Podcasts about dentists

An estimated 5-10% of the U.S. population experiences a disorder with their TMJ, the joint that connects their jaw to their skull. The good news? Relief is possible. The secret? Go see your dentist. Today on the show, Emily talks with Justin Richer, an oral surgeon, about the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ disorders.Got a question about your teeth or dentistry? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

4pm: Video Guest – Glen Morgan – We the Governed // DOJ sues Washington Secretary of State over access to full voter registration list // Seattle office rents plunge faster than any U.S. city as vacancies hit record highs // Office-to-Residential Conversions Are Booming and New York Is the Epicenter // Could this solve many of Seattle’s issues? // Scientists Are Trying to Fix the Worst Sound in the World: the Dentist’s Drill

Hi friends! I'm SO excited to share this week's episode with biological dentist Dr. Toni Engram, and this one is truly eye-opening. We dive deep into the powerful connection between oral health, gut health, inflammation, and the rest of the body—and how what's happening in your mouth could be impacting your hormones, immune system, brain, and more. Dr. Toni shares her personal journey with Crohn's disease that completely changed her approach to dentistry and led her into the world of biological and functional dentistry. We talk about hidden dental infections, root canals, sealants, airway health, jaw development, cavitations, and what it really means to treat the root cause; not just the symptoms. If you've ever wondered whether your dental work could be affecting your overall health, or you're trying to take a more holistic approach to healing… this episode is a MUST-listen. Here's what we discuss: Dr. Toni's personal healing journey with Crohn's disease and how it reshaped her approach to dentistry The powerful connection between oral health, gut health, and systemic inflammation Why nutrition and prevention are the foundation of true oral health The real risks and considerations of root canals and informed consent Palate expanders, jaw growth, airway health, sleep, and child development Implants vs. bridges vs. doing nothing: what's best for overall health Simple daily habits for better oral and full body health (including tongue scraping!) And so. much. MORE! This episode will completely change how you think about dentistry, prevention, and the mouth-body connection. If you care about your hormones, immune system, sleep, energy, or long-term health—you NEED this episode! You can find Dr. Toni and her team at: Website: flourish.dental Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtoniengram/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourholisticdentist Make sure you're subscribed to my newsletter For my free Autoimmune Healing ebook, click here. Detailed show notes here: https://fitnessista.com/podcast Partners: Rent designer handbags and luxury jewelry here. Use GINAHARNEY for your first month free! Check out We Feed Raw! Maisey goes crazy for this! I use it as a topper for her kibble or mix it into her pup loaf. You can try the raw version, the raw dehydrated kibble, and they'll help you customize a plan for your pup. Use FITNESSISTA40 for 40% off your Meal Plan Starter Box here!  Check out my new favorite red light device here, and use the code FITNESSISTA for a huge discount.  I've been using Nutrisense on and off for a couple of years now. I love being able to see how my blood sugar responds to my diet and habits, and run experiments. You can try out Nutrisense here and use GINA30 for 30% off.  If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission. You can absolutely join if you don't currently work in the health or fitness industry; many IHPs don't begin on this path. They're friends who are passionate to learn more about health and wellness, and want to share this information with those they love. You can do this as a passion, or start an entirely new career. You can use my referral link here and the code FITNESSISTA for up to $250 off the Integrative Health Practitioner program. I highly recommend it!   Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please be sure to subscribe, and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you'll get a little "thank you" gift from me to you. http://fitnessista.com/podcastreview

Going Long Podcast Episode 583: The Sure Fire Way To Cure Overthinking. Dentist Please  ( To see the Video Version of today's conversation just CLICK HERE. ) In today's episode of The Going Long Podcast, you'll learn the following:   [00:24 - 01:08] Billy welcomes and introduces us to today's show. [01:08 - 09:49] Billy shares a story about important decision-making involving personal dental work, as an example of how to get unstuck and overcome your overthinking. [09:49 - 10:41] Billy wraps up the show   If you're a corporate executive who wants to make your role optional, then grab your FREE ebook with Billy's proven 3 step process at:  www.makeitoptional.com What you can expect to get out of this ebook: Learn how to achieve corporate optionality Gain true control over your career Turn corporate skills into personal assets With 26 years of experience in corporate sales leadership, achieved optionality through multiple income streams, Billy has helped dozens of executives build their paths to take control of their time. This free ebook gives you everything you need to identify, plan, and take control of your career while building financial optionality, leveraging your skills, and start living your IDEAL day - today! Go to: www.makeitoptional.com Click the above link or just copy and paste the following directly into your browser to sign up and get your free ebook: https://www.makeitoptional.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p2olm  To see the Video Version of today's conversation just CLICK HERE.   How to leave a review for The Going Long Podcast: https://youtu.be/qfRqLVcf8UI     Be sure to connect with Billy!  He's made it easy for you to do…Just go to any of these sites:   Website: www.billykeels.com Youtube: billykeels Facebook: Billy Keels Fan Page Instagram: @billykeels Twitter: @billykeels LinkedIn: Billy Keels

When a woman gets a call from her dentist’s office claiming they found something “concerning,” the conversation spirals into fifteen minutes of confusion, panic, and nonstop suspense. But what the caller finally reveals is nothing she could’ve expected. This chaotic Phone Prank from The Jubal Show delivers twists, laughs, and the kind of unhinged buildup that keeps listeners hooked. The wildest, most hilarious prank call podcast from The Jubal Show! Join Jubal Fresh as he masterminds the funniest and most outrageous phone pranks, catching unsuspecting victims off guard with his quick wit, absurd scenarios, and unmatched comedic timing. Whether he's posing as an over-the-top customer service rep, a clueless boss, or an eccentric neighbor, no call is safe from his unpredictable humor. Get ready to laugh out loud and cringe in the best way possible! New episodes drop every weekday—tune in and let the prank wars begin!➡︎ Submit your Jubal Phone Prank - https://thejubalshow.com This is just a tiny piece of The Jubal Show. You can find every podcast we have, including the full show every weekday right here…➡︎ https://thejubalshow.com/podcasts The Jubal Show is everywhere, and also these places: Website ➡︎ https://thejubalshow.com Instagram ➡︎ https://instagram.com/thejubalshow X/Twitter ➡︎ https://twitter.com/thejubalshow Tiktok ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@the.jubal.show Facebook ➡︎ https://facebook.com/thejubalshow YouTube ➡︎ https://www.youtube.com/@JubalFresh Support the show: https://the-jubal-show.beehiiv.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Lester De Alwis is joined by Joanne Villani, co-founder of PreVu Software. Joanne shares her 35+ years of experience in dentistry and the biggest lessons she's learned about case acceptance. You'll discover why patients say no, how to build trust, and how powerful visuals like smile simulations can boost case acceptance. If you're looking to reduce your insurance dependence and grow your revenue with fee-for-service treatments, this episode is packed with practical insights you can act on right away. 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/ 

Catching Up: A Young Boy, Wrapped in the Holiday Spirit, Dentist, The True Meaning of Thanksgiving - Pluribus - Cameron Crowe. The Uncool - Kate Beckinsale on Jimmy Kimmel - No, It's a Meat Tenderizer!! - Knock Knock

In this episode, Dr. Carla Cohn will share her story—how she overcame early challenges, redefined her career on her own terms, and why she believes that when you're passionate about something, you should go after it fearlessly. She believes that delaying action will only hold you back from doing what you truly want. Her motto? "Start before you think you are ready." Dr. Cohn is a general dentist with over 30 years of clinical experience. She practices in Vancouver, Canada. She is a sought after speaker and the founder of Litsmileacademy. Thanks to our episode sponsors: Solventum - https://www.solventum.com/en-us/home/oral-care/ BISCO - https://www.bisco.com/

"It's hard enough doing an ortho startup practice." Connect With Our SponsorsGreyFinch - https://greyfinch.com/jillallen/A-Dec - https://www.a-dec.com/orthodonticsSmileSuite - https://getsmilesuite.com/ Summary In this engaging conversation, Jill Allen speaks with husband-and-wife duo Drs. Lauren Carlson and Mike Seelig about their journey in starting an ortho-pedo practice together. They discuss their backgrounds, the challenges of balancing family life with a startup, and the importance of structuring their practice for efficiency. The couple emphasizes the significance of building a supportive team culture and enhancing patient experiences through convenience and communication. They also share insights on fostering relationships with referring doctors and the importance of clear expectations in collaborative care. Connect With Our Guest Shine Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics - https://shinepdo.com Takeaways Mike and Lauren met in dental school and started their practice together.They faced challenges balancing family life with their startup.Cross-training staff was crucial for their practice's efficiency.They emphasize the importance of a supportive team culture.Patient convenience is a top priority in their practice.Building relationships with referring doctors is essential.They aim to eliminate unnecessary appointments for families.Clear communication with referring doctors is vital.They encourage staff to grow within the practice.Their journey highlights the importance of teamwork.Chapters 00:00 Introduction01:41 Starting the Conversation: Lauren & Mike's Background02:01 The Journey to Opening a Practice03:37 Challenges and Benefits of Working Together07:28 Balancing Family and Business11:04 Structuring the Practice: Ortho and Pedo18:42 Building a Strong Team Culture26:10 Continuous Growth as Leaders29:37 Vision for In-House Patient Experience35:57 Building Relationships Between Orthodontists and Pediatric Dentists45:26 Final Thoughts and Contact InformationEpisode Credits:  Hosted by Jill AllenProduced by Jordann KillionAudio Engineering by Garrett LuceroAre you ready to start a practice of your own? Do you need a fresh set of eyes or some advice in your existing practice?Reach out to me- www.practiceresults.com.    If you like what we are doing here on Hey Docs! and want to hear more of this awesome content, give us a 5-star Rating on your preferred listening platform and subscribe to our show so you never miss an episode.    New episodes drop every Thursday!   

If you're a dentist looking to increase production, improve daily efficiency, and grow your dental practice in 2025, this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast is for you. Dr. Steve shares one of the most overlooked productivity tips for dentists: arriving just 15 minutes earlier each day. This simple shift can lead to more efficient dental scheduling, a stronger dental office team culture, and even add $100,000 in annual production, without working longer hours. In this episode, you'll learn how to identify gaps in your daily schedule, convert same day treatment opportunities, and lead your team with intention. These aren't abstract concepts or generic dental consultant advicethese are real practice management strategies that Steve and the team use in their own offices every day. Connect with us: • Learn more about 1 on 1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Suscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com

Ever feel like your day moves at the speed of the slowest checkout lane? We unpack the hidden inefficiencies that quietly drain hours, stress your team, and shrink profit—then replace them with simple, durable systems that make your practice feel calm, fast, and predictable.We start with the most common culprit: unprepared operatories. You'll hear how to standardize rooms for the 90% of procedures you do most, set visual par levels, and stop the scavenger hunts that interrupt care. From there, we attack duplicate admin work—re-explaining fees, reprinting treatment plans, and rescheduling canceled visits—and show how firm pre-collection policies and clean financial consent cut out second touches. The result is less confusion for patients and fewer fire drills for your front desk. Learn how to make more money on less days!  Register for the 3 Day Virtual Practice Freedom event at https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/freedom  GRAB THE FREE PLAYBOOK HERE - Discover 30 proven strategies top-performing dentists use to increase profits, cut clinical days, and finally enjoy the freedom they originally built their practices for.https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/playbookTake Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

On the fourth episode of a 5-part tax series of the Dentist Money Show, Tom Whalen, CPA joins Matt to break down why proactive, year-round tax planning is one of the most powerful tools dentists have for reducing stress and maximizing wealth. They explain the difference between playing offense and defense with your taxes, highlighting the common mistakes that lead to surprise bills, cash flow issues, and missed opportunities. Tune in to understand the importance of mastering quarterly tax payments, and why integrating your advisor and CPA can help avoid conflicting guidance. If you missed the last three episodes of the tax series you can find them here and check out our 2025 year-end tax planning checklist for dentists for more guidance! Book a free consultation with a CFP® advisor who only works with dentists. Get an objective financial assessment and learn how Dentist Advisors can help you live your rich life.  

Brittany had a gas at the dentist, Kendall almost killed Jordan & Crisco stopped by from across the hall See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The global community has agreed to end the use of mercury in dental fillings. But is mercury in your mouth really dangerous and where else is mercury being used in the world?  Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you! http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/ https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE   Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.   Editor:    Robyn Flynn Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos Chris' book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer   Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information. References: Minamata Convention COP-6 conference https://minamataconvention.org/en/news/minamata-convention-cop-6-agrees-end-use-dental-amalgam-2034-marking-historic-milestone WHO 1991 report on inorganic mercury: https://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc118.htm#PartNumber:1 Health Canada's 1996 report on mercury:  https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/reports-publications/medical-devices/safety-dental-amalgam-health-canada-1996.html

Are you paying yourself what you're worth, or is your practice managing you?In this episode of The Millionaire Dentist™, host Jarrod Bridgeman sits down with CPAs Kevin Rhoton and Brodie Hough from Four Quadrants Advisory to dismantle the "one-size-fits-all" approach to dental practice finances.Too many dentists rely on generic quarterly tax estimates, leading to cash flow crunches and nasty surprises at year-end. Kevin and Brodie explain why proactive tax management is the key to keeping more of what you earn. They dive deep into the strategies that separate struggling practices from profitable ones, including how to properly structure owner compensation and how to leverage 401(k) plans for massive tax savings.Interested in more info on how to: Earn More, Save More, and Retire EarlyUpcoming Tour Dates: Go to our EVENTS page for infoFacebook: Four Quadrants AdvisoryInstagram: @fourquadrantsadvisoryLinkedIn: Four Quadrants Advisory

its giving szn so im giving you all the gift of learning from my trauma rather than going through it yourself lol here are the top 3 biggest lessons that I learned the hard way (so far) that shape how I practice, and all of them stemmed from being worried about saying/doing the wrong thing (and then proceding to do so lol) - hope this helps anyone out there feeling like they've messed up or are doing a bad job I promise in a matter of even months youll look back and think of it as a lesson! In the mean time here are mine! IG: @drconniewang, @justquickpinch

You’re doing a routine exam when you spot it – a stained hairline crack snaking across the marginal ridge of a molar. Your patient hasn’t mentioned any symptoms… Yet. Should you sound the alarm? Monitor and wait? Jump straight to treatment? Cracked teeth are one of dentistry’s most misunderstood diagnoses. Colleagues debate whether to crown or monitor. And that crack you’re staring at? It could stay dormant for years—or spiral into an extraction by next month. So what separates the teeth that crack catastrophically from those that quietly hold together? In this episode, I am joined by final-year dental student Emma to crack the code (pun intended) on cracked tooth syndrome.  We break down the easy-to-remember “position, force, time” framework to help you spot risk factors before disaster strikes, and share a real-world case of a 19-year-old bruxist whose molar was saved by smart occlusal thinking. If you’ve ever felt uncertain about diagnosing, explaining, or managing cracked teeth, this episode will change how you think about every suspicious line you see. https://youtu.be/mU8mM8ZNIVU Watch PS019 on YouTube Key Takeaways Risk factors include large restorations and bruxism. Occlusion plays a significant role in tooth health. Diet can impact the integrity of teeth. Every patient presents unique challenges in treatment. Communication about dental issues is key for patient care. Certain teeth are more prone to fractures due to their anatomy. The weakest link theory explains why some patients experience more dental issues. Patient history is crucial in predicting future dental problems. The age and dental history of a patient influence treatment decisions. Understanding occlusion is essential for diagnosing and treating cracked teeth. The location of a tooth affects the force it experiences during chewing. Bruxism increases the risk of tooth fractures. Tooth contacts and forces play a critical role in diagnosing issues. Opposing teeth can provide valuable insights into tooth health. Effective communication is essential in managing cracked teeth. Stains on teeth can indicate deeper issues with cracks. Monitoring and documenting cracks over time is crucial for patient care. Highlights of this episode: 00:00 Teaser 00:49 Intro 03:25 Emma's Dental School Updates 07:18 What is Cracked Tooth Syndrome (CTS)? 10:02 Crack Progression and Severity 12:45 Risk Factors 14:54 Position–Force–Time Framework 21:53 Which Teeth Fracture Most Often? 25:32 Midroll 28:53 Which Teeth Fracture Most Often? 30:37 The Weakest Link Theory 34:05 Diagnostic Tools 37:56 Treatment Planning 39:42 Case Study – High Force Patient 47:27 Communication and Patient Management 51:03 Key Clinician Takeaways 53:03 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview 53:42 Outro Check out the AAE cracked teeth and root fracture guide for excellent visuals and classification details. Literature review on cracked teeth – examines evidence around risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cracked teeth. Want to learn more about cracked teeth? Have a listen to PDP028 and PDP098 – both packed with practical tips and case-based insights. #BreadAndButterDentistry #PDPMainEpisodes #OcclusionTMDandSplints This episode is eligible for 0.75 CE credits via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance. This episode contributes to the following GDC development outcomes: Outcome C AGD Subject Code: 250 – Operative (Restorative) Dentistry Aim: To help dental professionals understand the causes, diagnosis, and management of cracked teeth through a practical, evidence-based approach. It focuses on identifying risk factors using the Position–Force–Time framework and improving patient outcomes through informed communication and tailored treatment planning. Dentists will be able to: Explain the aetiology and progression of cracked tooth syndrome Identify high-risk teeth and patient factors—such as restoration design, occlusal contacts, and parafunctional habits—that predispose to cracks Communicate effectively with patients about the significance of cracks, prognosis, and monitoring options, improving patient understanding and consent

In this episode of Practice Under Water, returning guest "Thor" shares how he grew his suburban dental practice from $700K to $2.5M in just four years. George helps him evaluate the next strategic step—moving, expanding, or embracing a pseudo-specialist role—all while preserving income and quality of life.

Are you ignoring a crucial part of your practice? In this episode, we're talking about the front desk. It's one of the most overlooked areas in dentistry, yet can also make or break case acceptance and production. Tune in to learn how to train your front desk to talk money, close treatment, and follow up the right way!Topics discussed:Why training is crucial for front deskDo you need a treatment coordinator?Key factors to closing treatmentFollow-up systems that boost case acceptance treatmentHow to coach your team and set them up for successThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.comTitle Options:The #1 Case Acceptance Bottleneck Dentists IgnoreYou're Losing Cases at the Front Desk — Here's How to Fix ItStop Ignoring the Front Desk (It's Costing You Thousands)How to Train Your Front Desk So Patients Say YesThe Front Desk Training Every Dentist Skips (And Pays For) Learn how to make more money on less days!  Register for the 3 Day Virtual Practice Freedom event at https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/freedom  GRAB THE FREE PLAYBOOK HERE - Discover 30 proven strategies top-performing dentists use to increase profits, cut clinical days, and finally enjoy the freedom they originally built their practices for.https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/playbookTake Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

It is not often that Bethany's plans are usurped, but Dr. Jones pulls it off today. Bethany had teed up a completely different subject for today's episode, but Dr. Jones had a different plan and turned the tables! He took a trip down memory lane and focused on the story of Bethany's life, all of the nitty-gritty details that made Bethany squirm in her seat. As they reflect together, they marvel at how when we lean into our natural strengths, we can end up with a career that really does bring us joy. Grab your popcorn and listen to Bethany squirm on this one!  If you're a subscriber, don't miss the BLACK FRIDAY SALE on the Hub. For the next 10 days, all Hub resources are 50% off!! 

In this episode, Dr. Killeen continues his Charlie Munger-inspired series by breaking down the three big financial ideas that every dentist needs to understand to build a truly healthy practice. He explains why profit isn't the same as collections, why cash is king, and how tracking your numbers can completely change your business decisions. It's a simple, grounded look at money management—without the accounting jargon—so you can lead your practice with more clarity, confidence, and control.

Most people think of dentistry as separate from fertility, pregnancy, hormones, gut health, or baby development — but today's guest, Dr. Stacey, is here to show why the mouth may be the most important part of the entire body when it comes to conception, pregnancy, and your child's long-term health.This conversation is from the summit I hosted a year ago, and since this conversation is powerful, I am now featuring this here! Additionally, Dr Stacey was interviewed by my co-host in the summit, Dr Carrie Jones. Dr. Stacey is a board-certified pediatric dentist and functional dentistry expert who works at the intersection of oral microbiome health, airway development, systemic inflammation, and childhood wellness. Her work reveals how oral bacteria, nutrient deficiencies, mouth breathing, and early feeding patterns influence everything from infertility to early childhood cavities.If you're trying to conceive, pregnant, or raising babies or toddlers, this is a must-watch masterclass on how mouth health is truly whole-body health.

In this episode, host Shawn Terrell discusses the complexities of financial language, particularly the terms 'above the line' and 'below the line' in tax contexts, and how they relate to dental professionals. He explains the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on these terms and offers insights into deductions and tax strategies for dentists.--------------------------------Chapters00:00:00 Introduction to Financial Language00:00:00 Above vs Below the Line Explained00:00:00 Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act00:00:00 New Deductions and Tax Strategies00:00:00 Conclusion and Resources---------------------------------Episode Resource:https://tr.ee/zIM4M4 ----------------------------------Meet with Dentist Exit Planning Advisor:Schedule Discovery Meeting-----------------------------------About Dentist Exit Planning:Website: dentistexit.comFacebook Group for DentistsYouTubeInstagramLinkedInSign-Up for Dentist Exit Email NewsletterEmail Shawn at: shawn@dentistexit.com

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

In today's episode, we're addressing an often-overlooked topic in dentistry—managing dental patients with Sickle Cell Disease and Sickle Cell Trait. These patients face unique challenges, and unfortunately, many are turned away from dental practices simply because their condition isn't well understood. Our guest, Linda Chandler, RDH, s a graduate of the University of Texas School of Dental Hygiene, past President of the Southeast National Dental Hygiene Association, author, educator and voted top hygienist of the year 2012.

Holistic dentist Dr. Namrata Patel reveals how your oral microbiome predicts heart disease, Alzheimer's, and cancer 10-13 years before symptoms appear. Learn about saliva testing, the bacteria that cause systemic inflammation, why tongue exercises reduce sleep apnea 30%, and the daily protocol that protects your healthspan.In this conversation, holistic dentist Dr. Namrata Patel explains how your mouth is an early warning system for chronic disease. We explore the specific bacteria that cause heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's - and how saliva testing can detect these risks years before blood tests show problems.Dr. Patel shares breakthrough research on myofunctional therapy, showing how simple tongue exercises can reduce sleep apnea by 30%. We discuss the connection between dry mouth, nitric oxide production, and systemic inflammation, plus why conventional mouthwash may be destroying beneficial bacteria.Key topics include: the optimal daily oral care protocol, how to monitor your oral health at home, the truth about root canals and hidden infections, when to see a functional dentist versus conventional dentist, and why oral health becomes more critical after age 40. Whether you have perfect teeth or chronic health conditions, this episode reveals how your mouth impacts your longevity.

Dentist Lincoln Harris discusses his article, "How cloud-based simulation training is revolutionizing dentistry." Drawing on his background as a pilot, Lincoln exposes the critical training gap in modern dentistry, arguing that dentists (unlike pilots) are not prepared for real-world, high-stress scenarios. He explains why traditional dental school and "weekend courses" fail to build the necessary muscle memory for advanced procedures, leading to mixed results and poor patient outcomes, especially in rural areas. Lincoln details how cloud-based simulation technology is changing the game, allowing dentists to practice procedures repeatedly and build confidence without risking patient safety. Learn how this aviation-inspired approach to dental training is creating more competent dentists and improving patient care everywhere. Our presenting sponsor is Microsoft Dragon Copilot. Microsoft Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Now you can streamline and customize documentation, surface information right at the point of care, and automate tasks with just a click. Part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Dragon Copilot offers an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform to help unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, it's backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise, and it's built on a foundation of trust. It's time to ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR → https://aka.ms/kevinmd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

Shop our merch ! Tee-Dazzle.com From quirky humor to eye-catching graphics, we offer something for everyone. Embrace your unique style and make a statement with Tee-Dazzle's assortment of Tees & more that are as comfortable as they are dazzling. Use the Customization Tool to adjust any design (change design size, add your own text & More ! )Join the fun and let your personality shine through our distinctive apparel ! Check back often as new designs are added every week ! We offer Worldwide Delivery !Also - Visit us at JokieDokie.com Support the showIf you are enjoying JokieDokie please consider buying The Jokester a cup of coffee at - BuyMeACoffee.com/ClassicRadio. Thank you so much for your support ! :) Support the showIf you are enjoying JokieDokie please consider buying The Jokester a cup of coffee at - BuyMeACoffee.com/ClassicRadio. Thank you so much for your support ! :)

Dr. Sean Aiken returns with a bigger family, bigger practice, and more wisdom. He shares how he refined his practice, how he achieves balance and happiness with both family and dentistry, and when he's learned to say "no" as a dentist. 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. Aiken on instagram at @saaiken15 and email him at draiken@stmatthewsdentistry.comFollow KJ & NuArt on Instagram at @lifeatnuartdental.com, you can also reach us via email: kj@nuartdental.comLearn more about the lab and request information via our website: https://nuartdental.com/contact

In this episode, Dr. Brian Hatch shares his journey into pediatric dentistry and his focus on oral ties. He discusses the importance of recognizing educational gaps, the value of collaborative care teams, and why assessing oral function is essential before recommending treatment. Dr. Hatch emphasizes the ripple effects of untreated oral ties on overall health and advocates for individualized, patient-centered care.Key TakeawaysOral ties can affect feeding, speech, and airway health.Not all ties are restrictive or require surgery - therapy may be beneficial.Collaboration among healthcare professionals is essential for optimal outcomes.Assessing function before treatment helps guide appropriate care.Education and continued learning are crucial for both providers and parents.Individualized care addresses each patient's unique needs and supports long-term health.Dr. Brian Hatch is a board-certified pediatric dentist, passionate about improving oral function and overall well-being for patients of all ages. Over the last several years, he has developed a focused expertise in oral ties and their impact on oral function, speech, feeding, and airway health.You can find him here: oraltiecenter.comSpecial thanks to our episode sponsor - OI Tape. Check them out at OITape.com and use coupon code TONGUETIE20 to save 20% off all products.More From Tongue Tie Experts:To learn more, download freebies, and for the links mentioned in the episode, including our popular course, Understanding Milk Supply for Medical and Birth Professionals, click here: www.tonguetieexperts.net/LinksUse code PODCAST15 for 15% off all of our offerings.A gentle disclaimer. Please do not consider anything discussed on this podcast, by myself or any guest of the podcast, to be medical advice. The information is provided for educational purposes only and does not take the place of your own medical or lactation provider.Mentioned in this episode:OI Tape

Cosmetic dentistry is changing faster than ever — and if you're not paying attention, you're about to miss the biggest opportunity the profession has seen in decades. In this episode, Dr. Len Tau sits down with one of the leading voices in modern cosmetics, Dr. Brian Harris, to reveal how technology, consumer demand, and affordability are coming together to reshape the future of smile design. Dr. Len welcomes cosmetic dentistry expert Dr. Brian Harris, a Phoenix-based cosmetic dentist known for pioneering patient communication, virtual consults, and modern smile design workflows. Dr. Harris breaks down the massive shift happening in aesthetics — from the rise of 3D-printed hybrid veneers, to the power of Instagram, to why virtual consult funnels are now essential for case acceptance. He shares how he scaled from one cosmetic case a week to three every day, why demand is exploding, and what dentists can do right now to attract more qualified patients. If you're looking to simplify your cosmetic process, improve case acceptance, and tap into this growing market, this episode delivers everything you need. Here are some of the interesting stuff we talked about in this episode. Cosmetic demand is exploding — patients are more educated than ever because of social media. 3D-printed veneers are creating a new mid-tier option that's half the time and half the cost of porcelain. Virtual consults pre-qualify patients, eliminate surprises, and dramatically increase case acceptance. Authentic social content wins — simple, honest videos perform better than outsourced, generic posts. Dentists who simplify their process (options, pricing, visits, financing) will dominate the next era of cosmetic dentistry.   — Connect with Dr Brian Instagram: @drbrianharris Email: brian@drbrianharris.com Website / Smile Virtual: https://www.smilevirtual.com/ Courses & Cosmetic Training:

Send us a textIn this episode: Melinda's Mishap with an Umbrella; Carrie Reminds us to Wonder Thanks for listening! Check us out on Instagram @made_ya_smile_podcast and Facebook @skitzychicks. Jesus loves you, you can't mess that up!

Are you confident in spotting a child at risk of neglect? Do you know what to do if you witness abuse in your practice? How can you raise concerns safely while protecting both the child and your team? This episode with Dr. Christine Park provides tangible actions, practical scripts, and clear guidance for managing challenging scenarios—like seeing an adult hit a child in the waiting room or recognizing neglect in the dental chair. These are situations dental school rarely prepares us for. Every practice needs clear protocols for safeguarding. This episode acts as a North Star, helping you stay compliant while ethically doing the right thing. If you treat children, you must listen to this episode and share it with every colleague who treats children. https://youtu.be/-kYs23Xa4Ls Watch PDP251 on YouTube Protrusive Dental Pearl: Find the phone number of your local child safeguarding board / social services. Verify it, then display it where you and your team can quickly access it. Key Takeaways Dentists are trained observers of family dynamics. Recognizing normal behavior is key in dental care. Unconscious observations can guide professionals. Feeling uncomfortable about a situation is a valid signal. Empowerment comes from trusting your instincts. Dental care professionals see many aspects of families. It’s important to act on uncomfortable feelings. Observation skills are crucial for effective care. Children’s interactions reveal much about family health. Awareness of discomfort can lead to better outcomes. Highlights of this episode: 00:00 Teaser 00:59 Intro 02:40 Pearl – Child Protection Hotline 05:23 Dr. Christine Park’s Background and Expertise 08:37 The Role of Dentists in Safeguarding Children 11:19 Practical Scenarios and Guidelines for Safeguarding 15:35 Recognizing Silent Cases of Neglect 17:29 Team Collaboration and Support in Safeguarding 21:58 Guidelines and Policies for Effective Safeguarding 22:03 Midroll 25:24 Guidelines and Policies for Effective Safeguarding 28:32 Handling a Tough Safeguarding Scenario 32:18 Dealing with Poor Oral Hygiene and Neglect 39:12 Managing Parental Reactions and Consent 43:08 The Importance of Safeguarding in Dentistry 45:34 Further Guidance and Resources 46:10 Outro

"Your people are your business." Connect With Our SponsorsGreyFinch - https://greyfinch.com/jillallen/A-Dec - https://www.a-dec.com/orthodonticsSmileSuite - https://getsmilesuite.com/ Summary In this engaging conversation, Cary Smith shares his journey in the orthodontic industry, emphasizing the importance of compliance, risk management, and team engagement. He discusses how business owners can navigate challenges, the significance of a strong team culture, and the need for proactive leadership. The discussion highlights the role of software in modern business practices and the necessity of investing in people to ensure success. Cary encourages listeners to take actionable steps towards improving their practices and achieving their desired outcomes. Connect With Our Guest Done Desk - https://www.donedesk.com/ Takeaways Cary Smith has been working with dentists for 15 years.Done Desk was created to help dental practices manage compliance and risk.Compliance should be viewed as a pathway to business success.Proactivity is essential to avoid burnout and stress in business.Team engagement directly impacts the success of a practice.Investing in people is crucial for business growth.Culture is an output of how well a team functions together.Leadership should empower team members to take initiative.Software plays a vital role in modern business operations.Business owners must prioritize their time effectively.Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction01:45 Cary Smith's Background and Done Desk Overview02:06 The Importance of Compliance and Training10:31 Proactivity vs. Reactivity in Business18:13 Investing in People and Processes23:15 Addressing Doctor Satisfaction26:36 Leadership and Team Culture30:04 Optimizing Employee Roles and Rewards34:34 The Importance of Culture in Business38:56 Final Thoughts and Contact InformationEpisode Credits:  Hosted by Jill AllenProduced by Jordann KillionAudio Engineering by Garrett LuceroAre you ready to start a practice of your own? Do you need a fresh set of eyes or some advice in your existing practice?Reach out to me- www.practiceresults.com.    If you like what we are doing here on Hey Docs! and want to hear more of this awesome content, give us a 5-star Rating on your preferred listening platform and subscribe to our show so you never miss an episode.    New episodes drop every Thursday!   

The Dental A-Team often hears from team members who feel like they're not good enough. In this episode, Kiera shares with listeners how to switch from harmful self sabotage and comparison to a healthy awareness of growth and positivity. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today I want to dive into something that I think is really important. I feel, hear this from a lot of people. I've coached a lot of dentists. I've worked with a lot of team members. And so I feel like I've got a pretty good background on how to talk about this. And I think just as human nature, and I'm not saying that all of us are there, but   Every dentist, every office manager, every team member I talk to, no matter how successful or how terrible they're doing, they say, I'm not doing well. I'm not doing enough. Like I'm not doing good enough. And I just wanna like dig into this a little bit today because I think it's a lie that we all believe to some level. We feel this imposter syndrome. We feel this... ⁓   I don't know. It's just this weirdness that I want to help you rewire that story and to maybe give a different perspective on that, because the reality is you're doing better than you think you are. And I want to reset and reframe that internal dialogue because I believe being your own best cheerleader or your own worst critic, both of them have pros and cons. And I think like there's so much icky in the world that why don't we start to become your best cheerleader? I truly do believe the quote that ⁓ Tony Robbins says like where   where focus goes energy flow. So if we're focused on not being good enough or why am I not good enough or I don't know how to do this. Well, yes, there's a line of humility that I appreciate. There's also a line of self sabotage that I think we need to start to cut that script and become even stronger. really, Dental A Team's mission is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible and to help you build thriving practices, thriving leaders, not just surviving, not just hoping and like skirting along. Dentists always want to know how they're doing compared to other dentists.   And so really just giving you kind of that baseline to help you out. ⁓ This is the emotional side of leadership. This is the self-worth, the confidence that rewiring the not enough trap that I wanna just like dig into. And it's just more of a conversation and hopefully bringing some insights and some highlights to help you stop that narrative to really highlight the growth that you can have and just to give you some better. I don't know, just a hug. You're doing so good out there. And I think like as a proud mom of you.   ⁓ Just reminding you of how good you are doing, not better than you are, not worse than you are, but realistically where you are. And I think so many of us accidentally self-sabotage the goodness that we have rather than celebrating how great we're doing. ⁓ And again, momentum builds. So let's build momentum of positivity rather than momentum of negativity. So ⁓ I think the first thing that I like to look at is like, what is the root belief that causes you to have it? So like these thoughts are coming from somewhere. So is it past experiences? Is it comparisonism? Is it perfectionism?   ⁓ I went to a Tony Robbins conference. I do love Tony so much. I have a great time there. I don't think everything's perfect, but I think a lot of great things are, are good in it. And I went to, my favorite thing is date with destiny. And I went to it last year and, ⁓ Tony always has this talk about our towards values and our way values. And, he says, why is it that we try it? We do so good in life, making it hard to feel good and easy to feel bad. And I think about this a lot. And so last year, my word was comparison and.   He actually has you go on this whole rant. So if you can imagine, I feel I present in such a different way than how I was at that conference. ⁓ The beast was unleashed, we'll put it that way. One of my dear friends was with me and they said that they've never seen Kiera like 4.0 version come out. And what Tony has you do is you actually go through, cause comparison was actually one of the biggest things that was holding me back in life. I was comparing to all these other women about my body, about my looks, about my business, about everything.   I realized that my self-sabotaging was from a deep-rooted piece and like prior to that, ⁓ was fear that I let go of. was fear of all these things. And what Tony has you do is you go on this monologue, this rant to basically just see how much of life you've lost by having this. So I went into comparison and I said like, Kiera Dent, see, hear, feel, and know that I will never, ever succumb.   to the limiting and self-sabotaging and ludicrous lie of comparison. And then you go on a rant. And luckily Eminem, I do have a side nickname of DJ Skittlez. Yep, I wanted to be a rapper with Eminem. So I figured Skittlez with a Z was gonna be my rapper DJ name. So if you ever come voting with me, DJ Skittlez does come out voting to make your perfect playlist.   But Eminem was on and it was such a good thing for me. And I remember just unleashing the beast of this comparison and you yell and you scream and you just like, you know, like, and the goal is that you, you look at your life from this lens of how much has this self sabotaging piece taken from you. And when I looked at it, like I wasn't participating fully with my family. wasn't working out at the gym because I didn't want to be compared to other women. I wasn't, ⁓   being as bold in business because I was comparing myself to what other people did and just how much of life was being sucked away from me. And so with that, if that's something like for you to just look to see where is it and what's maybe the one or two ⁓ values that you're holding onto that make you feel bad, that I would encourage to be a way value, not something we want to go towards. So for me, I have on comparison and like comparison only shows up for me when I forget that I am like just, ⁓   For me, like what I will say, I do believe in God, that I am God's greatest creation. when I, so now what I've done is I've taken comparison and I flipped it. So like, if I ever start comparison, it's only due to me forgetting that I'm God's greatest creation. And that quickly for me eliminates that. And so, and it's like fear only if I forget that I have like magic and brilliance that spews from me.   So what the goal is, is you take that root belief and you flip it and you figure out what it is. And then what is something like, it's only if I were to forget that I am like brilliant and have like unlimited potential within me. So like for fear or comparison or perfectionism or whatever it is. And so what is that? Where did that story begin? And maybe you don't know. ⁓ And maybe go through a rant if you want, or maybe just write a new definition and make it harder to feel that. So for me,   It's actually pretty hard for me now to feel comparison. Like I can go back to that, like Kiera 4.0, if you were to call my friend Pierce, he's been on the podcast, he will tell you Kiera 4.0 came out on that comparison rant to where I feel like I literally was able to obliterate it to where it's not there. And for you looking at why am I not good enough, maybe if we can find one or two of your route towards values and away values, what are those away values? And could we...   Could we acknowledge it? Could we see why it's there? And could we maybe decide to put that to rest for a little while? ⁓ And I think when I do this exercise and I write out what success means, it's crazy how many weird rules I have to put in to be successful. And maybe even for yourself, writing out like today what you feel you have to do to be successful. Oftentimes this is why we feel like we're not enough is because we've made this laundry list where it's impossible for any person.   ourselves or someone else to ever hit that level. ⁓ I talked to a friend once and she was like, yeah, for me to be successful, I have to have, I think she told me like 10 million in her bank account, which she was not even close to that. She had to have her body size be X. She had to drive a certain car. She had to live in this. And it was like, wow, well, no wonder we feel this. That's the root belief. It's so hard for us to even feel successful versus I feel successful anytime I make a patient happy.   What you do on that is we're not changing the rules of the game, but we are making it easier to feel good and harder to feel bad. So the only time I'm ever going to feel comparison is when I forget that I'm God's greatest creation. Well, yeah, like I'm not going to forget that. Like I really do think that. And not to say that I'm better than anybody else. I just truly do believe that all of us in our own way are truly God or the universe or whatever's greatest creation. I, gosh, like I feel emotional about that. I really do just believe that that's who you are.   I believe that human souls are that way. I believe that. and so it's one of those things like as a proud mom for you, if you want to take that on for a hot minute, go for it if you want to write it. But when doctors can rewrite, when you feel behind or you feel like you're not enough, maybe what enough feels like you could look at it, like list it off, but then maybe make it a bit easier for you to feel enough today. maybe being enough is reminding myself that like just being alive is enough.   Like think about how the magic of being a living soul is. Well, shoot, that is enough. And like, what does enough even mean? What does success even mean? And what's wild about that is this, there's maybe a few pieces to it. So call to action on it. Cause I like to make this tactical, even though it's such a soft skill is one, let's think of where these thoughts came from. So like, what are the top two things that are holding you back?   from feeling like you're enough. Like what are those? Is it comparison? Is it experiences? Is it like maybe someone told you that? I don't know what it is, but like, can you identify what that is? Then can you find an area where you don't feel like you're doing enough or you're not good enough and ask where that belief started and then rewrite how you're going to feel that. So what does enough mean or what does being perfect mean or what does success mean? And can we change the rules of making it harder to feel bad?   and easier to feel good. Now I know this won't be perfect and I know you're gonna like be clunky with me doing this, but really try it, take it on because if we can even change it just a smidge, I feel like that's a win. That's number one. Let's identify the root. Let's change our identity. Let's let it go. Let those pieces go and make it harder to feel bad and easier to feel good. Okay? Then we wanna measure what like honestly matters because sometimes we might be measuring against the wrong measuring stick.   So many people are like, well, I'm not enough or I'm not far enough along. And I'm like, but why? And like, because I have to be like so and so. And I'm like, but do you want their life? I'm not here to say like compare, like, I just want to know what's your life, what's your version of success. And that's where in Dental A Teaem people are like, well, Kiera, what do all your clients have to hit? And I'm like, there is no standard of what you have to hit. You have to be profitable. Yes. And you have to be growing for your own self. I don't care what that looks like, but those are like pretty much the only measurements that we have. There's no set standard. There's none of that because I want you to   truly be measuring against your own yardstick. So ⁓ for this next piece is going to be like, let's measure what success really is for you. ⁓ Maybe it's on value, values, maybe it's on lifestyle, but not on volume. And then I want you to like reflect on your life of what have you done to get closer to that, that goal or that success or being enough. ⁓   where you're focused more on that outcome and the life you're living rather than measuring up against someone else's yardstick. So, and sometimes it's like pilots, right? Like if you were a pilot and you're on a course and you're like, well, shoot, I'm going to end up over in Sweden, but I was really trying to get over to Bora Bora. Well, great. We just were on the wrong path. We're, focusing on the wrong target. And so for you measure what really matters and go for the right target, go for where you ultimately want to end up in life, go for those pieces rather than just like,   I don't know, being on the success metrics that doesn't actually matter for you. When I wrote out success last year, it was like, I have to be making XML, I have to be working this amount. And I was like, Kiera, you know better than this, why do you do this? And I think it's like, I don't know, I don't know where this stems from. I don't know why as a society we're obsessive with not being good enough, no matter how great we do, not.   Not being proud of ourselves, not being our biggest fans. ⁓ And so for that, I really think like step one is find the root. Step two is going to be figure out what success is and rewrite it to where it's easier to achieve it rather than harder to achieve it. And again, I'm not trying to move the goalpost on you. I'm just trying to build the momentum and fuel because the happier people do better in life, the more depressed and the ones who feel worthless and that they're not doing well enough, they don't do as good. So I'm trying to make it easier for you to hit success today and to realize you are successful rather than   having a harder to ever achieve it and making it so impossible you'll never achieve it. And then number three is, rewire this. So kinda like what I did, we're gonna rewire. So ⁓ confidence, certainty, being proud of yourself is a muscle and you have to train it. So every single day I literally write in my journal, things I love about myself or things where I've been successful or things that like whatever it is,   where like I've been proud of myself or whatever it is, but you start to train in an actual way. So like we can replace our negative thoughts with affirmations. We can surround ourselves with people who are great. We can celebrate the the wins. Like every day I have to write down three great things that I did from the day before. Sometimes saying it out loud, sometimes writing it down. But when you start to do this and you start to even shift that into your team where we start to focus on the wins that we've had every single day.   Like we always heard our offices out of like, are the wins you've been having? And it's purposely because I want to build a snowball of momentum rather than a snowball of negativity. It's very easy when we've trained ourselves, like a pencil groove in like old school desks when we used to be in school and we'd have those pencils and we just keep digging deeper and digging deeper. We are now rewiring you to start focusing on how you've been successful. Like for me, like comparison, like it used to be like, my gosh, like every day, like I literally, you guys used to be consumed by comparison.   I would sit here day in and day out and be like, I'm just not that great. I will tell you, and it's been seven months since I did that exercise. I'm not exaggerating. I can count probably on one hand, the number of times I've compared and I catch myself pretty quickly. I'll tell my husband like, gosh, like there was one time and I'm like, business are doing X, Y, Z and like, like, why am I not doing that? And I'm like, because I'm living my own freaking life over here. Like, yeah, I can be doing different things, but   I am so intentional with the life I'm building and I'm so proud of what I've done. And then I just like flip into this, like, Carrie, you're freaking killing it. And like, these are the great things that you've done. I'm like, let's start celebrating the wins. while yes, like comparison serving me nothing, you playing small is serving you nothing. You thinking that you're not good enough is serving you nothing, but you having the confidence in yourself, you reminding yourself of the good things you freaking took a risk to be a business owner. You go in day in, day out, you have led a team. became a dentist.   Those are some pretty big milestones and to be proud of yourself and then to figure out how we can start to do this every single day and to train that muscle. ⁓ I know this sounds fluffy and I know this sounds woo woo and I know this sounds like I'm not doing that. I would just encourage you to try to figure out one, where's the root and what are the one or two things that are really keeping you back. Then two, what's your success ladder and how can we make success more achievable rather than further away?   And then three, can we rewire that and make it to where we are continually writing who we want to become? ⁓ Another great quote by Tony Robbins, I tell you, it just comes to me constantly. He says, are you the creator of your life or the manager of your circumstances? And I think by all these things I've talked about today on the podcast, this is helping you be the creator of your life, not the manager of your circumstances. You're creating the success you want. You're creating the identity that you want. You're creating the person you want to be.   And if it's tricky for you, reach out like I have literally there's a client, Corey. I'll actually say his real name. I know he listens to the podcast periodically. Uh, and I know he's an amazing human and Corey will tell you that I have done these exercises with him and we joke about it, but he and I have such a close relationship. And I'm like, it's because we saw the real raw versions of each other. We created these new pieces. We celebrate the wins together. We don't allow each other to get into these darker holes. We remind each other like   It's accountability buddies on living our best life. And so for you, get the identity right, redefine your success metric, measuring thing, and then retrain your brain and the words you say to where hopefully in six months from now, when we come back to this, you can say, just like I can say, I'm not perfect. And I literally was able to let go of so much of the comparison that used to suffocate me from the joy of life that used to rob me from that.   and to not have it be obsessive. Now there's other obsessive things that will come up, but at least that one I feel is tempered, is tamed, is not there as much and being able to bring that on. So for you, you already are enough. gosh, like if you could look back at who you were when you were 10 and then tell them who you'd be today, I you'd be shocked and so proud of that. If you could think of like a little child, think of yourself that way and like, you're not going to tell that kid like, hey, freaking walk already, like stop crawling.   You'd be so proud of them, of the little milestones. And we celebrate children. And I feel like let's celebrate ourselves as adults. Let's change that if we can. Let's create a different path. Let's create a different model. That way you can thrive. And really, truly leading from the truth that you are enough, not the insecurity of that. I believe that this, like doing this is just as important as systems and strategy. I believe that doing the inner work makes you the   The boss, the leader that your practice, your team and your patients need you to be. And it's not fluff and it's not that. So don't skip this inner work. ⁓ And I'm happy to help you share this with someone that you know, needs to hear that they are enough ⁓ that you're doing better than you think you are. That your success is so freaking amazing. It doesn't matter what other people are doing. We look at other people for examples, if it's what we choose to do, but we're so committed to living our best lives and the best version of ourselves.   ⁓ I only use other people as an example of what's possible, not of a comparison of what I'm not doing. And for you, whatever it is for you, truly, let's help you achieve that. And if I can be a cheerleader in your back corner, if I can be like a little Jiminy cricket on your shoulder, if our team can help you, this really truly is a zone for you to look to see where is it coming from? What can I change? How can I make it easier to feel successful today and that I am enough today? And then reinforcing that with daily habits.   It sounds so silly, but I promise you the fastest, the strongest force in the human nature is the need to stay consistent with who you believe you are, not who you actually are. So let's change that belief. Let's change that identity and help you get the happiness that you deserve. This is something I'm very passionate about, something that I love so much. And I'm so grateful to be able to chat with you guys on the podcast. So reach out if I can help in any way. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on The Dental A Team podcast.  

On this episode of The Dentist Money Show, Matt and Will break down how dentists can spot the warning signs before putting their money on the line and explain why clever sales pitches can make risky deals look appealing. They share how dentists can see past the hype by evaluating the real business model behind an investment and recognizing when excitement outweighs substance. This episode offers practical financial planning advice for dentists who want to protect their wealth, make informed investment choices, and build long-term financial confidence. Tune in to discover how to safeguard your money and peace of mind. Learn more about the Dentist Money Launchpad Program, join the waitlist to learn everything you didn't learn about money in dental school through a series of live courses built exclusively for D4s and recent grads! Book a free consultation with a CFP® advisor who only works with dentists. Get an objective financial assessment and learn how Dentist Advisors can help you live your rich life.

Here is a quick clip from this week's podcast.  You can listen to the full episode from the show before this one.  The clip is also in video format on my YouTube channel.. AND.. If you want other helpful podcast links based around this topic or my top takeaways from the episode this week, subscribe to my Top 3 Thursday Takeaway Newsletter.

In this episode of The Art of Dental Finance and Management, discover how year-round tax planning and smart strategies can protect your dental practice and reduce tax liability.Cybercrime and tax planning are two critical issues for dental practices. In this episode of The Art of Dental Finance and Management with Art Wiederman, CPA, Art is joined by dental-focused CPAs Don Watson and Scott Haberman for an in-depth discussion on strategies every practice owner should know.The trio explores why dentists are prime targets for cybercrime and why income tax planning must be a year-round priority. They share insights on proper recordkeeping, multi-year planning, and leveraging marginal tax rates to optimize financial outcomes.Listeners will also learn about the impact of recent legislation and four proven ways to reduce tax liability: equipment purchases, qualified retirement plans, employing family members, and acquiring real estate for the practice. Packed with practical tips, this episode is essential for dentists looking to protect their practices and maximize savings.

This episode cuts through the myth that growth must always be forward. Dr. Chad Johnson and Regan Robertson have an unfiltered conversation about stalled momentum, personal losses, and the quiet moments where a dentist must decide whether to push harder or pull back. This is a rare look at the internal battle behind recalibrating your life, your practice, and your identity. 

A free community dental clinic at Cascade Park Dental Office in Vancouver brought together Kaiser Permanente Dental teams and volunteer dentists to provide essential care for 39 patients, delivering more than $28,000 in services to support community health. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/dentists-deliver-free-dental-care-in-clark-county/ #ClarkCounty #DentalCare #CommunityHealth #KaiserPermanente #FreeClinic #VancouverWA

Ever follow a GPS with total confidence only to realize it's steering you the wrong way? That's how ownership can feel when mindset traps masquerade as good guidance. We dig into three hidden patterns that quietly create burnout for dental practice owners and map out a better route built on leverage, systems, and leadership. Learn how to make more money on less days!  Register for the 3 Day Virtual Practice Freedom event at https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/freedom  GRAB THE FREE PLAYBOOK HERE - Discover 30 proven strategies top-performing dentists use to increase profits, cut clinical days, and finally enjoy the freedom they originally built their practices for.https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/playbookTake Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Let's be honest – the occlusion after Aligner cases can be a little ‘off' (even after fixed appliances!) How do you know if your patient's occlusion after aligner treatment is acceptable or risky? What practical guidelines can general dentists follow to manage occlusion when orthodontic results aren't textbook-perfect? Jaz and Dr. Jesper Hatt explore the most common challenges dentists face, from ClinCheck errors and digital setup pitfalls to balancing aesthetics with functional occlusion. They also discuss key strategies to help you evaluate, guide, and optimize occlusion in your patients, because understanding what is acceptable and what needs intervention can make all the difference in long-term treatment stability and patient satisfaction. https://youtu.be/e74lUbyTCaA Watch PDP250 on YouTube Protrusive Dental Pearl: Harmony and Occlusal Compatibility Always ensure restorative anatomy suits the patient's natural occlusal scheme and age-related wear. If opposing teeth are flat and amalgam-filled, polished cuspal anatomy will be incompatible — flatten as needed to conform. Need to Read it? Check out the Full Episode Transcript below! Key Takeaways Common mistakes in ClinCheck planning often stem from occlusion issues. Effective communication and documentation are crucial in clinical support. Occlusion must be set correctly to ensure successful treatment outcomes. Understanding the patient’s profile is essential for effective orthodontics. Collaboration between GPs and orthodontists can enhance patient care. Retention of orthodontic results is a lifelong commitment. Aesthetic goals must align with functional occlusion in treatment planning. Informed consent is critical when discussing potential surgical interventions. The tongue plays a crucial role in orthodontic outcomes. Spacing cases should often be approached as restorative cases. Aligners can achieve precise spacing more effectively than fixed appliances. Enamel adjustments may be necessary for optimal occlusion post-treatment. Retention strategies must be tailored to individual patient needs. Case assessment is vital for determining treatment complexity. Highlights of this episode: 00:00 Teaser 00:59 Intro 02:53  Pearl – Harmony and Occlusal Compatibility 05:57 Dr. Jesper Hatt Introduction 07:34 Clinical Support Systems 10:18 Occlusion and Aligner Therapy 20:41 Bite Recording Considerations 25:32 Collaborative Approach in Orthodontics 30:31 Occlusal Goals vs. Aesthetic Goals 31:42 Midroll 35:03 Occlusal Goals vs. Aesthetic Goals 35:25 Challenges with Spacing Cases 42:19 Occlusion Checkpoints After Aligners 50:17 Considerations for Retention 54:55 Case Assessment and Treatment Planning 58:14 Key Lessons and Final Thoughts 01:00:19 Interconnectedness of Body and Teeth 01:02:48 Resources for Dentists and Case Support 01:04:40 Outro Free Aligner Case Support!Send your patient's case number and get a full assessment in 24 hours—easy, moderate, complex, or referral. Plus, access our 52-point planning protocol and 2-min photo course. No uploads, no cost. [Get Free Access Now] Learn more at alignerservice.com If you enjoyed this episode, don't miss: Do's and Don'ts of Aligners [STRAIGHTPRIL] – PDP071 #PDPMainEpisodes #OcclusionTMDandSplints #OrthoRestorative This episode is eligible for 1 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance. This episode meets GDC Outcomes A and C. AGD Subject Code: 370 ORTHODONTICS (Functional orthodontic therapy) Aim: To provide general dentists with practical guidance for managing occlusion in aligner therapy, from bite capture to retention, including common pitfalls, functional considerations, and case selection. Dentists will be able to – Identify common errors in digital bite capture and occlusion setup. Understand the impact of anterior inclination and mandibular movement patterns on occlusal stability. Plan retention strategies appropriate for aligner and restorative cases. Click below for full episode transcript: Teaser: The one thing that we always check initially is the occlusion set correct by the aligner company. Because if the occlusion is not set correctly, everything else just doesn't matter because the teeth will move, but into a wrong position because the occlusion is off from the beginning. I don't know about you, but if half the orthodontists are afraid of controlling the root movements in extraction cases, as a GP, I would be terrified. Teaser:I don’t care if you just move from premolar to premolar or all the teeth. Orthodontics is orthodontics, so you will affect all the teeth during the treatment. The question’s just how much. Imagine going to a football stadium. The orthodontist will be able to find the football stadium.  If it’s a reasonable orthodontist, he’ll be able to find the section you’re going to sit in, and if he’s really, really, really good, he will be able to find the row that you’re going to sit in, but the exact spot where you are going to sit… he will never, ever be able to find that with orthodontics. Jaz’s Introduction: Hello, Protruserati. I’m Jaz Gulati. Welcome back to your favorite dental podcast. I’m joined today by our guest, Dr. Jesper Hatt. All this dentist does is help other dentists with their treatment plans for aligners. From speaking to him, I gather that he’s no longer practicing clinically and is full-time clinical support for colleagues for their aligner cases. So there’s a lot we can learn from someone who day in day out has to do so much treatment planning and speaking to GDPs about their cases, how they’re tracking, how they’re not tracking, complications, and then years of seeing again, okay, how well did that first set of aligners actually perform? What is predictable and what isn’t? And as well as asking what are the most common errors we make on our ClinChecks or treatment plan softwares. I really wanted to probe in further. I really want to ask him about clinical guidelines for occlusion after ortho. Sometimes we treat a case and whilst the aesthetics of that aligner case is beautiful, the occlusion is sometimes not as good. So let’s talk about what that actually means. What is a not-good occlusion? What is a good occlusion? And just to offer some guidelines for practitioners to follow because guess what? No orthodontist in the world is gonna ever get the occlusion correct through ortho. Therefore, we as GPs are never gonna get a perfect textbook occlusion, but we need to understand what is acceptable and what is a good guideline to follow. That’s exactly what we’ll present to you in this episode today. Dental PearlNow, this is a CE slash CPD eligible episode and as our main PDP episode, I’ll give you a Protrusive Dental Pearl. Today’s pearl is very much relevant to the theme of orthodontics and occlusion we’re discussing today, and it’s probably a pearl I’ve given to you already in the past somewhere down the line, but it’s so important and so key. I really want to just emphasize on it again. In fact, a colleague messaged me recently and it reminded me of this concept I’m about to explain. She sent me an image of a resin bonded bridge she did, which had failed. It was a lower incisor, and just a few days after bonding, it failed. And so this dentist is feeling a bit embarrassed and wanted my advice. Now, by the way, guys, if you message me for advice on Instagram, on Facebook, or something like that, it’s very hit and miss. Like my priorities in life are family, health, and everything that happens on Protrusive Guidance. Our network. If you message me outside that network, I may not see it. The team might, but I may not see it. It’s the only way that I can really maintain control and calm in my life. The reason for saying this, I don’t want anyone to be offended. I’m not ignoring anyone. It’s just the volume of messages I get year on year, they’re astronomical. And I don’t mind if you nudge me. If you messaged me something weeks or months ago and I haven’t replied, I probably haven’t seen it. Please do nudge me. And the best place to catch me on is Protrusive Guidance. If you DM me on Protrusive Guidance, home of the nicest and geekiest dentists in the world, that’s the only platform I will log in daily. That’s our baby, our community. Anyway, so I caught this Facebook message and it was up to me to help this colleague. And one observation I made is that the lower teeth were all worn. The upper teeth were really worn, but this resin bonded bridge pontic, it just looked like a perfect tooth. The patient was something like 77 or 80. So it really made me think that, okay, why are we putting something that looks like a 25-year-old’s tooth in a 77-year-old? But even forgetting age and stuff, you have to look at the adjacent teeth in the arch. Is your restoration harmonious with the other teeth in the arch, and of course is the restoration harmonious with what’s opposing it? Because it’s just not compatible. So part one of this pearl is make sure any restoration you do, whether it’s direct or indirect, is harmonious with the patient’s arch and with the opposing teeth and with their occlusal scheme. Because otherwise, if you get rubber dam on and you give your 75-year-old patient beautiful composite resin, it’s got all that cuspal fissure pattern and anatomy, and you take that rubber dam off and you notice that all the other teeth are flat and the opposing teeth are flat amalgams, guess what? You’re gonna be making your composite flat, whether you like it or not. You created a restoration that’s proud, right? That’s why you did not conform to the patient’s own arch or existing anatomical scheme. So the part B of this is the thing that I get very excited to talk about, right? So sometimes you have a worn dentition, but then you have one tooth that’s not worn at all. It’s like that in-standing lateral incisor, right? Think of an upper lateral incisor that’s a bit in-standing, and you see some wear on all the incisors, but that lateral incisor does not have any wear in it because it was never in the firing line. It was never in function. It was never in parafunction. Now, if you give this patient aligners or fixed appliances, you’re doing ortho and you’re now going to align this lateral incisor. So it’s now gonna eventually get into occlusion and it will be in the functional and parafunctional pathways of this patient. Do you really think you can just leave that incisor be? No. It’s not gonna be compatible with the adjacent teeth. It’s not going to be compatible with the opposing tooth and the occlusal scheme. So guess what? You have to get your bur out or your Sof-Lex disc out, and you have to bake in some years into that tooth. Or you have to build up all the other teeth if appropriate for that patient. You’ve just gotta think about it. And I hope that makes sense so you can stay out of trouble. You’re not gonna get chipping and you can consent your patient appropriately for enamel adjustment, which is something that we do talk about in this episode. I think you’re in for an absolute cracker. I hope you enjoy. I’ll catch you in the outro. Main Episode: Doctor Jesper Hatt, thank you so much for coming to Protrusive Dental Podcast. We met in Scandinavia, in Copenhagen. You delivered this wonderful lecture and it was so nice to connect with you then and to finally have you on the show. Tell us, how are you, where in the world are you, and tell us about yourself. [Jesper] Well, thank you for the invitation, first of all. Well, I’m a dentist. I used to practice in Denmark since I originally come from Denmark. My mother’s from Germany, and now I live in Switzerland and have stopped practicing dentistry since 2018. Now I only do consulting work and I help doctors around the world with making their aligner business successful. [Jaz] And this is like probably clinical advice, but also like strategic advice and positioning and that kinda stuff. Probably the whole shebang, right? [Jesper] Yeah. I mean, I have a team around me, so my wife’s a dentist as well, and I would say she’s the expert in Europe on clear aligners. She’s been working for, first of all, our practice. She’s a dentist too. She worked with me in the practice. We practiced together for 10 years. Then she became a clinical advisor for Allion Tech with responsibility for clinical support of Scandinavia. She was headhunted to ClearCorrect, worked in Basel while I was doing more and more consulting stuff in Denmark. So she was traveling back and forth, and I considered this to be a little bit challenging for our family. So I asked her, well, why don’t we just relocate to Switzerland since ClearCorrect is located there? And sure we did. And after two years she told me, I think clinical support, it’s okay. And I like to train the teams, but I’d really like to do more than that because she found out that doctors, they were able to book a spot sometime in the future, let’s say two weeks out in the future at a time that suited the doctors… no, not the doctors, ClearCorrect. Or Invisalign or whatever clear aligner company you use. So as a doctor, you’re able to block the spot and at that time you can have your 30 minutes one-on-one online with a clinical expert. And she said it’s always between the patients or administrative stuff. So they’re not really focused on their ClearCorrect or clear aligner patient. And so they forget half of what I tell them. I can see it in the setups they do. They end up having to call me again. It doesn’t work like that. I would like to help them. [Jaz] It’s a clunky pathway of mentorship. [Jesper] Yes. And so she wanted to change the way clinical support was built up. So we do it differently. We do it only in writing so people can remember what we are telling them. They can always go back in the note and see what’s been going on, what was the advice we gave them, and we offer this co-creation support where we take over most of the treatment planning of the ClearCorrect or Clear Aligner or Spark or Invisalign or Angel Aligner treatment planning. So we do all the digital planning for the doctor, deliver what we think would be right for the patient based on the feedback we initially got from the doctor. And then the doctor can come back and say, well, I’d like a little more space for some crowns in the front, or I would like the canines to be in a better position in order to achieve immediate post disclusion. And so we can go into this discussion back and forth and adjust the digital setup in a way that is more realistic and predictable and do it all for the doctors. So they, on an average, they spend four to six hours less chair time when they use that kind of service compared to if they do everything themselves. And on top of that, you can put your planning time. She was responsible for that and it works quite well. I still remember when we initially got on all these online calls and we would see fireworks in the background and confetti coming down from the top and all of that. [Jaz] Exactly. So excuse that little bit, but okay. So essentially what you’re doing is, for an aligner user myself, for example, you’re doing the ClinChecks, you are helping, supporting with the ClinChecks, the planning. And I’ve got a lot of questions about that. The first question I’ll start with, which is off the script, but there’s probably a hundred different mistakes that could happen in a ClinCheck, right? But what is the most repeatable, predictable, common mistake that you’ll see when a new user sends a case to you to help them with their planning? What’s the most common mistake that you will see in a setup? [Jesper] Two things, actually. The one thing that we always check initially is the occlusion set correct by the aligner company. Because if the occlusion is not set correctly, everything else just doesn’t matter because the teeth will move but into a wrong position because the occlusion is off from the beginning. And so we always check that as the first part. How does this— [Jaz] So let’s talk about that ’cause that might be confusing for a younger colleague because they’re like, hey, hang on a minute. I scanned the bite left and right. What do you mean the occlusion is wrong? Because surely that gets carried through into what I see on the ClinCheck. So what do you think is the mechanism for this to happen? [Jesper] Two different reasons. I’m from a time when I graduated in 2003, so that was before digital dentistry. So when I went to the Pankey Institute and learned everything about functional occlusion and all of that stuff, I also found out that most of my patients, when I put silicone impression material between the teeth and asked the patients to bite together, they would always protrude a little bit unless I instructed them to bite hard on the posterior teeth. And when we got the scanners, when we put a scanner into the cheek and pull the cheek, most patients, when we asked them to bite together to do the intraoral scan of the bite, they also protruded a little bit, not much, but enough to set the bite wrong. So that is the one challenge when the technicians of the aligner companies put the models together. The other challenge is that some of the aligner companies, they let the technicians set the models. We always, as the first thing when we see a case, we always look at the photos, the clinical photos. And that’s why the clinical photos have to be of great quality. So we look at the clinical photos of the patient— [Jaz] And also in those clinical photos, Jesper, you have to coach them correctly to bite. You have to notice if they’re biting wrong even in the photos ’cause then it just duplicates the error. And that’s why good photography and actually being able to coach the patient is so imperative. [Jesper] Yes, that’s correct. But we compare the two and usually if we see a difference, we ask the doctor, is what we see in the photo correct, or is what we see on the digital models correct? And because we don’t like differences. So that would be the first step to look for. And what’s the second? The second thing is that when you look at the setup, the anterior teeth are usually—I’m trying to show you—the anterior teeth are very, very steep. Typically with aligners it’s a lot easier to tip the crowns. So when you have a class II patient, deviation one, where the anteriors are in a forward position, proclined, and you have a lot of space between the anteriors of the maxilla and the mandible, then the easiest thing on a digital setup is to just retrocline the anteriors of the upper to make them fit the lowers, which you could then procline a little bit, but usually you have very steep relationships between the two and this— [Jaz] So you’re more likely to restrict the envelope of function, functional interference anteriorly. You are obviously reducing the overjet, but you may end up reducing like a wall contact rather than an elegant, more open gate. [Jesper] Yes. And there’s another dimension to this because when we work with orthodontics, one of the most important things to look for is actually the profile of the patient. Because let’s say I’m trying to illustrate this now, so I hope you get a 90— [Jaz] So describe it for our audio listeners as well. So we’re looking at a profile view of Jesper. [Jesper] Yes. So I’m turning the side to the camera. I hope you can see my profile here. So let’s say I had flared anterior maxillary teeth and I wanted to retrocline them. It would have an effect on my upper lip, so the lip would fall backwards if I just retrocline everything. And every millimeter we move the anteriors in the maxilla in a posterior direction, we will have a potential lip drop of three millimeters. In addition, if we don’t get the nasolabial angulation correct, we risk the lower face will simply disappear in the face of the patient. So soft tissue plays a role here, so we cannot just retrocline the teeth. It looks great on the computer screen, but when it comes to reality, we’ll have a functional challenge. We’ll have a soft tissue support challenge, and in addition we’ll have long-term retention challenges as well. Because when you have a steep inclination, the anterior teeth in the mandible, they don’t have any kind of support. They will not be stopped by anything in the maxillary teeth, which you would if you had the right inclination between the teeth, which would be about 120 degrees. So why do aligner companies always set the teeth straight up and down in the anterior part? We wondered about this for years. We don’t have a strict answer. We don’t know exactly why it’s like this, but I have a hunch. I think there are two things to it. First of all, the easiest thing to do with aligners is to move the crown, so we can just tip the teeth. You take them back, you make a lot of IPR, and then you just tip them so they’re retroclined. Secondly, all aligner companies, they come from the United States. And in the United States there is a higher representation of class III patients. Now why is that important? All our patients can be put into two different categories in regards to how they move their mandible. They are the crocodiles that only open and close, like move up and down, and then we have the cows. And then we have the cows that move the mandible around, or the camels. I mean, every camel, if you’ve seen a camel chew, it’s just moving from side to side. [Jaz] Horses as well. Horses as well. [Jesper] They kind of do that. [Jaz] But I’m glad you didn’t say rats ’cause it’s more elegant to be a crocodile than a rat. [Jesper] Exactly. And I usually say we only tell the crocodiles. So why is this a challenge and why isn’t it a challenge with class III patients? Well, all real class III patients act like crocodiles, so they don’t move them side to side. From a functional perspective, it’s really not a problem having steep anterior inclination or steep relationships as long as you have a stable stop where the anteriors—so the anteriors will not elongate and create the red effect. So they just elongate until they hit the palate. If you can make a stop in the anterior part of the occlusion, then you’ll have some kind of stability with the class III patients. But with class II patients, we see a lot more cows. So they move the mandible from side to side and anterior and back and forth and all… they have the mandible going all kinds of places. And when they do that, we need some kind of anterior guidance to guide the mandible. I usually say the upper jaw creates the framework in which the mandible will move. So if the framework is too small, we fight the muscles. And whenever we fight the muscles, we lose because muscles always win. It doesn’t matter if it’s teeth, if it’s bone, if it’s joints, they all lose if they fight the muscles— [Jaz] As Peter Dawson would say, in the war between teeth and muscles or any system and muscles, the muscles always win. Absolutely. And the other analogy you remind me of is the maxilla being like a garage or “garage” from UK, like a garage. And the mandible being like the car, and if you’re really constrained, you’re gonna crash in and you’re gonna… everything will be in tatters. So that’s another great way to think about it. Okay. That’s very, very helpful. I’m gonna—’cause there’s so much I wanna cover. And I think you’ve really summed up nicely. But one thing just to finish on this aspect of that common mistake being that the upper anteriors are retroclined, really what you’re trying to say is we need to be looking at other modalities, other movements. So I’m thinking you’re saying extraction, if it’s suitable for the face, or distalisation. Are you thinking like that rather than the easier thing for the aligners, which is the retrocline. Am I going about it the right way? [Jesper] Depends on the patient. [Jaz] Of course. [Jesper] Rule of thumb: if you’re a GP, don’t ever touch extraction cases. Rule of thumb. Why? Because it is extremely challenging to move teeth parallel. So you will most—especially with aligners—I mean, I talk with a very respected orthodontist once and I asked him, well, what do you think about GPs treating extraction cases where they extract, you know, two premolars in the maxilla? And he said, well, I don’t know how to answer this. Let me just explain to you: half of my orthodontist colleagues, they are afraid of extraction cases. And I asked them why. Because it’s so hard to control the root movement. Now, I don’t know about you— [Jaz] With aligners. We’re specifically talking about aligners here, right? [Jesper] With all kinds of orthodontic appliances. [Jaz] Thank you. [Jesper] So now, I don’t know about you, but if half the orthodontists are afraid of controlling the root movements in extraction cases, as a GP, I would be terrified. And I am a GP. So I usually say, yeah, sometimes you will have so much crowding and so little space in the mandible, so there’s an incisor that is almost popped out by itself. In those cases, yes. Then you can do an extraction case. But when we’re talking about premolars that are going to be extracted, or if you want to close the space in the posterior part by translating a tooth into that open space, don’t. It’s just the easiest way to end up in a disaster because the only thing you’ll see is just teeth that tip into that space, and you’ll have a really hard time controlling the root movements, getting them corrected again. [Jaz] Well, thank you for offering that guideline. I think that’s very sage advice for those GPs doing aligners, to stay in your lane and just be… the best thing about being a GP, Jesper, is you get to cherry pick, right? There’s so many bad things about being a GP. Like you literally have to be kinda like a micro-specialist in everything in a way. And so sometimes it’s good to be like, you know what, I’ll keep this and I’ll send this out. And being selective and case selection is the crux of everything. So I’m really glad you mentioned that. I mean, we talked and touched already on so much occlusion. The next question I’m gonna ask you then is, like you said, a common error is the bite and how the bite appears on the ClinCheck or whichever software a dentist is using. Now, related to bite, vast majority of orthodontic cases are treated in the patient’s existing habitual occlusion, their maximum intercuspal position. Early on in my aligner journey, I had a patient who had an anterior crossbite. And because of that anterior crossbite, their jaw deviated. It was a displaced—the lower jaw displaced. And then I learned from that, that actually for that instance, perhaps I should not have used an MIP scan. I should have used more like centric relation or first point of contact scan before the displacement of the jaw happens. So that was like always in my mind. Sometimes we can and should be using an alternative TMJ position or a bite reference other than MIP. Firstly, what do you think about that kind of scenario and are there any other scenarios which you would suggest that we should not be using the patient’s habitual occlusion for their bite scan for planning orthodontics? [Jesper] Well, I mentioned that I was trained at the Pankey Institute, and when you start out right after—I mean, I spent 400 hours over there. Initially, I thought I was a little bit brainwashed by that because I thought every single patient should be in centric relation. Now, after having put more than 600 patients on the bite appliance first before I did anything, I started to see some patterns. And so today, I would say it’s not all patients that I would get into centric relation before I start treating the teeth. But when we talk about aligner therapy and orthodontic treatment, I think it’s beneficial if you can see the signs for those patients where you would say, hmm, something in the occlusion here could be a little bit risky. So let’s say there are wear facets on the molars. That will always trigger a red flag in my head. Let’s say there are crossbites or bite positions that kind of lock in the teeth. We talked about class III patients before, and I said if it’s a real skeletal-deviation class III patient, it’s a crocodile. But sometimes patients are not real class III skeletal deviation patients. They’re simply being forced into a class III due to the occlusion. That’s where the teeth fit together. So once you put aligners between the teeth and plastic covers the surfaces, suddenly the patients are able to move the jaws more freely and then they start to seat into centric. That may be okay. Usually it is okay. The challenge is consequences. So when you’re a GP and you suddenly see a patient moving to centric relation and you find out, whoa, on a horizontal level there’s a four- to six-millimeter difference between the initial starting point and where we are now, and maybe we create an eight-millimeter open bite in the anterior as well because they simply seat that much. And I mean, we have seen it. So is this a disaster? Well, it depends. If you have informed the patient well enough initially and said, well, you might have a lower jaw that moves into a different position when we start out, and if this new position is really, really off compared to where you are right now, you might end up needing maxillofacial surgery, then the patient’s prepared. But if they’re not prepared and you suddenly have to tell them, you know, I think we might need maxillofacial surgery… I can come up with a lot of patients in my head that would say, hey doctor, that was not part of my plan. And they will be really disappointed. And at that point there’s no turning back, so you can’t reverse. So I think if you are unsure, then you are sure. Then you should use some kind of deprogramming device or figure out where is centric relation on this patient. If there isn’t that much of a difference between maximum intercuspation and centric— [Jesper] Relation, I don’t care. Because once you start moving the teeth, I don’t care if you just move from premolar to premolar or all the teeth. Orthodontics is orthodontics, so you will affect all the teeth during the treatment. The question’s just how much. And sometimes it’s just by putting plastic between the teeth that you will see a change, not in the tooth position, but in the mandibular position. And I just think it’s nicer to know a little bit where this is going before you start. And the more you see of this—I mean, as I mentioned, after 600 bite appliances in the mouths of my patients, I started to see patterns. And sometimes in the end, after 20 years of practicing, I started to say, let’s just start, see where this ends. But I would always inform the patients: if it goes totally out of control, we might end up needing surgery, and there’s no way to avoid it if that happens. And if the patients were okay with that, we’d just start out. Because I mean, is it bad? No. I just start the orthodontic treatment and I set the teeth as they should be in the right framework. Sometimes the upper and the lower jaw don’t fit together. Well, send them to the surgeon and they will move either the upper or the lower jaw into the right position, and then we have it. No harm is done because we have done the initial work that the orthodontist would do. But I will say when I had these surgical patients—let’s say we just started out with aligners and we figured, I can’t control this enough. I need a surgeon to look at this—then I would send them off to an orthodontist, and the orthodontist and the surgeon would take over. Because then—I mean, surgical patients and kids—that’s the second group of patients besides the extraction cases that I would not treat as a GP. ‘Cause we simply don’t know enough about how to affect growth on kids. And when it comes to surgery, there’s so much that is… so much knowledge that we need to know and the collaboration with the surgeons that we’re not trained to handle. So I think that should be handled by the orthodontists as well. [Jaz] I think collaborative cases like that are definitely specialist in nature, and I think that’s a really good point. I think the point there was informed consent. The mistake is you don’t warn the patient or you do not do the correct screening. So again, I always encourage my guests—so Jesper, you included—that we may disagree, and that’s okay. That’s the beauty of dentistry. So something that I look for is: if the patient has a stable and repeatable maximum intercuspal position, things lock very well, and there’s a minimal slide—like I use my leaf gauge and the CR-CP is like a small number of leaves and the jaw hardly moves a little bit—then there’s no point of uncoupling them, removing that nice posterior coupling that they have just to chase this elusive joint position. Then you have to do so many more teeth. But when we have a breakdown in the system, which you kind of said, if there’s wear as one aspect, or we think that, okay, this patient’s occlusion is not really working for them, then we have an opportunity to do full-mouth rehabilitation in enamel. Because that’s what orthodontics is. And so that’s a point to consider. So I would encourage our GP colleagues to look at the case, look at the patient in front of you, and decide: is this a stable, repeatable occlusion that you would like to use as a baseline, or is there something wrong? Then consider referring out or considering—if you’re more advanced in occlusion studies—using an alternative position, not the patient’s own bite as a reference. So anything you wanna add to that or disagree with in that monologue I just said there? [Jesper] No, I think there’s one thing I’d like the listeners to consider. I see a lot of fighting between orthodontists and GPs, and I think it should be a collaboration instead. There’s a lot of orthodontists that are afraid of GPs taking over more and more aligner treatments, and they see a huge increase in the amount of cases that go wrong. Well, there’s a huge increase of patients being treated, so there will be more patients, just statistically, that will get into problems. Now, if the orthodontist is smart—in my opinion, that’s my opinion—they reach out to all their referring doctors and they tell them, look, come in. I will teach you which cases you can start with and which you should refer. Let’s start there. Start your aligner treatments. Start out, try stuff. I will be there to help you if you run into problems. So whenever you see a challenge, whenever there’s a problem, send the patient over to me and I’ll take over. But I will be there to help you if anything goes wrong. Now, the reason this is really, really a great business advice for the orthodontists is because once you teach the GPs around you to look for deviations from the normal, which would be the indication for orthodontics, the doctors start to diagnose and see a lot more patients needing orthodontics and prescribe it to the patients, or at least propose it to the patients. Which would initially not do much more than just increase the amount of aligner treatments. But over time, I tell you, all the orthodontists doing this, they are drowning in work. So I mean, they will literally be overflown by patients being referred by all the doctors, because suddenly all the other doctors around them start to diagnose orthodontically. They see the patients which they haven’t seen before. So I think this is—from a business perspective—a really, really great thing for the orthodontists to have a collaboration with this. And it’ll also help the GPs to feel more secure when they start treating their patients. And in the end, that will lead to more patients getting the right treatment they deserve. And I think that is the core. That is what’s so important for us to remember. That’s what we’re here for. I mean, yes, it’s nice to make money. We have to live. It’s nice with a great business, but what all dentists I know of are really striving for is to treat their patients to the best of their ability. And this helps them to do that. [Jaz] Ultimate benefactor of this collaborative approach is the patient. And I love that you said that. I think I want all orthodontists to listen to that soundbite and take it on board and be willing to help. Most of them I know are lovely orthodontists and they’re helping to teach their GPs and help them and in return they get lots of referrals. And I think that’s the best way to go. Let’s talk a little bit about occlusal goals we look for at the end of orthodontics. This is an interesting topic. I’m gonna start by saying that just two days ago I got a DM from one of the Protruserati, his name is Keith Curry—shout out to him on Instagram—and he just sent me a little message: “Jaz, do you sometimes find that when you’re doing alignment as a GP that it’s conflicting the orthodontic, the occlusal goal you’re trying to get?” And I knew what I was getting to. It’s that scenario whereby you have the kind of class II division 2, right? But they have anterior guidance. Now you align everything, okay, and now you completely lost anterior guidance. And so the way I told him is that, you know what, yes, this is happening all the time. Are we potentially at war between an aesthetic smile and a functional occlusion? And sometimes there’s a compromise. Sometimes you can have both. But that—to achieve both—needs either a specialist set of eyes or lots of auxiliary techniques or a lot more time than what GPs usually give for their cases. So first let’s touch on that. Do you also agree that sometimes there is a war between what will be aesthetic and what will be a nice functional occlusion? And then we’ll actually talk about, okay, what are some of the guidelines that we look for at the end of completing an aligner case? [Jesper] Great question and great observation. I would say I don’t think there’s a conflict because what I’ve learned is form follows function. So if you get the function right, aesthetics will always be great. Almost always. I mean, we have those crazy-shaped faces sometimes, but… so form follows function. The challenge here is that in adult patients, we cannot manipulate growth. So a skeletal deviation is a skeletal deviation, which means if we have a class II patient, it’s most likely that that patient has a skeletal deviation. I rarely see a dental deviation. It happens, but it’s really, really rare. So that means that in principle, all our class II and chronic class III patients are surgical patients. However, does that mean that we should treat all our class II and class III patients surgically? No, I don’t think so. But we have to consider that they are all compromise cases. So we need to figure a compromise. So initially, when I started out with my occlusal knowledge, I have to admit, I didn’t do the orthodontic treatment planning. I did it with Heller, and she would give me feedback and tell me, I think this is doable and this is probably a little bit challenging. If we do this instead, we can keep the teeth within the bony frame. We can keep them in a good occlusion. Then I would say, well, you have a flat curve of Spee. I’d like to have a little bit of curve. It’s called a curve of Spee and not the orthodontic flat curve of Spee. And then we would have a discussion back and forth about that. Then initially I would always want anterior coupling where the anterior teeth would touch each other. I have actually changed that concept in my mind and accepted the orthodontic way of thinking because most orthodontists will leave a little space in the anterior. So when you end the orthodontic treatment, you almost always have a little bit of space between the anterior teeth so they don’t touch each other. Why? Because no matter what, no matter how you retain the patient after treatment, there will still be some sort of relapse. And we don’t know where it’ll come or how, but it will come. Because the teeth will always be positioned in a balance between the push from the tongue and from the cheeks and the muscles surrounding the teeth. And that’s a dynamic that changes over the years. So I don’t see retention as a one- or two-year thing. It’s a lifelong thing. And the surrounding tissues will change the pressure and thereby the balance between the tongue and the cheeks and where the teeth would naturally settle into position. Now, that said, as I mentioned initially, if we fight the muscles, we’ll lose. So let’s say we have an anterior open bite. That will always create a tongue habit where the patient positions the tongue in the anterior teeth when they swallow because if they don’t, food and drink will just be splashed out between the teeth. They can’t swallow. It will just be pushed out of the mouth. [Jaz] So is that not like a secondary thing? Like that tongue habit is secondary to the AOB? So in those cases, if you correct the anterior open bite, theoretically should that tongue posture not self-correct? [Jesper] Well, we would like to think so, but it’s not always the case. And there’s several reasons to it. Because why are the teeth in the position? Is it because of the tongue or because of the tooth position? Now, spacing cases is one of those cases where you can really illustrate it really well. It looks really easy to treat these patients. If we take away all the soft tissue considerations on the profile photo, I mean, you can just retract the teeth and you close all the spaces—super easy. Tipping movements. It’s super easy orthodontically to move quickly. Very easy as well. However, you restrict the tongue and now we have a retention problem. So there are three things that can happen. You can bond a retainer on the lingual side or the palatal side of the teeth, upper, lower—just bond everything together—and after three months, you will have a diastema distal to the bonded retainer because the tongue simply pushes all the teeth in an anterior direction. [Jaz] I’ve also seen—and you’ve probably seen this as well—the patient’s tongue being so strong in these exact scenarios where the multiple spacing has been closed, which probably should have been a restorative plan rather than orthodontic plan, and the retainer wire snaps in half. [Jesper] Yes, from the tongue. [Jaz] That always fascinated me. [Jesper] Well, you’ll see debonding all the time, even though you sandblast and you follow all the bonding protocol. And debonding, breaking wires, diastemas in places where you think, how is that even possible? Or—and this is the worst part—or you induce sleep apnea on these patients because you simply restrict the space for the tongue. So they start snoring, and then they have a total different set of health issues afterwards. So spacing—I mean, this just illustrates the power of the tongue and why we should always be careful with spacing cases. I mean, spacing cases, in my opinion, are always to be considered ortho-restorative cases. Or you can consider, do you want to leave some space distal to the canines? Because there you can create an optical illusion with composites. Or do you want to distribute space equally between the teeth and place veneers or crowns or whatever. And this is one of those cases where I’d say aligners are just fabulous compared to fixed appliances. Because if you go to an orthodontist only using fixed appliances and you tell that orthodontist, please redistribute space in the anterior part of the maxilla and I want exactly 1.2 millimeters between every single tooth in the anterior segment, six years later he’s still not reached that goal because it just moves back and forth. Put aligners on: three months later, you have exactly—and I mean exactly—1.2 millimeters of space between each and every single tooth. When it comes to intrusion and extrusion, I would probably consider using fixed appliances rather than aligners if it’s more than three millimeters. So every orthodontic system—and aligners are just an orthodontic system—each system has its pros and cons, and we just have to consider which system is right for this patient that I have in my chair. But back to the tongue issue. What should we do? I mean, yes, there are two different schools. So if you have, let’s say, a tongue habit that needs to be treated, there are those that say we need to get rid of the tongue habit before we start to correct the teeth. And then there are those that say that doesn’t really work because there’s no room for the tongue. So we need to create room for the tongue first and then train the patient to stop the habit. Both schools and both philosophies are being followed out there. I have my preferred philosophy, but I will let the listener start to think about what they believe and follow their philosophy. Because there is nothing here that is right or wrong. And that is— [Jaz] I think the right answer, Jesper, is probably speak to that local orthodontist who’s gonna be helping you out and whatever they recommend—their religion—follow that one. Because then at least you have something to defend yourself. Like okay, I followed the way you said. Let’s fix it together now. [Jesper] That’s a great one. Yeah, exactly. [Jaz] Okay, well just touching up on the occlusion then, sometimes we do get left with like suboptimal occlusions. But to be able to define a suboptimal occlusion… let’s wrap this occlusion element up. When we are completing an orthodontic case—let’s talk aligners specifically—when the aligners come off and the fixed retainers come on, for example, and the patient’s now in retention, what are some of the occlusal checkpoints or guidelines that you advise checking for to make sure that, okay, now we have a reasonably okay occlusion and let things settle from here? For example, it would be, for me, a failure if the patient finishes their aligners and they’re only holding articulating paper on one side and not the other side. That’s for me a failure. Or if they’ve got a posterior open bite bilaterally. Okay, then we need to go refinement. We need to get things sorted. But then where do you draw the line? How extreme do you need to be? Do you need every single tooth in shim-stock foil contact? Because then we are getting really beyond that. We have to give the adaptation some wiggle room to happen. So I would love to know from your learning at Pankey, from your experience, what would you recommend is a good way for a GP to follow about, okay, it may not be perfect and you’ll probably never get perfect. And one of the orthodontists that taught me said he’s never, ever done a case that’s finished with a perfect occlusion ever. And he said that to me. [Jesper] So—and that’s exactly the point with orthodontics. I learned that imagine going to a football stadium. The orthodontist will be able to find the football stadium. If it’s a reasonable orthodontist, he’ll be able to find the section you’re going to sit in. And if he’s really, really, really good, he will be able to find the row that you’re going to sit in. But the exact spot where you are going to sit, he will never, ever be able to find that with orthodontics. And this is where settling comes in and a little bit of enamel adjustments. [Jaz] I’m so glad you said that. I’m so glad you mentioned enamel adjustment. That’s a very dirty word, but I agree with that. And here’s what I teach on my occlusion courses: what we do with aligners essentially is we’re tampering with the lock. Let’s say the upper jaw is the lock. It’s the still one. We’re tampering with the key, which is the lower jaw—the one that moves—we tamper with the key and the lock, and we expect them both to fit together at the end without having to shave the key and to modify the lock. So for years I was doing aligners without enamel adjustment ’cause my eyes were not open. My mind was not open to this. And as I learned, and now I use digital measuring of occlusion stuff and I seldom can finish a case to get a decent—for my criteria, which is higher than it used to be, and my own stat—is part of my own growth that’s happened over time is that I just think it’s an important skill that GPs are not taught and they should be. It’s all about finishing that case. And I think, I agree with you that some adjustment goes a long way. We’re not massacring enamel. It’s little tweaks to get that. [Jesper] Exactly. I like the sound there because sometimes you hear that “ahh,” it doesn’t really sound right, but “tsst,” that’s better. [Jaz] That’s the one. You know, it reminds me of that lecture you did in Copenhagen. You did this cool thing—which I’ve never seen anyone do before. You sat with one leg over the other and you said, okay guys, bite together. Everyone bit together. And then you swapped the legs so the other leg was over the other and bite together. And then you said, okay, whose occlusion felt different? And about a third of the audience put their hand up, I think. Tell us about that for a second. [Jesper] Well, just promise me we go back to the final part because there are some things we should consider. [Jaz] Let’s save this as a secret thing at the end for incentive for everyone to listen to the end—how the leg position changes your occlusion. Let’s talk about the more important thing. I digressed. [Jesper] Let’s talk about the occlusal goals because I think it’s important. I mean, if you do enamel adjustments in the end—so when we finish the treatment, when we come to the last aligner in the treatment plan—I think we should start by breaking things down to the simplest way possible. Start by asking the patient: are you satisfied with the way the teeth look? Yes or no? If she’s satisfied, great. How do you feel about the occlusion? “Well, it fits okay.” Great. Now the patient is happy. There’s nothing she wants to—or he wants to—change. Then you look at the occlusion. Now, it is important to remember that what we see on the computer screen, on the aligner planning tools, will never, ever correspond 100% to what we see in the mouth of the patient. And there are several reasons for that. But one of the things that we have found to be really interesting is that if you take that last step and you say, okay, the occlusion doesn’t fit exactly as on the screen, but it’s kind of there… if you use that last step and you don’t do a re-scan for a retainer, but you use the last step of the aligner treatment as your reference for your aligner retainer… We sometimes see that over six months, if the patient wears that aligner 22 hours a day for another three to six months, the teeth will settle more and more into the aligner and create an occlusion that looks more and more like what you see on the screen. Which to me just tells me that the biology doesn’t necessarily follow the plan everywhere in the tempo that we set throughout the aligner plan. But over time, at the last step, if it’s just minor adjustments, the teeth will actually move into that position if we use the last stage as a reference for the retainer. Now, if we do a scan at that point and use that as a reference for creating an aligner retainer, then we just keep the teeth in that position. Now, if the teeth are a little bit more off— [Jaz] I’m just gonna recap that, Jesper, ’cause I understood what you said there, but I want you to just make sure I fully understood it. When we request, for example, Align, the Vivera retainer, it gives you an option: “I will submit a new scan” or “use the last step.” And actually I seldom use that, but now I realize you’re right. It makes sense. But then on the one hand, if the occlusion is—if the aesthetics are good and the patient’s occlusion feels good, what is your own judgment to decide whether we’re still going to allow for some more settling and occlusal changes to happen over a year using the Vivera retainers based on the ClinCheck last-aligner profile, rather than, okay, let’s just retain to this position? What is making you do the extra work, extra monitoring? [Jesper] To me, it’s not extra monitoring. It’s just basic. I mean, it’s just part of my protocol. I follow the patients. And honestly, to me, it’s just time-saving to just use the last step in the aligner. Because I mean, if the plan is right and if the teeth have been tracking well, they should be in that position. Why do I then need to re-scan for Vivera retainers or for other kinds of retainers? Now, if the occlusion is a little bit more off—and in a minute you’ll probably ask me when do I see which is which, and I can’t really tell you; it’s about experience—but that’s the beauty of this. If I see there’s a little bit more deviation and I like some teeth, the occlusion isn’t really good on one side compared to the other side, I would rather have a bonded retainer from first premolar to first premolar in the mandible, combined with a Hawley or Begg or something like that retainer for the upper. And you can order them with an acrylic plate covering some of the anterior teeth so they keep that position, but that allows the teeth to settle. And over three months you should see some kind of improvement. If you don’t see enough improvement and let’s say you still have a tendency for a kind of an open bite on one side, you can always add some cross elastics, put some buttons on the upper, on the lower, instruct the patient to use these, and then in three months you will have the occlusion you want. Now, once that is established—you have that kind of occlusion—you need to keep the teeth there for at least six months before you do some kind of equilibration or enamel adjustment. Because if you do the enamel adjustment right after you have reached your final destination for the teeth, the teeth will still settle and move. So you do the equilibration, two weeks later everything looks off again. You do the equilibration, two weeks later things have changed again. So I prefer to wait six months before I do the final equilibration. Now, in this equation what we’ve been talking about here, it goes from very simple to more and more complex. And then we have to consider, well, did I expand the mandible posterior segment? If so, I can’t just use a bonded retainer on the lower and I need to add something to keep the teeth out there in combination with whatever I want in the upper. Do I want to keep the Begg retainer or the Hawley, or do I want to change to something differently? So these kinds of considerations have to be there from the beginning of the treatment because, I mean, it costs additional money to order a Begg retainer compared to just an aligner. [Jaz] A Begg retainer is the same as Hawley? [Jesper] Well, no. It has a little different design. [Jaz] Oh, a Begg as in B-E-G-G? [Jesper] Yes. [Jaz] Yeah, got it. Got it. Okay. [Jesper] And then in Denmark we use the Jensen retainer, which is a Danish invention, which goes from canine to canine or from first premolar to first premolar but with a different type of wire which keeps the teeth more in place compared to a round wire. So there are different variations. The most important part here is it allows the posterior teeth to settle so they can move, which they can’t in an aligner to the same degree at least. Now, this is all really nice in teeth that only need to be moved into the right position, but most of our patients are adult patients, or they should at least be adult patients. Most of my patients were more than 30 years old. So if you have a patient with anterior crowding and you move the teeth into the right position where the teeth should be, the teeth are in the right position, but they still look ugly because they have been worn anteriorly by the position they were in when they were crooked. So when we position them, we still need to do some restorative work. Then what? We still need to retain those teeth. The patient wants to be finished now as fast as possible, so we can’t wait the six months to make the final touches. So we have to figure out: what do we do? And then we have to think of some kind of retention strategy to keep the teeth in place during that restorative procedure. And I mean, at the end of an aligner treatment or any orthodontic treatment, two days is enough to have relapse in some patients. Some patients it’s not a problem. The teeth are just there to stay in the same position for three months, and then they start to move a little bit around. But other patients—I mean, you just have to look away and then go back to the teeth and they’re in a different position. You can’t know what kind of patient you have in your chair right now. So you have to consider the way you plan your restorative procedure in regards to how you retain the teeth during that phase. So if you want to do anterior composites or veneers, do it all at once. Put in a bonded retainer, scan, and get your aligner retainer as fast as possible. Or use a Begg or a Hawley or something like that that’s a little bit more flexible. If you want to do crowns, then we have a whole different challenge and then we have to consider how do we then retain the teeth. [Jaz] Okay. Well I think that was lovely. I think that gives us some thoughts and ideas of planning sequence of retention, which is the ultimate thing to consider when it comes to occlusion. Okay, yeah, you get the occlusion, but how do you retain it? But in many cases, as the patient’s wearing aligners, the occlusion is embedding in and is fine. And you take off the aligners, the patient’s happy with how it looks. They bite together. It feels good. You are happy that yes, both sides of the mouth are biting together. Now, it might not be that every single contact is shim-hold, but you got, let’s say, within 20 microns, 40 microns, okay? Then some bedding happens. In that kind of scenario, would you be happy to say, okay, I’m gonna scan your teeth as they are because I’m happy with the occlusion, the occlusal goals are good, and they’re near enough the ClinCheck, and go for the retainers to that position? Or is your default preference as a clinician to go for the Vivera or equivalent based on the last aligner, on the ClinCheck projection? [Jesper] I would still go for the last aligner because I think the planning I’ve done is probably a little bit more precise than what I see clinically. However, I still expect that I will have to do a little bit of enamel reshaping at the end after six months, but that’s okay. I mean, the changes are so small, so you can still use the last aligner or the Vivera retainer that you already have ordered. So it’s not that much of a problem. [Jaz] Which goes back to your previous point: if it’s a big deviation, then you’ve gotta look at the alternative ways, whether you’re gonna go for refinement or you’re gonna allow some occlusal settling with a Hawley and a lower fixed-retainer combination, or the elastics like you said. Okay. Just so we’re coming to the end of the podcast—and I really enjoyed our time—I would like to delve deep into just a final thing, which is a little checklist, a helpful checklist for case assessment that you have for GDPs. [Jesper] Yeah, thank you. First of all, one of the big challenges in a GP practice is being able to take a full series of clinical photos in two minutes without assistance. I think most dentists struggle with that, but that is a foundational prerequisite to any aligner treatment. Once you have the photos, I would sit down with the photos and I would consider six different steps. One: is this a patient that I could treat restoratively only? Because that would be the simplest for me to do. Next, moving up in complexity: would be, do I need periodontal crown lengthening? Or next step would be: do I need to change the vertical dimension, or is there something about centric relation that I should consider? Moving up a little bit on the complexity: are there missing teeth? Do I need to replace teeth with implants? Next step would be orthodontics. So this is step five. The next most complex case we can treat is actually an aligner case—orthodontics in general. And the last part would be: are the teeth actually in the right position in the face of the patient, or do I need surgery to correct the jaw position? So these six steps, I think they’re helpful to follow to just think, how can I break this case down into more easy, digestible bits and pieces to figure out what kind of patient I have in front of me? Now, if you consider it to be an orthodontic case or ortho-restorative case, here comes the challenge: case selection. How do you figure out is this an easy, moderate, complex, or referral case? And here’s the trick: do 500 to 1000 treatment plans or treatments with clear aligners. And then you know. But until then, you really don’t. This is where you should rely on someone you can trust who can help you do the initial case selection. Because you can have two identical patients—one is easy and one is super complex—but they look the same. So it’s really nice if you have done less than 500 cases to have someone who can help you with the case selection. And I don’t say this to sell anything, because we don’t charge for that. Because it’s so essential that we don’t do something that is wrong or gives us a lot of challenges and headaches in the practice. I mean, the practice runs really fast and lean-oriented, so we need to make things digestible, easy to work with. And I think that’s really important. [Jaz] It goes full circle to what we said before about having that referral network, staying in your lane, knowing when to refer out, cherry-picking—it all goes back full circle with that. And not even orthodontics, but restorative dentistry—case selection is just imperative in everything we do. [Jesper] Yes. And there is—we always get the question when we do courses and we do consulting—can’t you just show me a couple of cases that are easy to start with? And it works with implants, kind of. But with orthodontics where we move—I mean, we affect all the teeth—it’s just not possible. I know the aligner companies want to show you some where you say, you can only just do these kinds of cases and they are really easy. The fact is they’re not. But they want to sell their aligners. [Jaz] I get it. They are until they’re not. It’s like that famous thing, right? Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face. So yeah, it can seemingly be easy, but then a complication happens and it’s really about understanding what complications to expect, screening for them, and how you handle that. But thanks so much. Tell us—yeah, go on, sorry. [Jesper] There are three things I’d like to end on here. So, first of all, we’ve been talking together for about an hour about a topic that, if you want to take postgraduate education, it takes three years to become an orthodontist. And there is a reason it takes three to four years. However, I want to encourage the listener to think about this: Mercedes has never, ever excused last year’s model. Meaning that they always strive for perfection. So if we go into the practice and we do the very best we can every single day, there is no way we can go back and excuse what we

Kick off 2026 with a plan that actually sticks. George walks through choosing your practice vision, pinpointing your #1 bottleneck, and installing a weekly operating rhythm so growth stops being random. Pick your avatar, align your team, and make the calendar turn count.

Alan reflects on his self-described "average" skill level as a dentist and explores how adopting prescriptive, systematic approaches can help practitioners in the middle of the bell curve achieve consistently excellent patient outcomes. Inspired by his recent experience at a Bioclear course, he argues that a systemized methodology, like the one taught by Bioclear, is often more reliable than relying on individual "superhero" hand skills or talents. Dr. Mead shares how the course's emphasis on a specific, step-by-step process—from using warmed composite and specific matrices to post-operative polishing—resulted in universally great outcomes for all attendees, regardless of baseline skill. He strongly recommends that fellow dentists, particularly those who struggle with consistency or implementation after CE, consider adopting systems and maximizing magnification (like using a microscope or high-power loops) to elevate their practice. Finally, he encourages listeners to try a piece of the system, specifically the Twin Ring Universal for posterior composites, and offers a 15% off code (VERYDENTAL8TON) for Bioclear products. Some links from the show: Bioclear Learning Center (use code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% off!) Bioclear Twin Ring Universal (use code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% off!) Enova Illumination (for lights, loupes and microscopes) Al's new wireless HDMI solution Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, Bioclear, Hornbrook, Gary, McWethy, Papa Randy, or Lipscomb! The Very Dental Podcast Network is and will remain free; please support the people who support us! Crazy Dental has everything you need—from cotton rolls to equipment—at the best prices! Get an free shipping on your order by visiting verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and using coupon code VERYSHIP. Save money and support the show. The Wonderist Agency is your one-stop shop for marketing your dental practice and brand. They cover everything from logo redesign to a full-service marketing plan. Check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes. They also distribute loupe-mounted cameras and Zumax microscopes! Boost your magnification/headlight game and support the podcast at verydentalpodcast.com/enova. CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills, and their own browser-based design software, Clinux. See the brand new scanner from Shining 3D, the Elf! Get the best service on all things digital dentistry at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!

** A-Dec Smart Start: https://www.a-dec.com/new-dental-practiceStepping into your first dental job can feel overwhelming—but you don't have to navigate it alone. In this episode of The Dental Download, Haley is joined by Matthew Nelson and Michelle Coker to break down the biggest mistakes new dentists make and how to avoid them. Whether you're evaluating job offers, shadowing potential employers, or trying to understand employment classifications in California, this conversation gives you the clarity and confidence you need.Matthew and Michelle share actionable advice on everything from finding strong mentorship and documenting agreements to building leadership and communication skills that actually translate chairside. You'll also hear practical tips on networking, asking the right interview questions, role-playing tough conversations, and staying committed to continuous learning as you grow in your career.If you're a new dentist, dental student, or California practitioner trying to choose the right path, this episode is packed with insights to help you build a sustainable, fulfilling dental career.Engage with the podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dentaldownloadpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Haley's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dr.haley.dds⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Haley's TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.haley.dds?lang=en⁠⁠⁠

Dr. Michelle is an author, speaker, educator, biologic/holistic dentist, and wellness advocate dedicated to helping people live healthier, more vibrant lives.   For over a decade, she practiced traditional dentistry until her own health crisis revealed the hidden dangers of mercury exposure. After being diagnosed with mercury poisoning—caused by years of removing mercury fillings—Michelle began a personal journey to restore her health. That journey transformed not only her career but also her life's purpose.   Through extensive study and experience, she discovered natural, practical ways to heal and thrive—finding solutions in the kitchen, the garden, and everyday living.    Today, as the founder of Living Well with Dr. Michelle, she shares her knowledge to empower individuals and families to create a healthier lifestyle through simple, sustainable changes.   Timestamps (may vary by 2-4 minutes depending on your podcast platform)    02:55 Introduction to Holistic Dentistry 03:55 Michelle's Health Journey and Discovery of Mercury Poisoning 09:52 Transitioning to Holistic Practices in Dentistry 17:44 Understanding Mercury Fillings and Safe Removal 25:49 The Fluoride Debate and Its Implications 27:04 Innovative Solutions: Hydroxyapatite Products for Dental Health 27:46 The Importance of Minerals and Vitamins for Dental Health 33:04 Best Practices for Maintaining Healthy Teeth 38:00 Understanding Dental Implants and Cosmetic Dentistry 48:27 Hidden Dangers of Wisdom Teeth Removal   (Website) https://livingwellwithdrmichelle.com/   (Facebook) www.facebook.com/livingwellwithdrmichelle   (Instagram) www.instagram.com/livingwellwithdrmichelle/   (Youtube) www.youtube.com/c/LivingwellwithDrMichelle   (Tiktok) www.tiktok.com/@livingwellwithdrmichelle  

Dr. Sheila Samaddar, a GP, shares how aligners have been a huge benefit to her practice, but she's also candid about the challenges. She walks us through the key things every GP should know before diving into clear aligner therapy, plus some of her favorite products and tools that help her get the best results. Dr. Samaddar is internationally recognized and published by Invisalign for Top Case results annually for the last several years, as well as having a Top 10 case with the American Academy of Clear Aligners.

In the early morning hours of October 8, 1964, thirty-four-year-old housewife and mother of three Lucille Miller placed a frantic call to the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department to report that there had been a car accident on remote Banyan Street and her husband had been killed. When deputies arrived at the scene, the car was still in flames and, as Lucille had described, her husband Gordon “Cork” Miller was in the passenger seat, nearly unrecognizable from the extent of the fire damage.The evidence at the scene appeared to support Lucille's version of events; the car had gone off the road while they were driving and caught fire. Lucille managed to get out of the car, but Cork was unconscious and she was unable to get him out. Less than twelve hours later, however, Lucille's story began to fall apart and by the end of the day she was arrested for the murder of her husband. At first, the case against Lucille Miller seemed relatively straightforward; she killed her husband for the insurance money and to pursue a relationship with another man. But as the investigation unfolded and investigators began digging into the Miller's lives, the story became significantly more complicated and no one seemed able to decide whether Cork's death was in fact a murder.Want to buy our GORGEOUS Tarot Deck designed by the incredibly talented Marisa Aragón Ware? This deck is a limited edition, so be sure to PREORDER before you miss your chance by visiting morbidtarot.com! Thanks to our friends at Relatable for dreaming this into existence!RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS EPISODE: The Frightful Fandom Podcast,  Follow @Jiggysawgirl on tikTok !The Horror Chronicles Podcast Follow @horror_chroniclesDude, It's Entertainment!  Podcast Follow @dude_its_entertainment References2014. A Crime to Remember (season 2, episode 6). Directed by Elise Greven. Performed by Elise Greven.Hartsfield, Jack. 1964. "Alta Loma crash scene sifted by detectives." San Bernardino County Sun, October 9: 16.—. 1965. "Defendant tells her story of 'death night'." San Bernardino County Sun, February 17: 1.—. 1965. "Hayton denies telling loves to Mrs. Miller." San Bernardino County Sun, February 9: 1.—. 1964. "Mrs. Miller charged with murder." San Bernardino County Sun, October 14: 1.—. 1965. "Mrs. Miller's views of Hayton recorded." San Bernardino County Sun, February 2: 1.—. 1964. "No charges filed; divorce action told." San Bernardino County Sun, October 10: 11.—. 1965. "Uproar sweeps court as verdict announced." San Bernardino County Sun, March 6: 1.Hertel, Howard. 1965. "Miller slain for money, trial told." Los Angeles Times, January 20: 29.—. 1965. "Mrs. Miller pictured as boasting of 'romance'." Los Angeles Times, January 29: 2.Hertel, Howard, and Art Berman. 1964. "Judge rules Miller murder case mistrial; re-set Jan. 11." Los Angeles Times, December 8: 2.Hertel, Howard, and Tom Goff. 1964. "Dentist's wife indicted for car fire death." Los Angeles Times, October 21: 2.Los Angeles Times. 1964. "Dentist dies in auto blaze; wife arrested." Los Angeles Times, October 9: 3.—. 1964. "Dentist under drug influence, jury will hear." Los Angeles Times, October 20: 3.Lucille Miller v. State of California. 1968. 392 U.S. 616 (Supreme Court of United States, June 17).Miller, Debra J. 2006. "A mother's crime."  Los Angeles Times, April 2. Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash KelleyListener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra LallyListener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two years after Amber Spradlin was found stabbed to death in a dentist's living room, the murder trial of her alleged killer - the dentist's son - is put on hold. In 2017, after standing trial for a fourth time, Cal Harris was acquitted of the 2001 murder of his wife. Recently, a jury heard testimony in his lawsuit accusing investigators of a "malicious prosecution." And, NBC News' Vicky Nguyen warns about the red flags to look out for when renting an apartment.  Find out more about the cases covered each week here: www.datelinetruecrimeweekly.com   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.