Podcast appearances and mentions of howard farran

Dr. Bruce B. Baird is a 1980 graduate of the University of Texas Health Science Dental school in San Antonio. After graduation, he spent 4 years in the U.S. Army in Korea and at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. After leaving the service he built a scratch dental practice in the small town of Granbury, Texas. Over 36 years, he grew the practice into a multi doctor multi-million-dollar business with revenues in 2019 of over 5 million dollars.   Dr. Baird has lectured across the U.S. and Internationally for over 30 years. His topics include leadership, cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, communication skills and the business of dentistry. He taught at the Implant Preceptorship at the University of Texas Health Science Center Dental School in San Antonio and to the seniors at Baylor Dental School.   He founded Productive Dentistry Academy 18 years ago which has grown to a world-class organization with doctors from all 50 states and 19 countries attending their workshops. With his business partner, Dr. Victoria Peterson, they have grown the company to 32 employees providing seminars, coaching, and marketing to thousands of dentists across North America.   In 2011 Dr. Baird founded Comprehensive Finance Inc. a company that helps businesses across the U.S. do their own in-house financing. They have helped originate over 300 million dollars in financing across multiple industries. They rapidly became one of the largest financial tech companies in healthcare. CFI was sold in June of 2021 to AKKR, one of the largest private equity firms in the world. Dr. Baird has continued with the company as a key opinion leader and investor.   Join Dentaltown! https://www.dentaltown.com/   And follow Dentaltown on social media! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentaltownMagazine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/farran-media-llc/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/dentaltown TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dentaltown4 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dentaltown/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentaltown/

In this episode of Dentistry Uncensored, Howard sits down with two industry leaders, Jason Goodchild, DMD, Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Premier Dental, and Paul Mondock, President of North America & Global Sales Services at Septodont. Together, they dive into the science and innovation behind BufferPro, a cutting-edge buffering solution that enhances the effectiveness of local anesthesia.   They discuss the game-changing benefits of buffering anesthetics, why it matters for both clinicians and patients, and how BufferPro stands out from other buffering methods. Learn about the collaboration between Premier Dental and Septodont, how BufferPro is used chairside, and how to integrate it into your practice.   Join Dentaltown! https://www.dentaltown.com/ And follow Dentaltown on social media! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentaltownMagazine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/farran-media-llc/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/dentaltown TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dentaltown4 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dentaltown/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentaltown/

Tired of bureaucratic inefficiencies and missed technological opportunities? Join us as we analyze the healthcare workforce, dissecting the tough reality of supply and demand in medical residencies, with a special focus on the rising field of pediatric dentistry. We'll reflect on personal encounters with government red tape and ponder how the tech boom of the 90s could have spurred a much-needed modernization of government systems. We'll even speculate on how influential figures like Bill Gates and Elon Musk could have further propelled these advancements.Thinking about launching your dental career in an underserved area? Discover strategic insights on how to capitalize on dental care shortages by using data to pinpoint opportunities, and learn how buying out retiring dentists can set the stage for a prosperous practice. We also debate whether specialization in high-demand services like endodontics requires extensive schooling or if ambition and a good attitude can suffice. Expect candid discussions on the importance of self-care and reassessing your career path to ensure it brings you joy, much like evaluating the health of your personal relationships.As technology continues to transform industries, we'll highlight why it's crucial to keep your skills sharp, whatever your field of expertise. From the evolution of dental billing practices and the indispensable role of consultants to the need for continuous education in today's rapidly changing world, our conversation covers it all. Enjoy a light-hearted wrap-up as we share personal family anecdotes that remind us of the importance of gratitude and the fun quirks of familial bonds. Prepare for an engaging episode that combines professional insights with personal charm. Want to learn Dental Coding and Billing? Join here:https://tr.ee/efzYrY7mp-Would you like to set-up a billing consultation with Ericka or Jen? We would love the opportunity to discuss your billing questions and see how Fortune Billing Solutions may help you. Email Ericka:ericka@dentalbillingdoneright.comEmail Jen:jen@dentalbillingdoneright.comPerio performance formula: (D4341+D4342+D4346+D4355+D4910)/(D4341+D4342+D4346+D4355+D4910+D1110) Want to know what your fee should be for D4346? Send Ericka an email to ericka@dentalbillingdoneright.com

Legendary dental expert and Founder of Dental Town Howard Farran joins me, Ericka Aguilar, for a compelling exploration of the future of dentistry, challenging the conventional norms that govern the industry. We embark on a fascinating journey through Howard's personal story, from Kansas to Arizona, navigating the complex economic barriers and education demands that define the profession. Together, we unravel the financial intricacies of being a dentist, contrasting the roles of general practitioners, specialists, and practice owners while scrutinizing the implications of operating within a cartel system.The digital age is upon us, and AI is set to redefine the landscape of dental practices. We dissect the inefficiencies plaguing current practice management software and uncover how AI innovations, like the pioneering dental AI chatbot, promise to streamline operations and unlock new levels of efficiency. Drawing from a wealth of experience, the conversation paints a vivid picture of how AI can transform the way dental practices operate, enhancing both user experience and operational effectiveness, setting a new benchmark for the industry.As we navigate the evolving business dynamics and global challenges in dentistry, the conversation broadens to encompass healthcare access in America. We shine a light on the disparities in dental and women's health services, particularly in rural areas, and consider the potential of international specialists to bridge these gaps. Our discussion also highlights the pivotal role of Dental Service Organizations in capital formation and their strategic influence in the market. Through it all, we stress the importance of ensuring quality and integrity by having industry-specific professionals at the helm, safeguarding the core values of dentistry amid shifting economic and regulatory environments. Want to learn Dental Coding and Billing? Join here:https://tr.ee/efzYrY7mp-Would you like to set-up a billing consultation with Ericka or Jen? We would love the opportunity to discuss your billing questions and see how Fortune Billing Solutions may help you. Email Ericka:ericka@dentalbillingdoneright.comEmail Jen:jen@dentalbillingdoneright.comPerio performance formula: (D4341+D4342+D4346+D4355+D4910)/(D4341+D4342+D4346+D4355+D4910+D1110) Want to know what your fee should be for D4346? Send Ericka an email to ericka@dentalbillingdoneright.com

Dentistry wasn't designed to be fun, fulfilling and the source of your identity and a mansion in Beverly Hills. Your team didn't get jobs in dentistry with the goal of obtaining a bunch of new best friends. But so many dentists want dentistry to be more than it is, and thus also expect the patients and staff to be more than they are. Read more on the Dentaltown website: https://www.dentaltown.com/ Follow Dentaltown on social media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dentaltown/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/farran-media-llc/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentaltown/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/dentaltown

Managing a successful dental practice often hinges on the seamless collaboration and communication of its team. In this episode, Michael and Sandy explore the vital elements of effective team management that can transform your practice into a harmonious and high-functioning operation. They reveal how strong systems for hiring and onboarding are not just administrative necessities but foundational strategies that influence the overall success of the practice. Sandy shares her insights into building a clear vision that resonates across the team, emphasizing how consistent communication can break down barriers and foster an environment where everyone works towards common objectives. As the conversation unfolds, Michael and Sandy turn their focus to the human elements of practice management, emphasizing the importance of motivation and acknowledgment during times of change. Whether it's integrating new technologies or adapting to policy changes, they offer practical advice on how to maintain morale and encourage cooperation among team members. By the end of the episode, you'll have a toolkit of strategies to reinforce your practice's vision, ensuring that your team is not only aligned but invigorated to achieve shared goals. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The critical role of structured hiring and onboarding processes. How to establish and communicate a clear vision within your team. Techniques for overcoming common team management obstacles. The importance of motivation and acknowledgment during practice transitions. Practical steps to ensure team alignment with new policies and technologies. Tune in now to unlock key strategies for transforming your dental practice through effective team management! Sponsors: Don't just look ahead. Plan Forward. Discover the dental membership plan partner that empowers your entire office. Created by a team in your shoes. Find out more here, and be sure to mention Dental Drill Bits for a special offer! https://www.planforward.io/ Mentions and Links: Communities/Groups: Dental Gumbo Group Dentaltown Events: Front Desk Pro - February 7, 2025 Houston, Texas (Use code "Secret Sauce" at checkout for $100 off!) People: Dr. Howard Farran

Dr. Adams practiced Prosthetic Dentistry in Flint, Michigan for 23 years in a solo practice prior to moving to Denver, Colorado in 2006 where he was the founding Prosthodontist of ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers. He was a member of the team that grew ClearChoice from 1 to over 80 Centers and at one time he may have had the largest dental implant practice in the US. He retired as the Chief Clinical Officer of ClearChoice in December of 2022. Dr. Adams is currently the Chair of the Colorado Dental Board and serves as a Board member of a DSO. He was recognized by Marquis' Who's Who in 2024. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Gaurav Joshi works as a Senior Product Marketing Manager at GC America where he manages direct and indirect restorative portfolios. Dr. Joshi is passionate about innovation in dental materials and technologies. He leverages his clinical knowledge and scientific expertise to lead marketing and education programs at GC America. Dr. Joshi serves as a reviewer for several reputed dental journals such as Operative Dentistry and Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. He is committed to continuous learning and currently pursuing an MBA program at Northwestern Kellogg. Outside of his professional commitments, Dr. Joshi enjoys spending time with family, outdoors, group exercises at Orange Theory, and reading Yelp reviews to find the best places to eat. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Do you notice stressed, burned-out, and tired-looking faces in your practice? If so, don't miss this episode of Everyday Oral Surgery! Judy Kay Mausolf is back for another insightful conversation with Dr. Stucki. Judy, a motivational speaker, published author, and expert in dental practice culture, is dedicated to helping others achieve greater happiness and success. She coaches dental teams to elevate their leadership, enhance teamwork, and deliver more focused, passionate service, ultimately leading to practice growth. In this episode, they delve into the importance of establishing clear core values and standards, explore why effective leadership is crucial, and discuss the challenges of staffing in an industry with high turnover rates. Judy shares valuable advice on resolving staffing issues, including the best strategies for leaders who find themselves short-staffed and emphasizes the importance of taking good care of your team. Don't miss out as we explore the 5 Cs to help reduce team stress, burnout, and turnover!Key Points From This Episode:Judy kicks us off on the topic for today's episode: the 5 Cs to reduce stress and burnout.Clarity and creating a healthy culture. A quick look back at having clear core values and standards.Why it all starts with leadership.The importance of having a clear flow of communication. Staffing your practice: the quick turnover rates in our industry and the impacts thereof.Understanding the give and take of collaboration as a team.Why it's important to build relationships with the business teams.What to do if you lose your business team, namely, staff who work up front.The best thing you can do, as a leader, if you find yourself short-staffed.Why it's important that we celebrate with our teams.The sustainability of commitment. Addressing mistakes and having difficult, but necessary, conversations. The importance of taking good care of your staff. Judy answers our rapid-fire questions to end the episode. Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:Judy Kay Mausolf on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-kay-mausolf-29ab567/ Judy Kay Mausolf on X — https://x.com/judykaymausolf Judy Kay Mausolf on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/practicesolutionsinc Judy Kay Mausolf — https://www.practicesolutionsinc.net/Ways to Improve Practice Culture and Communication with Judy Mausolf — https://www.buzzsprout.com/1404670/12806917-ways-to-improve-practice-culture-and-communication-with-judy-mausolf.mp3 Howard Farran — https://www.howardfarran.com/bio/ Dr. Howard Farran and Dr. Grant Stucki: Discussing contemporary oral surgery issues with the most prolific dental podcaster — https://www.buzzsprout.com/1404670/8563155 The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) — https://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319 Everyday Oral Surgery Website — https://www.everydayoralsurgery.com/ Everyday Oral Surgery on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/everydayoralsurgery/ 

Blake and Chase Thompson are second-generation denturists from Canada. Operating in Saskatchewan and Alberta with their dad, the Thompson brothers manage five practices with two more on the way. Their mission is to deliver an outstanding experience for both patients and employees. As dedicated denturists, they handle all clinical work and much of the lab work themselves. They are at the forefront of dental technology, heavily involved in 3D printing, and are transitioning from traditional analog dentures to fully digital complete dentures using a state-of-the-art 5-axis mill. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com 

Chip is the Co-Founder of Large Practice Sales (LPS), the largest transaction advisor to GP and specialty dental practices in the U.S. LPS has completed over $1.0 billion of IDSO partnerships in the last 24 months. The unique LPS bidding process ensures doctors consider all of their options in an IDSO partnership and achieve the highest values from the right IDSO partner. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Argentina has been in the dental field for 18 years, serving our community as a business develop manager, sales rep, consultant, sales trainer, etc. Her passion has always been to empower dentist and their teams to reach new heights with their business. Argentina has a passion for helping female providers and their teams scale their business and find the work life balance they deserve. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Katie Lee is a dentist, speaker, author, and coach who lives in Aurora, Colorado. Dr. Lee graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2010 and was an owner-partner in over 80 DSO supported dental practices throughout the US and served as Clinical Partner overseeing 5 states. Currently, she consults for health technology companies and provides implant education for general dentists. Dr. Lee has two passions in her profession: dentistry itself and making other dentists successful. Her passion about the oral systemic health link comes from personal experience. Dr. Lee was involved in an ATV accident as a teenager, which left her without many teeth and rendered her jaw immobile. Dr. Lee experienced how oral health affects systemic health and the benefits of dental implants. Her first-hand journey in recovering from the effects of dental trauma led her to specialize her career on the mouth-body connection® and dental implants. Dr. Lee has won many accolades, including Top 40 under 40 Dentists in America, and International Woman of the Year in Dentistry. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Ericka is a national speaker with over 25 years of experience as a dental billing expert and trainer. She is the creator behind "Dental Biller's Appreciation Day," a celebration she initiated in July 2021 to honor the invaluable contributions of dental billers across the nation. With her unwavering passion and dedication, she has helped over 3000 dental practices achieve remarkable results maximizing insurance reimbursements with her proven strategies. From humble beginnings as a dental assistant, she is now the CEO of Veritas Dental Resources, a multimillion dollar operation. In her book, “I'm Just The Biller,” she shares her journey of grit, determination, and the power of chasing your dreams. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Gordon J. Christensen is Founder and CEO of Practical Clinical Courses (PCC) and Co-Founder and CEO for Clinicians Report Foundation (CR) and a practicing prosthodontst in Provo, Utah. PCC is an international continuing education organization that provides courses and videos for all dental professionals. CR offers unbiased research on thousands of dental products. Dr. Christensen has presented over 45,000 hours of continuing education throughout the world and has published many articles and books. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

As a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, Dr. Silver prevents and manages breathing problems including sleep apnea, snoring, and mouth breathing in all ages. She evaluates and treats children for proper jaw growth and development, incorporating oral myofunctional therapy, oral appliances and frenuloplasty (tongue tie release). She has recently focused her practice on treating sleep apnea and orofacial or TMJ pain. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Born and raised in Eastern Montana, the geographic center of nowhere in the United States, Todd McGovern admired his small town dentist who sat weekly in the front row of his Catholic church wearing a dapper blue blazer, surrounded by his camera-ready family. At age 26, along with his beautiful new wife Stacy & his apprentice dental degree from the University of Minnesota, they packed up his pickup and moved to South Dakota to become the neighborhood dentist he esteemed to be as youth. Two years later they resettled back in Minnesota vacation lakes country where Todd & Stacy are the parents to Matt, a business entrepreneur, and Dr. Lauren , one of Todd's partners in LifeSmiles Dental, a small group practice. Dr. Todd believes the fundamental keys to unlocking a career of dental happiness can be cataloged on a 3 X 5 index card. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Shawi earned his Biomedical Science degree from the University of Central Florida and then his DMD from Temple University School of Dentistry. After graduating from Temple Dental in 2023, Dr. Shawi took a job as an associate general dentist in New Jersey for a DSO. He is navigating the intricacies of the dental profession as part of a DSO. Dr. Shawi has decided to embark on a new chapter, relocating with his wife and 3 kids to sunny Florida this summer. He is now at a crossroads, contemplating the next steps in his career—whether to delve deeper into associateship for more experience, possibly with a DSO like Heartland, or take the bold leap into practice ownership, a cherished long-term goal. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Derek bought a practice in East Texas right after graduating dental school. He tripled production/collections while cutting back clinical days. He's been a coach with The Lifestyle Practice since 2018 where he focuses on helping other dentists increase the profitability of their practice while increasing their freedom in life. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Rick A. Kushner is President, Founder, CEO and CFO of Comfort Dental, the largest and most successful dental franchise in the world. He graduated from Marquette University School of Dentistry in 1977. Dr. Kushner has always advocated, taught and pioneered the concept of accessible, fair priced dentistry. Dr. Kushner, has continued to be involved in the School of Dentistry at Marquette, from which he graduated, in 1977. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Zachary Miller, known by most of his patients as Dr. Z, is a first-generation dentist practicing in Western Washington state. He graduated from USC dental school in 2019 and immediately relocated to Northern Idaho where he practiced for 3 years before moving to Washington to be closer to his wife's family. He has worked as an associate until this point and is currently in the process of acquiring a practice. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Guitta Harb's passion for dentistry ignited at a tender age, blossoming into a lifelong commitment to the art and science of oral care. Her love affair with the dental profession began as a young teen when she had the privilege of observing a dental office in action. It was here that she discovered her fascination with the intricate blend of science and artistry that dentistry embodies. Specializing in cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Harb has honed her skills to become a master of smile makeovers. Her adept use of veneers and innovative treatments transforms her patients' smiles, leaving them radiantly satisfied. Driven by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, she continually immerses herself in aesthetic courses, staying on the cutting edge of state-of-the-art materials and modern treatment options. This dedication ensures that her patients receive nothing less than the very best. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

How would you like to get inside the mind of the legendary Howard Farran, founder of Dentaltown and author of Uncomplicate Business? We've got an enlightening chat with Howard on this episode, revealing the inspiration and journey behind creating Dentaltown, an empowering online community and mobile app for dental professionals. Howard unpacks the power of Dentaltown's resources including interactive message boards that serve as a hub for advice, support, and professional growth within the dental industry. We don't stop there, we also delve into the critical aspect of creating a healthy work environment in the dental industry. We speak candidly about the destructive impact of toxic team members, the vital need for mentors, and the role of management in cultivating a positive work culture. Addressing and eliminating toxic behavior stands out as a major topic, with a fresh perspective on why it's better to strive for 'B players' who bring harmony, rather than 'A players' who may be toxic. Finally, we circle back to our guest, Dr. Howard Farran, CEO and founder of Dental Town. His insightful take on the significance of networking and peer-to-peer learning in the field of dentistry is a must-listen. We encourage you, our listeners, to join Dental Town, contribute to the practice management message boards, and share your wisdom with your peers. And don't forget to download the Dental Town app for instant access to these invaluable discussions and resources at the end of this episode. Find your tribe, elevate your practice, and enhance your professional journey with us in this episode. Connect with Ericka on LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/dentalbillingcoach Email Ericka:dentalbillingcoach@gmail.comJoin us in the lab: thedentalbillingcoach.com/frontofficelab Get your ticket to our next live event in Chantilly, VA on Sunday 1/7/24 with Dr. Roy Shelburne: thedentalbillingcoach.com

David grew up in Taiwan and after high school he came to study in the U.S. He is a graduate of the University of the Pacific with a bio degree and a graduate of the University of Michigan Dental School. He is currently in a 1-year orthodontic internship in New York. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com 

Today's episode is proudly sponsored by Darkhorse Tech, your go-to Dental-driven IT solutions company!‍‍‍Picture this: You're running a dental practice, and your patients' trust and data are your top priority. Enter Darkhorse Tech, the guardians of your patients' information, the solution to your IT headaches, and the force behind your seamless tech integrations.Your practice deserves the best, and Darkhorse Tech delivers.Click this link for an exclusive offer: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/darkhorse-deal/AND if you're listening before November 27th, 2023, take advantage of their Black Friday deal! https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/darkorse-black-friday-deal/‍Guest: Reuben KampBusiness Name: Darkhorse TechCheck out Reuben's Media:Website: https://www.darkhorsetech.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarkhorseTechInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkhorsetech/Email: admin@darkhorsetech.com‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Companies/Software: Benco Open Dental Microsoft Azure Flex Mango Dentrix Ascend Eaglesoft CareStack Oryx Archy DEXIS Carestream‍Useful Terms: DHCP - service that hands out IP addressesDNS - how devices resolve internet addressesGateway - how you get to the internetHIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act‍People/Communities: Howard Farran (podcaster + blogger)‍Dentistry Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran (podcast)‍Dental Town (blog/website/community)‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍My Key Takeaways:I'm moving to cloud based software. Do I still need IT support?How to spot out IT companies that may be dishonest.How does your IT company help with HIPAA compliance?The basics on IT with firewalls, antivirus, and internet connectivity. Why do we need reliable options for these?Why the D.I.Y. mentality is often not the right call with your IT solutions.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: All right. It's time to talk with our featured guests. Beloved person. Everybody adores him. Ruben Camp. How's Reuben: it going, man? You know how hard it is to be beloved and an IT guy at the same time. So, I'm doing great. Thanks, Michael. I've been doing this 11 years and just happy to be talking to you today.Michael: No, man. We appreciate it. We appreciate everything you're doing. I know you guys have, um, done a lot for the dental community, also startup community as well. Just practices in general. Um, at the same time, this is not your first episode with us. You've been with us, you've guided us through some processes.And at the same time, we're going to answer some of the most major questions today. But before we do that, if you can kind of give us a gist or a rundown, been doing this for Reuben: 11 years. That's right. Well, this is in Dark Horse. Um, Dark Horse is something that I started. It was, it was just me, you know, back in 2012.And, uh, we we've grown throughout the years. We got about 65 employees, about 1000 clients, uh, that are in the dental space. That's pretty much all we focus on is dental. So, uh, how I got into that is I used to be a Benco technician. So I used to do corporate it for, you know, the bad guys and, uh, you know, they really love selling birds and bibs and all that stuff.But it was kind of an afterthought. So I really wanted to. Um, you know, start a company where service was the, uh, the main forward, not selling consumables. So, Mm-Hmm. Uh, other Interesting. My dad was a dentist. That's how I got into this industry. I think everyone has a really interesting path about how you found dental.I know you do Michael as well. Right? We all kind of get dragged in somehow. Yeah. Um, you know, went to school, uh, at Chapel Hill to, to be a dentist and decided I didn't wanna do that. So, uh, yeah. Benco dark horse. Here we are. So you Michael: left Benco mainly because you were not seeing what you wanted to see, or what was the reason?Reuben: Yeah. So, I mean, there are a sales. Company first, right? So they're, you know, all the meetings and all the messaging and everything like that. It was, it was about how do we sell more product? How do we sell more CBCTs? How do we, you know, get more accounts and sell them consumables? You know, I call it burrs, bibs and everything else.and they had I. T. Because you know what? They didn't want shine or Patterson to be in that office. they almost like they had I. T. As a defensive mechanism, but not as like a core, something that they were putting a lot of resources in to develop. So, you know, I'm very passionate about what I do, uh, customer service and dental.That's kind of like, that's my niche. So, you know, let's say if Benco was 80, 20 sales to service, right? We have three people in sales out of 65 people. So you can see just by the demographics of our, you know, how we're made up. Most of our people are in places to support our clients, not to sell, you know, to shove something down their throat.So that was very important to me just as a service technician that started a company versus You know, we have a lot of competitors out there that have just either, you know, either bought an IT company and they're just trying to squeeze it for profits or, you know, someone who does not understand customer service, but hey, they're really good at a P& L statement.Yeah, yeah. Michael: Did you specialize that in Chapel Hill IT? Reuben: No, I had biochemistry because I was, uh, that's pre dental based. Anything that's in the sciences basically is pre dental. So that's, uh, computers. that's just been kind of my thing for, you know, for as long as I can remember, you know, nine, 10, 12, got into building computers and fixing them and started a company in high school called it's good computer solutions with and we run around and.Anybody that knows Ithaca, it's Cornell. So we fix it in Cornell professors at all hours of the day. And anyway, so it's just kind of been a passion self taught passion Michael: of mine. Yeah. Cause I was going to ask you out of all the. Things you were doing in Benco. Why did you pick to hone in on IT? Reuben: Uh, for that solution?You know, they wanted me to be a dual trained tech, right? They wanted me not only to go into an office install a computer system, sensors mount a CVCT, calibrate it, do all that stuff. But they were like, you know it would be really great if while you're there someone's, you know Cuspidor doesn't work if you could also be crushing on the mechanicals, you know, suction, all that stuff, you know, amalgam separators.And I was, uh, I was just so, I was so talented at the I. T. side of things that I never really got that opportunity to learn on it. And that's fine because that's not really a passion of mine. Um, You know, those, those systems are kind of gross. What goes down the drain when they get clogged up. Uh, so, uh, there's some very talented, we call them core service technicians, right?The core equipment in the office. and we'll leave it up to the professionals, but, Michael: Gotcha. Okay, man. Interesting. So then fast forward, you started Dark Horse Tech and this is where you're at now. Now, I know we're going to kind of talk about, and let's kind of jump into that if we can. A lot of people do have.Open dental, right? and so break it down to me. What are the confusions when it comes to having that and then I. Reuben: T. Absolutely. So kind of how we got here is, you know, dark horse version 1. 0 was we were a small regional upstate New York company. I mean, it's good. New York, small town, 30, 000 people, 30, 000 college students.And, you know, that was the old way of doing things. And then, you know, we got a break and Howard for and hired me. And Howard was in Phoenix, so that was our first, I can't drive to your office, right? And we nailed it. he was running Open Dental, in his office. And that really gave us the confidence, uh, and exposure, right?Went on his podcast, got a, got a forum to, introduce myself to the dental community, which at that time was still. Dental town now about a year after that interview, it's like everyone fled to Facebook groups and then I followed, them over there. so dark horse version 2. 0 is not just, you know, we're five minutes from your office.It's. Hey, we're dental specific. That's our edge. If you're in Hawaii, if you're in Alaska, if you're in rural Nebraska, we'll support you. No problem. You know, we'll make it work. And Dark Horse version 3. 0 has been cloud. Right? So, and that's kind of where we're segwaying in here today. Is open dentals, you know, great company.They're well known for their customer service. That's what I care about. Right? So when you hear me singing companies phrases, that means when you pick up the phone and call them, they treat you well, and they solve your problem. so we've always loved open dental. and so the confusion has come up just recently.So cloud. Open that up. There's two versions. There's the one you just that everyone pretty much has right now, which is you call them up. You buy a license key and you put it on your server. And right. It's a local system. And then there is. Open Dental's internal cloud offering, like literally they hosted at their HQ in Oregon, and that is a separate version.So there are only 2 versions of Open Dental. However, this is where the confusion comes in, like professionals like us, right? We use Microsoft and Azure as their cloud platform. We take the first version, the normal version, the one that works with, you know, Flex and Mango and Medento and Swell, all your third party integrations.We take the one that you've been running on your local server, and we put it in the cloud. So same version, integrations all work. that's still version 1. Version 2 is the one that OpenNL offers, and they have a pricing sheet online that you can look at, but it does not have integrations with third party.Which is tough for me because that's when I hear feedback about OpenDental, the products, right, the support's great, but people really love using all the third party integrations and they love the ability to switch, right? If something's not working for them, uh, there's nine other paperless companies you can go to, right?Um, you know, or like, you know, Flex is a great example, right? Flex is only written for OpenDental. And they do a really good job of what they do, right? Does not exist in any other practice management software. Cannot, cannot replicate it. But let's say the owner general manager flex pissed you off. You can switch software.So you can't do that with any other platform out there. So to break it down really simply. There's the off the shelf open dental, and that's the one that, you know, that we're in large part supporting putting in the cloud, um, creating awesome solutions for single practices, multi site practices and D.S. O. S. And then there's the internal open dental cloud offering. We honestly across our, you know, we have right now 1050 clients. We have zero people on that second version. So Mhm. that is where most of the confusion has come in the space when you try to have a conversation like over Facebook, over text. It's really hard to parse that out, and then when people call Open Dental, it gets even more confusing. Really? Michael: Okay. let me ask you, when it comes to cloud, do you still need IT for that? You still need Reuben: IT. So, HIPAA compliance are just, they're linked together, right? It's just like, alright, you read the, you know, what you need to do to, you know, to protect your patient's health information.Need to have a firewall? That doesn't go away. Uh, you need to have the antivirus software that does not go away. you need to have a backup system that does go away as long as you don't have 3D images, right? Those don't go to the cloud yet. Those stay local, right? this is something that a conversation needs to happen.It's really hard for me to like text somebody back and forth and explain all this. I'm glad this podcast exists because I can now cite it. Like, hey, before you even talk to me, listen to our conversation here. IT is absolutely reduced by going to Open Dental Cloud. Again, the first one, the off the shelf one I'm talking about, it is not erased, right?Michael: Open Dental will help you with Open Dental. Anything else in your practice, printers, security cameras, internal cameras, sensors, CVCTs, PCI compliance, all that is, is traditionally still on the company. Gotcha. Okay. So then what are the frustrations when trying to explain this then I guess, do people still understand it or they're more like.What, Reuben: you know, it's I. T. there's like, I can't give my full explanation because it crosses the border into I. T. jargon and the three letter, you know, acronyms start coming out and everyone's lost. So what we typically do we share our screen, right? We say, Hey, this is exactly how it's going to work on your office.Okay. Okay. Okay. Um, take the example of somebody that is on a server based open dental solution. Right now. We say, hey, you know what? It's the same version. We're going to put it in the cloud. Your staff is going to walk in the morning. They're going to see an open dental icon. They're double click on it and they're not even going to know what's in the cloud.Execution is actually very simple, right? from the customer's point of view, right? There's some expertise that goes into, migrating to the clouds, you know, getting the cloud server where it needs to be security. All that stuff takes technical expertise, but the staff walking in the morning, double clicking on open dental that does not change.So, um, that's why it's been such a successful implementation is because it's like it's still open dental that people know and love. Uh, it's just not on a local server in your office. And, you know, historically, the cloud has been slower, right? But with Microsoft's, you know, recent introduction of a couple of different protocols that are again, here comes the three letter acronyms.RDP is now AVD, which as a virtual desktop, we're seeing now that the cloud is faster than a local server. So it's not only that it's it's 2023. Of course, this should be in the cloud, is actually, just as fast or even faster than a local server. So it's, uh, you know, a really great time to talk about.This is when you're looking to replace your server. It's like, hey, do you want to, you know, do you want to write a check every 5 years? Right? And maintain that hardware. And when you replace it, there's downtime to transfer it, or you go to the cloud. You know, it's a really great time to, to talk to your IT company about, um, options.So you don't have to buy one time, part of our cost. Michael: Gotcha. So then it's easy. I guess, how often should you replace the server then? And then what really does cloud based I guess servers or softwares kind of cover, right? If you were to give us like bullet points of this is what it covers easily. Boom. And then how often should we replace the server?You're like, Nope, I'm still sticking with what I know. Trying to Reuben: servers five to seven years is a pretty safe, um, window of time, right? It is. If your server goes down, that means your patients are waiting. So, that is not worth something cheaping out on, right? It's kind of the brains of the operation.Now, if you go to the cloud now, you don't have to work at hardware anymore, right? And you look at Microsoft's data the industry. This is this is true for voiceover I. P. As it is for any cloud service. They talk about nines, right? They talk about what is your uptime? How many nines are there past the 99 percent point, right?And Microsoft has four nines. So that means you have about a minute and a half downtime a year. I've never seen it go down, but technically I guess it's gone down for a minute and a half on average every year. 99. 9999 percent uptime, which cannot be replicated at all by a local because all these services, you have Amazon, you have Google, you have Microsoft, just to name three.There's competition part, you know, the cost of storage is going down. The cost of servers is going down. It used to be, it didn't make a lot of sense for a single practice to go cloud, uh, only for multi site and now it's just, everyone should go cloud because it's, more cost effective. Hmm. Michael: So that's the key most cost effective then, right?Especially if people are trying to. Gotcha. Okay. So then going with that to you, Ruben, because you've, you've worked with hundreds of practices or you are working with hundreds of practices. Reuben: Hundreds of practices that use Open Dental and more, you know, more practices that use Dentrix and Eaglesoft and CareStack and Oryx and all those software.So, you know, I, I see the entire industry. We're kind of focusing here on Open Dental, but, um, I mean, Open Dental, it's no secret is, My favorite software, I don't know if I've still ever seen a negative comment about open dental. Michael: So then to you, what would be, if you're trying to be super cost.Effective, but efficient to start off, what would it be the best kind of like formula or stack to use for this? Reuben: So it all goes to fit, right? What makes, if we're, we're saying everything is equal, it's an easy answer. Right. but the problem is certain softwares are better suited for dentists. Right.There's, of course, the feature set standpoint, and you can only find this out by talking to these companies and doing demos. Is this going to work for my practice and how I manage and bill and all that stuff? Um, you know, and the other side of this is you want? Do you want something that's all inclusive, right?Let's let's take dentrics ascend. Uh, for example, you pay a higher bill, right? Then you would pay to open down, but you get every single service that you could want. The problem is you have to use all those services, right? There is no alternative. if you're a dentist that wants to use the best software, that's why open dental still exists, right?It may look, it's from like, it's from the 1990s and they haven't updated it, but you know, what makes it so powerful is. honestly, it's like the app store on, on Apple, right? It's a, it's a great phone, but you know, what's great about it? The app store, you can download whatever you want.It's got the best ecosystem out there. So you go into open now and you're like, you know, flex is a really great example. that program alone It's just so incredibly powerful, right? You don't have those options with an all inclusive software, but maybe you're a dentist and you're just like, you know, I don't want to worry about having to sign up for Open Dental and then Flex and then, you know, Practice by Numbers and then Mango Voice.I don't want to have to do all that. Right. Which is, you know, why companies like Archie exists because they'll, they'll say, Hey, we'll give you practice management. We'll give you phones through mango. It's included in your bill. We'll give you patient communication. We'll give you all this stuff. So you kind of have to ask the question of what kind of person are you?Are you justlet me sign up for 1 thing and I'll just use whatever they have. Or do you want to be able to be like. I want to work with the best, patient communication company. I want to work with the best clearinghouse. I want to work with the best, patient portal company, credit card company.That's who I am. That's what a lot of dentists are out there. I mean, Open Dental is still the number one software for startups. Um, when we see people have all the choice in the world, Open Dental is still being... over 50 percent of start up practices are still going open nettle. and that's why, it's more of an ease, uh, question, right? Single pane of glass, it's all here. Freedom of choice is on the other Michael: side. Gotcha. So one is more like all one subscription type. Yeah, like for example, like Oryx, right? If you were to just go with Oryx, all in one, exclusive, you know what I mean?Inclusive everything, Reuben: I'm going to get Oryx, uh, and I'm going to get phones. I'm done. Yeah. Michael: It's easy. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. But if you want the, like the other side, right? The freedom to choose. Reuben: So we have opened 400 startups. I've talked to most of these people and then, even, even more people, right.Because the ones that didn't go with us. Right. I, and I hear their story. And like, I think the reason Open Dental is appealing. Is because, let's go back to the 2012, you know, I'm leaving Benco, I'm risking, that's, that's a health insurance for our family that's half the income for our family and I'm leaving with nothing and I'm saying, like, you know, I have a dream to create a great it company and I'm, I'm going for it.Right. and that's who the startup people are, plus a million and a half dollars in debt, which I do not have. that's a whole nother layer. So, you know, when you talk to these people, they're like, this is my dream practice. I want it to be freaking awesome, right? And I'm not sure those companies can, can meet that standard, right?They're, they're trying to be the jack of all trades. because when you peel back the layer. You know, let's again, just let's go back to Ascend. That's like 10 different companies, right? They've stitched the software all together to make it all look and feel like a cohesive interface.But the practice management module is different than the image, right? That's a separate software, right? So you're talking about one company who's trying to develop and, you know, and push forward 10 different platforms. It's really hard to do, right? And it's one reason why we're like, Hey, mango, do your thing.Just frickin nail the phones, right? And a lot of I. T. companies do do phones. We just feel like it distracts from our core purpose, which is like. All right, we're going to be awesome at support. We're gonna be awesome at startups, which is basically support as well, you know, and we're gonna be great at the cloud, right?let's just focus on these three things. That is our competitive advantage. When you try to broaden in any segment, I mean, Dennis probably know this from trying to bring in, let's bring in ortho, let's bring in oral surgery in house, and you try to be A plus at all these different things, it's really hard.It's the same thing with software companies. Everything in the startup, it's a conversation. I listen to what people want and, you know, anytime they're just like, this has to work. I want this practice to be the, you know, the best patient experience. It can be it usually inevitably points to, to a single software company.Michael: Yeah. Okay, cool, man. That's awesome. And then, so with that kind of being said, I know cost kind of comes in the mind. That's the question that a lot of people really ask is how can they start cutting down on their I. T. or how can they minimize that I. T. bill or have you seen this? Where people are like, Hey, I just got like new fees on my it bill or something like that.What, what is up with that? Reuben: The new fees thing? Uh, well, I mean, if you add computers, it just depends how your IT is set up, right? there's. Uh, on the back end, I can tell you, as somebody who runs an I. T. company, we get charged per device, right? So it's natural for your I. T. company to then bill you. It's the fairest way to do it.We get charged for ten, you know, antivirus agents. You have nine servers, nine workstations and a server. That's ten. Lines up. So usually when you see I. T. bills go up office ads, a computer office ads, email services. It's, it's stuff like that. I mean, unless you're just working with, you know, shady folks that just move numbers, you don't notice, um, you know, we do price increases, uh, annually because we give our staff raises.Guess where the price increase comes from. what we hear from our clients, we want to work with the same people again and again. That's retention. And that means you got to give people a reason to stay here. Besides like, Hey. You like ribbon, you should stay here, but usually that means promotions and raises and all that good stuff.let's pivot to how do you cut down on IT costs, right? not someone who is, let's say, there's a lot of IT companies out there that prevent their clients from going to the cloud because they so fear, like, oh no, it's not ready yet, it can't do what you want to do. But they're really protecting their butts, right?They're like, oh, my client goes to the cloud. I'm going to lose revenue. So let's talk about that. Let's talk about how to lose IT companies revenue. so think about, any software out there. Dentrix. Uh, Eaglesoft open, right? We have a server uh, we have to back up that server and the office says, you know what?If that server goes down, I don't wanna be downed at all. Alright? So then we need a backup and disaster recovery system. So when we go cloud, let's just make it very, very simple. Let's leave three D out of it. Let's, let's treat it like it's a pediatric office and everything is two d imaging. I'll pick on Oryx for now, right? I know it's a good partner of ours. I know Rania. I love the products. When you go, or let's say you're on Open Dental and DEXIS imaging locally, you go Oryx, what goes away on the IT side? Well, I don't have to manage your server anymore. That is one of the highest costs on there.That goes away. I don't have to back up that server that I'm not managing anymore. So that goes away. So what does that leave? That leaves how much support you want, right? And so that's either you pay as needed or you want unlimited support for your practice. A firewall that is still a HIPAA requirement in antivirus software.I'm just trying to keep it as simple as possible, like there's patch management and all this stuff you have to keep your computers up to date that should, go along with the antivirus and all that stuff. But, some big stuff comes off, but you still have a lot of requirements, and things to protect on the network.Gotcha. Michael: Okay. So the requirements still stay, but now when you say the biggest expense, which is the servers, right? That kind of comes off, how much are we looking to shave off when that happens? Reuben: Yeah, so I mean, I can only talk about myself. Right. And our company. so again, the two biggest costs are support.Let's say you're paying for unlimited support. We call that our gold plan, right? Unlimited phone support and server management. So let's say an office is on a 600 a month plan with us unlimited support, and they go to a cloud based agreement. You could be looking at 150 a month in savings. Okay, Michael: but server management, right?Or the Reuben: server? Server, yeah, the server in the backup system going away, you could go down to 450. Michael: Okay, but everything else, the bare bones requirement. Reuben: Percent savings. Michael: So when it comes to like the, let's just say they did that and they went with the works, they did all that and they're like, Ruben, help me out here, man.Like I need, give me the bare bones that what we can do. How does that look? And, and is that feasible for the long run? And they're like, I want to grow, Reuben: but give me the bare bones. Well, depends on how much your staff calls in, right? If your staff doesn't call in. You should be on a bare bones plan, right?You shouldn't be on just like, Hey, cover me for HIPAA compliance, cybersecurity, make sure I don't get hacked. Let's go. the thing is most of our clients call in, they use the service they pay for. So it's, it's completely up to the client. I think it's a really. Smart decision as, uh, as a business owner, not to put a barrier between your staff needing help and like, Oh, you know, Dr.Clark's going to get a bill. If I pick up the phone, right? Things are broken. Your staff doesn't hesitate. It gets fixed done, right? That's the stuff that, you know, the dentist doesn't see while they're in the treatment room is like, you know, the scanner doesn't work. So your staff is so much less efficient because they had to, you know, create a workaround.Right. Because they know if they call, you know, Dr. Clarkson and get you know, bill in the mail 10 days from now, he's going to be like, Hey, Nancy, what the heck? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. You know, it's uh, you know, And Michael: I feel like that kind of creates like more, uh, you're scared. You won't even tell the doctor, you know what I mean?You're like, oops, I pray, tell her you'll lie about it or something, right? In order to not feel, you're creating some type of weird environment in your office when you do that. Right, Reuben: right. I can't imagine how much stuff. Wouldn't get done if I was the bottleneck at my company, it's like, Oh, no, we can't reach out to that company until Ruben approves it.It's like, Oh, my God, I wouldn't get anything done. Um, but to answer your question, like, if you, let's say it's a, it's a medium or sized or smaller office. You stripped out the unlimited service and you're just like, Hey, I'm going to Oryx and I want no frills, right? Just give me, compliant and protected.You could easily be in the 200 to 300 range. Yeah. Yeah. Michael: But the unlimited, like give me an example, like why, or from your experience, if you can give me like the top three, why does staff call in a lot? Let me Reuben: just pull up our service board right now and just list off what people calling about your PCS compliance scan a PCI compliance scan, it's a test for I. T. Professionals. It's like, you know, what settings do you have on on your firewall? Do you have antivirus software? When were the last? So it's basically a test for I. T. People. That's a really great thing to offload to us because that thing takes like 30 minutes to complete.Right? questionnaire and then you have to schedule the scan. You have to know your internal IP address that spectrum gave you to run. Anyway, uh, that's one example. let's see. Questions about switching a panoramic PC to server PC. So this office, they have a imaging database on their pan PC and they want to.They want to talk to us about what it would take to move that to the server PC to consolidate that, um, create remote access, right? That's something that's included with all of our plans. Great remote access for, my new remote employee, uh, so that they can log into a lab computer, let's see, install remixes on computers that were just installed, uh, by the office.uh, workstation two cannot print, create new windows user on consultation computer. and then, oh, this one's great. Uh, shout out to Becky Scott from Lincoln Children's Dentistry. Help my son get fortnight to work on our office Wi Fi. So, you guys, you guys cover all kinds of help my son get fortnight to work.Yeah, I mean, there's... You cover everything. IT companies, uh, you know, we're, again, we're dental specific. We coach our people to call us on anything. There's, there's really two setups. There is the like IT company that say, Hey, that's a vendor problem. You need to call them directly. And then there's us, right.And, and some other really good companies in the space who have vendor management built in, and that's the expectation that like your staff. Is taking care of patients. They're not like waiting on hold with Carestream or, you know, gen X or Dexus, you know, they're, they gotta take care of patients. Like, yeah, wait on hold while, you know, while we're, you know, working at home or, or at hq.So, but Michael: that, I, I think that's really good to have though, because I feel like, uh, a lot of the times you waste time looking for it, right? When we can just go to you and then you give us the solution. Hey, it's a vendor, Hey, it's this. And so I'm sure you've heard of this a lot, and this is a question when I asked and the Dental Market Society Facebook group, like in other places, they send us this one a lot, uh, when VoIP, right?So they're saying kind of like we're having an issue with our phones and then VoIP says there is no issue or it can be any other vendor, right? That says there is no issue on our end. So then it falls back on you or what, what happens there? Reuben: Yeah. So, you know, in the example of the bad it company that says call your vendor, you're stuck in the middle as the client, that's the worst, you know, you feel helpless, kind of feel a little pissed off and you're like, what, and so our clients never have to feel like that anymore because we're just, we are them.In that scenario, we're hunting down the solution the ticket will not get closed until the issue is resolved. So let's talk about voiceover IP, right? A lot of, you know, a lot of people that is the standard. Now, of course, you should have it. It's really great if you have a hybrid, you want to offer jobs that are hybrid or even full remote, right?Voiceover IP is like the only way to pull that off. So you install your new phone system and you're having call quality issues. the number one most likely culprit is going to be your firewall. Okay, so if the phone company says, Hey, our servers are great. Everything looks really good until it hits your office.And so let's assume they're right. Yeah, you know, let's assume AWS is not having an issue. Firewall is gonna be number one. Internet quality is going to be number two. And number three is going to be the device that controls your network. Sometimes that's the server. Sometimes that's the firewall. But basically, you know, my, when you, when you go to Starbucks and you join the wifi, you're getting an IP address from something, right?You're not just, just magically connecting to the internet. Something is handing you an address. Okay, so those are the three things that again, if you have an I. T. Company, they're going to be able to diagnose that stuff pretty quickly. They're going to be able to run, let's say, in the Internet stability.They're going to be able to run a ping test. Let's say you spectrum. They can see is your Internet like a D. C. Current. Is it just flat? Or is it like, is it just Jerry? And it's all over the place. You know, voice needs a very, consistent connection to work well, not a lot of traffic, but just needs a stable connection.Firewall. Well, if you just leave the firewall stock unconfigured, it's just going to be constantly scanning that phone traffic, and then you're going to call quality issues. So, what we do is after the office let's say they get mango, they plug their, uh, yelling phones in, they show up on the network.we do a couple different things, but just to keep it simple, we whitelist them, right? we tell the firewall. These devices are safe. Don't hammer them. Right? Don't constantly bombard them with internal threat protection stuff. there's a couple other tips and tricks you could do, but it's more kind of for your, your I.T than like a D. I. Y. Stuff. So we won't talk about that. Yeah. And then there's the device that hands out I. P. Addresses. Right? So you could be out of I. P. Addresses, right? You have such a large office. You've maxed out. You plug that phone in. It doesn't even connect to the Internet. you could have I. P.Address conflicts, right? So, uh, you let's say, the phone's working great. You connect your laptop, That router gives, uh, your laptop the same address as the phone. One of those devices is going to win. Okay, uh huh. Right, so there could be an IP address conflict. Um, and I'll just throw out some, some other words if people are taking notes here and they're going to send it to their IT company.DHCP, that's what, that's the service that hands out IP addresses. DNS, that's how devices resolve internet addresses, right? Google. com is actually 8. 8. 8. 8. Okay, right. So when you type in google. com, it's touching a DNS server and it's saying, what is this? And it goes, Oh yeah, that's 8. Of course. Well, here you go.You don't know that's happening, but DHCP, DNS, and lastly, gateway. Gateway is just how you get to the internet. So I know that's, that's a lot of technical jargon, but you know, for the, for those of you who are DIY er, like furiously writing your, your IT company to email right now, just put all those words in there.Michael: Wait, quick question, leaving firewall stock? What does that mean? Like you said, if you just leave your firewall stock. Reuben: Okay. So let's say you get a firewall. Plug it in out of the box. You don't do anything. All right. What you're going, you're going to have phone issues. You're going to have issues with anything that is internal that needs to broadcast external.Okay. So think, think about. Open dental e services thing about, credit card, right? You have a credit card reader that thing needs to authenticate their credit card and come back if you leave it stock. It's going to turn off access to all of these devices that you rely on your practice to work on. Now, it's not going to not work 100 percent of the time.but these are the things that your I. T. commission should be doing. They should be whitelisting these known good devices. Um, so there are no issues and you don't have to worry about this stuff at all. Gotcha. Michael: Okay. Interesting. So this is basically why we hear all the time where they might be like, hey, it's not us.Call your IT company. Reuben: It's not us. It's you. Um, yeah. Uh, It's usually, it's also usually the firewall and, and not to get into a soapbox here. IT is, it's really hard because there's not like a set of standards. So again, anybody, including me, I should say, You know, self taught, just have a lot of experience, can be an IT person, right?So, you know, you come along and someone's like, Oh yeah, I can do all of that for half the price. Right. And it's just like, okay, but what are you getting? And it's like, uh, none of this stuff is HIPAA compliant. It's like, no wonder it's half price because it's not actually protecting your office. You know, you, do want to work honestly with folks that care about their patient's data.Right. Because that's what I care about doing a good job. but I tease one of those tough industries, right? There's not a lot of regulation in terms of, who can, um, be an I. T. person, if you're an I. T. person that's working with a dentist, you have their trust and you breach that trust by selling them something that is not HIPAA compliant.There are no ramifications for you. So it's, somewhat of a wild, like I'm in this, this position where, you know, I've been around long enough and I have the respects, uh, of a lot of people out there and there are other companies like medics dental, that, that do a really good job in this space. And, you know, we like to say we're the good guys, right?We don't cut corners. We do the right thing. We take care of our clients. But then there's the rest of the market and it's, really hard to have, conversations because the dentist is always stuck in the middle, right? They're hearing one thing like from a colleague. Oh, this endodontist who has five offices in Illinois uses this guy and pays him, pays him 40 bucks a month and that's everything you do.I'm like, yeah, okay. You know, it's half of these, like, okay. I want to fight to keep the client. The other half is like, this person has been fed a load of, you know, BS. And I'm not going to be the one that's going to be able to convince them that they were given wrong information by their endodontist friend.So it's like, yeah, it's just, mistake. In that scenario. Michael: No, that's good. Because in that scenario, what would be like the, I guess in your terms, like the BS, like the stuff where you're like, Ruben, I see that all the time, man, where I'm like, Oh, look, your fellow it person here just wants to let you know.And then they give you like a list of everything or whatever. And you're like. What? You know what I mean? it looks like they pretty much are saying like, we can do the same thing, but like, 40 bucks a month Reuben: I'll the name, but I'll give you a real example.So we had, we had a dentist that recently left us, right? Um, and they, they were under a, a one year startup deal. Right. So we give folks lower pricing, on the startup price. they just have to sign a one, just a one year term, uh, initial term. Then it's month to month after that. So it was like month six in this, dentist, uh, was struggling, right?Her practice wasn't growing as fast as she wanted to. So she was making calls to vendors to be like, Hey, what can you do for me? and this is was kind of alluding to the endodontist. This is, that's kind of the story, right? She talked to a colleague who used a guy, um, for his practices and was like, Hey, I'm really struggling, but I'm not going to hold somebody to a contract if I'm affecting their business. Yeah, yeah, that's not why I got into this industry, right? Is to make every single dollar I could from a dentist, and it's like, tell you what, let's make a deal here. Send me what they sent you if they are truly matching what we are providing.Like, just let's, let's part ways, right? Go there, save some money and, you know, let's part as friends. so got an email a week later and they're like, the plan is we're going to take your HIPAA compliant firewall and we're going to replace it with a home router for Best Buy. It's like, okay.And then we're going to take your HIPAA compliant backup system and we're going to install a free Dropbox. I'm like, okay, so I didn't even read the rest of the email. I just stopped there and I was like, all right, so let's let's figure out how to work together. They're not giving you a HIPAA compliant solution.You know, like, if I can help you in any way, take some pressure off your business, let's do it. And that email came back with basically, I was the bad guy for pointing out that they had been given bad advice. So I have two choices in this moment. I can keep continuing to try to work with this person or I can just let them go.And I chose to let them go. I don't want to have to be bad guy. I don't do high pressure sales. I don't do scare tactics. or if you trust another person. More than me if by all means, please go work with them, but you know, peace of mind sleep at night I told the doctor everything that they were not getting you know They were literally compromising their patients health information.can't work with that person, you know Michael: yeah, so they were more upset that you didn't agree with the other IT companies like Janky solutions, you know what I mean? Like, Oh, like, Hey, we're Reuben: just like a perfect they're doing what we're doing for less money, show me, cause I would love to know how to be more efficient.Just, I'm curious, like, how did, how is this possible? And it turns out the solution was, we're just going to pull stuff off a Best Buy that belongs in someone's home. And so you're good.Michael: That, that story really gets into the essence of the complexity of being an IT professional in healthcare.Yeah. Yeah. And we got to go one of these days, we got to do an episode about how important it is to be HIPAA compliant. Cause I know we kind of touched that. Well, we touched that in this episode, but we kind of touched that in previous ones of, it's mega important, you know.Um, in order to do that. So Reuben: it should be like car insurance, right? It should not be opt in, opt out. it's like, yeah, I kind of want to be a little compliant, but then I want to ignore all this stuff, you know, that actually costs a little compliant and like, who's safe. Henry Schein got hacked twice, Aspen Dental.And this is just this year, Aspen Dental had over a thousand practices get hacked. I don't know what it's going to take, and I try not to, you know, worry about all the dentists that didn't take my advice went down a different pathway, but. This is what I talk about. I want to work with people that care about protecting their patient.is a passion of mine. I want you to care about protecting your patient's health information. Yeah, Michael: and I like that about you, man. It's because, like, your transition... Every time I think Dark Horse has been running, you guys have been... Moving the needle closer and closer to quality, right? Over like, we got to get more sales, more people, more things.and every time you guys have ever sponsored, right? You're never like, how many leads are we getting or anything like that? It's more like, Hey man, like let's, let's. Let them know about this. Let's let the people know about that, right? important Reuben: stuff. My marketing strategy can be distilled down into two words.Good vibes. I just want, like, good vibes that kind of, you know, reverberate throughout the anals of the internet, right? Just like, uh, you know, someone has a question on, uh, you know, dental marketer group about imaging software. Whatever. We'll jump in. I'm not gonna solicit you. Here's an answer. Great.If you look me up and you want to reach out, that's awesome. But that has been for 11 years all organic growth. And why? Like, we love partnering with with you. Michael's just like, here's a podcast that is just about let's get as much information. Let's clear up confusion in the industry.I'm not asking you to work with me. Take all this information back to your IT company and protect yourself. And if you love your IT guy, keep working with him. I'm here if you want an option, but like, I really hope you care about compliance before you call. Michael: Yeah. And if you guys want to know how to get Fortnite to start working in your office.Reuben: That's the Michael: firewall. Yeah. I remember, uh,Ashley one time caught you, right? Like about a fridge or something Reuben: like that? so actually once called me when her power went out.Hey, my, uh, you know, my, uh, computers aren't turning on, I was like, can you call your electric company and that goes back to just like we, again, when we train our clients calls for anything, sometimes they do. Yeah. And no, no, no. Yeah. Call NYSEG or, you know, call your local power company.Uh, happy to help out and pick up the phone and all that. But yeah, no. Michael: That's awesome. Ruben, we appreciate your time, but before we say goodbye, can you tell our listeners where they can find you? Reuben: Oh, yeah. Um, I'm all over the internet. So you'll see me just popping around in and out of Facebook groups. Uh, my direct email is admin at dark horse tech.com and go right on our website and hit contact us. And that will, uh, generate a little, link to schedule a call with us. DM me on Facebook, you can DM me on Instagram. You'll see. Instagram, if you want to follow us at dark horse tech, that's where I post, you know, anytime we're doing a startup. I post all the pictures out there.Right? So if you're interested in working with us, or just interested in like, what are the newest latest startups looking like? we're, we're pretty much doing one or two startups a week, right? So we did about 87 just last year. and so yeah, follow along. that makes me feel good.Cause I'm the one doing all that posting. So please like, like my photos. Michael: Please like my photos. Awesome guys. So that's all going to be in the show notes below. So definitely go check it out. Follow Dark Horse Tech on their social media. And at the same time. Click on the first link in the show notes below to check out the exclusive deal that dark horse tech is giving you go ahead and do that.And Ruben, thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon. Appreciate it, Michael.‍

In dentistry, the delicate balance between clinical excellence and business acumen defines success. In our Greatest Hits Series, we revisit a captivating episode featuring Dr. Howard Farran, a stalwart figure in the dental world for over three decades.Dr. Howard Farran's extensive experience and passionate insights offer a valuable perspective on the multifaceted world of dentistry.  Dr. Howard Farran is the founder and owner of Dentaltown.com and orthotown.com and has practiced dentistry at Today's Dental in the Phoenix metro area for more than 30 years.This discourse, spanning from the historical nuances of dental education to the intricacies of the modern stock market and the future of orthodontics, paints a comprehensive picture of the challenges and triumphs shaping the dental profession today.From navigating the challenges posed by external factors to embracing emerging trends, his words resonate with both aspiring and established dental professionals.As the dental profession continues to evolve, staying informed and adopting a collaborative mindset may well be the key to success in the years to come.Tune in to Dr. Howard Farran's enlightening episode for a masterclass in dentistry, business, and the profession's future.Key TakeawaysIntro (00:00)Dental profession, leadership, and business success. (02:08)The future of the profession. (02:46)Investing and the stock market (07:14)Finance and the economy (20:31)The connection between dentistry and reproduction (28:51)Dentistry trends, cosmetic dentistry, and orthodontics (35:02)Building a successful Ortho practice through referral networks (40:49)Never bet against the United States (48:45)Additional Resources

Dr. Monzer Shakally, DDS is a newly practicing dentist in Tempe, Arizona. Dr. Shakally was born and raised in Damascus, Syria until the age of 17 when he was exiled out of his country and forced to become a refugee in Cairo, Egypt. He was later relocated to Des Moines, Iowa, where he finished his last year of high school, and went on to the University of Iowa for his Bachelor's of Science in Evolutionary Biology and minor in international relations. He remained in Iowa City for another 4 years until he graduated with a DDS from the same school. Dr. Shakally is passionate about organized dentistry and is a member on the Council on Government Affairs for the Arizona Dental Association. He recently was recognized as a LEAD Program Graduate, a program that prepares new dentists for roles of leadership in the profession. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Adam Marburger is a serial entrepreneur that lives his life in the following buckets; automotive, real estate, insurance, dental, and martial arts. His tremendous track record in retail automotive landed him the title of “Automotive News 40 under 40” in 2018, which launched him as one of the most sought-after coaches in the industry. Adam is the co-founder of the Dental Protection Group. The DPG specializes in helping dental practices build wealth in the most tax friendly environments via dental warranties. Max Zanan is a seasoned reinsurance industry expert with over 20 years of experience in sales, compliance, and management consulting. His goal is to help car dealers and dental practices improve profitability while increasing customer satisfaction and retention. Zanan published five best-selling books on the topic of car dealership management. Zanan is a thought leader and disrupter; he is ready to introduce dental industry to the battle-tested wealth-building strategies from automotive retail.  https://www.dentalprotectiongroup.com Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Irving Chao was awarded high honors and received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree from the University of the Pacific's School of Dentistry in San Francisco. He continued to receive postgraduate training at UCLA School of Dentistry in areas of cosmetic dentistry, root canal therapy, implant dentistry and Invisalign® orthodontics. Dr. Chao takes pride in his work and is very patient and gentle. In his spare time, Dr. Chao loves to ballroom dance and hike with his two dogs, Tasha and Louie. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Irving Chao was awarded high honors and received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree from the University of the Pacific's School of Dentistry in San Francisco. He continued to receive postgraduate training at UCLA School of Dentistry in areas of cosmetic dentistry, root canal therapy, implant dentistry and Invisalign® orthodontics. Dr. Chao takes pride in his work and is very patient and gentle. In his spare time, Dr. Chao loves to ballroom dance and hike with his two dogs, Tasha and Louie. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Howard Farran is an icon in the world of dentistry, and a guest that I've wanted to interview for a long time. He's the founder of Dental Town, an international speaker who has lectured in over 50 countries, author, host of the Dentistry uncensored Podcast, and just an all around cool personality. Dr. Farran joins Dr. Casey Goetz for a discussion of all things pediatric dentistry. We talk about how pediatric dentistry has changed as a profession, practice ownership, DSOs, student loans, and the future of dentistry. Howards shares his words of wisdom to the young upcoming work force of pediatric dentists.

Dr. Rhonda Kalasho is a graduate from the prestigious UCLA School of Dentistry, which is consistently ranked as the #1 Dental School in the US. She completed an extended residency in hospital dentistry at UCSD/VA San Diego. Dr. Kalasho is trained in placements of implants, and wisdom teeth extractions. She has also been trained in advanced Endodontics through the VA San Diego and is world renowned as a dental expert in everything dentistry. Dr. Kalasho has been quoted in over 400 articles online, including Forbes, Allure, Women's Health Magazine, New Beauty, and many more. Dr Kalasho is a member of the American Academy of General Dentistry and American Academy of Facial Aesthetics. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, the founder and owner of Dentaltown.com and Dentaltown magazine, joins Dr. Schmidt to discuss practice manage and offer some insights for success. He has practiced dentistry at Today's Dental in the Phoenix metro area for more than 30 years. In 2017, Incisal Edge magazine ranked him among the 32 most influential people in dentistry. Dr. Farran has lectured internationally on the business of dentistry since 1990, captivating audiences with his blunt, humorous and practical insights into the industry's most controversial subjects. His genuine passion for helping dentists provide faster, easier, higher-quality and lower-cost dentistry to their patients is what drives him to this day.

Dr. Richard Low joined Alan at Voices of Dentistry and the meeting was closing down. Richard was into dental podcasts early. He helped the one and only Dr. Howard Farran create one of the biggest dental podcast phenomena back in the mid 'oughts and then created the gigantic "Shared Practices Podcast" which has changed countless young dentists' lives! They talk about why it's OK to give your best stuff away for free on podcasts (spoiler: it's because it's REALLY hard to implement stuff without help). Some of the highlights: Richard and Al's go to podcast listens What's the BEST time to have a hygiene appointment if you don't want to have dental work done? How did Richard "burn the boats" on all-on-4? All the things that Al doesn't want to do (and how important it is to know that) Is Al going to retire and work in a prison? The moment you know that the tooth is coming out Not every feeling is an important one, not every thought is a good one Some links from the show: The Shared Practices podcast The Fifth Column podcast America This Week Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast Smoke 'Em if You've Got 'Em Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL10” you'll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! -- Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! -- CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!

Howard's Best Advice for a Successful Career in DentistryEpisode #567 with Dr. Howard FarranAn A in dental school is an A in dental school. Without learning about business, you won't have a successful practice. To help you think better about the business side of dentistry, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Howard Farran, founder and owner of Dentaltown, to offer some of his best advice for a successful career in dentistry. To hear Dr. Farran's insights and to learn what dental school never taught you, listen to Episode 567 of The Best Practices Show!Episode Resources:Dr. Farran's website: https://www.howardfarran.comDr. Farran's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HowardFarranDr. Farran's social media: @howardfarranDentaltown: https://www.dentaltown.comSubscribe to the Best Practices Show PodcastJoin ACT's To The Top Study ClubJoin ACT's Master ClassSee our Live Events Schedule hereGet the Best Practices Magazine for Free!Write a Review on iTunesLinks Mentioned in This Episode:Uncomplicate Business: All It Takes Is People , Time, And Money by Dr. Howard Farran: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/uncomplicate-business-howard-farran/1120331563Main Takeaways:Your practice is a business. Learn about business.Learn about demographics before starting your practice.There's no “good” time to start your business. Just start now.Audit the people, especially the dentists, you choose to be around.You're not a doctor of everything. Learn to delegate things you're bad at.Spend and invest wisely! Bad spending habits will be the source of your stress.Quotes:“If you get an A in business and you're a horrible dentist, you'll be a millionaire. If you're the best dentist in Kansas City and you don't know anything about business, you're going to have a very miserable career. You have to learn business when you live in capitalism, especially somewhere like the United States.” (4:45—5:01)“Demographics is the most important thing [to learn]. I'd say in the last ten years, every time I see a kid come out of school and they do $1 million the first year and put $350,000 take-home, they always went to a town of 5,000 and they're the only dentist. A lot of them went to a town of 2,500. But you see in Arizona, where we have two schools, every kid thinks that if they go to North Scottsdale where all the rich people live, that's where they would make the most money. And in 2008, when we had the economic collapse, I think Arizona had like 74 or 76 dental offices go under. Half of them were in North Scottsdale. And when I opened up in Phoenix, Arizona, the town south of me, Maricopa, which is a 30-minute drive, did not have a...

Dr. Zuckerberg is a 1978 graduate of NYUCD and owned his own practices in Brooklyn and Dobbs Ferry, NY from 1979-2013 before moving to California. Dr.Z was an early tech adopter, placing his first PC in his home based office in 1986 and pioneering technologies such as intraoral cameras in the 80s, air abrasion, lasers and digital radiography in the 90s and created a paperless office and utilized CAD/CAM technology twenty years ago well before they were mainstream. His early adoption caught the eyes of industry leaders (like Dr. Farran) who enlisted him to write articles, lecture, beta test new technologies and advise startups in the oral health field.  Dr. Zuckerberg now acts as the Chief Dental Officer for Keystone Bio, an exciting biopharma company with a biologic to eradicate P.gingivalis, and he also acts as a Venture Partner for Revere Partners, the first Independent Venture Fund for Oral Health. He can be reached via his website at www.painlessdrz.com or his Facebook Page www.facebook.com/painlesssocialmedia Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Howard Farran discusses what to look for when considering where to work during your associateship. Join the community at www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Howard Farran discusses the patient experience and just how important communication is. Join the community at www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Howard Farran discusses hygiene profits and things to consider when looking at associateships.  Join the community at www.dentaltown.com

In residency, it's easy to romanticize what your life is going to be like when you get out into the world of private practice or academia, but the reality is often different from what you would expect. This episode will ensure that you are better prepared to handle the challenges that you are likely to experience in life after residency! Joining me today are Dr. Paul Rollins, from the private practice side, and Dr. Ben Hechler from the academic side, to share the biggest shocks that they received when they left residency, and their advice for overcoming them. From the importance of communicating your mistakes with your patients (yes, mistakes are inevitable!) to how to lead a team, this episode covers (almost) everything you need to get your head around the challenges of being in practice.  Key Points From This Episode:The importance of not romanticizing life after residency too much.Why procedures that become easy during residency are a lot more challenging when you start practicing.Phases that define school, college, and residency, but not life after residency.Value in planning ahead for every procedure that you do.Why you shouldn't place too much emphasis on speed.The importance of openly communicating the possible complications of procedures with your patients. Don't expect to be perfect! Advice for interacting with patients. Parallels between academia and practice. How social media distorts our perception of reality, and why this is problematic. Words of encouragement for those who are struggling with self confidence after residency.What to do when you make a mistake.Why you should get your license as soon as possible after residency.Factors to take into consideration when starting out in an academic position.The importance of doing a trial period before committing your career to a particular practice or academic institution.Keys to dealing with referrals in a way that keeps everyone happy.Recommended reads for advice on running a practice.Thoughts on the digital information sharing era that we are living in, and how the impact of this changes between residency and practice. A rapid fire round with Ben and Paul. Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:Dr. Benjamin L. Hechler — https://www.dukehealth.org/benjamin-l-hechler-md-dds Dr. Paul Rollins — https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-rollins-25248848/ Uncomplicate Business by Howard Farran — https://www.howardfarran.com/product/uncomplicate-business/ How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Cernegie — https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034 The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt — https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777 Big Fish — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319061/ Inception — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/ Dare to Lead by Brené Brown — https://brenebrown.com/book/dare-to-lead/ Dr. Grant Stucki Email — grantstucki@gmail.comDr. Grant Stucki Phone — 720-441-6059

Nolan Patel is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He started off working in private practice part time for his mentor and part time at a DSO. At the beginning of 2021 he switched full time to the DSO and has recently started looking into practice ownership. To stay up to date with dentistry he attends Spears CE courses and in his free time you can find him checking out local bars and restaurants in Chicago. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Howard Farran gives a new graduate some advice on working with pediatric patients. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Howard Farran looks into how inflation affected dentists in the 1980's, and if he would have done anything different looking back. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Howard Farran helps a dentist looking into how much production they should be expecting from increasing their number of operatories. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

How do you compensate hygienists for additional cleaning? Dr. Howard Farran takes community questions and gives you his uncensored take on everything dentistry related. Reply to these videos, or use the hashtag #askhoward on Twitter or Facebook to submit a question for Howard. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

As seen on the Doctors, founder of the nation's largest new dentist and student community, Dr. David R. Rice travels the world speaking, writing and connecting today's top young dentists with tomorrow's most successful dental practices. In addition to igniteDDS, David is Chief Editor of DentistryIQ and leads a team-centered, restorative and implant practice in East Amherst, NY. With 28 years of practice in the books, he's trained at The Pankey Institute, The Dawson Academy, Spear and most prolifically at the school of hard-knocks. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Dr. Gebrehiwot was born in Eritrea, East Africa. He won a diversity visa lottery to come to the United States and arrived here without any family or friends or any sense of direction. When he arrived, he worked odd jobs while starting with English for Second Language Speakers at Phoenix Community college. After graduation he was fortunate to get a job with Motorola as a Product engineer. Working for Motorola provided health and dental insurance, which allowed him to go to the dentist for the first time ever in his life. This very experience shook him because he had calculus, cavities, bleeding gums and so on. After following through with his oral care, and the impact it left him to have a better self-esteem, he decided to switch gears and change careers into dentistry. He started dental school at the age of 32. After dental school he worked as an associate in different corporate dentistry and finally he decided to start a scratch practice in Wylie, Texas. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com