stick, how about nine memorable songs from S3xverbot, Scustin, Les Lullies, Bruce Ruffin, Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction, The Spackles, Danny Cleaver, Madalitso band and Sexfaces.Voice of Jeff, Comedy Suburbs, what was it?, Tony has your Facebook comments, Dentist, sick of the internet, last week, Apocalypse Babys recording again, Andor, Forest, Lodger, French Connection, A Call To Spy, graphic violence, From the Vaults, Tony's International Gig Guide, this week, interviewing, the Quattro range (TM), cheese rolling, Health and Safety, no Izzatwat, Quiz Time for Tony, Monkey and a reminder of the ways you can listen.Song 1: S3xverbot – Sexverbot!Song 2: Scustin – I'm Never Flying With Ryanair AgainSong 3: Les Lullies – A l'EtroitSong 4: Bruce Ruffin – Crazy PeopleSong 5: Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction – Hangover From HellSong 6: The Spackles – Pistols At DawnSong 7: Danny Cleaver – Everything's Your FaultSong 8: Madalitso band – Princess WambaSong 9: Sexfaces – Special / Lame

Ever have one of those nights where you're exhausted but someone talks you into staying up anyway—and it turns into the most fun night ever? That's exactly what happened when my family convinced me to play our ridiculous Italian-themed drinking game called "Garlic and Oil" at the lake house.The truth is that strong practice cultures aren't built through mission statements—they're created through shared experiences, inside jokes, and rituals that bond your team together. People connect through experiences more than tasks. In my practice, we've developed unique cultural elements like our appreciation token system, morning huddle rituals, and our notorious "P2P" feedback approach where team members literally ask, "Can I pee on you for a second?" before offering constructive feedback. These might sound silly, but they create our identity.WText us your feedback! (please note: we cannot respond through this channel))Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch!Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking HereTake Control of Your Practice and Your Life I help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Join the DPH Hero Collective and get the tools, training, and support you need to transform your practice: Team and Doctor Training for every aspect of Practice Management Comprehensive Training: Boost profit, efficiency, and team engagement. Live Q&A Sessions: Get personalized help when you need it most. Supportive Community: Connect with practice owners on the same journey. Editable Systems & Protocols: Standardize your operations effortlessly. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

In this episode of Teeth Matter, we sit down with Dr. Paresh Shah (@drpareshshah) —a respected Canadian dentist, educator, and international speaker—to explore what comprehensive dentistry really looks like in practice. Now leading his third practice, Dr. Shah says he's finally getting to practice the way he wants to - connecting function, esthetics, and long-term health.We dive into how this approach shows up in his treatment planning, his collaboration with specialists, and how he gets full team buy-in. He also opens up about where he's growing now: learning to be a better mentor—to his team, his colleagues, and the next generation of dentists. Whether you're a few years in or leveling up into leadership, this episode offers real insight into the mindset it takes to build a fulfilling, long-term career.What You'll Learn:What comprehensive dentistry really means todayHow to lead collaborative care without losing directionSimplifying complex cases for patientsWhat mentorship looks like in a modern practiceBuilding a strong clinical culture through communicationTo learn more about Dr. Paresh Shah, check out:Instagram: @drpareshshahWebsite: DC Dental Clinical_______Don't miss out on these deals: Prioritize your wellness—shop my daily essentials here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teethmatterpod.com/store⁠⁠COCOFLOSS - Use code TM20 to get 20% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cocofloss.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FIGS - Use referral code to get 20% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://fbuy.io/figs/elliehalabian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you want to join the conversation about the realities of dentistry, follow: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_teethmatter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ellie Halabian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠__________________________If you enjoy the podcast, subscribe and rate ⭐️. If you think a friend will enjoy it, please share it with them.

Today, we'll be addressing an important decision for any dentist placing implants: choosing the right implant motor and handpiece. So, what should you be looking for when making this investment? What specifications matter most for efficiency, precision, and long-term reliability? And are there any game-changing features worth considering? Our expert guest, Dr. Krikor Derbabian, will tell us all about it and make his recommendations.

In this compilation program, Justin Klein and Luke Guerrero field a variety of finance and investment questions from callers across the United States and around the World.Today's Stocks & Topics: Investing Options, Investing Apps, Dentists and Equity Firms, Dollar Cost Averaging, Trading Earnings Reports, Investment Portfolio Percentage, Politicians Stock Trades, CDs & Taxes, Cash-Out Refinancing, Measure the Health of a Dividend, Cash into The Market, How to Begin Investing at 18?, Gold and Silver, Where to Invest After 70, Education Plans, Emerging Market, Price Support.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This episode features Richard Low and Alex Sharp in a deep dive on culture as a foundational driver of practice success. From turnover and team expectations to measurable metrics and mission-driven leadership, they outline how to build a culture that's both intentional and resilient. Whether you're just starting out or refining your systems, this conversation offers actionable strategies you can implement tomorrow. Check out our events page for all 2025 events https://sharedpractices.com/events/

In this episode of the Dental Download Podcast, host Dr. Haley discusses her financial journey as a new graduate dentist, sharing insights on managing finances, merging finances with a partner, and the importance of gratitude in financial decisions. She explores spending habits, lifestyle inflation, and the significance of understanding debt. Haley emphasizes the value of tracking spending, working with a financial planner, and surrounding oneself with positive influences. The episode also covers career decisions, loan repayment strategies, and the financial considerations involved in building a home.Engage with the podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dentaldownloadpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Haley's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dr.haley.dds⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Keywordsdentist finances, new grad dentist, financial planning, merging finances, budgeting, debt management, financial independence, lifestyle inflation, financial advisor, home building

 A dental conference can be so incredibly exciting and ALSO so incredibly overwhelming. It is such an investment of time, money, and energy. So, it is critical to get an excellent return on your investment. In this episode, Bethany gives a specific strategy to ensure that every course attendee (includes ALL team members) gets the most out of the conference. In this episode, she tells course participants to set aside a couple of hours to organize course content into actionable items with specific timelines. If you have had or are going to a dental conference, this episode is a MUST listen!!Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting: Setting Your Course for Education in 2025CE Solution – Best Education Course! ⏰

When people think about things they can do to stay healthy, they don't think about their teeth nearly enough.

Abdullah Shahid Sial and Leo Gerdén are two international students from Harvard University. They react to the Trump administration's move yesterday to revoke the school's ability to enroll international students. Then it's Live Music Friday with Jessye DeSilva, ahead of an appearance at Club Passim's Campfire Festival. Passim Managing Director Matt Smith also joins. NBC Boston's Sue O'Connell gives us the latest on the Karen Read trial. Plus, thoughts on the Sean Combs trial and the Boston City Hall staffer love triangle.Katie Theoharides is President & CEO of the Trustees of Reservations. She discusses concerns about federal cuts to conservation and the environment. Lylah Alphonse (Boston Globe) and Adam Reilly (GBH News) join for this week's edition of Press Play.

Silence/Pennies/Regal/Vitamin D./Dentist.

Dr. Brendon Gallagher comes from an athlete background that he taps into to help him on his dental journey. He is a big thinker with great ideas and wants to one day revolutionize the insurance industry as it pertains to dentistry. He's also the host of the Dose of Dental Podcast! 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. Gallagher on instagram at @doctorgallagher and email him at brendankgallagher@gmail.comFollow KJ & NuArt on Instagram at @lifeatnuartdental, you can also reach us via email: kj@nuartdental.comLearn more about the lab and request information via our website: https://www.nuartdental.com/new-dentist-contact-form/

In this powerful and transparent episode, Dr. Jeff Buske and Dr. Jim take listeners deep into the heart of what it really means to be a man, a dentist, a leader, and a human being navigating the pressures of modern life. Together, they unpack the silent battles that many dentists face—burnout, performance-driven identity, emotional disconnection, physical deterioration, and the isolating stress of trying to balance success at work with purpose at home.Dr. Buske shares how many male dentists are caught between the crushing weight of student debt, unclear expectations about masculinity, and the lie that being excellent clinically means sacrificing everything else. They explore how true identity is never rooted in what you do, but in who you are becoming, and why creating a holistic, purpose-driven framework—like The Pivot Protocol—can restore clarity, energy, leadership, and joy.Whether you feel like you've just got a flat tire or your entire life feels up on blocks, this episode speaks directly to men who are ready to reclaim their health, their marriage, their spiritual fire, and their vision for the future. Packed with real talk, practical insights, and redemptive perspective, this is a call to stop sedating and start transforming.“Your identity cannot be tied to something that can easily be taken away from you. Hear that again. When your identity is tied to something that can be taken like that, you're in trouble, brother.” — Dr. Jeff Buske

Doctor Staci Whitman is a Functional Kids' Dentist in North Portland, Oregon. She is the founder of NoPo Kids Dentistry where she takes a whole-body, holistic, and functional approach with her patients. Her dentistry/practice is grounded by science and powered by love. Doctor Staci attended Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and worked as a general dentist for 2 years before earning a certificate in pediatric dentistry from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).  Today on the show we discuss: a hidden habit you're likely doing that can ruin your health, the impact of chewing and processed foods on facial development, nutritional foundations for oral and systemic health, Dr. Staci's problem with conventional oral care products, why fluoride has become so controversial, non-negotiable oral health habits and much more.  Today's sponsor: ⁠LivOn Labs⁠ Get a FREE carton of Lypo-Spheric® B Complex Plus ($56 value) with any full-price purchase from ⁠https://www.livonlabs.com⁠. This supplement has the B vitamins and minerals you need to turn food into sustained, natural energy throughout the day. Just add B Complex Plus and any other full-priced supplement to your cart and enter code BOPST24 at checkout. ⚠ WELLNESS DISCLAIMER ⚠ Please be advised; the topics related to health and mental health in my content are for informational, discussion, and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health or mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your current condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard from your favorite creator, on social media, or shared within content you've consumed. If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you do not have a health professional who is able to assist you, use these resources to find help: Emergency Medical Services—911 If the situation is potentially life-threatening, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org. SAMHSA addiction and mental health treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727) and https://www.samhsa.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fred Heppner of Arizona Transitions is back for part 2 of his chat with Kiera! Life comes at you fast, and sometimes, it comes in the form of a surprise. Kiera and Fred talk about creating an exit strategy today for your departure from dentistry, as well as what the economics look like for moving on from a practice. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript Kiera Dent (00:01) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and I am so excited for you to have part two of me and Fred Heppner going through associates, DSOs, how to really grow this. You guys, we had such an incredible first half of this episode. It was so long and so much information that I wanted to break it into two parts. So here's part two. I hope you enjoy. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.   Kiera Dent (00:24) should people be talking   when they're in their 20s 30s or is it something we're like start to think about it I know Ryan and I from Dentist advisors we we talk shop about this quite often of like there I mean there are studies that show that when you retire you actually start to atrophy in life and ⁓ there isn't as much of a purpose and so we talk often of like how can we continue that   mental stamina, the things that are going to fulfill us, whether it's working or something else of philanthropy, like whatever is going to keep you going as a human, whether you're working in the chair or you're not, I think is important. So that's I was curious of like, really probably connecting with you three to five years before we think we might retire, but with the caveat of, hey, if something were to happen to me, what would kind of be my exit strategy? your like death list like I do, like if I die, this is what's going to happen. It's creepy, but it's awesome.   Fred Heppner (01:15) No, it's, it's creepy and it is awesome. And at the same time, it's a really good conversation to have because if we're three to five years out, then one of the first things to do is say, okay, so what's going to happen if you're not here? And that carries on to the discussion we had earlier. So once the discussion about, what do want to do when you, when you retire or you stop practicing dentistry, then the questions start coming up. What about the economics?   Kiera Dent (01:27) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (01:44) So in any... Yep, absolutely.   Kiera Dent (01:44) I was just going to say, like, is it sell? Is it DSO? it? And also, I mean, this   to me also, I think might exponentially accelerate some people's plans because the DSOs are hot and it's like 10x EBITDA. That might accelerate your retirement or your sell because you're on a wave right now that who knows if in the next 20, 30, 40 years we'll be there. Fred, I'm super curious, like, how is this whole DSO model maybe shifting it for transitions? Or is it? I'm curious.   Fred Heppner (02:13) It is, it's shifted quite a bit, but what it's shifted is a real desire for dentists to be able to sell their businesses and release the management responsibility and to have somebody else take that over. 15, 20. Yeah. I just want to do, I just want to do dentistry. I don't want to manage a business. I don't want to manage people. Um, I don't want to run the company. I want to be able to practice my trade. Well,   Kiera Dent (02:22) you   The dream for every business owner. ⁓   Exactly.   Fred Heppner (02:43) I can tell you that in the last 15, 20 years, it's certainly exploded in dentistry and not in a bad way. And here's why. Dentists graduating from dental school today need a place to work. The banks that loan money to dentists to buy dental practices are looking for dentists that have a couple years experience in dentistry. They have a production track record. The banks can see what it is that the dentist can do. Chair aside.   a good credit score and some liquidity, usually 8 to 10 % of the purchase price of the business that they're looking at in cash. So one of the things to consider is graduating dentists should be able to make the minimum payments on their debt, on their student loans, on what debt they have, and begin to put money away as quickly as possible to gain some liquidity. So as we look at the equation of   what DSOs are doing, they're providing them with a place to work. Because as dentists come out, I mean, the majority of dental practices that I work with, maybe you can echo this or discuss it, are just single dentist practices. Right, they don't have a, somebody called it a plus one at some point time, and I thought, okay, that's decent. So you have the dentistry, but there's the ability to bring somebody on maybe one or two days a week. Well, that doesn't,   Kiera Dent (03:44) Mm-hmm.   Totally same.   Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (04:09) That doesn't feed a hungry young dentist coming out of dental school who really has a lot of debt and wants to begin to work and develop a way to reduce that debt. They're looking for four days a week, five. They might have a quality of life thing where they just want to work three tens and be off Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. That's okay. But the point is, is that most private practices don't have the capacity to be able to bring on a full-time dentist and feed them right away and keep them very busy. The DSOs, corporate dentistry,   Kiera Dent (04:19) Right.   Fred Heppner (04:39) have offices that can provide that place. So essentially, if a dentist comes out of school and begins to work, they may very well work for one of the corporate DSOs, which gives them experience. It gives them the ability to work five days a week. It gives them the ability to practice in what I call civilian dentistry out of dental school. And it gives them the opportunity to be able to see what it's really like. I can tell you, Kiera, that 15, I think 15 years ago,   Kiera Dent (04:57) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (05:08) the most popular phone call I would get on my phone line was, hey, we just got 50 million from a private equity firm. We're starting a DSO, but we're different. And we want to buy practices from you because we heard you're good. And I just tell them, great, thanks very much. Get in line, register on my website. And when an opportunity comes up, I will email to you like I do everybody else the opportunity. Because most of my clients call and say, I...   Kiera Dent (05:17) you   Fred Heppner (05:34) Hard no to a DSO. I'm a private practitioner. I've got a legacy practice and I want to sell to another private dentist Okay, so that was the most popular second most popular call was I'm sick of working for a company find me a practice to buy Now it's shifted More so do I hear I'm sick of working for somebody else find me a private practice to buy I'm ready to go The the DSO calls have filtered off of it and I don't know that that's a global   Kiera Dent (05:48) Mm-hmm. ⁓   Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (06:03) representation of the DSOs starting to slow their buying and really focus on the profitability of the offices they have to really maintain the profitability due to higher interest rates. Maybe they're slowing down their buying. Who knows? The interesting thing about it is that it's somewhat of a closed loop in DSO work. You really can't get into and find out exactly what everybody is doing unless you're member of their organizations, which is fine. And I respect that.   Kiera Dent (06:12) Yeah.   Fred Heppner (06:32) private information, but it begs the question. And ultimately, if a dentist is looking to buy their own practice, eventually they're going to need those one to two years experience, liquidity, good credit score, in order for them to go to one of the commercial banks and say, I want to buy a practice and let me get a practice to buy and then we'll put it together. Okay? So I can tell you that private practice is alive and well.   Kiera Dent (06:55) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (07:02) very bullish on the individual dentist who's out there still practicing and doing quite well. I can also tell you that those kinds of doctor to doctor transitions are extremely successful. The idea is some people who look at a transition like that would think, my gosh, the dentist leaves, all the patients will leave. They'll go somewhere else, they'll go to other practices. Well, if that was true, let's carry that forward. If that was true,   Kiera Dent (07:14) Mm-hmm.   No.   Fred Heppner (07:28) then that would mean that the loans that the dentist used to buy the practice would go in default, would they not? Because if all the patients left, there would be no revenue and they'd have to fold up camp and see you later, right? The default rate on dental practice loans still over the last 15, 20 years and even recently is 40 basis points. 100 basis points is 1%. 40 basis points is four tenths of 1%. So if you follow the math,   Kiera Dent (07:33) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (07:58) The default rate is less than half of 1 % on the billions of dollars that are loaned by banks for dentists to buy practices. They don't fail. Okay.   Kiera Dent (08:08) Totally. They don't and they're such a   good investment. I think that that's why so many people like, that's why I think DSOs are buying up practices. ⁓ And I think that that's where so many private practice owners now, I would say I've watched where it used to be legacy practices and there's still legacy practice doctors who do not want to sell to a DSO. Like when they're there, they want to sell doctor to doctor, they want to bring in an associate, they want to bring in partners. I think   By default, dentistry tends to be a more humanistic, ⁓ very relationship model ⁓ versus I still think though, right now DSOs, you're right. I don't think people are getting as many calls. ⁓ But what I will say is my doctors are probably getting 20 to 30 emails every month from a DSO interested in buying their practice. So they are getting it as private practice owners. And so I think that that's where, ⁓ like I said, some people within the last eight years bought a practice as a private practice.   the DSOs, they were profitable. were within the metrics that the DSO wanted. And it just made sense. was like, I'm going to get 10x EBITDA on this. My EBITDA is great. No private party is going to pay me what this DSO is going to pay me. And while yes, I'd love it to maintain a legacy practice, I'm in my 30s and I could basically have retirement today. mean, there's more risk selling out because they have a lot of it in their stocks and there's a whole ⁓ game around that.   I think that that's where maybe some of the younger generation might be looking at transitions sooner than I think the more senior population of dentistry is. think that they're starting to be the shift and that's where I'm very curious of like, maybe conversations need to be had sooner. Maybe because DSOs are aggressive on the emails to the dentist. Like it is wild and they are sexy offers to them that are not always true. And that creeps me out too, because they're hearing a number. Like I had a doctor and he had a DSO.   Fred Heppner (09:49) Yep. Yep.   Kiera Dent (10:04) come to him and they said, Hey, we're going to give you 5 million. And he's like, here, it seems like a great deal. And I said, yeah, but you're going to do 5 million next year just in your own production. So that's actually a bad deal because you're already going to make that without selling to them and having to work for them for the next five to 10 years or like three to five is usually what their requirement is. So again, I think that this is where it's like, how do we cut through that noise to know when I do transition? Because I think people are getting asked to transition from private practice.   sooner. You're right, they go work at the DSO, they go to some of those bigger corporate practices to get the experience, then they go buy their private practice, and then it really is, or they do a startup. And then it's pretty aggressive because I think Wall Street's pretty hot right now and private equity is very, very luring, but they do have to hit certain requirements to join DSOs.   Fred Heppner (10:53) Yeah. There are tons of verticals that people are getting into, the private equity is getting into, you're right. There's a ton of money at it. You know, I would tell you that the devil is in the details. It may very well be that there are transitions that occur where a DSO or a corporation acquires the assets of a private practice and the dentist stays and works back in the office. And that transition works swimmingly well for the dentist who sells for the DSO.   Kiera Dent (11:02) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (11:21) And ultimately everything works out fine. There are others that don't and they're, they're out there. And I think what you mentioned earlier is, you know, I could get 5 million from my practice. Well, why would you, you will be able to make that in, your earnings in 2.3 years, whatever it might be, whatever the math pencils that be. But if you think about it, if it, if 10 times EBITDA is their offering price, what are, what are the details? How much cash at closing?   Kiera Dent (11:38) Right.   Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (11:49) Is there a work back or a work back arrangement where you will be paid to be the dentist? And what is your compensation? What are the benefits that you would receive? And what is the term of that work back arrangement? You're right. It's creeping up now more into five years. 15, 20 years ago, was maybe, you know, stay on one or two years and we're good. There's a claw back. There's a hold back provision that holds back part of the purchase price. And the dentist has to meet the   Kiera Dent (12:04) Mm-hmm.   Yeah.   Fred Heppner (12:17) has to meet certain metrics from the trailing 12 months to be able to get that back. Well, let's pretend. Let's pretend that the DSO comes in and sets up the practice and nothing changes and the business continues to grow and develop because there's more marketing promotion and advertising. There's better cost control. There's just better stuff going on and that works. Well, what if it doesn't? What if all of a sudden the company comes in and says, we're changing these policies?   You were Delta Dental Premier, we're jumping into PPOs because we've got really good reimbursement rates on these 12 PPO contracts. Well, if that reimbursement rate drops from fee for service, does that hinder the doctor to be able to generate the income necessary for that hold back to be acquired in the next two to three years? And then there's equity. You mentioned that they offer a stock in the company to be able to ultimately participate in a   Kiera Dent (13:09) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (13:15) recapitalization should that happen? Well, it'd be really interesting. You're going to love this one. I know you're going to love this one. So for any of your listeners, any of your A-Team clients, if they get approached by a DSO and they look at it and they think it's really, really good, have somebody look at it. What you will hear typically is you really don't need an advisor. You don't need an attorney. We've got all the contracts ready to go. You can come.   Kiera Dent (13:35) Mm-hmm.   Lies. Lies.   Fred Heppner (13:44) Exactly. You can just take all of this and we'll be good. Well, trust but verify. And ultimately a good team would be able to review these. I would be glad to review. I review paperwork all the time from dentists that are looking to transition. And if there's an equity piece in that offer, I turn around and contact the DSO on behalf of the client. And I say, we'd like to see your financials.   Kiera Dent (14:08) Absolutely.   Fred Heppner (14:11) What do you mean? Well, you're asking my client to acquire stock in your company in lieu of cash at closing. yeah, that's part of the deal. I need to see your financials. I need to advise my client on whether or not you have a healthy company and whether or not my client's going to be at risk by taking stock in your company. Well, nobody's ever asked us that. Well, I am. And doesn't it make sense? We've just provided to you tax returns, profit and loss statements, but sing along if you know the words, balance sheets, W-2, production reports, everything on the business.   Kiera Dent (14:21) Yeah.   things.   Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (14:39) And yet you're not willing to provide the other. Just provide the other. Show us that your business is solvent. Show it that it is something that my client would like to receive in stock. So, mon bro.   Kiera Dent (14:50) And there's strategy   for tax around that too. there are benefits to having stock rather than all the cash at closing for your total dollar amount when you want to retire, but only if that stock actually is valuable.   Fred Heppner (15:05) Pays back. Correct. Good. And that   is so brilliant. You see, you're good looking, you're smart, and that's a rare combination today. So, so, but think about it. You just mentioned something that people really don't think. If, if I have a practice and they give me 1.5 million chopped up into the ways that we've mentioned, and I have $200,000 worth of equity in the company, what if that $200,000 is half of 1 %? Well, when they recapitalize, I get half of 1 % of what proceeds, right?   Kiera Dent (15:09) Thank you.   Mm-hmm.   I love it. It's such a...   Fred Heppner (15:35) So map it out. Yeah, map it out. mean, can   you sell your practice twice? sometimes yes, sometimes no.   Kiera Dent (15:43) And there's so many sticky pieces around it. And that's where I feel like it's just a, think this is where people get leery to do it. However, I think like there are some, you said, that go really, really well, but agreed. And when I look at this people like Kiera, like I thought about that doctor and I was like, so sweet. You're going to five mil. That's your 10 X. You're going to produce 5 million. Your overhead right now is sitting at a 50 % overhead. So right now you're taking 2.5. Let's say you do get a $5 million check.   you give me 10 taxes, it's barely over your 2.5, which you're already going to get next year. So like, yes, next year, you still have to pay taxes because you're at a 50 % overhead. So you will still get a small amount more of cash to you. But there's a lot of strategy that goes into that 2.5, pending upon what you need when you invest that, like for every million, it's about like on average, if it's in the stock market, about 35,000 right now is like a very, very, very loose number to like estimate your financial future. But I'm like,   you throw 2.5 into the stock market right now, we'll high five, you're making about 100K a year. Like that's just to me, those are the things that I feel you need to be really smart about to make sure that your practices are assets and not liabilities and something that really will provide the retirement for the work you've put in rather than it just feeling good in the moment, but not really giving the life you want.   Fred Heppner (16:59) You know, excellent point. And what you also said earlier, just in passing was, what dentists could buy my practice. can't sell to a private dentist. I've got to sell to a DSO. ⁓ surprise, surprise. That's a myth. There are dentists who would, I can tell you right now, if you could give me your client's number, I'll buy her practice. Well, yeah, well, I mean, that's gonna, that's gonna pencil. So the, the point that I would make is know that   Kiera Dent (17:12) It is a myth.   Right? I know, me too. I'm like, actually, actually I would.   Fred Heppner (17:29) Dentists that are out there who are looking to buy really profitable practices and can meet the production goals. So there's an important aspect there. Your client's doing two and a half million in profit, five million in productivity on her own. If a person coming in to buy that won't be able to quite meet those production numbers, they may hire the client back for a year or two. The bank may want them to make sure that there's some kind of arrangement where they have some help.   But if a bank is looking at a practice that has that kind of liquidity and profitability, they'll gladly loan the money to the dentist if other measures are there because they know it's going to be paid back. So I want to dispel the myth that big practices with large productivity and big profitability are excluded from private practitioners being able to buy them. It's not true. Is it? Yeah.   Kiera Dent (18:10) Mm-hmm.   I agree. They get nervous because of the debt,   but I have somebody that I know that just bought into a $2.5 million is how much they had to bring to the table. Plus they have their student loan debt, plus they have their house debt and they were able to do it to buy into a practice. so I'm like, I think let's not assume that that's the only route. think figure out what you want and there is a buyer based on the outcome you want. I think Fred, I want to switch gears because I want to ask some questions about associates.   because I think we've kind of gone through like private practice. There's so many things like make sure you're taken care of, make sure you know where you're going. But now I want to switch gears because I think this is something I get asked all the time. And so selfishly again, welcome to curious therapy with Fred. I want to know all the pieces. This is my podcast that you get to be a part of. No, it's for all of you. ⁓ we get asked often, how do you set up a great associate buy-in? So like, how do I buy these people and how do I tether them in? I think one of the greatest, I would say   Fred Heppner (19:06) I'm listening.   Kiera Dent (19:19) stressors and like blind spots in practices and the thing that can really hurt a practice is when they have an associate that associate leaving. ⁓ And so they want to like golden handcuff these associates, but they want it to be good for both parties. What are some of those associate transitions to retain associates to get them in as partners? Is it a good idea? Is it not a good idea? And I think like we can wrap on this because I, I'm super curious of like what you recommend to help with that transition.   Fred Heppner (19:45) The   capacity for the business volume has to be there. You've got to have, not only are you working, but there's this phantom practice out there that you can't get to as the provider. And you need somebody to be able to get to that. So bringing on an associate to get to that phantom practice immediately creates incremental income, which is, to the owner of the business, very liquid.   Kiera Dent (20:03) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (20:07) The cost associated with treating extra people during the course of the day is the associate's compensation and variable cost supplies in lab. And if you're ⁓ providing can-to-can technology and your lab costs are very low, but you're producing crowns in a day, for example, and using that kind of technology, then the cost associated with treating every incremental patient and creating that revenue is very low.   we're suggesting that the team in place can handle the extra work. We don't have to hire an extra assistant or hire an extra administrative person. So given those things.   ⁓ One of the best transition plans, in my opinion, is one that has time built into it. The associate has to develop some traction. They have to generate some productivity. They have to show that they can produce the numbers. But more importantly, the outcomes are good. The treatment outcomes are successful. The patients are adapting to them. The team connects with them. This is a good relationship. As an aside, really quick, when you mention relationship business in dentistry,   I think DSOs traditionally are a transactional business. They're really focusing on the transaction, right? Private practice focuses on the relationship. Not to say that corporate dentistry doesn't focus on relationships. They're focused more so on the transactions. I might get ridiculed for that statement, but that's what I see. And that's my opinion.   Kiera Dent (21:19) I would agree.   Sure,   sure.   Fred Heppner (21:36) So back to the associate, need the associate to develop some traction. And essentially that traction comes from being in the office, seeing patients, working with the team, and ultimately getting feedback along the way. And I think that's a one to two year cycle. Will you know as a practitioner and owner of the business within the first one or two months, if the associate is working two or three days a week or four days a week, will you know, do they get along with the patients? Do they get along with the team? Yes. Will you know about treatment outcomes?   Kiera Dent (21:40) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (22:05) To some degree, yes. So early on, you'll know if this is cut bait, this is not going to work. Or yes, this person's fitting in great, primarily because they were vetted. So quick, quick retract back to how do you hire them? Go through a long process of vetting. Don't just take the first one that appears. Get to know them, make sure they're going to integrate well. I see a lot of associate plans.   work real well when the dentist knows the dentist owner knows the associate coming on board from some past experience. Great example is the dentist associate grew up in town, did an internship kind of in the office as a sterilization tech, kind of worked in the office, found out that dentistry was their passion, went to college for undergrad, went to dental school for dental degree and came back to the town to work for that dentist. Right. Okay, good. So somebody you know, ⁓   Kiera Dent (22:38) Mm-hmm.   Totally.   Fred Heppner (23:00) son of doctor, owner's best friend. So there's history there. You know, the quality of the individual. Okay. So once traction is developed during the part of that associate agreement, there's some discussion about ownership and building an understanding of how the practice works so that when time comes to be a partner and buy in, there's already some traction. There's already some traction so that if the person elects to buy the seller out,   in a couple years, then they can switch roles. But there has to be some traction. One of the things that's really perilous is thinking about jumping into a practice and being a partner right away. If you want to practice and you do two million a year, hygiene does 500, you do 1.5. I'm going to come in and I want to be a partner of yours today because I've heard how great your practice is. And you have the physical plant capacity, you have the patient capacity, and I can step right in.   If I pay you half of the value of your practice today to buy in, we can split up the medicine and supplies and drugs. can split up the equipment. We can split up the office equipment. ⁓ we can split up all the operatories, but how do we sort out the patients? Because come Monday morning, say we close tomorrow, Friday, come Monday morning, I need to have in my schedule, the ability to generate half of the revenue in the business so that I can pay myself and I can pay.   to having bought in. that make sense? And that doesn't really happen easily when somebody just freshly wants to buy in as a partner. So fast forwarding to partnerships, which I hope we get a chance to talk a little bit about today, that associate has to be in that process, in that business for a period of time. And that traction needs to get up so that they've got productivity under their belt. And again, going back to what we talked about about banks,   Kiera Dent (24:32) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   I agree.   Fred Heppner (24:59) they wanna see that that productivity is there, that they'll be able to generate it because they wanna make sure that they get the loan paid for. And a really good associate agreement has, in my opinion, good restrictive covenants, not to compete, not to solicit patients or staff. ⁓ In some states, that's not allowed. The FTC voted that associate agreements or employment agreements should not have restrictive covenants, but there's no legislation yet that has actually mandated that.   Kiera Dent (25:05) Totally.   Fred Heppner (25:26) So keep in mind that it's probably not appropriate to think that you'll be able to limit somebody's ability to work. Now for them to essentially buy your practice, for example, and you as a, agreement have a restrictive covenant that you will agree to that's different because somebody paid you good and valuable consideration money for you not to compete against them because they bought your business in an employment agreement. It's a little different.   Kiera Dent (25:49) Mm-hmm.   Great.   Fred Heppner (25:56) So if a dentist comes and works for another dentist who owns the business, and after a couple of months, it's just not gonna work out, they're not gonna have enough connection with the patient base to solicit patients or solicit staff or the team. They won't. So would it matter if there was a restrictive covenant in that initial agreement? Probably not.   because after a couple months, if they've alienated patients and alienated staff and they're not very good at dentistry, you want them out of there anyway, forget about the restrictive covenant, they could go work for somebody else close by. It's probably the same thing that'll happen.   Kiera Dent (26:36) I think it's really wise because I think so many offices hire an associate, but they're so scared to move them along in two months. I think that was wise advice you listed. It is so much easier to move them on in two months than it is to keep them for six months, eight months, 10 months, and then realize their dentistry or their team connection or their patient connections not there. so ⁓ it's, it's be very intentional within those first 90 days and make sure that this will be a long-term fit. ⁓ You can see it in two months.   Fred Heppner (27:01) So how does this,   you can, I'm sure you can. How does this sound? For the first six months of an associate agreement, maybe you don't have quite a good background, deep background about that individual, but you feel that they would be good in the practice. They come recommended by their instructors at university, at dental school. was highly, someone was highly recommended. How about a single page,   six month agreement that says you come to work for me, I will pay you this. And if you want to go, you can go. If I feel you need to go, I'm going to release you. It's an at will agreement, no restrictive covenants, nothing in it that locks anybody down. Because again, what I mentioned earlier is how much traction can you generate really in one or two, three, four months, because you'll know after four or five months that this is somebody really want to lock in at six months, develop a really strong, well-written attorney reviewed.   employment agreement that has restrictive covenants that has specific on how to redo cases in case they need to be done at the end of the employment agreement. Right. What do you think? I mean, does that give that give the opportunity?   Kiera Dent (28:08) Sure.   I think,   I mean, I like it. think that the devil's advocate in me would say, I'm not sure that the ⁓   millennial Gen Z generation coming through would say yes to six months. I think that they're looking for more security. They're looking for more guarantees. They come in with a lot more debt and a lot more risk that I am really curious. As a business, I think it's freaking brilliant. As on the other side, I'm curious, would you be able to get candidates that would want to come or is it too risky of an offer?   Fred Heppner (28:43) You mean,   yeah, do you mean the associate dentist coming on board is thinking more about themselves rather than the practice?   Kiera Dent (28:52) I think with the associate offers that are given currently, ⁓ I think agreed. It does show that they're thinking about it, but I also feel for a practice making sure that they're competitive with offers. I don't love having to be ⁓ like with hygienists. I don't want to have to go chase them, but you have to at least be competitive with other people in the market. So I think I agree with you. I just feel for practices making sure that maybe   Fred Heppner (29:05) ⁓   I understand what you're saying.   Kiera Dent (29:19) you are so competitive with other people and offer. So you do get the candidates, but you can have some of these ideas within like that I think would make you even maybe more attractive. So maybe it's a year that we're offering, but like, Hey, in the first six months, there's no restriction. There's no nothing. We add that in in six months. So that way you are competitive with other people. Cause I think associates, they need that security and I'm watching more and more come through. I mean, they're walking out with one mil plus 2 million in debt. Like, so I think that   I think to be competitive with others, might need to be a possibly. This is my hallucination that could possibly just make sure you're competitive.   Fred Heppner (29:53) Well, well, no, you're   so you're right on you're in a you're in another section of what the employment agreement might look like called compensation and benefits. I'm looking at just the period of time that you would be that a dentist would be employed in the practice to determine if it's a right fit for them and if it's a right fit for the practice and if it's a right fit for the patients and the team. Compensation can say exactly what you were saying. Now,   Kiera Dent (30:16) Right.   Fred Heppner (30:22) Unfortunately, it isn't the responsibility of the practice to provide for somebody who is unproven in their debt or to satisfy their lifestyle requirements. Yes, they're competing with other organizations that are offering salary, health insurance, vision, life insurance policies, all of those benefits that come along with big corporations. However,   It's a private practice. And the sooner I think that dentists who are coming on as associates know the intricacies and the difficulties of running a business and also the rewards that come with it, they would understand better how those arrangements are made. And I've seen compensation programs set up where it's the greater of over two weeks, a compensation per day or a percentage of a certain amount over a certain amount of productivity. So you can meet those requirements. can kind of meet.   Kiera Dent (31:15) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (31:16) Kind of need halfway in between.   Kiera Dent (31:18) Yeah, and I think that that's where I was saying of I feel like making sure that you're meeting in the middle. I love the idea of being able to protect like, you're right, like not being stuck in this with someone who's not working out and getting stuck, I think is actually something that happens all the time with associates. ⁓ And so I think like, Fred, it was such a fun like,   chat about us. I agree, we need to chat more partnerships because now it's like, okay, we've got these associates, we've got some ideas on it. We've heard about figuring out where we want to go and how we're going to be able to get there and needing to think about our future life and how when we need to transition, you said the three to five years, I think looking for like, what do need to do to be able to buy a practice? If I want to buy a practice, what do need to get? Then we talked about like the DSO offers coming for private practices, and how to assess that through Fred.   And then we moved into associates. So Fred, like that was such a like smorgasbord of topics, which I love. And I think definitely reconnecting because I think there's the next step is like, how do we bring in these associates for partners if we want them? How can we build a legacy practice? That's not necessarily just the DSO. So I'd love to get you back on the podcast and chat partnerships and like alternative transitions beyond, but gosh, Fred, such a fun podcast today.   Fred Heppner (32:10) It was fun.   I am   happy to do it anytime. I appreciate what you do for dentistry. So I'll absolutely support you and be glad to do it.   Kiera Dent (32:36) Thank you. Well, Fred, as we wrap up today, were there any last thoughts you had to give to the listeners? And of course, ArizonaTransitions.com, ArizonaTransitions.gmail. If you're looking to transition or associates or what do I do or hey, Fred, I just need help. But any last thoughts you have as we wrap up today?   Fred Heppner (32:52) Yeah, I think   I tell you a funny quip that I think resonates with most people that I talk to. Dentists are excellent at curing dental disease, at diagnosing conditions and recommending treatments and working with patients to get them well. And, ⁓ coming into an event like purchasing a practice or selling a practice where they've never done it before. They don't have the experience or the education.   going in to understand what to do. I would encourage them to get advice and guidance from a great team. ⁓ I have a deal with my dentist. Mike Smith is brilliant. He has a practice called the biting edge here in Phoenix and he's brilliant. And he and I have an agreement. I don't do my own dentistry.   And he doesn't do his own practice transition stuff or practice management stuff. He relies on me to do that because they're in the middle. meet. So I want him to cure my dental conditions and make sure I'm in the optimum dental health that I could be. And I'm to make sure that I provide the services to him so that if he's looking to acquire a practice or merge an office into his, or figure out how the next plan would be for his practice growth or his transition, that he's going to sit down with me because he understands that that's my expertise and he.   he benefits from.   Kiera Dent (34:15) Yeah, I love that. That's such a good way to look at it. Let's sit in our lanes. Let's do what we're really good at and not try to be a one-stop shop. I think that that's brilliant, Fred. And I feel like for all those looking for the transitions for what do we do? How can I do it? Reach out, Fred. I think you're a wealth of knowledge. You've been in it for a long time and just truly so grateful to have you on the podcast today.   Fred Heppner (34:36) It's my pleasure. Absolutely. Have a great day. Talk to you soon. Bye here.   Kiera Dent (34:39) Awesome. Thank you. And thank you,   Fred. Thank you, all of you. And for all of you listening, thanks for listening. And I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Join Elevated GP: www.theelevatedgp.com Free Class II Masterclass - Click Here to Join Follow @dental_digest_podcast Instagram Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram Dr. Drew McDonald, DDS, MS Dr. Drew McDonald is a board-certified orthodontic specialist based in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is renowned for his expertise in airway and temporomandibular joint-focused treatment planning, surgically facilitated orthodontic therapy, and complex interdisciplinary care. Dr. McDonald lectures internationally and has contributed to literature and textbooks in these areas.  Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Dr. McDonald's passion for baseball led him to the University of New Mexico, where he played as a catcher for the Lobos and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. He pursued dental education at Creighton University, graduating cum laude and receiving honors including induction into Omicron Kappa Upsilon and Alpha Sigma Nu. He then completed a rigorous orthodontic residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, earning both his certificate in orthodontics and a master's degree in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences.  Outside the clinic, Dr. McDonald enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, grilling, and playing golf.

The Bulletproof Dental Podcast Episode 396 HOSTS: Dr. Peter Boulden and Dr. Craig Spodak GUEST: Clifton Cameron, Lightwave Dental DESCRIPTION Clifton Cameron, Chief Dental Officer of LightWave, discusses the dental service organization (DSO) landscape, covering industry challenges like labor inflation, financial strategies, and market consolidation. The conversation explores how dentists should evaluate partnerships, the impact of consumerism on practices, challenges facing solo practitioners, and the importance of strong leadership in navigating the evolving dental industry TAKEAWAYS LightWave is America's only Dental Leadership Organization (DLO). Labor inflation has significantly impacted the dental industry. Dentistry is resilient and can withstand economic fluctuations. The importance of understanding earn-outs and financial risks in DSO agreements. Stability in the market is becoming increasingly important for investors. The majority of dental practices are still solo practitioners. Financial strategies must adapt to current economic conditions. Consolidation in dentistry is ongoing, with a significant percentage of practices under DSO contracts. The need for camaraderie among dental professionals is crucial. Consumerism is reshaping patient expectations in dentistry. Dentists must adapt to changing market dynamics to remain relevant. Investing in leadership and technology is vital for growth. The dental industry is seeing a trend towards consolidation. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to LightWave and Leadership 05:00 The Current State of DSOs 10:01 Understanding Earn-Outs and Financial Risks 14:58 Navigating Labor Inflation and Financial Strategies 20:07 The Future of Dentistry and Market Resilience 25:00 Consolidation in Dentistry: Current Trends and Insights 32:06 The Rise of Startups and DSOs 36:19 Consumerism and the Future of Dental Practices 40:19 The Value of Dental Practices in Transition 44:25 Two Paths for Dentists: Business Owner vs. Employee 53:39 The Future of DSO Consolidation REFERENCES Bulletproof Summit Bulletproof Mastermind  

mike, travis and drunk discuss the following topics…. king of colas tries pepsi cream soda flavor: 3.8 the last good dentist….. shaq nutricost sponsorship….. the ant gang! road rage ai trial….. gump 2 or complete doodoo potw: fetch app/pga championship and Preakness/stadium lockup well, bye.

Thinking about going out of network? In this episode, Gary and Naren break down five real reasons why some dentists should wait. Learn how to tell if your practice is ready—or if you need more time, training, and trust-building first. A must-listen before you make the leap. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/  If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/ 

In this 2-part series, we delve into the remarkable story of Dr. Marvelli and Dr. Kamodia, two friends who turned their dental school bond into a thriving practice. They share their experiences of starting a business, the challenges they faced (including opening just before the pandemic!), and the strategies that fueled their rapid growth to a multi-million dollar practice. You'll also hear their insights on partnership, team building, and maintaining a vision for helping others.   For more information, visit www.podcastfordoctors.com    Hoping for growth isn't enough-you need the ability and commitment to lead it. If you're already sure you've got what it takes, congratulations. Grab the bull by the horns and APPLY FOR COACHING now. If you still have doubts, our Growth Readiness Assessment is for you.

Today we'll be talking about five significant things that dental hygiene school does not tell you while you are a hygiene student. We'll talk about why it's so important to know these things in order to survive, grow and thrive in the real world of dentistry. Our guest today is Emily Boge, She is one of the most knowledgeable educators you'll ever want to meet on the subject of dental assisting and dental hygiene. Emily blends her extensive experience in dental hygiene and dental assisting with a dual Doctorate in Education and Organizational Leadership. Thanks to our episode sponsors: Solventum - https://www.solventum.com/en-us/home/oral-care/ BISCO - https://www.bisco.com/

Should You Invest in Chairside Milling or 3D Printing? How do milling and printing compare in durability and cost? Which option provides the best long-term ROI for your workflow? In this deep dive, Dr. Rustom Moopen shares his experience with CEREC, ExoCAD, and in-house fabrication, breaking down the real benefits and limitations of both technologies. From restoration strength to efficiency and investment costs, this episode unpacks what every dentist needs to know before taking the leap into milling, printing, and CAD/CAM workflows. https://youtu.be/fgQnrDfXnqI Watch PDP224 on Youtube Protrusive Dental Pearl: Achieving the same effect (of the ‘Soft Clamp' by Kerr) with a metal clamp without requiring a potentially painful palatal injection - Dr. Jo Cape (Protruserati) suggests using a cotton bud to apply topical anesthetic to the gingiva where the clamp will be placed, leaving it for a minute, improving patient comfort! Key TakeAway: Investing in technology like milling can lead to a measurable ROI. Time management is crucial in dental procedures for efficiency. Milling is a subtractive process, while printing is additive. Mentorship is often more valuable than formal courses. The dental industry is evolving with new technologies. Understanding the nuances of dental procedures can enhance practice. Early adoption of technology can set a practice apart. Milling and printing serve different purposes in dental work. Mock-ups can save time and improve patient satisfaction. Milling offers more reliability than printing for dental applications. The choice between milling and printing depends on personal preference and practice needs. Milled composites have a proven track record of durability. Printed splints may not hold up under heavy use. Investing in milling technology can enhance practice efficiency. Design software plays a crucial role in modern dentistry. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each method is essential for success. Investing in dental software can be costly but worthwhile. Learning design software is crucial for modern dentistry. Milling is generally superior to printing for final restorations. Regulatory considerations are important for in-house lab work. Choosing the right milling equipment depends on practice needs. Training and mentorship are essential for mastering dental technology. Highlights of this episode: 03:29 Protrusive Dental Pearl 04:59 Meet Dr. Rustom Moopen: Journey of Learning and Mentorship 09:21 Early Adoption of CAD/CAM Technology 11:54 The Practicalities of Chairside Milling 19:01 Emax Chairside Workflow 23:10 Printing vs. Milling: Understanding the Basics 26:48 Printed Mock-Ups and Workflow Integration 29:43 Comparing Milled and Printed Composites 32:07 The Future of Splints: Milling vs. Printing 35:50 Choices After Scanning a Tooth 37:16 Milling vs. Printing: Pros and Cons 41:11 Design Software and Training 49:28 Practical Applications of 3D Printing 53:42 Investing in Digital Dentistry 55:35 Printed Restorations vs Direct Composite 56:45 Regulatory Concerns 58:31 Investing in Milling Units 01:00:53 Ideal Candidates for Milling 01:03:49 Training and Resources  If you enjoyed this episode, don't miss PDP137 – Q&A with a Dental Technician! #PDPMainEpisodes #BreadandButterDentistry This episode is eligible for 1 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance.  This episode meets GDC Outcomes B and C. AGD Subject Code: 130 ELECTIVES (Product/technology training) This episode aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of 3D printing, milling, and digital dentistry, enabling clinicians to integrate these technologies efficiently into their workflow for improved precision, cost-effectiveness, and patient outcomes. Dentists will be able to - 1. Differentiate between 3D printing and milling,

Remember to go to your dentist full 1870 Thu, 22 May 2025 19:49:55 +0000 wIV1Y8tPfUIQ4haSDO5IFauTLHgSDpzI news,a-newscasts,top picks Marty Griffin news,a-newscasts,top picks Remember to go to your dentist On-demand selections from Marty's show on Newsradio 1020 KDKA , airing weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News News News News news News News News News News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2F%2

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Kiera is joined by Fred Heppner of Arizona Transitions to talk through dental practice transitions. Their conversation includes when you should start thinking about your transition, what the economic outcomes will be any way you go, what a private indemnity group is (and how it can help), and more. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcrpt Kiera Dent (00:01) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I am so excited to welcome an incredible guest to our podcast, Fred Heppner. He's with Arizona Transitions. And honestly, I feel like right now in today's world, dentists need more than ever guidance and direction of like, what do we do? How do I transition my practice? What am I looking at for retirement? Do I go the DSO route? Do I do the legacy practice route? I just feel like there's so much confusion. And so trying to cut through that noise,   Fred is incredible. We met him and I just said, you know what? He's incredible. And so he said for him, it's whether a person is buying a dental practice or putting a dental practice up for sale, Fred truly can help you successfully navigate through that transition. He deals with complete transitions of dental offices and also practices securing a partner or an associate, which that is such a hard thing. Like, how do we do this? There's a million ways to slice and dice that pie because he's worked with so many different aspects of the dental industry. His experience allows him   to ensure that all parties are satisfied with the transition. So I'm super jazzed. Fred, welcome to the show today. How are you?   Fred Heppner (01:02) I'm   doing great. Thank you, Kiera. I gotta meet this guy. Who is this guy, Fred?   Kiera Dent (01:06) Well,   here he is, if I'm not mistaken. But truly, I'm so honored to have you on the podcast. When our team met you, they were like, Kiera, he's got to get on the podcast. And so just truly excited because like I said, this is a zone that I get excited to geek out on because we deal with it in consulting all the time. Our clients are constantly asking us like, what should we do? They want to bring on partners, they want to bring on associates, they want a retention model. ⁓ They want to know like,   I feel like your dental practice can be your greatest asset or your greatest burden, depending upon how you set it up. And so really being able to just dive in with you. And like I said, I think there's so much noise right now. The dentists are like, it's almost like ostrich in the sand. Like, I just don't want to even think about it. I'm going to put my head in the sand. I'm not going to pay attention. But the reality is like, let's educate, let's learn. Let's bring experts in like yourself. So that way dentists can feel more confident making the decision. I don't think it has to be scary. I don't think it's be daunting. We just need to be educated and.   Fred Heppner (01:41) Yeah, I agree.   No.   Kiera Dent (02:05) and hear wisdom and then do what feels right. So Fred, that was my intro, but anything else you want to add of how you got here or, mean, I'm just excited to riff with you today.   Fred Heppner (02:14) I appreciate the opportunity and I can tell you even from what you just said back in, back in 1983, when I started in the business of dentistry, the interesting thing was I didn't hear very often, Hey, what's your transition plan? Because oftentimes dentists were really just going to build a practice and then that was going to be their retirement and they would sell their practice and retire. Financial planners were, were non-existent to a large degree. And it was early on that I heard somebody and it really resonated with me.   They asked a young dentist who had just taken ownership or started a practice, when are you going to hang up your hand piece? And the dentist kind of, I just got started. What do mean? When am going to hang it up? I got, you know, I got 20, 30 years here. No, no, no. The moment you take ownership of a business, you want to consider what your transition plan out would be early on so that it doesn't spring it on.   Kiera Dent (02:51) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (03:09) We may   talk here later on about, what happens if you're not there? What happens if there's an injury or disability or illness and you can't practice dentistry? Now what? And let's consider talking about that maybe later on. So early in the game, it's appropriate to have some kind of idea of some kind of transition plan. Transition plan doesn't mean I have to value my business. I have to procure a buyer act to make sure that financially qualified. I have to get a contract. I have to get a lease. That's not a transition plan. In simple, think.   Kiera Dent (03:21) Yeah.   Fred Heppner (03:38) The transition plan is what do you want to do when you sell your practice, when you move on from dentistry? And you know, as well as I do, you have clients who have been in dentistry and practice for 25, 30, 35, 40 years. And if they stopped doing something that they've been doing for three decades, what are they going to do with their time? And that's, that's really high on the scale of importance in a transition plan, because ultimately they're going to sit back and say,   Kiera Dent (03:53) Mm hmm. Yeah.   Fred Heppner (04:08) I don't know that I want to be home. I don't know that my spouse wants me to be home all day. And you have to think about these things. So it's much more than I have a practice to sell. I've got a purchase price. I have to figure out how I'm going to sell everything and my staff and my patients and so on. It's more than that. So I think in the initial phases of somebody considering what's my transition plan that can pull their head out of the sand and look at a spot and say, what do I really want to do if I   Kiera Dent (04:12) Totally.   Fred Heppner (04:37) If I don't do this, what will I do? And then feels a whole bunch of other questions into the play. Number one, how much am I going to make from selling my practice? What are the economic outcomes? How much in proceeds will I have after all the fees associated with selling the business and the taxes associated with paying for the proceeds? Now, what have I got left? What is that? What does that number look like? Well, I have no idea. Well, I need to find out. That's why I have a business.   Kiera Dent (05:05) Mm-hmm.   Gosh, Fred, I am so grateful you brought this up because honestly, feel like so I don't know my financial advisor teases me all the time. He's incredible. And he's like, Kiera, you are the person that has every exit strategy. You're like, all right, so what's going to happen if this happens or what happens? And I love to play this game with my husband. I'm like, okay, so if there was a fire in our house in this location, how are we going to get out? Or if we had this, because I feel like when you have almost that North star, especially in your life of   Okay, this is how much I want when I wanna retire. This is when I wanna retire. This is like you said, if I want to, what am I gonna do when this doesn't, like when I'm no longer doing dentistry? Because you're right, I actually, ⁓ working at Midwestern ⁓ University in Arizona, I know a lot of dental students and I know a lot of dentists now. And ⁓ I've been gone from Midwestern for about now, about nine years. And ⁓ in those nine years, which does not seem that long, it's not even been a decade, ⁓   Fred Heppner (05:50) Mm-hmm.   Kiera Dent (06:05) There have been students who have gotten a disability. There have been students who have gotten cancer and can no longer practice dentistry. There are students that have already sold to DSOs. And I'm like, their life looks so different. The student I'm thinking about who ended up getting pretty sick and had to leave, thank goodness he had his ⁓ insurance on him, his disability insurance. But like when I met him,   there was no way that we ever would have thought like four or five years into practice. I went and saw him in his practice and now like he's not doing dentistry anymore. And so I think Fred, it's one of those things where I help him pray every dentist who's listening gets to work until they're 80, 90, however long they want to go that they get to practice their craft. but I think what you're talking about of let's think of what would I do if I couldn't do this anymore, whether by choice or whether by life, ⁓ and then be able to make decisions because I feel like   When you stair step it back, you're able to actually navigate today way more confidently than if you don't have a plan. And I think that gives you more security than anything else. ⁓   Fred Heppner (07:08) Amen. And if your practice   is stable, strong, producing a good profit and you are able to not only retire debt, but start to put away for your own retirement, you are much more in a direction of control also. So retirement may not be a year or a number. It sometimes is an event because injury, disability, illness, sudden death have no discrimination. It can happen to anybody.   And if there isn't a plan in place for that, which I would recommend dentists look into, ⁓ if they don't have them in their community, forming private indemnity groups, disability coverage groups, where if a group of 16, 17 dentists that per oculi are in the same community and know each other and respect each other would agree that if anything were to happen, the group would get activated and it would cover the practice a day at a time on rotation for all the membership.   until the practitioner returns from the injury or disability or the practice is sold because the dentist is incapacitated and can't come back. As a side note, I want to mention to you that I do this for six different groups here in the Valley in Phoenix where I live. And there are anywhere from about 12 to 22 dentists in each of those groups.   So if you're listeners or if anybody in the A team wants to know more about forming groups, I'm happy to pay it forward, provide it for you. It's important. It's really something that dentists, we're invincible. Nothing's going to happen to us, especially when they're 30 years old and they just graduated from Midwestern and they bought their first practice and they're fired up. And it's like, they are looking at nothing other than growth, development, coaching. They're not even thinking if something were to happen to them. So.   Kiera Dent (08:38) Mm-hmm.   hope. Right?   Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (08:57) Just as an aside,   let's you and I make sure that we talk more. And for any dentists who want to develop those kinds of groups, it is invaluable. And there are tons of stories that I could impart to you and impart to anybody who's willing to listen about dentists that have a mishap. ⁓ Jim Jorgensen here in Phoenix ⁓ owns Squaw Peak Dental for years. He was in Vegas with his wife, Terry, midnight. They were up in the hotel room and he flatlined. He had a massive heart attack.   Kiera Dent (09:15) Mm-hmm. Yep. Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (09:28) She kept him going until the paramedics arrived. He survived. We activated the group. We covered his practice for three months. He came back, continued to practice. A year later, he sold it. So he couldn't have done that. He would have lost that asset and lost the value that that asset has on the open market if that group hadn't been in place. So.   Kiera Dent (09:39) incredible.   Thank   I will. love that. And thank you for sharing that. And that's something I didn't even know existed. And I, I don't, I'm just very pro. Like, I remember when I was filling out our trust and I had to write my will and I was not very old, still like in my thirties, it was really weird. And it made me feel icky. And when you said the phrase earlier of like death, disability, illness, that has no discrimination. It hit me in my core of you're right. Like we do feel like we're invincible, but the reality is those three are hanging   out at any moment and we have no idea when they're going to strike us or our family or someone that we know. As icky as that is. And so I feel like it's like, let's just get, let's get prepared. Like when I had to figure out what's going to happen to me, if I ever am incapacitated and I called my brother, who's my power of attorney. I said, okay, this is what I want. Are you willing to do it? But now I don't like if it happens great. Like he knows, I know there's a plan in place and as much as I would hate for it to happen, there is a plan that's like, and I feel   Gosh, maybe I'm just a selfish egotistical human over here. It does give me a lot of empowerment to know that I know if something were to happen to me, things are good. And I will also say my whole team hates it, but I have an entire death plan of if Kiera Dent dies, I haven't made it so sweet that they want to kill me off. So like, that's my, that's my caveat. Like, let's not make it that good. But there's an entire plan because I realized...   If I don't have this plan in place, if things aren't able to be transferred quickly to people that I trust and that people need to execute on, this company would die and we would not be able to serve all the people that we have. And so as, as weird and as eerie as it is, I feel like Fred, there's so much empowerment that can happen because it's no longer scary. Just like getting an operations manual, just like getting all your systems in your practice in case someone leaves. I feel like it's the same thing for your business in your life. So Fred, like that's a great tip. And I think people should reach out and definitely connect with you.   Fred Heppner (11:42) maybe   for another future podcast. Coming to an A-Team podcast near you,   Kiera Dent (11:44) Like,   I mean, hey, I'm here for it.   Fred Heppner (11:50) I don't know.   It's really important. People take it for granted. And it's interesting because the people that are in the groups that I have and sponsor just sitting back and say to themselves, why wouldn't anybody not be involved in this type of group? So good for future.   Kiera Dent (12:05) That's helpful. Okay. All right. And Fred, just like, mean,   we'll, share it at the end too, but if people are interested, how do they connect with you? We'll just put it in the middle too. So people have the info and then of course we're going to continue on.   Fred Heppner (12:16) ArizonaTransitions.com is my website. ArizonaTransitions@gmail.com is my email. Best way to reach you.   Kiera Dent (12:23) And I'm sure people are   questioning, you work only in Arizona or do you work outside of Arizona just to clear that up for our listeners? Okay.   Fred Heppner (12:29) Good. Time for a little backstory. So   back in 1983, when I started in dentistry, I was a, I was a business coach, similar to how you operate and develop business systems and coaching and training for dentists and their teams to grow and essentially develop profitable and enjoyable practices. I did that for about 20 years. And then about 22 years ago, I really saw a void in Phoenix where I live. moved here in 1995.   of the transition space. just didn't see dental practice transitions being done with integrity, in my opinion. They could have been, but I saw some of the aftermath because dentists would call me and say, hey, I just bought this practice. Can you help me? It's a mess. So I would go in and assist them. Well, slowly but surely, I saw an opportunity to be able to jump into the transitions realm. So I jumped deep into ⁓ classroom study and book work on how to do business evaluations correctly.   Kiera Dent (13:04) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (13:26) the International Society of Business Analysts was my education forum. ⁓ Casey Conrad, who is brilliant, he taught me how to do business valuations correctly. And by the way, he writes the curriculum for the organizations that provide accreditation to people who want to be a business analyst. So I'm learning from the guy who teaches everybody. And then I started studying large contract negotiations.   Kiera Dent (13:45) Mm-hmm. Amazing.   Fred Heppner (13:52) As I developed that understanding and saw that there were things that I could contribute to, I jumped into that realm and became more of ⁓ a transition specialist here in the greater Phoenix area. Well, along the way, I came upon a group called American Dental Sales, which is a large cooperative of 40 dental practice transition specialists, 23 different companies. They cover all 50 states and they had a void in Arizona that they needed to fill. So they approached me and said, we'd like you to come on board.   ⁓ I then met a guy named Hi Smith, who really was one of the preeminent dental practice brokers in the country. ⁓ He was in Naples, Florida. He had a place in Oregon, so he kind of commuted periodically. But Hi was very, very well regarded and still is. He's retired now. Hi was the transition specialist for the Pride Institute, a very well regarded practice management company out of California. And for 35 years.   Kiera Dent (14:44) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (14:50) They referred all the business nationwide to High to develop any kind of transition plan or valuation or partnership or associate ship or practice sale. Well, he was a member of ADS and he actually, I want to say he took me under his wing to some degree because we just became very good friends and he became a really significant mentor of mine.   I fell ill and said, I'm not gonna be able to do this any longer, so you're gonna take over my book of business. and by the way, you're also gonna start doing seminars for the Pride Institute. And I'm gonna introduce you to the people over there so that when they need help, like I've been giving them for the last 30 years, you'll take over. So as a result, we were doing seminars all around the country. So four to five times a year, we'd be in Denver, Boston, Seattle, Orlando, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, you name it.   Kiera Dent (15:30) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (15:43) So people that would come to those meetings were Pride disciples, clients, and they would ask me to help them with their transition. So that became more of a establishing services for dentists that are outside of Arizona, not necessarily creating a footprint in each of those territories. The Pride Institute was purchased by Spear Practice Solutions about 10 or 12 years ago.   Kiera Dent (16:08) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (16:09) So I got dragged kicking and screaming over to Spear and developed a really good relationship with the track practice growth partners at Spear and also Amy Morgan, who was the CEO at Pride out still with Spear. So that's the backstory to tell you that I've done transitions in 26 different States. And it's very easy for me to help provide consultation and guidance for transitions really anywhere.   Kiera Dent (16:12) Thank   Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   Awesome.   Fred Heppner (16:39) Florida, as an example, Florida requires a person to be a commercial real estate broker to broker business assets. So I have colleagues in Florida that I refer to. And with my affiliation with ADS, I have boots on the ground in pretty much every territory that if I don't think I can provide value to the client, I simply connect it with the people in my group and everything gets worked right.   Kiera Dent (17:04) That's awesome.   That's amazing. And it's such a fun story.   mean, I think our our paths have crossed on probably several levels. One of my business coaches is former pride. And as soon as you said that, I was like, Oh, my gosh, I bet we both know Liz. I'm sure we and all the different pieces. But I love that because I figured Arizona transitions might some of the listeners might feel like you can't help them and assist them. So I really wanted to clear that up that it's all across the nation in different areas. So all right, Fred, let's dive into like walk us through I know you've got some   Fred Heppner (17:11) Yeah, chances are.   yeah, ⁓ yeah, absolutely.   Kiera Dent (17:36) points.   I know you've got some things of like, what is the transition plan? Like how do doctors get to that level? What do they need to do if they're transitioning? Now again, this doesn't mean you're selling. Right now, I think there's a lot of options to sell, but also like prepping in case life, one of those three mysterious, hopefully never coming to you, like orbs is how feel. I feel like they're like floating around and hopefully they never strike. But what do we do? What are kind of the steps? What are some of the things you have for that?   Fred Heppner (17:56) Yeah, yeah.   Well,   I think the first step in any kind of relationship that I build with a client, it would be a true consultation. And in that sense, it's tell me what your ideal retirement plan or transition plan would look like. You've worked your practice for a number of years. At some point in time, you're going to decide that you will retire from the practice of dentistry. What do you want to do? What does that look like?   What would you be involved with? I'll give you a quick example. Jerry Cox, who's a dentist in Old Scottsdale here in Phoenix, called me and said, I'd like you to help me sell my practice. And I said, I'd be honored, thank you. So I went and saw him and we put together the plan and I asked him the question, what do you want to do? What do you want to do after you retire from practice? says, well, I like to do sculpture. And I said, really, Fred?   Kiera Dent (18:56) you   Fred Heppner (18:57) What have you done? kind of work have you done? He says, well, let me show you. He showed me pictures of the statue of Heather Farr. Heather Farr was an amateur golfer 25, 30 years ago or so, who played at ASU, who was an enormous success, played on the LPGA tour, and ultimately ⁓ developed breast cancer and died. Heather's statue ⁓ was sitting at Karsten Golf Course down near ASU, which they've now plowed.   Kiera Dent (19:20) Wow.   Fred Heppner (19:27) and also at Greyhawk Golf Club. And Jerry sculpted that statue. And I got goosebumps right now. Anyway, so as an example, Jerry has a studio at his house. He said, as soon as I sell, I'm doing that. So the point is in the transition planning phase, know what you want to do. Know what you will occupy your time. If it's turn.   Kiera Dent (19:33) Wow. Yeah.   So Fred, I'm gonna just like ask questions right here because, and   I'm gonna talk for myself. So guys, like this is my own therapy session. So thank you for being a part and a fly on the wall. Like sometimes we don't know. ⁓ So like I feel I'm very much, I know I wanna retire. I know I want more free time, ⁓ but I literally sit here and this, it's like, know how you think about like how time truly never ends. And if you think about like too hard, it actually creeps you out. Like that's kinda how I feel about like retiring of like,   Well, I know I don't want to keep working this hard. Like I don't want to be putting in as many hours, but I still love the impact. I still love the legacy, but I don't quite know what that looks like. And I feel like a lot of times people in their thirties, in their twenties, in their forties, I think as you get later on in life, you probably have more of that clear picture. But what about for those that are very fresh, like that truly maybe some people do, maybe I'm, maybe I'm the only one on my own planet. I don't think I am, but like, what do you do if you don't know what you want to do?   Fred Heppner (20:46) You're not alone. So good. part of the time, what did Chelsea, what did Kelsey Grammer say? I'm listening. So the, the, the idea is that there are portions of people that don't know. There are some that are very clear on what they want to do and there's some that are kind of, well, I'm not sure. My, my recommendation would be, think about it. Then don't answer right now, but think about it because I want you to know what you will be doing when.   Kiera Dent (20:48) Thank you. Thanks for my therapy today, Fred. I appreciate it. Thank you.   Hahaha ⁓   Fred Heppner (21:16) you stop doing this and it may change over time. It may kind of morph into, my God, I didn't know that I really enjoyed painting. Okay. Then, then that's maybe what you might do because as you retire from the proceeds of your sale of your business, you'll, you'll build out a studio in your home or in the Casita or wherever it is. So it, it's okay that you may not know. It's okay that a person may not know what they want to do, but it's important to start thinking about it.   Kiera Dent (21:26) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (21:47) And then we can kind of move into the rest of the, ⁓ the rest of the questions, which I would say, is it a year that you'd like to finish working? Some dentists may want to finish when they're 55. Some may want to work until they're 65. Some may want to finish working when they're 50 or it might be a number. My investment portfolio has to be at $10 million liquid, not including asset hard assets like home.   vacation home, cars, anything like that, boats, whatever, ⁓ but that the liquid assets have a certain number because then I know through my financial planner, because he did a wealth timeline, another side note, right, Kiera? ⁓ He said that if you keep doing what you're doing and you retire at this age and you pull in social security and you have this mandatory required distributions from your portfolio,   Kiera Dent (22:16) Mm-hmm.   Right? Exactly.   Fred Heppner (22:41) you'll be able to have this much money when you're 99. So, and that's just a mathematical spreadsheet that most good financial planners have. And I highly recommend it for anybody who's in business, who's developing a portfolio for retirement. So it may not be, I don't know yet. Okay, good. Well think about it and know that I may circle back during our relationship and ask you, have you given much thought? Do know what you're going to do?   Kiera Dent (22:45) Mm-hmm.   Fred Heppner (23:09) Early on, is it important? Not as much as when it's a three to five year window. When it's a three to five year window from retirement, then we want to talk more significantly about it. Because that will be a good...   Kiera Dent (23:23) got it because that's what I was curious I was like should people be talking   when they're in their 20s 30s or is it something we're like start to think about it I know Ryan and I from Dentist advisors we we talk shop about this quite often of like there I mean there are studies that show that when you retire you actually start to atrophy in life and ⁓ there isn't as much of a purpose and so we talk often of like how can we continue that   mental stamina, the things that are going to fulfill us, whether it's working or something else of philanthropy, like whatever is going to keep you going as a human, whether you're working in the chair or you're not, I think is important. So that's I was curious of like, really probably connecting with you three to five years before we think we might retire, but with the caveat of, hey, if something were to happen to me, what would kind of be my exit strategy? your like death list like I do, like if I die, this is what's going to happen. It's creepy, but it's awesome.   Fred Heppner (24:15) No, it's, it's creepy and it is awesome. And at the same time, it's a really good conversation to have because if we're three to five years out, then one of the first things to do is say, okay, so what's going to happen if you're not here? And that carries on to the discussion we had earlier.   Kiera Dent (24:28) Mm-hmm.   The Dental A Team (24:31) Awesome. Thank you. And thank you, Fred. Thank you, all of you. And for all of you listening, thanks for listening. And I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

When's the last time you reviewed your office policies? Regular check-ins keep your practice running smoothly and your team on the same page. In this episode, the DPH coaches share how they've updated their own policies to reflect today's workplace, cut down stress, and avoid playing favorites.Get tips on managing cell phone use, stopping patients who start recording in the chair, and creating policies that are fair to all employees. Plus, find out how staff discounts can strengthen your team and grow your practice!Topics discussed in this episode:Evolving cell phone policiesHow to handle cell phone use by patientsAppearance policies: tattoos, piercings, and apparelCreating fair, consistent policiesThe benefits of employee discountsWhy you need updated policies in your practiceText us your feedback! (please note: we cannot respond through this channel))Join our Online Mastermind Community with All the Training, Systems, and Plug and Play Protocols for you and your team. https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/DPHcoaching Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life I help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Join the DPH Hero Collective and get the tools, training, and support you need to transform your practice: Team and Doctor Training for every aspect of Practice Management Comprehensive Training: Boost profit, efficiency, and team engagement. Live Q&A Sessions: Get personalized help when you need it most. Supportive Community: Connect with practice owners on the same journey. Editable Systems & Protocols: Standardize your operations effortlessly. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

HR challenges come with running a business. But not every challenge is a nightmare. In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to reveal the most common HR nightmares to worry about and the ones that aren't as bad as they seem. To learn how to prevent and overcome the worst HR nightmares, listen to Episode 890 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Alan:Give Alan a call: (800) 679-2760Send Alan an email: alan@bentericksen.com Join Bent Ericksen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BentEricksenAssociatesLearn more about Bent Ericksen: https://bentericksen.comTry Bent Ericksen's HR Director package: https://bentericksen.com/product/hr-directorMore Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT's BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT's BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT's To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 890: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosMain Takeaways:Unemployment is not a big deal.Scary letters are usually just settlement attempts.Understand what a state labor board investigation entails.Do your due diligence with leave of absence. Don't let it run on.In civil cases, the standard of proof is 50/50. Anything can tip the scale.Document, document, document! It is your golden ticket out of situations.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:58 Alan's background.3:42 Why this is an important topic.4:53 Unemployment isn't that big of a deal.11:33 Scary letters are just settlement attempts.15:58 In a civil case, it's 50/50.18:00 The messiness of a labor board investigation.22:29 The importance of documentation.26:01 Final thoughts.27:42 About Bent Ericksen.Alan Twigg...

A dear friend of Transom and all creative audio producers passed way last month -- Larry Massett. This episode of Sound School joins the chorus of voices on Transom marking Larry's passing. Rob presents "A Trip to the Dentist,"  a legendary story Larry made in 1977 for NPR. Easily one of the most hallucinogenic stories aired on the network. You'll want your headphones on for this episode. 

Explore the essential steps to securing financing for your dental practice with Richard Low, Steve Steinbrunner, and Brian Carroll from Provide. From liquidity requirements to real estate expansion, this episode outlines best practices for both startups and acquisitions—plus details on the July Pathway to Practice Ownership event. Check out our events page https://sharedpractices.com/events/ for more details.

What if the thing that disrupts your life is also the thing that returns you home to yourself? In this episode, Heather talks with Sharla Aaronson mother, Biologic Dentist in Fort Collins, Colorado (https://www.alive-dental.com) about how her daughter's hearing loss diagnosis changed her forever and what it really looks like to return to yourself in the middle of success, motherhood, and burnout. Listen in as they explore:

What would happen if your entire dental team quit tomorrow? Rather than just a nightmare scenario, this thought experiment reveals critical insights about your practice's foundation. I share the story of a dentist who actually experienced this situation—when he laid out his vision for the practice and gave his team of seven the option to leave if they didn't align with it, five walked out. Surprisingly, this became one of the best things that ever happened to his practice.Ready to transform your practice with proven systems and leadership strategies? Visit dentalpracticheroes.com to explore our one-on-one coaching opportunities and work with someone who's been exactly where you are.Text us your feedback! (please note: we cannot respond through this channel))Join our Online Mastermind Community with All the Training, Systems, and Plug and Play Protocols for you and your team. https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/DPHcoaching Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life I help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Join the DPH Hero Collective and get the tools, training, and support you need to transform your practice: Team and Doctor Training for every aspect of Practice Management Comprehensive Training: Boost profit, efficiency, and team engagement. Live Q&A Sessions: Get personalized help when you need it most. Supportive Community: Connect with practice owners on the same journey. Editable Systems & Protocols: Standardize your operations effortlessly. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Can my practice survive if I drop insurance? Where should I begin? What if all my patients leave? – These are just a few of the questions that practice leaders ask when considering whether or not to drop an insurance plan or two. Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss various points of view with this topic and specifically dig into the important topic of the practice surviving and even thriving after an insurance drop.   Insurance MAD World Part One   Insurance MAD World Part TwoMay bonus content is available!! Dig into the nitty gritty details this month and learn how to resolve conflict, review systems, and market to the community! Get your practice and team back on track this month and sign up RIGHT NOW! Managing Dental Drama SubscriptionCheck out THE HUB for the “How to Drop Insurance” bundle which will be live this week! Don't waste time creating resources and plans from the ground up. Let us help! Find documents related to morning huddles, offer letters, performance reviews, treatment acceptance, consent forms, and SO much more!! Find Bethany and Dr. Kuba at the AAPD this week! They will have the MOST fun booth in the exhibit hall, so be sure to track us down! Don't forget to check out our social media for moreManaging Dental Drama FBManaging Dental Drama IGConnect with the Managing Dental Drama Community!Managing Dental Drama Membership Club Sign UpWait! There's More!We want to hear YOUR voice!Text a 2-minute voice memo to 214.326.4605 with your questions, comments, real-life example, or tips for a chance to have YOUR voice on the air!

Fraud can happen to any dental practice—and often does. In this episode of Cultivating Business Growth, we're joined by Susan Gunn, Certified Fraud Examiner, and a nationally recognized expert in financial systems and ethics for healthcare practices. Susan shares jaw-dropping real-world stories—including a $1.1 million embezzlement case—and provides actionable steps dentists can take to protect their practices from financial mismanagement and theft. From spotting red flags to implementing simple systems, this episode is packed with value for any dental professional looking to strengthen their operations. In this episode, you'll learn: The most common ways embezzlement happens in dental offices Red flags and behavioral signs to watch for How to set up back-to-back accountability in your financial systems Why leadership and a culture of integrity are your first lines of defense How even minor oversights can cost your practice thousands This is a must-listen for dental practice owners, office managers, and financial professionals who want to build a more secure and trustworthy business.

What if there were a simple way to deliver an electronic charge into difficult-to-reach spaces, cauterizing soft tissue and making it easier to flush out? By doing so, we could effectively eliminate microbes hiding in constricted lateral and accessory canals. The good news is that with the introduction of a new technology we can do just that. This innovative device seamlessly integrates with the Root ZX3 apex locator, requiring no additional time or space—yet offering a major breakthrough in root canal therapy. Joining us today to discuss this technology is Dr. Chafic Safi. Dr. Safi completed his postgraduate residency in Endodontics at the University of Pennsylvania in 2015, where he also earned a Master of Science in Oral Biology. He lives and practices in Montreal, Canada.

The Bulletproof Dental Podcast Episode 395 HOSTS: Dr. Peter Boulden and Dr. Craig Spodak GUEST: Paul Vigario, Founder and CEO of SurfCT DESCRIPTION Craig, Peter, and Paul Vigario explore the dental industry's complexities, discussing competition among doctors, sales perceptions, and entrepreneurial challenges. They emphasize personal growth, brand development, and redefining success in dentistry. The conversation highlights the importance of embracing risk, living authentically, and seeking mentorship while breaking free from industry constraints and societal expectations. The speakers encourage dentists to pursue their passions, make aligned choices, and leverage community support to navigate career challenges and achieve meaningful success. TAKEAWAYS The dental industry fosters a competitive environment among doctors, hindering collaboration. Sales skills are essential, despite the common belief that dentists should only educate. Many dentists view themselves as commodities due to a lack of branding and marketing. Entrepreneurship in dentistry is not for everyone, but everyone deserves a chance to try. Falling in love with the journey is vital for personal and professional growth. Instant gratification is a societal issue that affects the entrepreneurial mindset. Failure is a part of the journey, and learning from it is essential. Dentists often feel pressured to conform to societal expectations rather than pursue their true aspirations. Engaging in practical experiences is necessary for growth, rather than just theoretical learning. The older you get, the more risk-averse you become. Mentorship can be a catalyst for personal and professional growth. Dentists should not limit their identity to their profession. You can choose your path and make decisions that align with your happiness. The industry often positions dentists as operators, limiting their potential. Happiness should be the ultimate goal in your career. CHAPTERS 01:25 The Concept of Doctor Competition 05:00 Sales vs. Education in Dentistry 09:31 Entrepreneurship in Dentistry 12:45 The Journey of Dentistry and Personal Growth 18:04 Societal Perspectives and Personal Experiences 24:52 The Importance of Mentorship and Community 26:42 Breaking Free from Industry Constraints 30:11 Understanding the Game of Dentistry 39:01 Choosing Your Path: Authenticity Over Shame   REFERENCES Bulletproof Summit Bulletproof Mastermind  

In this episode, Gary and Naren discuss a powerful but often overlooked concept: discretionary spending and how your dental practice can benefit from it. Americans spend over $6 trillion every year on things they want, not just things they need. That includes healthcare decisions, like cosmetic dentistry, implants, and other elective treatments. Gary breaks down how understanding this mindset can help you better position your services, attract fee-for-service patients, and break free from insurance limitations. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/  If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/ 

Join Elevated GP: www.theelevatedgp.com Free Class II Masterclass - Click Here to Join Follow @dental_digest_podcast Instagram Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram Episode Description: In this solo episode, Dr. Melissa Seibert dives deep into the resin-bonded fixed dental prosthesis (FDP), also known as the Maryland bridge. This episode is a must-listen for any clinician seeking a minimally invasive, evidence-based approach to tooth replacement—especially in esthetic zones or for younger patients. You'll learn when to consider a resin-bonded FDP, how to select the right cases, prep design principles, lab communication tips, and adhesive protocols to ensure clinical longevity. Dr. Seibert also walks through her personal workflow, from diagnosis to final cementation, sharing pearls you can apply in your own practice immediately. About Dr. Seibert: Dr. Melissa Seibert is a board-certified general dentist, educator, and the creator of the Dental Digest Podcast—one of the leading dental podcasts worldwide. She lectures nationally and internationally on adhesive dentistry, minimally invasive techniques, and clinical excellence. Dr. Seibert is passionate about empowering general dentists with actionable, evidence-based knowledge they can trust.

You can be a great dentist and still struggle to grow — and here's why: your mindset. It's what keeps some practice owners stuck and helps others build the type of practice they want.In this episode, find out how to shift out of "survival mode" and run your business instead of just working in it. From perfectionism and fear to day-to-day fundamentals, we discuss common mindset traps and habits that stall growth and how you can move past them. Tune in for tips to build a strong team and become a better leader!Topics discussed in this episode:The mindset of successful practice ownersFundamentals of an efficient dental practiceCommon mental roadblocks to growthTips to accelerate growth and lead more effectivelyWhy you should stress test your practiceText us your feedback! (please note: we cannot respond through this channel))Join our Online Mastermind Community with All the Training, Systems, and Plug and Play Protocols for you and your team. https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/DPHcoaching Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch!Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life I help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Join the DPH Hero Collective and get the tools, training, and support you need to transform your practice: Team and Doctor Training for every aspect of Practice Management Comprehensive Training: Boost profit, efficiency, and team engagement. Live Q&A Sessions: Get personalized help when you need it most. Supportive Community: Connect with practice owners on the same journey. Editable Systems & Protocols: Standardize your operations effortlessly. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Claude Robinson developed a heroin habit as a young man, and spent years in jail. In 2006 he began to turn his life around for good. (CW: descriptions of drug use, addiction, and crime) (R)Claude Robinson is the manager of Rainbow Lodge, a home in inner Sydney for men just out of prison. Claude knows the place well because nearly 20 years ago he was sent there himself.Claude was a heroin addict who had taken to crime to pay for his habit and wound up in a minimum security jail. But after he assaulted a prison guard, he ended up in one of Australia's toughest jails - Goulburn Correctional Centre. While Claude was inside, his father died, and he found out that he had inherited $60,000.It was a chance to start a new life when he got out of prison. But instead, he and a girlfriend checked into a hotel in Kings Cross and bought some backs of heroin. Within weeks, all of Claude's inheritance was gone.In 2006, Claude was back in prison when he decided to finally change his story. He got off drugs, went to TAFE, and started working his way back to Rainbow Lodge, where he helps men who have walked a similar path to his own.Help and support is always available: The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015.Learn more about Rainbow LodgeRead about Australia's Justice Reform Initiative's campaign Jailing is Failing This episode of Conversations discusses drug use, substance abuse, addiction, crime, mental health, toxic masculinity, manhood, fatherhood, parenting, turning your life around, getting clean, rehabilitation, rehab, intervention, AA, NA, sponsors, inheritance, heroin, methadone, ice, meth, illicit substances, incarceration, recidivism. 

In this episode of Coach's Corner, Richard and Caitlin dive into the challenges of analysis paralysis—that overwhelming feeling of having too many options and struggling to take action as a practice owner. They discuss decision-making frameworks, managing attention and focus, and avoiding the trap of endless learning without execution. Whether it's dealing with daily operations, implementing new systems, or choosing which advice to follow, this episode provides actionable strategies to filter the noise, prioritize effectively, and actually get things done.Visit https://sharedpractices.com/events/ for all of our upcoming events!

Amy Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are back for another episode of Bless Your ‘Hardt. Fresh off their trip to the F1 race in Miami, Amy and Dale recap the experience, and Dale explains the difference between an F1 race and a NASCAR race. Then Amy tells a hilarious story about Nicole (a.k.a. The Candy Thief), a classic name mix-up story, and why your dentist should always be invited to your wedding. Plus, we play Guess That Gen Z Slang, Ask Amy, and so much more!Cocktail Recipe of the Week presented by High Rock VodkaDale Jr's Screwdriver:1.5 oz High Rock Vodka2 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice0.5 oz Soda WaterTimestamps:0:51 – Drink of the Week – Dale Jr's Screwdriver9:53 – F1 in Miami41:08 – Dentist at your Wedding46:23 – Gen Z Slang54:42 – Ask AmyShop our new 'Stars, Stripes & Beers' merch collection here: https://shop.dirtymomedia.com/collections/stars-stripes-and-beers-collection