Podcasts about invisalign

What if your patients could see their future smile before committing to treatment? One of the biggest challenges in cosmetic dentistry isn't clinical skill—it's helping patients visualize the outcome. When patients can't clearly picture what's possible, uncertainty often leads to hesitation, delayed decisions, and treatment plans that never move forward. In this episode of the Best Dental Marketing Podcast, I discuss why smile simulations are becoming an important tool for cosmetic consultations and how they can help improve patient communication, confidence, and case acceptance. At Dentainment, we've spent more than 15 years helping dental practices attract more patients, improve conversion rates, and create exceptional patient experiences. One thing I've consistently observed is that patients make decisions with greater confidence when they can clearly visualize the outcome. You'll learn: • Why many cosmetic consultations fail to convert • The psychology behind patient decision-making • How visualization can reduce uncertainty • Best practices for presenting smile simulations • Ways to incorporate simulations into your consultation process • How leading practices are using smile simulations to create a better patient experience Whether you're offering veneers, Invisalign, whitening, smile makeovers, or full-mouth rehabilitation, this episode will provide practical strategies you can implement immediately in your practice. Smile Simulations was created to help dentists better communicate treatment possibilities and improve the consultation experience. To learn more or try your first three smile simulations free, visit https://smilesimulations.com/. For additional dental marketing strategies, podcast episodes, and practice growth resources, visit https://bestdentalmarketing.com/. You can also explore more marketing, website, SEO, and patient acquisition solutions for dentists at https://dentainment.com/. Thanks for listening to the Best Dental Marketing Podcast. #DentalMarketing #BestDentalMarketing #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentalPatientAttraction #DentalMarketingTips #DentalMarketingStrategy #WhyPatientsChooseYou #DentalPracticeSuccess #GrowYourDentalPractice #DentalBusiness #DentalSEO #DentalSocialMedia #DentalMarketingPodcast #DentalMarketingExpert #PatientRetention #DentalBranding #Dentainment #DentalMarketing2025 #AttractMorePatients

Every orthodontist who talks to us eventually asks the same thing: how do I rank number one for "orthodontist in my city," and how do I stay there? Local SEO for orthodontists is not a single trick. It is on-page work on your website and Google Business Profile, then authority built through link building, applied in the right order for the footprint your practice actually has. This post breaks down how Luke Infinger and James, the SEO lead at HIP Creative, approach that problem on the GrowOrtho podcast. It covers where to start, why link building does the heavy lifting, which page you should be trying to rank, and how to handle the awkward cases: one location serving a dozen towns, or several offices spread across a region. The short version is that ranking is earned by closing the gap between your site and the practice currently sitting in the top spot, then out-building them on authority. Here is how that plays out step by step. Key takeaways Ranking starts on-page. Run a comprehensive audit of your live website and Google Business Profile, then a competitive analysis that identifies exactly what the number-one practice has that you are missing, and close that gap first. Link building is what builds authority and is the hardest part to implement correctly. The order is citations first, then press, then industry-relevant links. Start citations with business directories: Apple Maps, Yelp, and lesser-known local options like Yellow Book and Brown Book. Your name, address and phone number must match your Google Business Profile exactly. Which page ranks depends on locations. Multiple offices in one metro means optimizing the homepage as the hub with neighborhood location pages under it. A single office or offices far apart means powering up individual location pages instead. One location that wants to rank for many nearby communities should build neighborhood supporting pages linked from an "areas we serve" section, and research whether the town belongs to a larger market worth chasing. Optimize the Google Business Profile completely, then use GMB Everywhere to copy the categories, services and descriptions of the top-ranked competitor and run a weekly posting strategy (Invisalign for teens one week, braces for kids the next). To start backlinks locally, Google "local media kits," buy placements that produce a real article and brand mention with a link, and enter "Best of" contests run by Gannett and USA Today for social proof plus a backlink.

Digital workflows are changing how dentists select, plan, monitor, and communicate clear aligner treatment. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Maria Jose Blanco Solis, private practice dentist and clear aligner educator, to discuss how digital workflow innovations are transforming aligner treatment in 2026.You will learn how to evaluate aligner case complexity, monitor tracking and compliance, use auxiliary techniques, manage retention protocols, and think about aligners as part of a broader functional and preventive approach to dentistry. To understand how to make aligner workflows more predictable and practical in your practice, listen to Episode 1059 of The Best Practices Show!Main Takeaways:Clear aligners have expanded from simple aesthetic cases to more complex Class II, Class III, surgical, and multidisciplinary treatment plans.Case selection should include evaluation of occlusion, arch form, profile, crossbites, growth status, recession, and bone support.CBCT, STL files, and complete diagnostic records give doctors better control and confidence when planning aligner treatment.Monitoring appointments should focus on aligner fit, attachment integrity, tracking gaps, programmed IPR, and occlusal contacts.Patient compliance remains essential because aligners generally require 22 hours of daily wear.Auxiliary techniques such as buttons, elastics, TADs, and bootstrap mechanics can improve movement predictability in moderate and severe cases.Retention protocols should account for occlusal stability and patient compliance, especially when deciding between clear retainers and lingual wires.Snippets:00:00 Welcome And Guest Intro02:11 Meet Dr Mari Jose03:14 Aligners In 202605:24 Case Selection Basics06:55 Monitoring And Tracking10:37 Doctor Coaching Support11:13 Micronutrients And Compliance13:03 Retainers And Stability14:45 Aux Techniques And Elastics16:32 Posterior Open Bite Causes18:24 Retainer Wear Schedule19:52 Future Of Aligner Care22:20 Final Tips And Records23:14 Contact Info And Spark24:28 The Exchange Event Preview25:00 Final thoughts on case selection, auxiliary techniques, and live case alignment.Guest Bio/Guest Resources:Dr. Maria Jose Blanco Solis is a dentist in private practice in San Jose, Costa Rica. She has worked with clear aligner therapy through Invisalign and Spark and focuses on digital dentistry, aligner workflow, case selection, clinical monitoring, and doctor education.In this episode, she discusses Spark, Vista aligners, TruGen XR material, one-on-one clinical support, and her upcoming presentation at Smile Exchange on case selection, clinical complexity, auxiliary techniques, and live case review.Resources mentioned:mariajose.blanco@envistaco.comDiscount code for the smile exchange: JOSEBLANCO26https://smilesource.com/exchangeMore Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaUpcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.comSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

What happens after orthodontic treatment ends? For many practices, it's a missed opportunity. Patients lose retainers, stop wearing them, and eventually see their results begin to shift. Meanwhile, practices lose touch with patients and leave recurring revenue on the table. In this episode, Dr. Len Tau sits down with Dr. Blair Feldman, orthodontist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Retainer Club, to discuss how practices can transform retention from an afterthought into a scalable patient care and revenue strategy. Drawing from his experience building and exiting multiple orthodontic practices, Blair shares how subscription-based retainer programs help practices protect treatment outcomes while creating a seamless patient experience. Dr. Len and Blair explore the economics of retainer programs, patient compliance, recurring revenue opportunities, AI adoption, and the importance of maintaining relationships with patients long after treatment is complete. Whether you're an orthodontist, Invisalign provider, or general dentist offering aligner therapy, this conversation offers practical strategies for extending patient lifetime value while improving clinical outcomes.   What You'll Learn Why retention is one of the most overlooked stages of orthodontic treatment How recurring revenue models can benefit both patients and practices The biggest mistakes practices make after treatment is completed How online retainer fulfillment improves patient compliance Recommended strategies for pricing retainer programs Why patient education is critical for long-term treatment success The role technology and automation play in post-treatment care How practices can increase patient lifetime value through retention programs The importance of transparency when discussing retention and retreatment Business lessons from building and scaling a successful dental startup   Key Takeaways 01:48 Set It and Collect It: How Smart Practices Are Building Recurring Revenue After Aligner Treatments 04:20 The Retainer Gap Most Practices Overlook 08:11 Why Retainers Need Regular Replacement 11:13 Building Predictable Recurring Revenue with Retainer Programs 14:22 The Ideal Retainer Program Playbook 17:36 What Happens When Patients Lose Their Retainers? 18:40 Creating Long-Term Retention and Wellness Scan Strategies 23:05 Subscription Models and Automated Retainer Delivery 24:11 Beyond Orthodontics: Veneer Guards, Whitening Trays, and More 26:30 Why Every Aligner Practice Needs a Retention Program 31:14 Common Objections Practices Have About Retainer Programs 32:35 Lightning Round: Business, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship 38:45 Special Offer for Raving Patients Listeners   — Connect with Dr Blair Co-Founder & President, Retainer Club LinkedIn: Blair Feldman Website: Retainer Club Learn more about how Retainer Club helps practices create recurring revenue while protecting patient outcomes through seamless retainer fulfillment programs.   — Learn proven dental marketing strategies and online reputation management techniques at DrLenTau.com. This podcast is sponsored by Dental Intelligence. Learn more here. This podcast is sponsored by CallRail, call tracking & lead conversion software for dentists. Find out more here. Raving Patients Podcast is your go-to place for the latest and best dental marketing strategies that will help you skyrocket your practice. Follow us for more!

This basket of marketing strategies generated over 29X return on investment for one of my clients in the orthodontic industry. Listen to the latest episode of the Marketing That Clicks podcast to learn how we achieved this outcome and what key success ingredients allowed us to invest $3,513.76 and generate at least approximately $103,600 for one of my clients in the orthodontic industry. To promote your Invisalign service, braces offerings, and your orthodontic practice as a whole, book a discovery call to discover if we would be a good fit to work together at MichaelGuberti.com. Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, or at https://michaelguberti.com/Orthodontics/ 

Continuing education on your mind? What about areas in your practice you want to grow, or strengths and skillsets you want your team to have? Tiff and Kristy discuss the power of continuing education, including why it changes lives (and offices), where to fit it in your schedule, how to add makeup days of production, and a ton more. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Tiff (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. We are so excited to have you here today. I know there's an intro you guys listen to that says we're excited for you, and what you're listening to today is the consultants, and we're taking over. ⁓ and and we really are excited to be here today. I have the one and only Kristy Treasure with me this morning. And ⁓ Kristy, I had a client this morning.   that they have a client that is a client of yours. And they were like, Who is it? It was, it's, it's treasure, right? Is that her last name? And I was like, that's truly her last name. She truly is a treasure. And they were looking at it. ⁓ your client had recommended you to them. ⁓ and they they were like, is Treasure really her last name? So I felt like I needed to say it tonight. How are you? I know it was it was cute. Yeah. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (00:37) No.   ⁓ that's so cool. Good. Yeah.   Tiff (00:48) It's the middle of the week for us. This is a wild podcasting day for us. but here we are. Kristy, thank you for being here. And you've got a full week of calls this week too. It's first week of the month for us recording this and how's ⁓ how's everything going over there? How are you how are you doing? How are your clients looking? What have you what trends are you seeing on your end?   The Dental A Team (01:09) Yeah.   It's crazy because I'm seeing a lot of clients have things fall out of their schedule in May, yet we had great numbers. I'm like, is May gonna be the new September or like what's happening here? But I I don't know if it's weather related, graduations. I don't know. It's it's weird.   Tiff (01:24) Yeah.   Yeah. Yeah.   I totally agree with you though. ⁓ here like rounding out end of May, like looking at Maine numbers. I've seen the same thing. I've seen a lot of practices that had some stellar production and some stellar collections. And I even have a few practices yesterday that were shocked when they looked at their numbers because they felt like they were so much worse because the schedule kept falling apart. ⁓ yeah, and I said the same thing. I know my o my Ohio office, I said it's cause it's finally not like   The Dental A Team (01:51) Yeah.   Tiff (01:57) like fifty degrees and ninety mile an hour winds, people are trying to get outside. So we're definitely hitting that season. And I think people are maybe prioritizing their personal lives a little bit more than maybe we're used to ⁓ in dentistry and we might be seeing that. I don't know. But I agree. I'm seeing that for sure.   The Dental A Team (02:17) Yeah, and it seems like it's coast to coast. So and the weird thing is is I d even if I say graduations and stuff, that's not new for May, but we'll see. We'll see. Yeah.   Tiff (02:26) I know, I know.   Yeah, yeah, I do agree. I do agree. Well, I'm excited for the summer. I know here in Arizona it's getting warmer, but we've had a pretty tame summer so far and the rest of the country's catching up to us. So I thought today would be a good day to get us some podcasts under our belt and we chatted before this and decided we're gonna chat about CE, you guys, ⁓ continue continuing education and   Honestly, Kristy, continuing education is something I think you really, really love personally, professionally, and for your practices. It's something I see you prioritize a ton. And so actually, this is a perfect podcast subject for us. And I thought let's chat through some of the CE opportunities, but also, Kristy, I know you and I both work with a lot of practices and a lot of dentists who do a ton of CE.   And making sure we add that into their budget is something I think both of us prioritize. So I thought we could chat about that some as well. So first and foremost, Kristy, personally for you, I would love to hear like what does your CE and your life look like and how how have you successfully prioritized it? Cause I think others can see that in themselves as well. And you truly do. I watch you. You're you're constantly learning, you're constantly absorbing something. ⁓ and how do you how do you fit that into your life?   The Dental A Team (03:52) Yeah. Well, I I am much like you in that we like to prioritize things and be efficient at it. And having gone through James Clear book for atomic habits, I think it's actually up there on my shelf, but we talk about this all the time and I like to combine, hey, every morning I have to get ready and so why not listen to a podcast or an audio book ⁓ while I'm getting ready? And so   Tiff (04:00) No.   The Dental A Team (04:20) A lot of times I will do that for sure. But then also, you know, you, me, all of the coaches, we look at lag measures within a practice and lead measures. And in the next few months, I we're talking about summer, but September is going to be here around the corner too. And we start looking forward to the new year. And as part of our process for looking into the new year, part of that planning can be planning for continuing to education.   Tiff (04:38) It is.   Okay.   The Dental A Team (04:50) What are areas within our practice that we want to grow or grow for ourselves and or for practice needs and literally starting to map that out and what it looks like for next year.   Tiff (05:05) Yeah, I completely agree. I completely agree. And I do think this is the time of the year to think about that because also if we haven't budgeted for it yet for this year, now we need to start looking at what would that budget look like for next year. And I know, Kristy, to your point, there are so many doctors that I've worked with that get to June and they're like, Tiff, there's this thing I want to do in October, but it's full, so I'm on a wait list. And I'm like, Well, when did the list start? Can we do that in twenty twenty seven or whatever the next year is?   Can we do it in that year to also budget for that and be like top of top priority on that list instead of on that wait list? So I totally agree. This is the time of year to start that. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (05:44) For sure. I was gonna say too   Tiff with CE, listening to you talk. I think about it almost like we break marketing into internal and external. I think with CE, we can almost break it that way too. There can be some very low cost, no cost, just like the podcast or webinars, or take time out of the practice, even to work on some of your internal systems. And that is continuing education for your team too.   Tiff (05:55) Yeah.   For sure.   The Dental A Team (06:14) So you could break it into two different buckets. And I know today we were talking about budgeting for the external CE, if you will, but I think teams need to think about that too. And there are the priority of mandatory CE, your HIPAA, your OSHA, making sure we're planning those and blocking them in our schedule too.   Tiff (06:31) Mm-hmm.   Yeah, that's a really good point. And to your point, the like webinars and the ⁓ team and staff trainings and all of those like OSHA HIPAA ⁓ team training just in handoffs in general, what you guys do with Dental A Team when we come into your office, all of those pieces are continuing education. I totally agree. And sometimes you do have to shut down the office. I know Kiera and I talk about this a lot actually in our COVID shutdown is when Dental A Team like we we were we   busted at the seams. We had so much ⁓ work to do. It was wild, but it was because it was that forced shutdown. There wasn't an option, right? And so rather than having the force shutdown and the practices that we knew really not doing anything, they decided, hey, Kiera, Tiff, we need you to train our teams virtually while they're while they're sitting here so that we can continue paying them and they can continue to grow. So when we come back, our systems are solid. So we were building out operations manuals. We were doing   ⁓ we were doing CEs, we were doing how-to's, we were doing everything you can think of, training practices and ⁓ teams in that capacity to your point where it's like, yeah, we just shut down and we're just doing an overhaul of these pieces to get it to where we can run again as soon as we get back. And that is a a massive point because it is continuing education and the budgeting portion of that.   still is okay, great, we're gonna shut down for three days. What does that look like? How do we add that three days worth of production into the rest of the month to make up that shutdown?   The Dental A Team (08:09) Absolutely. And sometimes it may be cost effective or more cost effective to bring people into the practice versus going outward. But looking at what you have in budget and what it would cost to do it beforehand. Yeah. Huge.   Tiff (08:18) Absolutely.   Yeah.   Yeah. Yeah. I totally agree. I remember one of the first offices that I went in practice to a long time ago, right? We've been doing this for so long now. But one of the first practices I went to, they were like, Whoa, wait, you want me to shut down my afternoon? And I was like, Yes, I do. And they were like, We can't, we can't lose that production. I was I promise you, you're gonna make it up tenfold after the fact because you're all gonna be rowing in the same direction. So no matter what we do during this meeting,   It's gonna be incredible. Your your meeting's gonna be incredible. You're gonna learn great things. The consultants know some amazing things, but you're all rowing in the same direction. And so the production that's gonna come after the meeting in the months, weeks, all of that time frame is tenfold gonna be more than what you might lose, quote unquote, in those couple of hours that you shut down for that training in the afternoon. So I think that's a great that's a great point, Kristy, is bringing people in and you don't have the hotel, you don't have the flights, you don't have all those costs as well.   The Dental A Team (09:19) Yeah. The other thing to that too, Tiff, is if you're going externally, make sure you come up with a plan. How are we gonna come back and implement this? So many times we invest in that CE and we go and then we come back. Maybe we learned about sleep or we learned about, you know, a new service, but then we come back and we never really launch it because we didn't develop a plan for how we were gonna come back and integrate it. We just jumped back into the same old routine.   Tiff (09:28) Yeah.   Yes, which is easy. They talk about like your teeth have that muscle memory. So if you don't wear your retainers, your teeth are gonna go right back to where they're suppos where they're supposed to be, right? Where they grew to. And so your brain is the same. Your brain has that muscle memory and honestly your capacity is the same. So you do you or even having having us in or having another trainer in office, you're like, Yeah, let's do it, let's do it. But to your point, if there's not an actionable, okay, do this, which we leave with, right? We say, Okay, you're gonna do these things, you're gonna do it.   this many times or to this percentage and by this state and so there's an action plan left but if you don't leave with that come back with it or that trainer leaves and you have that your muscle memory and your capacity is gonna flip back to what's easiest and what's easiest is to do what you were doing even if it was hard and not getting the result you wanted it's what you know. So even though it's hard having teeth that are misaligned, your teeth know that space they're gonna go back to it. So you're gonna do the same thing and so will your team.   The Dental A Team (10:45) Yeah. You know, something else that was coming to my mind is so many doctors hear these new things and they it's like we talk about the shiny object, right? Have you ever with some of your doctors or teams, like before they jump in and invest in that, actually pull your patients and see is this a service that they're looking for or would be interested in?   Tiff (10:55) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (11:08) 'Cause sometimes they invest a lot, right? And then they come back and they're really disappointed because it was like, Man, I didn't have the market for that or how do I have to market it to really make it work, you know?   Tiff (11:11) Yeah.   Mm.   Yes, that's huge. And I think that is something originally this topic was given to us as trends in dentistry. And it's like, gosh, trends in dentistry could be so vast, right? And it's like, to your point, it ch it truly just depends on the doctor and the patient base, the demographic that you're in. I've worked with plenty of practices that are in a demographic that doesn't support sleep, but they want to do sleep, right? But they're in ⁓ like a a Medicaid.   you know, area. They they take Medicaid and they do the and yes, I want to offer that service, but to your point, is that something that your patient base is looking for in that area? Yes, I want to give it to them, but the cost might not be worth the value back, the ROI that you're gonna get in return for the CE that you just took.   The Dental A Team (12:10) Yeah, one hundred percent. Or you're gonna have to spend a ton more in marketing to draw from a greater area, right? And so now your investment just got even greater.   Tiff (12:14) Yeah.   Yeah.   Yeah. Yeah. And that's the difference I think, Kristy too. I I have a dentist, he loves CE, like loves. I have a bucket, he pours into his CE bucket every single month because he spends a n ton of money on CE every year. And I'm we're like, cool, fine with it. We budgeted for it. But to that point, there's CE that he does that he does because he's interested in it and wants the knowledge. He just likes to learn.   And there's CE that he does that he knows he's gonna actually implement and get a great ROI on in the office. And so he knows those two like demographics, right? He knows those two differences in the CE and he plays to whichever side or team, however you wanna say it, he's playing to to get that to get that done.   The Dental A Team (13:07) Yeah. Going into it eyes wide open, right? That's that's the best. So then the expectation meets your outcome. But yeah.   Tiff (13:10) Yeah.   Yes. Yes.   Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cause there's so many things. There's a million things I want to learn that I'm interested in. But it's like, okay, well, the ROI has to be there for the time, for the finances, for the input, the output, all of those pieces have to make sense. So yeah, I love that. I do have practices too when we're talking, you know, quote unquote trends that do have like I I talked to a practice yesterday that has a a trainer that comes in for Sarah.   The Dental A Team (13:30) Yeah.   Tiff (13:43) crowns, right? So we know all of those. We've got the Sarat Crowns, we've got a bunch of trainers that do come in. We've got practices that come, we come in two practices, but then practices that come to us two times a year. So there's those as well. And there's all the sleep apnea, the implants supported. And I'm a huge advocate before I'll go on this tangent before we move forward. I'm a huge advocate for like going back and learning something you've already learned.   So a lot of doctors that I work with are like, yeah, I took that, I took that implant pathways course, you know, 10 years ago. I'm like, awesome. Do you think anything's changed in the last 10 years that maybe hasn't popped up on a forum for you? Right. Like there's so many things that I think if you if you're not going back and getting that exposure again and retaking classes or getting recertified or what have you, I think there's a lot to be lost in there with how quickly dentistry moves and progresses, especially with technology.   I think it's really easy to fall behind in those spaces.   The Dental A Team (14:45) I agree with you a hundred percent, Tiff. Yeah.   Tiff (14:48) Yeah. Yeah. So budgeting for it is easy, right? Well, from our perspective at least. Like from my perspective, it's easy. ⁓ when I think when you're in it, I do this personally. I think when I'm in it, I'm like, yeah, I want all of those things. And then I'm just gonna figure out how to afford them. But what we do is we take a step back and say, Okay, cool. What do you want to do? And and like you said, do the research on what is your patient base, what are they using? And I like to look at what are you referring out the most that you want to keep in house that you would   that you would want to do. If you don't love root canals, don't do root canals. Refer those out. But if you're like I could place implants and I could enjoy that, great. Then maybe we look at an implant course depending on how many you're sending out. So do that due diligence and then start vetting courses. Like what courses have the best reviews? Where how far are they? I make my doctors look at the course cost, which is always easy. We think of that. But then on top of that, what is your travel?   The Dental A Team (15:21) Right.   Tiff (15:48) Right. And I think maybe Kristy that comes from us traveling. It's very easy for us to think that far ahead to be like, okay, well, what about a rental car, a flight, and a flight home and a hotel and food? Like we're doing this every other week. So I think it's easy. But I have them like lump all of that together and then literally build a budget so that they're saving a certain amount of that goes into their not their   Bam per se, right? Because that's how do we keep the practice open. But it's their BAM of well, if we want to make this happen, that's the in access bam that we're saving.   The Dental A Team (16:22) Yeah, I agree with you. And then that way too, we chunk it down, right? If the course is next September, we have this many months to add that to our bucket, so to speak, to pay for it, right? And same thing if they're looking to take team with them, it makes it a a lot more affordable than fo forking it all out at once. And then we also know what we have to hit every month, like you said, to the BAM. We make it a goal with the team and we achieve it together.   Tiff (16:26) Yeah.   Yep.   Yes.   Yeah. Yeah.   Yes, and we move the money. Don't leave it in the account that can be spent. We move the money. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I have an office that I had a ⁓ an office manager call me just frantic. And she's like, my gosh, there's this thing coming up. It's this massive thing that doctor decided she wants to send everybody to. And it's in three months. And she's like, I don't know how we're gonna afford it. That's not like great question. So we had to work backwards, you know, and it   The Dental A Team (16:58) Absolutely agree with you a hundred percent.   Tiff (17:23) It was a stretch and it was hard, but I was like, cool, now we know this is something that you guys are interested in and it's gonna happen again next year. So if we're gonna go again next year, now we know the costs and we can pay for this this year, figure out how to pay off that credit card, and then start saving for the next one. And we worked it for the office manager. It was very easy because we had worked something similar for a bonus that they   we're working towards and so she could like relate it. She's like, this is exactly what we did for that the cruise we want to take or whatever it was, the Hawaiian vacation, whatever wherever they were sending them to, I can't remember, that she could relate it and say, ⁓ I can do that. And I'm like, gosh, we make it so difficult, right, to budget these things out. But we do it in our personal lives when we're like, I want to go to Europe. I want to go on a trip. I want to go to California, wherever. We're doing the same thing, but we forget to do that in business.   The Dental A Team (18:15) Yeah.   I love that you talked about the bonus because literally I was gonna say these CE things can be a very rewarding thing to take the team to and use it in that capacity. And to be honest with you, Tiff, I there's been so many times where I've seen doctors go, Well, I'll take my key players. And then they come back and they regret that they didn't bring the whole team because hearing having the whole team go to some of these things.   Tiff (18:33) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (18:41) ⁓ number one, the bonding experience for team can be huge. And number two, we all hear things differently. So we're gonna bring back a different piece of the pie and literally to hit the ground running and really implement some of these things coming back can be hugely beneficial to bring the whole team if you can budget and afford it, right? So with that being said, to add that to the budget and plan for it can be rewarding in more than one way.   Tiff (18:48) Yep.   Yeah.   Absolutely. And I think it shows the investment in the team, Kristy, because as you're talking, I'm thinking of all the excuses I'm gonna hear from doctors, right? Like, well, my team turnover. I don't know if that like what if they leave? And it's like, what if they do leave? But showing if you have the availability and if it's a desire of yours. I'm not saying change your perspective and change your thoughts and ideals. Like I it's neither here nor there to me, but my perspective can be on this.   If I show the investment to this team and I truly believe in them and I want them here, I'm investing in them and I'm having fun with them. I'm integrating them as my team and I'm not sitting here saying I'm the only one who can do this. So I'm gonna go and bring it all to you guys, but you guys can come with me. I think Kristy that helps that bond and it helps that tie to the doctor and the practice and increases the culture value. So you're actually potentially with the right people.   less likely to lose people than more likely to lose people if that makes sense.   The Dental A Team (20:09) Yeah,   one hundred percent. And and I've heard that in my a lifetime in dentistry too. But I will tell you that, you know, it it's CE has been one of the things that's really helped form me. And I'm very grateful for the people that invested in me. And you know, to that point too, Tiff, sometimes we have to look like I did come back and maybe they only stayed a year or two. However, they might have brought more to the bottom line too that wouldn't have been there.   Tiff (20:23) For sure.   The Dental A Team (20:38) So don't always see it as a loss either. And you never know what's going to come back around. You know, even if those people leave, they may be referring patients to you just because you have that knowledge and know the skill set.   Tiff (20:39) Yeah.   Yeah. And building, I think to your point, building ⁓ systems and protocols and settings things into stone thereafter the CE, right? Like there's so much groundwork that's being laid, whether they leave or not. They're doing so much for the future people who are coming in and potentially even referring other employees to your practice, not just patients as well.   The Dental A Team (21:01) Yeah.   Yeah. I'd say, you know, last year, at the end of last year, I had one of my clients that was looking to go to an Invisalign course and she literally was worried about bringing the whole team and stuff. But afterward, she was ready to book another one. And literally at that meeting, you know, we talked about it. Set your goals. And they literally ⁓ set their Invisalign goals and got to Pearl level like within less than a year.   Tiff (21:29) Yeah.   wow.   The Dental A Team (21:42) And so it really did number one, bomb them and the team got rallied and excited and it affected, you know, how they were treating patients and team. So they all benefited.   Tiff (21:54) Yeah. That's awesome.   That's amazing. I love that. I love that. So I think this one kind of I this was more of a conversation and I loved it. And I knew it would be because it was a it's a controversial subject and there's so many different angles to take on it. So thank you for having that with me. I would say C E is important. It's summertime, so it's time to   Make sure you've got your CE this year. If you need it for your license, by the way, start looking if you don't have that yet. And secondary to that, Kristy, I totally agree. It's time to start thinking about next year. So 2026 right now, so whatever year you're listening to this, it doesn't matter. ⁓ next year is still next year. So right now, start thinking about 2027 and budget it. I think Kristy, you're 100% right. Inventory your practice. What are what are things you're referring out that you could keep in that you would want to keep in? I talked to a dentist yesterday that does not want to do root canals.   Don't do them if you don't want to do them. Like you only do the things you want to. So then look for the courses, price it out, price out the whole thing. If you're leaving, price it out. If you're bringing someone in, price it out. Like whatever that is, what is the production you're gonna lose both ways? If you're leaving the office or if somebody's coming in, what's the production loss? ⁓ price it out and then prep for it. So start budgeting that every single month and moving that money. I have a lot of doctors who will prepay for CE at the end of the year.   to get rid of some of that cash so that they're not paying taxes on that chunk of cash. And that's a really easy way to do it. I know we do try to do end of year spending. What better time of year to start prepping for that than mid year? Yeah.   The Dental A Team (23:29) Absolutely.   Couldn't agree with you more, Tiff.   Tiff (23:32) Awesome. Okay, well guys, that's a wrap on our CE chat for today. I hope that you find something really, really fun. Leave us a review below. Let us know what you decided to do and if there are any courses that you guys suggest for other practices. We are all about sharing best practices and sharing just a wealth of knowledge from wherever we can gather it. So leave that in the comments as well or reach out to us. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com.   And we will be more than happy to take your suggestions and also help you budget if you need help budgeting. So that's a wrap. Kristy, thank you so much. I know this was a slam dunk of a scheduling opportunity here. So I appreciate you being here today with me, and I appreciate you always making podcasting so easy. Yeah, awesome guys. And I hope you go have a wonderful summer, and we'll catch you next time.   The Dental A Team (24:14) Thank you.  

Ali Al-Hassan is the walking embodiment of work hard, play hard — a young dentist who's gone from associate to super associate, practice co-owner and globe-trotter, all while building a following that brings patients straight to his chair. In this episode, he and Payman get into what really separates an ordinary associate from a "super" one: bringing in your own patients, owning your fees, and treating social media as your digital shop front. There's honest talk about outworking self-doubt, the awards debate, a vexatious GDC referral that came out of nowhere, and a wild Covid-era trading story that took a £50k bounce-back loan to seven figures and most of the way back down again. Threaded throughout is a simple philosophy — do the thing, do it thousands of times, and let it compound. You'll come away with plenty to think about, whether you're weighing up your own brand or just wondering how one person fits in this much living.In This Episode00:02:30 - Work hard, play hard 00:08:10 - Growing up and family 00:14:30 - The inflection point 00:17:30 - Associate vs super associate 00:24:40 - Social media and the first Invisalign open day 00:33:15 - Tenacity and outworking self-doubt 00:39:05 - Niching down 00:49:50 - Cornerstones of safe GDP ortho 00:53:50 - Blackbox thinking 00:59:30 - The GDC referral 01:08:45 - Compounding and word of mouth 01:09:45 - Dental Opulence 01:18:55 - The awards debate 01:25:35 - Travel and friendships 01:29:25 - Working with Robbie 01:32:05 - The Covid trading story 01:42:25 - Examinations and case acceptance 01:48:05 - Composite bonding approach 01:54:50 - Finishing teeth upside down 01:56:25 - Fantasy dinner party 02:00:25 - Last days and legacyAbout Ali Al-HassanAli Al-Hassan, known online as Doctor Ali, is a Cardiff-trained dentist working across practices in Swindon, the Midlands and London, with a focus on Invisalign and composite. He's a super associate who built his patient base through years of consistent social media, and co-owns the Dental Opulence clinic in the Midlands. Away from the chair, he travels monthly, invests, and is renovating a house back home in Swindon.

Send us Fan MailSeeing fewer orthodontic patients can sound like a recipe for weaker relationships, but we've found the opposite can be true when you rebuild the patient journey with intention. I'm joined by Dr. Robert Shafer in a guest-slash-co-host role, and we get real about what actually breaks when a practice adopts remote monitoring: the casual check-ins, the personal connection, and the small moments that make families feel known. Private practice growth is more about patient experience than outside your doors marketing. That is where the Brian Wright Show will transform your private practice into a thriving people business. We walk through how to revamp the existing patient experience using digital workflow, not just gadgets. That means better note-taking around the human side of care, training the team to read and use those notes, and creating hospitality that feels more like a five-star service experience than a rushed healthcare visit. We also dig into the refinement scan appointment and why tools like iTero can create a true “wow” factor when you use them to show progress, educate parents, and drive compliance.Then we get specific about communication inside remote monitoring. If the only messages patients get are corrections, you're training non-compliance and damaging trust. We talk about tone, positivity, when video beats text, and how consistent encouragement can keep Invisalign and braces patients engaged even if they only come in a handful of times during treatment.If you want better compliance, stronger referrals, and a practice that wins word of mouth, hit play and take notes. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a five-star review if it helps you rethink how you run your orthodontic patient experience.Click here to follow The Brian Wright Show PodcastClick here to subscribe and watch on The Brian Wright Show YouTube Station Thank you to our SponsorsNew Patient GroupWrightChat

Hello voices from the bench community, John Wilson here and I wanted to share some news about the evolution of the Programill lineup. Most importantly, Ivoclar's new PrograMill 7. What stands out right away is the reduced air consumption this mill requires, but what you'll notice first is that impressive new touchscreen. For us, the biggest advantage has been increased spindle power. My laboratory's known for these larger cases with complex geometries, and I can tell you that extra power really makes a difference. Next time you see your Ivoclar representative, be sure to ask about the PrograMill 7 and tell them John Wilson sent you. Thank you. At exocad Insights in beautiful Mallorca, we finally caught up with Felix from Imagine USA—and the timing couldn't have been better. As an exocad dealer on the front lines of digital dentistry, Felix shared his excitement about the strong turnout, the familiar faces, and most importantly, the innovation coming from exocad. What stood out most? The new exocad Hub and its cloud-based capabilities, along with powerful AI-driven tools inside DentalDB designed for efficient batch processing. For Felix and the Imagine team, it's not just about seeing what's new—it's about putting it to the test. By running new features through their own production facility first, they ensure real-world performance before bringing solutions to their customers. Beyond the technology, Felix emphasized the value of being there in person—connecting face-to-face with partners, having meaningful conversations, and stepping back to see where the industry is headed. And of course, doing it all in Mallorca doesn't hurt either. "LIVE" again at the 2026 DLAT meeting, two very different conversations came together around one common theme: the future of dental technology is still being shaped by passionate people willing to learn, teach, and adapt. First, the podcast catches up with returning guest Tiffany Prater from Destination Orthodontic Lab, who shares how her lab journey has evolved from running a large commercial space with employees to building a smaller, more personal business focused on private practices and hands-on craftsmanship. Alongside her is Sydney Ribera, a young technician discovering orthodontics through mentorship, creativity, and a fascination with bending wire and pouring colorful acrylic retainers. The conversation dives into the realities of learning ortho in today's digital world, the importance of organizations like the Orthodontic Resource Group, and why mentorship still matters more than ever in a profession where most of the training happens shoulder-to-shoulder. Then the crew sits down with Marlin Gohn from Argen to talk about everything from next-generation zirconia to massive dental labs in China and the surprisingly common mistakes labs make when choosing disc sizes for milling. Marlin breaks down Argen's new gradient translucency zirconia, explains why nesting strategy matters more than most labs realize, and shares real-world troubleshooting tips that can save labs time, money, and remakes. The conversation also wanders through SLM frameworks, milled gold crowns, PFMs, translating lectures in China, and why some old-school techniques still outperform the newest trends. Special Guests: Marlin Gohn CDT, Sydney Ribera, and Tiffany Prater CDT.

Jon get Invisalign. Josh notices some white knighting of Billionaires. Is China an adversary or not? An AI Spencer Pratt ad , Josh and Jon review the Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano event and go on a tangent of potential combat sports. A civil rights museum trip can be uncomfortable. Joey Chestnut defends his hot dog eating title while on probation. Drink of the Show: 3 Floyds Zombie Dust Undead Pale Ale SHOW LINKS Spencer Pratt Commercial College Student 3D Prints Braces Ukraine War Winding Down Joey Chestnut to Defend Hotdog Title Secret Link Visit DadBros.com Follow the Dad Bros Show on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter Contact the Dad Bros: 1-844-DadTalk or Email Us Patreon Special thanks to: @LadyMpire & Beer Man Mark The post Ep 658 – Efficiency Eater appeared first on Dad Bros.

Hello voices from the bench community, John Wilson here and I wanted to share some news about the evolution of the Programill lineup. Most importantly, Ivoclar's new PrograMill 7. What stands out right away is the reduced air consumption this mill requires, but what you'll notice first is that impressive new touchscreen. For us, the biggest advantage has been increased spindle power. My laboratory's known for these larger cases with complex geometries, and I can tell you that extra power really makes a difference. Next time you see your Ivoclar representative, be sure to ask about the PrograMill 7 and tell them John Wilson sent you. Thank you. At exocad Insights in beautiful Mallorca, we finally caught up with Felix from Imagine USA—and the timing couldn't have been better. As an exocad dealer on the front lines of digital dentistry, Felix shared his excitement about the strong turnout, the familiar faces, and most importantly, the innovation coming from exocad. What stood out most? The new exocad Hub and its cloud-based capabilities, along with powerful AI-driven tools inside DentalDB designed for efficient batch processing. For Felix and the Imagine team, it's not just about seeing what's new—it's about putting it to the test. By running new features through their own production facility first, they ensure real-world performance before bringing solutions to their customers. Beyond the technology, Felix emphasized the value of being there in person—connecting face-to-face with partners, having meaningful conversations, and stepping back to see where the industry is headed. And of course, doing it all in Mallorca doesn't hurt either. This week at the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas Meeting 2026, the microphones stayed hot as three completely different conversations all circled around the same thing: how fast the dental lab industry is evolving. First up, the crew sat down with Tony Aliatim from Axis Dental Milling to talk about going from biomedical engineering and printing silicone heart models for surgeons… to becoming one of the go-to names in dental milling. From industrial machining roots in Michigan to AI-powered calibration systems and Straumann plug-and-play workflows, Tony breaks down how VersaMill machines are helping labs mill everything from zirconia to implant abutments faster, smarter, and safer. Along the way, the conversation dives into HyperDent, trade show madness, wet vs dry milling nightmares, and why dental technicians may not realize how close this industry really is to aerospace-level manufacturing. Then things shifted from mills to maintenance with Rebekah Serrago and Chris Wilson from Garland Dental Services. What started decades ago as a garage-based repair business fixing handpieces has grown into one of the industry's best-kept secrets for equipment sales, service, and support. Rebekah shares the story of growing up folding flyers for her father's repair company before eventually becoming CEO and expanding Garland into a massive online sales and service operation supporting everything from ovens to mills. Chris joins in to talk preventative maintenance, service certifications, keeping ancient ovens alive, and why labs desperately need dealers that actually understand the equipment they sell. It's equal parts family-business story, repair shop wisdom, and hilarious behind-the-scenes dental lab banter. Finally, the future officially arrived when the podcast crew sat down with Antoine Coppens from Relu and orthodontic lab owner Christian Saurman of New England Orthodontic Laboratory. What started as four engineering students experimenting with AI in Belgium somehow turned into fully automated dental workflows capable of designing surgical guides, night guards, models, and restorations in minutes. The conversation explores how AI is reshaping lab workflows, reducing manual design time, integrating directly into LMS systems, and even learning individual lab preferences. Christian explains how his custom-built orthodontic lab management system helped eliminate workflow chaos and automate huge portions of production, while Antoine gives a fascinating look into where dental AI is headed next. Between AI-generated appliances, automated scan checks, and self-learning workflows, this episode feels less like science fiction and more like a preview of what labs will look like over the next five years.Special Guests: Antoine Coppens, Chris Wilson, Christian Saurman, Rebekah Serrago, and Tony Aliatim.

Send us Fan MailMore Efficient Results, More Personal Attention ... Less Visits - The Day a Patient Disappeared and the Clinical Results were Astonishing w/ CoHost Dr. Robert Shafer A patient can go a full year on aligners without an in-office check and still finish beautifully, and that fact should change how you think about orthodontic remote monitoring. We sit down with Dr. Robert Schaefer, one of the most effective users of remote monitoring we've ever seen, to unpack what actually happens when you stop treating virtual scans like a side project and start building your workflow around them. The result is less chaos, fewer wasted appointments, and a calmer way to run aligner treatment day to day.We talk through the real reasons practices say “remote monitoring doesn't work” while still scheduling chair time that no one can explain. The core issue is usually training and default settings: teams and doctors often look at a scan and jump straight to “bring them in,” instead of asking “how can we keep them progressing without disrupting their life?” We also dig into the control problem, the common belief that patients need to see you to justify the fee, and why convenience is often the strongest value you can deliver for busy families.You'll hear practical takeaways on aligner tracking, catching noncompliance early, avoiding the dreaded surprise appointment, and when it does make sense to bring someone in (like certain elastic or bite checks). We also cover how fewer in-person visits can free time to upgrade your patient experience, education, and coaching, plus why dabbling with a “10-case pilot” often leads to failure. If you want better Invisalign and aligner outcomes with fewer fires to put out, this one is for you.Subscribe for more, share this with a doctor or team lead who's still on the fence, and leave a five-star review if you want us to keep pushing into what modern orthodontic practice management can look like.Click here to follow The Brian Wright Show PodcastClick here to subscribe and watch on The Brian Wright Show YouTube Station Thank you to our SponsorsNew Patient GroupWrightChat

A smile makeover shouldn't feel like a leap of faith, and it definitely shouldn't end with a surprise you didn't sign up for. We sit down with Dr. David Esham, a credentialed cosmetic dentist with 25 years of experience, to talk about what modern cosmetic dentistry is supposed to be: clear planning, better communication, and technology that helps you see the destination before you start. We walk through how to choose a cosmetic dentist with confidence, from patient reviews and before-and-after photos to credentials and the vibe you get during a consultation. Then we get practical about the technology that changes the experience for patients, including virtual consultations, fast digital scans that replace messy impressions, and digital planning that lets us adjust tooth shape, length, and shade with far more precision. If you've ever wondered what “digital dentistry” actually means for your comfort and your results, we spell it out in plain English. We also dig into next-level planning tools like merging a CBCT 3D X-ray with a digital scan, especially for implant cases and All-on-4 or All-on-6 treatment where alignment and fit matter down to the millimeter. Finally, we connect all of that tech to the bigger goal: minimally invasive cosmetic dentistry. When planning is accurate, we can often use additive, enamel-preserving approaches that improve aesthetics without grinding teeth down, helping patients avoid the long-term “tooth death spiral.” If you're considering veneers, bonding, whitening, Invisalign, or implants, hit play and take notes on what to ask and what to look for. Subscribe, share this with a friend who's researching a new smile, and leave a review with your biggest cosmetic dentistry question so we can tackle it next.

Dr. Mary Alice Mina breaks down the top five tretinoin mistakes she sees her patients make — and admits she's made herself. From the dreaded purge to layering too many actives, she explains why so many people quit this powerhouse ingredient right before it starts working, and exactly how to use it correctly. She covers the difference between purging and irritation, the right amount to apply, how often to use it, why it's not a spot treatment, and which products to avoid pairing it with. Dr. Mina also answers a listener's question about her teeth — and shares her own Invisalign and retainer story. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who has tried tretinoin, given up on it, or is too scared to start. In This Episode:  0:00 — Welcome to The Skin Real 0:45 — What Is Tretinoin and Why Dermatologists Love It 3:30 — The Top 5 Tretinoin Mistakes 4:15 — Mistake #1: Stopping During the Purge 7:10 — Mistake #2: Using Too Much Product 8:45 — Mistake #3: Using It Too Frequently 10:30 — Mistake #4: Treating It Like a Spot Treatment 11:30 — Mistake #5: Layering With Other Actives 14:00 — The Sandwich Method Explained 15:45 — Recap of All 5 Mistakes 16:30 — Listener Q&A: Are Your Teeth Real? 18:00 — Final Thoughts and Where to Find Dr. Mina Want a deeper look? Watch the full episode on YouTube for a more visual experience of today's discussion. This episode is best enjoyed on video—don't miss out!  

Do you often feel like your homebase emotionally is a little … chaotic? Kiera reminds listeners that having a "calm" practice doesn't necessarily mean having a slow practice; rather, it's an intentional place, and it's worth existing in. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is such a great day. It's podcast day and I'm so excited to be here with all of you. I hope that you're excited for today. And again, I hope that you just remember that we are truly so blessed and so lucky to be living in the world of dentistry. I love being in dentistry. I love helping people have smiles. I love that like smiles are contagious, that good dentistry is contagious, that great teams are contagious. And today, today's podcast is   ⁓ calm is contagious and so is chaos. And, I think a calm practice model is really something that's going to help high performing offices feel easier. And I was actually talking to one of my business coaches the other day and he said, Kiera, I just want you to know that chaos is contagious. And so is calm. ⁓ our company is going through some really evolutionary changes. I'm very excited about them, but at the same time, I've made the joke that sometimes I feel like an orange juice being squoze. And the other day told my husband, was like, no, no.   that's too much juice that comes out of one squeeze, I actually feel like an olive. Like you are pressing everything out of me to get one teeny tiny drop of olive juice ⁓ or olive oil. And I just feel like sometimes practice owners, might feel this way. Office managers, you might feel this way where ⁓ sometimes that chaos is very, very contagious. And sometimes I think we accidentally live there. That might be our emotional home that we live in. It might be the place that we naturally go back to. And so just thinking that maybe there is another path.   maybe you coming in with a space in the center of calm and seeing how your team and your patients respond to that rather than coming in with this chaos. I did the trend, the AI trend where you ask chat GPT to make you a character based on what it knows about you. And it was fascinating for me because the character I got was me in a business suit. was holding papers. had traction in the background. had, it was kind of this like a tornado flurry behind me and I was holding a barbell weight because I do like to work out.   and I was in a black and white, so black skirt, white shirt, like holding this barbell weight in my hand and there's a tornado coming down behind me with like papers kind of flying and it was like, you're in this building phase of a little bit of chaos and this tornado. And then I decided to ask it like, well, based on where you know our company is going and where you know I'm going, build me a picture that looks like that. And it was fascinating because there was me in a cream suit, no black and white.   I was sitting there actually barefoot. So I'm in like a very professional suit. My arms were folded. I was very much at like peace and calm and ease. was at, there was like a sun. So it was like Hawaii slash Greece. Like I love to travel, but it was behind me. So was like no longer chasing or striving. was there. Family was incorporated rather than like being there. Working was part of my like Zen. And that's the image that I hold. And I think that that analogy and that story hopefully just shows that both are real.   I'm the same person and I'm living in a world of chaos or I'm living in a world of calm. And even my body feels better when I think about me being calm. And I think that there's times of chaos and there's times of calm. And I was actually chatting with my therapist the other day and we were talking about this like chaos versus calm, this force versus flow, this like drive and hit results versus like, you know, have flow. And she said, Kiera, it's kind of like being in a kayak. And she said, you know, a lot of people are trying to like force.   So you get in the kayak and you're rowing upstream and you're like working really, really, really, really hard to get somewhere, but you're going against everything. And it really is chaotic and you get exhausted and you get burnout. And I think so many practices feel this way. And she's like, versus Kiera, think what you think of calm or flow is like, you just get in the kayak, put your hands in the air and let go of the paddle and you just float wherever you're going to go. And she said, that's actually not flow, that's apathy. She said, flow or this calm is when you're actually in the kayak and you're looking ahead.   and you see rapids or you see a rock and you like put the paddle in to steer around it. And then when it's calm, you actually enjoy that calm rather than having your focus so far down that you're afraid of the rapids that you forget to enjoy the moment you're in today. And hopefully with some of those analogies I've given and some of those examples, you can see yourself in a practice of both of these are contagious. You can be the Kiera and the tornado where it's like, I got the barbell and I'm doing it all, but I'm exhausted and there's a smile, but it's a fleeting smile.   or there can be this calm and centered. And so today, just helping you realize that like a calm practice is not a slower one. It's a very intentional, right? Like me having two businesses, a lot of business owners, when you look at them, a lot of our multimillion, I'm talking my five, 10, 15, 20, $30 million practices, it's very different who that owner is compared to my like startup one, two, $3 million. And what I've noticed, and even some of the five, 10, 15, I'm not saying just when you hit a certain dollar amount, you become this.   But what I do see is these owners are very intentional with their time. One that runs a $30 million organization, works out, doesn't have any apps on their phone, ⁓ has another side business. They're running all these practices. But when you meet this person, you don't feel that anxiousness. You feel this like very much like they're willing to just sit down and have coffee with you and chat with you about your life.   It's very fascinating. And so I also hope that you realize like calm is not a indicator that you're a slower practice. It's an indicator that you're intentional and chaos is not an indicator of growth. think sometimes even for myself, it's like, but if we're having chaos, it's like what I'm darting through traffic, am I really making progress or does it just feel good to have an adrenaline rush? And so chaos is not a sign of growth. Most of the time chaos means that there's missing structure. Now there's going to be times, right? There will be times of rapids. There will be times of   boulders coming down the river, but we don't have to stay there and we don't have to live there. And so I just wanted to kind of go through today a couple of quick tips that I see of these calm, like flourishing, thriving, imagine me sitting there, cream colored suit, very calm. Like literally that's the image that I have in my mind of who I want to be and the practice I want to have and the business I want to create. Because to me, that's more sustainable. That's more fun for my team. It's more fun for me.   And so just going through that. if you guys don't know who we are, I'm Kiera Dent Dental A Team. I'm obsessed with all things dentistry. Our philosophy of Dental A Team is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible and to literally break through the myth that to have a successful practice, you have to be stressed. You have to have chaos. I do believe running a successful practice should be easy and it can be easy with the right team that's empowered. I believe you can have it all. And so ⁓ really truly, I wanna just help you see that like,   You are not always just going to be calm and you're not always going to be chaotic. There's going to be that. But what is your baseline center that you go back to? I think is more of what it is. And for someone like Kiera, who chat GPT says there's a tornado around. I actually just got back from a trip and my team said, Kiera, you feel so calm. And I do think that there's intentionality behind it. I want to show up differently. And I think there's a few best practices that I'm happy to share. So I think calm comes from predictability, not personality. ⁓ I'm a very vibrant human and yet there's calm that comes from predictability. So   Like when we look at this, it's consistent scheduling patterns. It's hitting our daily targets. It's making sure we know our profit margins. It's making sure that our whole team is following structure and processes. And so when we go through a practice assessment with new offices, we talk about, you have a vision and a 10 year target together? And does your team actually know where we're headed? Then do we use KPIs and data to make decisions? Are we profitable? And do we have our systems documented and in place? And do we have right people, right seats?   And then based on those answers, it usually determines if we're stressed out or not. And usually that stress level influences the rest of those other items within a circle. And the more stressed the doctor is, usually the lower those numbers are. And so when we look at it of how do we have like what a good day looks like in our practice, how do we have our systems being documented and followed by all? How do we ensure that we have the correct processes and flow and scheduling and all of that? It does not happen overnight, but it is being very intentional. And I will say a crazy schedule.   creates KZ dental practices, not scheduling and driving patients to where we want them to schedule rather than saying, where do you want to schedule? All these little, little minute decisions that we make throughout our day, how we communicate, they actually create more or less chaos. Having said structured meetings, I will tell you the practice that is multi-millions, 10, 15, 20, 30. I'm not joking. Every single department, every single practice meets every single week for meetings. It's structured. There's agendas. There's accountability. And my company,   Mondays are meeting days. have our leadership meeting. We have our marketing and client success meeting. We have our consultant meeting. Like we are very, very, very intentional. I meet with my executive assistants and we go through everything. Everything is mapped out. There are agendas. There's follow through. There's follow up. We have tracking systems for it. We review our numbers. We have a scorecard. And this is what we teach practices to do. And I think when you have that predictability as an owner, usually your stress comes from people not doing the jobs that you think that they should be doing.   or cashflow. Typically, those are like one of the two areas that you're stressed out. Sometimes there's other things, but usually it's one of those two levers of a practice. ⁓ And then like you just feel the weight of it all on yourself. So then you run around crazy creating this tornado and then you are stressed out. And so for this of how do we actually build this structure for our team? And so I feel like if you are driving, sometimes you can actually be driving and hitting huge numbers and huge success, but you feel like you're exhausted at the end of the day. And I feel like where's the and can we have   great success in production and happiness where we're leaving the end of the day. The answer is yes, but it's intentional, it's designed and it's slowly chipping away. Just like with like a lot of compliance things, we're not going to be compliant overnight. You're not going to be this calm practice overnight, but I would look at your practice and I would do a little autopsy of it, of where is the bulk of your stress coming from? I can't tell you how often I do this. It's usually when I'm very stressed. I try to do it at least once every three to six months of what's causing me the most amount of stress and where can we fix systems? Where can I delegate and elevate?   And then how can I actually be more intentional and show up better? I've learned that having meetings right at 8 a.m. stresses me out to no end, especially on Monday mornings. So we've moved those to where I have them at 10, 30 or 11 so I can come in prepared and I'm not showing up frantic. So whatever your rhythm is, whatever your model is, I really do believe take an audit of your practice and let's see where we could be 1 % more intentional. And don't worry, you can have a whole running list, but we've got to prioritize the top one or two things. That's what we as consultants are really good at doing is practices usually have like.   I wanna do everything and that's the chaos like throw up. And we're like, perfect, let's like dig through and sort through and like, let's work with this and this. These two items are gonna reduce your stress dramatically right away. So I would recommend like, look to see where you feel the most unpredictable, the most stressed and let's identify that and let's either elevate and delegate or create systems and processes or fix it to figure out what it is. Maybe you're not looking at the numbers consistently. Maybe you're scheduling a psychotic. Maybe we're not closing enough cases.   there is usually one or two massive pain points. And if we just fix those one or two, you're actually gonna move from that chaos to calm very quickly. And what you'll see is a result of actually exponential growth. So the next ⁓ piece that I've noticed with these calm versus chaotic practices is calm practices remove the decision fatigue. So you're not sitting there making decision after decision after decision, right? We have a set process of how we schedule. We have a set process of how we hire. We have a set process of how we...   set up a room for filling our crown. We have a set process for how we run our leadership meetings. We have a set process for how we terminate people. That is like, I feel as a business owner, and Jason and I talk about it a lot, it's like death by a thousand cuts. And I'm like, I don't want to answer another freaking question. If I see another Slack message, like I'm out and it's just because you're just pecked to death with decision after decision after decision. But to me, that's an indicator of we lack systems and we lack accountability to those systems. So what we can do is like,   doctors where you may be the bottleneck, like what's one or two things where you're like, I am pecked to death on these questions. Great. Who really should own that? And how can we delegate and elevate to that person where we're not being apathy, we're not in the kayak or we're just throwing the paddle in the water and saying, take me where you want me. It's, very intentional with this. So there's less decisions that need to be made. I will tell you, this is a, this is a snowball approach and it feels like you will never get there. And you slowly start adding pieces one by one, by one, by one, by one.   and that snowball starts to compact and it feels like it's so fluffy and it's not getting together. And then we start to roll it and it gets a little bit bigger and a little bit bigger and a little bit bigger, meaning less and less and less is sitting on your shoulders. A lot of times through this, you can actually go through those matrix where it says like, what are you good at? you, and you love doing what are you good at, but you hate doing, what do you want to be good at? But you're actually not good at it. And what do you like not good at and hate doing? You can actually start to categorize your, ⁓ your tasks within those that oftentimes helps you figure out where to delegate.   where to elevate. I think doctors and OMS who do this together, you might be able to find these gaps. So we remove that decision fatigue because owner doctors, you're not the only one who has this office managers. You're also having it to where you're just like, we have a team member, Kaylee, and she like taught elementary school for quite some time. And she'd be like, my lid is flipped. And it's like, there's just too much on us that creates that chaos. And either what we do is then we stay in that chaos or we become apathetic and we just stop caring. And that's where it leads to burnout. And so how can we have like,   Systemization, and like I said, it's not an overnight sensation. Dental A Team has so many systems, we've got so many processes, we've got onboarding, we've got terminating, we've got documents, we've got resources, we have people to help out, we've got tons of set processes and systems for you. And I think once you have that, you can then start to have ownership. We can have defined decisions. And then we also have documented standards. You start to build what's called a knowledge base. There's a great book called Come Up for Air that really talks about how to systematize this.   And it's not rigidity, it's just relief. Like the team now knows like, okay, when one plus one, like it's two and we do this. If it's red and green, we do this. They're not having to sit there and be like, hey doctor, what do you want me do for this? Hey, what do you want me to do for this? Like even for myself, like people are like, well, what do you want for birthday gifts? And I finally called Britt last night and I said, Britt, we just need a process for this. Like it's getting too large and too big. And I'm realizing these are decisions I don't need to be making constantly, but they just run in the back of the white noise. And I think,   once you commit to, I'm gonna be calm and profitable, you start to realize these things that are just pecking you to death and we start to make changes for it. And so I just want you to know that like very sophisticated practice owners actually make less and less decisions. I will also say that it's an identity loss and an identity shift that a lot of these owners feel because you're so used to being the go-to girl or guy that everything's coming through and you're like, I don't want that anymore. So then when people stop needing you, it becomes weird. And you actually sometimes,   Myself, I'm only speaking for Kiera. You might not be this way and I hope you're not You might actually go create chaos to feel important. So also look at yourself and sometimes we've been in this chaos I don't know like Psychoticness I've been there I've lived there to where that feels comfortable for me and when I'm calm and things are not broken Sometimes I wonder like what's going on and I go and create chaos So I think also know thyself and watch yourself to see like what is a decision that I'm making constantly that I could have someone else make   I think having a really good org chart or accountability chart has really streamlined it for us. had a great fractional COO come into our company. She organized it really well for us. And it was like, so I literally pulled out the legend. I'm like, okay, this decision should go to this person. And it's a reworking and I'm not going to lie to you. I felt like we were a snow globe that was shaken up and it lasted for about three months of just pure hell and chaos. But then it started to shift down and it was like, perfect. Britt makes these decisions. Shelbi makes these decisions. Tiff makes these decisions. Paul, Jenna.   down the line, Doug, Tyler, all of our team, these are the decisions are capable of making. And then when something comes up, people are like, Hey, who is this? And we all talk about like, based on the job duties, based on the job descriptions, this should go under this person. And then how can we give them the autonomy and the guidance to where I'm not answering every single decision, but we've got enough guidance around it to where I'm not having to answer every single one of these questions. So I'd say right now is a quick call to action on that is   figure out what decisions are coming past your desk every single day that you're like, this is not sustainable. And then let's create a delegation elevation and a system in a process to make it to where these decisions are not coming by you. And then point three that I want to make is calm is a leadership signal, not just a feeling. And so when I look at it, you can actually see how doctors operate. So a very chaotic practice is doctors rush, team fails, that patients fail it, mistakes increase. Calm leaders,   pause instead of react, they address issues early and they protect recovery times. Like there's literally CEO time built into their schedule. And what it looks like is when we have this of ⁓ running frantic and everybody's feeling it and we're making very like in the minute decisions. I started like figuring it out where we have an agenda and we actually, it's our parking lot. And that has saved me so much of those like on the fly decision-making. It's like, nope, put it there. If it's not something that has to be answered life or death today.   We actually have it to where I respond to my questions usually once a week with our team. like, you can even just feel like, as I say that, I went from this like, my gosh, it's like bombarding me constantly to I have a set day, I have a set time, my team knows when I'm gonna respond to them. They can get back. Now you might be like, well, Kiera, patients are calling. 95 % of the patient issues, like there's some that need to have emergent issues. And I still have a folder that is must do today. Usually there are two items in that folder every single day that are absolute must do today.   And half of those actually aren't even like must do's today. So for you to have a like, this is when I have, like, this is when we answer questions. These are my meetings. People just park their issues that they need from me. I've had doctors where they're just being bombarded by team members. Team members, you're not doing it wrong. Doctors just are like trying to do a filling, trying to go and do this exam, try to stay on time, try to sell treatment, try to make sure everything's running. And then you guys are coming in like, Hey, did you get this Invisalign case? Hey, did you get this crown? Hey, hey, hey.   And if you guys have read the book, the one minute manager, it's like a monkey being put on your back or my friend described it as a magnet. We're like, you're just like dumping them or as like an office manager, she's like sticky notes compiling over you to where we've actually done it for offices, whatever your path is. If it's like we have a Google doc, everybody just dumps it there. We review it once a week. Fantastic. Or I've had some doctors where they have like a list outside their office where people just go and write it they put the due date on it. So that way it can be again, a consolidated time. You review this during your CEO time, but like you can even just feel that it's like,   It's a calming, it's a how do we operate? I'm not gonna run in this like frantic frazzled and you just let people know it's not fair for the team. It's not fair for patients and it's not fair for you to be making all these decisions haphazardly. And so I think just like when we actually look at this, doctors take their CEO times. I call it deep work time for myself. It's blocked in my schedule. It's taken me about a month to get my schedule there. I like it in the mornings. I don't like meetings in the mornings like.   I have a very, very, very structured of when I like to do it. They also figured out me when I used to do podcast recording, like it just was not working and serving. So I think even if you are a seasoned practice owner and you've done this before, look to see where can this be refined? Where can we make it towards it? More of your operating style, but literally stop skipping our CEO time every single week. I've seen practices that don't like that's all like doctors just own their power time, their CEO time, office managers and front office team members own that. We do it for about a month. Nothing else changes.   team starts to notice, things start to get done more effectively, tone starts softening, communication improves and culture actually elevates. And so if you do nothing else other than just like hold your CEO time to where you make decisions rather than being frantic and on the fly, you're going to actually have a lot more calm. So as we look through this, like I said, calm is contagious and so is chaos. And I think which...   It's almost like, you know how they say, you've got like an angel and a devil sitting on either side of you, or there's like a Indian, Native American story where it's like, which wolf am I feeding in the inside? Which one am I feeding? Am I feeding the calm side of me or the chaos side of me more every day? And our decisions are actually serving the calm side or the chaos side. And like I said, it does not mean less growth. It does not mean less anything other than more stability, more ease, more true flow.   And so for you, just look at it like, how can we increase our predictability? How can we reduce unnecessary decisions? And how can we lead with regulated energy and structure? So that way everyone's on the same page. I think like calm is not the absence of pressure. It is the presence of structure. And when I heard that, I thought like, gosh, that's so solid because pressure is still going to come. And I my husband and I, were walking the other day and   Some things happened in the company and I just said like, Jace, this is just like another stroke or color or flavor of business. Like that's all it is. This is part of it. Like it's not gonna go away. These things, it's not like we'll have a marathon and we'll get to the end line and like all of our problems will suddenly be dissolved. It's just, how are we able to contain that? How do we navigate through that? How do we respond to that? And are we more on the calm side or the chaos side? And I will say this is a habit. It is not something that most people are born innately with.   I will say it's discipline and it's dedication and it's following through. But really I think it's who do you want to be as a leader? What do you want to show up for me? I just realized like I'm not showing up as the best wife. I'm not showing up as the best sibling. My siblings would call me and I just like they would wait weeks on ends before I'd respond to them. And I'm like, that's just not who Kiera wants to be anymore. ⁓ Kiera wants to be the sister, the mother, the wife that can come in and show up in a way where my family gets the best of me, not just work. I wanted to come in where work was getting the best of me and I wasn't being   like barky on all of my decision making and being annoyed. Team members would say like, here we used to brace asking you for things like you're always polished, you're always professional. But like we know there's this air of annoyance. And for me, my team deserves better. I deserve better. My family deserves better. And I think there is a different and a better way to live if you choose it. So I think like if your practice is feeling just maybe heavy, ⁓ it's not a failure. It's just a signal. And oftentimes I think when you decide to commit to this,   It unlocks a lot of like refinement in the practice and unlocks a lot of systems that we could do. It unlocks leadership opportunities that doesn't have to just sit on your shoulders anymore. And so I think this is some of our favorite work in Dental A Team because it helps us like practices are able to feel this release immediately. We're able to quickly like navigate and streamline. So if that's feeling like you or you're like, gosh, Kiera, you're speaking directly to me, which I know a lot of you feel, reach out, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com or go to our website and click the book of call. It can just be like, let's talk through this and let's give you some tangible tactical ideas.   to help take you from where you are to where you wanna go. Whether you work with us or don't, you will leave that call with tactical resources. You see a map of like, where am I today versus where I wanna go, like I was explaining. And it's actually one of the most fulfilling things for me is to be able to do that for practices to where you can actually see that. So reach out, I'd love to do it. It's no pressure, totally complimentary and just giving you kind of a baseline of where you are. Or if you're like, my gosh, like I need the help, reach out. This is literally what we specialize in. This is what we're experts in and it's what we're obsessed with doing.   So reach out because this is the time for you to choose to have growth and calm, not one or the other. And I believe that the best practices have that. So you guys, is your chance. This is the time. Reach out if there's any way we can support you. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Send us Fan MailDr. Rick Mars is the CEO of the Dental Care Group, which includes four privately owned, multi-specialty general practices. He has been practicing dentistry for over 38 years and has extensive experience integrating Invisalign and other auxiliary services into his practice. Needless to say, he definitely knows how to approach work in a way that makes the dental practice not just tolerable, but a fun place to be. We cannot wait for you to tune in to this discussion about making the most of practice management! ✨Connect with Dr. Mars: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrickmars/Dental Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentalcarefl/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drrickmars/Huge thank you to our educational partner, Align, for making this episode possible

Special Offer: Get 15% OFF your first FIGS order with code FIGSUK at checkout.Shop now at https://www.wearfigs.com/———————————————————————UK Dentists: Collect your verifiable CPD for this episode here >>> https://courses.dentistswhoinvest.com/smart-money-members-club———————————————————————Your ads can be “working” and your diary can still be empty. That's the painful gap we tackle as we get practical about paid advertising for dentists and dental practice owners heading into 2026. I'm joined by co-host Dr Dan Shaffer and marketing specialist Rahil as we unpack what's genuinely changed on Meta, why the algorithm now pushes towards creative that feels bespoke to the viewer, and why “creative is key” is no longer a catchy line but the deciding factor in performance.We compare Facebook and Instagram ads with Google Ads (PPC) in a way that makes sense for real-world patient acquisition. Google often brings higher intent leads because people are actively searching for implants, Invisalign, emergency appointments, and cosmetic treatments. Meta can generate more eyeballs and cheaper leads, but those enquiries can be harder to contact or less ready to book. Our north star stays the same throughout: bums on seats, not vanity metrics.We also get specific on execution: when to use a conversion-focused landing page, when a Meta lead form helps, and why sending traffic to a generic homepage usually breaks the journey. We talk testing culture (static vs video, captions, colours, variations), boosting winning organic posts, and how AI is reshaping marketing through longer search queries, Google AI Overviews, and zero-click searches. If you're trying to set a smarter dental marketing budget and build a funnel that converts, this one will sharpen your thinking.———————————————————————Disclaimer: All content on this channel is for education purposes only and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice. For that, you should speak to a regulated, independent professional. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. The views expressed on this channel may no longer be current. The information provided is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and all tax rules may change in the future. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment, you should speak to a regulated, independent professional. Investment figures quoted refer to simulated past performance and that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results/performance.Send us Fan Mail

What if you were given a human being and that human was in your ‘custody’ would you do everything in your power to take good care of her? In this episode of The Art of Living Big, Betsy emphasizes that loving yourself isn't a feeling but an approach and a job, built through repetitive, practical daily acts. The custody and care of you is up to you, don’t hand that job off. Have a listen and allow the profound message in this podcast really sink in. Transcript:  Welcome to The Art of Living Big, where we explore how to live intentionally and with more joy. I’m Betsy Pake, your host, master, coach, and creator of the Navigate Method. Here to help you listen in to your true desires, elevate your standards, and live life to the fullest. Now, let’s go live big Hi everyone. Welcome to the show Today. I saw something online this week. I saw something and I think it was kind of an old clip. It was something that Drew Barrymore shared. And , I wanna tell you about it and I wanna kind of talk about this. ’cause I’ve been thinking about it and it was like, weirdly not, she had somebody on the show that isn’t somebody that I’m almost embarrassed to say, I don’t even know who this guy is. I guess he’s an actor. I’m gonna say his name and then you’re gonna be like, how does Betsy not know that? But I don’t, , so I saw it and then I thought about it and then it was the kind of thing where I must have, it must have really. Hit something. ’cause I thought about it and woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it. Do you know what I mean? When you’re trying to put something in the appropriate bucket in your brain? So. I was scrolling and I came upon this clip that Drew Barrymoore shared from her show, and it was this guy named Matthew Hussy. . Hussy Hussy, I think. And he said. And I went back to watch the clip and I want, I’m gonna get it as close as I can. But what he said was, imagine that you got handed a human being at the beginning of your life and your one job, like the one job for the rest of your life is to take care of that human. And most of us don’t realize that that’s our job. So we finish being parented. And then we kind of walk out into the world looking for somebody else to show up for us. But the truth is, we are our human. The only person who is here to take care of me is me. And then he said she’s in my custody. The custody word, I think is the part that really stuck with me, you know? I have been thinking recently and , if you’ve been here for a while, you know, I was married for a long time and , decided to leave my marriage, I don’t know, maybe about five years ago. And then after a short period of time, six months or something like that, decided to come back, I had hope that maybe things could change or work out. And then after a couple years I realized that they weren’t, and I had the wisdom to leave. Fully. And one of the things that I have personally been grappling with, I guess you could say, is the idea that I don’t feel, and I bet many of you feel like this too, I don’t feel like any time in my life has there really been somebody that was. Looking out for me or taking care of me. There was, when I was young, when my mom died when I was 16, I think that shifted and I became hyper independent. I know so many of you are that same way. I know we are the same, but hyper independent, which I could go down a whole rabbit hole about why that is really appealing too. , People with different attachment styles really like hyper independence, but I always have been able to do everything on my own. I’ve always been able to, , pay my own bills and do my own thing and make my own decisions and all, all of these things. And I’ve been thinking recently. As I have been packing up a lot of my stuff, I’m gonna get ready to leave to move to the beach in August. So I still have a little bit of time here. , And there’s several really good reasons why I am delaying. I have a retreat that I wanna focus on and some other things I have to give 60 days notice at my apartment. And the timing just worked out really well to, to give it in July and to leave in Midaugust. So when I think about this, as I have been going through old papers and pictures and all of this stuff, I have really been thinking about , is there, is there ever, is there ever a moment where I’m going to meet someone who. I wanna say like wants to, wants, that’s, this is the ideal word, to take care of me. And I don’t think I’m, I know I’m not looking for somebody, I’m absolutely not looking for anybody right now. But I would like to be open to the idea that someday I would meet somebody who could really, truly meet me where I’m at. I’m no longer willing to. Bend or make accommodations for somebody, it has to be right. Okay. So I have been thinking this thought of like, is there gonna be somebody that could take care of me? And then I hear this, the only person who is here to take care of me is me. She is in my custody, and I wanna talk about what that word means because I’ve thought about it a lot. And what it means for women in the kind of decision that so many of you, I think are in, because if you have been following along on my Instagram or, or maybe just been here for a long time, like that decision of trying to figure out whether to stay or leave your marriage might be right, top of mind, right? And so that whole idea of. She is in my custody may land a little bit differently for you and I wanna walk through kind of the why. So, , here’s how I see this. Like the math kind of goes, like goes like this. If he would just see me, I would be okay if he would just do the work. I would be okay if the marriage would heal. Right then I could make this be okay. Or if he became the kind of man that I have been hoping he would become, then I could finally, ah, feel safe. I could finally like rest. Right, and I’m gonna guess that you’re a lot like me, but I don’t feel like I’ve ever really rested. I think when I was in high school, if I took a nap on the couch, somebody would be like, get productive. Do you know what I mean? Like I, is there ever gonna be a place where I can finally rest where my human, the one I’m supposed to be taken care of, would finally get taken care of? And I have been so good at that taking care of myself that even now when I say I wonder if there’s ever a time where I’m going to meet someone who would want, and this is such an important, who would want, this is the important part to take care of me. I don’t need to be taken care of, but I want somebody to want to. And underneath all that math of like, what I could be okay. I could, , I could rest, I could catch my breath underneath all that. I, don’t, I don’t even feel, and even when I look back on my own journey, I don’t feel like there is anger. It’s, maybe not even sadness, but it is exhaustion. It’s like, it feels like a kind of tired. Like where all your blood’s been drained outta your body, like in your bones. People say like bone, I’m bone tired. When you have been waiting for somebody to meet you or to come and pick you up, and they keep not coming or they keep saying, I’m coming, but they never do. And you just , keep adjusting. You keep telling yourself like, okay, maybe today, maybe he’ll hear me. Maybe this will be the time that they will finally understand maybe there’s like this one next conversation that’s gonna make all of this happen. Or a therapy they’re gonna decide to go to. I wanna say they, ’cause it could be a man, it could be a woman they will go to. Maybe it’s a new book. And the reason that you’re tired is not because the marriage is hard. I mean it, it’s likely really hard, but that is not why you’re tired. You’re tired because nobody has been minding you. Nobody’s been minding your shop. Not him, but not you either, because a long time ago. You handed that job over. So you know, when I heard Matthew Hussey say she’s in my custody, the word custody, it’s a legal word, right? It’s a very formal sounding word. It is the word that we use. I think when we’re talking about like deep responsibility. Right when we’re talking about whose responsibility a person actually is, like who’s on the hook? Like who’s gonna feed ’em and get ’em outta bed and keep them safe? And when I heard him say that, my brain went right to lawyers and courthouse. My former husband was an attorney. So like, I immediately was like, we think about. Custody arrangements or language that we use about children in divorce. And then I was kind of like, oh, I didn’t have children with my former husband that was an attorney. I had children with my other former husband because I’m very chic and I’ve had a couple. But that wording made me go, oh, I do have a human in my custody. I have her, like right here. I have me and she has been with me my whole life and I have been pretending that someone else was on the case, right? That someone else was gonna do this like that. If I could be paying attention to them, they would be paying attention to me. And I, I sat with that , for a long time because I was like, well, I don’t know. That feels nice. I would be paying attention to them and they would be paying attention to me. That feels really good to me. But the trick I think is knowing, and I thought about this for a long time and I thought about all the women that I work with, right? Women in this same exact place, maybe a place where you are. And I realized that this. Is what is sitting in the middle of every single clarity decision that I have ever sat with another woman in my program. Right? Is the, is it true that if I’m taking care of him and he’s taking care of me, everything will be okay? And that may be true, but the trick is to be partnered with someone who is doing the other side of that. Or to be able to take care of yourself first and give the overflow to someone else, and that feels a little bit more aligned when I start thinking about it and feeling through what is correct for me. What is correct for me? You decide what is correct for you because the truth is, and when I sit with so many women in this decision, is that they have done that side of it. The side of, I’m gonna take care of you, I’m gonna make sure you’re okay. And the house is okay, and the kids are okay, and the bills are paid and the lawnmower gets done, and the scheduling of the dentist appointments happen and the food is prepared and picked up from the grocery store and planned it. Like, I’m gonna do all of that. But then the other side is never happening. And if you’ve been waiting for him to take custody, maybe not consciously, maybe you would never use that word. I mean, that word stuck out to me, right? ’cause it’s not a word I would have used. But when you trace the thread of what it is that you’ve been hoping for, I think of that. Is actually what’s at the end of that rope, right at the end of that thread. And so if you have been hoping that if he changed you would be okay. You have been hoping that if the marriage got fixed, that your insides would settle down . You would have been hoping that if he just could see you finally the way you wanna be seen, that part of you that has been alone. For a really long time would not be alone anymore. And when I have been thinking about this over the last couple weeks, since I saw that last week or so, is that even if he became the absolute best possible version of himself, even if he did all the work, even if he showed up exactly the way that you have been asking. The job was still always yours. He cannot take custody. Even the best version of him can’t like custody is, yours. He can love you. He can show up, he can witness you, he can be a partner, but none of that is custody. Custody is the day-to-day work of keeping a human alive and well. And nobody can do that for you. Not because they don’t love you enough or love isn’t real or it’s fake or any of those things. Not because partnership is fake, but because that’s just how being a human being works. The job was assigned to you the day that you got here. And the part , that Matthew said that I lingered on. Also, and that I wanna talk about here is the part where I think kind of shift when we’re in pain. And he said, loving yourself is not a feeling. It’s an approach. It’s a job. So you don’t even have to like yourself today to love yourself. And I was like. You don’t have to like yourself today to love yourself today. And when you’re in a season of things, being really, really hard and loving yourself starts to depend on a feeling, then that’s where I think you’re like screwed. Because feelings change every day. They do not cooperate. I would love my feelings to cooperate. But they don’t always cooperate. And so then you’re in a season where you wake up and you don’t feel like the version of you that you used to be, and you wake up and you feel like you don’t like her, and you wake up and you feel like you don’t really recognize her anymore. Well, if loving her, if taking custody of her depends on you liking yourself first, then you’re never. Gonna choose her. You’re gonna wait for the day when you wake up and you feel confident. And that’s still , not how it works. I so wish that it was, I so wish that it was, I posted on Instagram yesterday about my process of cleaning out some bins that were in storage and going through the bins and finding these old pictures, I mean. Pictures from high school, pictures from college, not a lot of pictures from college, pictures from early in my twenties. A lot of those, and there was this version of me that was so hopeful that somebody would love her and pick up the pieces where somebody else had left off. And I think I waited in a lot of ways and I allowed. People that weren’t, well, first of all, they weren’t equipped for the job because that was me that was equipped for the job. But they, were waiting for somebody to take over, and I stepped in and did that, and that just depleted me even more. And so every morning when I woke up, of course I didn’t feel confident, of course, I didn’t feel like I liked me. I was exhausted and depleted. And that’s not. A flaw in me, in her, that version of me. It was just somebody that wanted to be loved. But that again, it’s an inside job and it’s a job you get to do, and it’s a job that requires you not to actually feel anything. I know that sounds weird, but you don’t have to feel like it. You know, we feed our kids even though we don’t feel like it. Right. There were so many days I wanted to be like ketchup packets for everybody, but people need to eat every damn day. I’m like, it’s never ending. You people always need to eat. We have custody. We do the thing that we need to do to take care of them, and you can still show up on a day where you don’t have faith in yourself. And I think that liking yourself. It shows up when you start showing her she’s important. It’s like a result of that job, not like a prerequisite for that job. And so when I was going through my storage bin and I was wondering like, when did this shift happen? I mean the grief I went through over those two weekends of going through those photos and yearbooks. You know, I, I think I, I was trying to figure out was there a moment, and I think it goes like this, right? You’re like a little girl. Your parents take care of you. You grow up, you learn what love looks like by watching them. , And then, you grow up a little more and then you leave home and then. That next chapter where you really step into your life and become an adult and a woman and , you, perhaps you partner. And in that partnering up, like in that marriage, somewhere in there, the job of taking care of you, transfers. And I think it’s baked into how we are culturally shaped. So it’s not something that. I think biologically now there’s maybe a piece of biological of taking care of somebody else, but not abandoning ourselves. It’s not a guidebook. Someone says, okay, so now here’s where you’re gonna abandon yourself. So you could have made the choice. It was just like baked into how we do things. So, you walk outta your parents’ house holding a human in your arms, and that human is yours. And the marriage is not the place where that human of yours gets handed off. The marriage is a place where you bring her with you, where she comes with you, ’cause she is yours. And I think what happens is a lot of times women, by the time they get to me, have been carrying around this, like, hope that someday somebody would notice the human in their arms and, and pick them up. You know that their husband or their partner or their wife, their career even like somebody, somebody finally take her so that they could rest. And that’s, I think, the part that makes clarity so freaking hard. It’s probably why we avoid it because we’re like, oh my God, , I allowed this, I, , and I. I am not taking him off the hook or her off the hook. Trust me, I’m, I’m just saying there is a point where we can stop and if we haven’t stopped it, then there’s something else. part of getting clear is realizing that the someone who is supposed to take care of her was never going to, if it wasn’t you. ’cause the job wasn’t his, the job wasn’t your partner’s, it was yours. Okay, so let’s just assume that we’re all on the same page here. The custody of you is you and you’ve gotta take care of her first, and then the overflow can go to everybody else. And that is not what we’re taught and that is not what we’re modeled. So now here you are with this job on your hands that you’re like, I don’t know how to do this really. , Sometimes I see these posts like on Instagram where it’s like self-care and it’s like someone getting a pedicure or whatever. No shame to that. I do that when I have a in, but it’s not just, , manicures and bubble baths. Like sometimes it has those things for sure. But that is not the work. The work is actually a whole lot more boring than that. The work is these little questions. You know, inside Instagram, when I do those talking reels, I always say, this is your North Star. That’s the work, like that’s the job. And I think it can start out with really small things like, did I feed her well today? Did I let her sleep last night? Did I move her body like even a little bit? Did I take her for a walk? Did I get sunlight and fresh air? Did I let her say the thing that she actually thinks today? Or did I make her jump around and perform? Did I keep her around? People who drained her? Did I tell her not to cry when she needed to? Did I let her say no to something like that’s, the work. That’s the job. It’s small, it’s boring. It’s very, very repetitive. I think it’s very much like taking care of a child that you love and most of taking care of a child that you love is not like the birthday parties and the special things at school. It’s the. 8,000 million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or the laundry or the reading, the QuickBook at bedtime, right? It’s just showing up for them. And the job of being your own custodian I think is the same. It’s these small little acts of showing up for the human that’s in your custody. You know, last month I got my teeth cleaned. And I don’t know why our insurance doesn’t cover the bones in our teeth. Those teeth bones are different, but last year I spent probably about $7,000 on my teeth. I’ve mentioned this before. I had to get my teeth cleaned twice. I had to get some x-rays. I needed a crown. I had two cavities that needed to be replaced from my youth and I got Invisalign and then I had to get a retainer and all of that added up. Even as I say it, it was likely more than, it was a lot of money. It was a lot of money. It was, that was my investment in myself last year and when I went to get my teeth cleaned last month, they no longer had like the in-house. Insurance. It was like 350 bucks and that covered two of your cleanings and your x-rays and they didn’t have that. And so when I went to check out, I said, well, I wanna renew my insurance. And they said, oh, we don’t do that anymore. It’s 600 bucks. But they didn’t tell me before. And at first I was like annoyed. I’m still probably a little annoyed. I would have done it anyway. But to have known would have been nice. But the job of being my own custodian would have been the same. I take care of my teeth because that is what she requires, and it is boring and it’s annoying ’cause that costs more money than I wanted. No, pedicures are manicures for me this month. And so I wanna say, this. If you cannot answer yes to a lot of those questions that I just asked. Like, do you let her sleep? Do you let her rest? Do you bring her for a walk? Do you let her get sunlight? I, I want to, to say, if you cannot say yes to those, it’s not a sign that you’re a bad person. It’s just a sign that you need to take the job back. It’s like the moment of recognition that you wake up and you go, oh, that, that job has been mine. And there is the practical side of dentist appointments and mammograms, and there is the other side of the small daily repetitive, boring things that we have to do to take custody of ourselves. And when we do that and we show ourselves that she is valuable, that she is worthy of investment, that she’s worthy of taking care of, then I think it’s easier to start to put her first and give the overflow to everyone else and there will be enough overflow. That may be the question in the back of your mind. If you are such a good custodian, there will be overflow. And then everyone flourishes. Nobody is depleted. And so if you’re sitting in this question of like, do I stay or do I go right? , The question that’s in your head typically is gonna be something like, but he’s a good guy. Is he good? , Is he bad? He’s not bad. I’m like, does he love me? Uh, I don’t,, I don’t know. I is, did I do enough? Is he enough? Is he gonna change? Am I being fair? Am I being too harsh? Am I too hard on him? Maybe I want something more than I need, like maybe I’m asking for too much. Maybe I should just be happy. He’s a good provider, right? I hear this all the time. So the conversation is about him. It’s always about him. So I wanna give you a different question. Take the question away from him. The question is, in the marriage that you currently have, is your human getting taken care of? Not by him, by you? Are you allowing yourself to be your own custodian inside this house? That’s the question. It’s not. Is he a good husband? It’s not. Is he trying? It’s not, does he love you? Those questions can come later, but the question in the room that you currently live in is, can you do the job that is yours? Can you feed her? Let her sleep in, take her out, get her some fresh air and a sunshine on her face. Let her cry. Can you keep her around? People who do not drain her now? In some marriages and I this last month, we’ve had several people come through the Navigate method that their marriage has really been renewed. It’s so awesome to see. And when they shifted to them, the answer was yes. The marriage is not the problem with custody. You can do your job and he can be his own person, and then you both function as humans next to each other in other marriages, the answer is no. When you start taking care of yourself, then you see that the answer is no, not because he’s a bad person, but because the structure of the marriage as it currently is, keeps you from taking care of yourself. So she can’t speak, she can’t rest. She can’t stay, no, she can’t be in the room as herself. And so it’s not necessarily that he’s a villain or you have to decide if he’s a good guy or a bad guy. It’s is the human that you have custody of safe in your custody. That’s the question. So the good news here, I think, is that the job that you have been given of being the custodian has always been doable. You can do it. You can do it even on days where you don’t feel like yourself, even on days where you’re exhausted, even on days where you just don’t feel like it. But you can wake up tomorrow and ask yourself the one question, which is, what would I do today if I was actually taking care of my human? And then do that one thing. And then the next day ask it again, and then the next day and the next day, until the woman that you have been waiting for somebody else to take care of, starts to recognize that she is finally home, that she has been picked up by you. And I think that is how you live a big life. Thanks so much for being here with me. I will see you all next week. i. Thanks for joining me on The Art of Living Big. I hope today’s episode sparked something within you, maybe pushed you to dream a little bit bigger and live a little larger. Don’t forget to subscribe. Leave us a review and share this podcast with someone you know who might need a little inspiration today. You can find me over on Instagram at Betsy Pake and on my YouTube channel. Remember, the world is vast. Your potential is endless, and your life, it’s yours to shape. Until next time, keep reaching, keep exploring, and keep living big.

Can bread become mezonot!?Can you pray with Invisalign in your mouth!?Can you smoke!?

O programa desta semana contou com a visita de Joana Stichini Vilela, de regresso ao 'Irritações' para falar sobre o seu novo livro, 'LX 90'. Aproveitando a temática, a jornalista recorda como o "estacionamento em Lisboa" mudou com a criação da EMEL, e há quem afirme: "Acho mesmo que foi uma das mais importantes decisões dos anos 90". Inês Rogeiro fala sobre a 'praga' dos invisalign, com Luís Pedro Nunes a comentar sobre a "dor suicídio". Já José de Pina mostra-se perplexo com o evento 'CHIC-NIC': "Tenho vergonha das pessoas que vão pagar 300 euros de entrada no parque Eduardo VII para isto". Com moderação de Pedro Boucherie Mendes, o Irritações foi emitido a 01 de maio, na SIC Radical. * A sinopse deste episódio foi criada com o apoio de IASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

this week on Delusional Diaries, Halley and Jaz are back on the couch catching up on everything from Invisalign lisps and New York City overstimulation to brutal hangovers, Disney adult magic, and the chaos of spring in the city. the girls get real about adjusting to life in New York, how constant noise and overstimulation can weirdly become comforting, and why moving there can feel like both a dream and a nightmare. Jaz shares her unexpectedly perfect Disney World trip filled with lucky girl syndrome, short lines, and peach Dole Whip obsession & so much more!the conversation then turns to summer plans, honeymoon arrangements, and major life updates. Halley gives an exciting update on her almost-finished house renovation, from accidentally walking on freshly stained floors to debating the perfect dog-proof couch color, while Jaz talks about finally settling into her own nearly completed home. the girls discuss their goals for the summer: learning how to park a boat, becoming gardening girls, getting snatched, making good content, and embracing a more zen lifestyle. they also debate summer destinations, from Greece to the Amalfi Coast, while weighing beach clubs, shopping, and FOMO over missing Hamptons weekends with friends.of course, they wrap things up with the unhinged takes you know and love so much: online dating discourse, TikTok debates, and their girls trip to Tokyo and Seoul. from whether dads should bring daughters into women's restrooms, to why dating apps may have ruined modern romance, but can still work if you grind hard enough, the girls share brutally honest opinions on love, dating, and the realities of meeting someone on Hinge. plus, they assign roles to their upcoming Asia travel crew, talk trying new foods in Japan, head spa dreams, and all the excitement (and anxiety) of traveling across the world with six girls. Timestamps 3:30 - Living in NYC8:43 - Jaz's recent travels & updates 13:32 - The sleepover 26:55 - Summer goals 29:15 - Tokyo and Seoul 40:04 - Online dating More of Delusional Diaries Podcast:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delusionaldiariespodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@delusionaldiariespodcastYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelusionaldiariespodcastSubstack: https://delusionaldiariespodcast.substack.com/Website: https://delusionaldiaries.com/More of Halley:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halleykmcg/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@halleykateMore of Jaz:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justjazzzyidk/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justjazzzyidkYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/justjazzzyidkLinks apartments.com - apartments.com Nutrafol - Use promo code DELUSIONAL for $10 off your first month's subscription and freeshipping at https://nutrafol.com/Ollie - Ollie. Feed the Obsession. Go to ollie.com/diaries and use code diaries to get 70% off your first box!RLY Tea - https://drinkryl.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Skin Talks, Beate and Natascha from Boutique Skin Envie sit down with Dr. Scalia, orthodontist, to explore how straightening teeth is about much more than a prettier smile. You'll learn: • Why jaw position and tooth alignment influence breathing, sleep quality & even facial development • How early intervention (ages 7–8) can prevent complex treatments later in life • Real solutions for snoring and sleep apnea—yes, orthodontics can help you ditch the CPAP • The pros and cons of braces vs. Invisalign (timeline, comfort & cost) • Financing options, insurance myths & who's ever too old for a new smile • Quick oral-health wins: proper flossing, brushing technique & choosing the right toothbrush Connect With Us: Hosts: Beate Instagram → @beatevonhuene Natascha Instagram → @nataschaschillinger Our Website:

What does the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics really think about orthodontic AI, corporate orthodontics, and research bias? Dr. Neal Kravitz pulls no punches in this candid conversation with Dr. Leon Klempner and Amy Epstein. A practicing orthodontist, educator, and past AAO Technology Committee chair, Dr. Kravitz shares why evidence-based orthodontics still needs room for clinical judgment, why overtreatment is the specialty's quiet problem, and why young orthodontists have more reasons for optimism than anxiety. Honest, direct, and deeply practical.What You Will Learn In This Episode:How orthodontic AI is best used as a diagnostic and records automation tool rather than a replacement for clinical judgment, and why evidence-based orthodontics still requires the experienced eye of a trained specialist to catch what algorithms miss.Why research bias in orthodontic literature comes not only from industry-funded studies but also from reviewers and authors themselves, and how understanding this helps orthodontists read the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics and other publications more critically.How the philosophy of conservative orthodontic treatment planning and doing less rather than more protects young patients from iatrogenesis, and why this principle should guide practitioners from their very first cases in private practice orthodontics.Subscribe to the Golden Age of Orthodontics and our sister podcast, Practice Talk, hosted by Lacie Ellis, wherever you listen to stay updated on orthodontic innovation and real-world practice strategies. Visit People and Practice for more insights and to connect with our team for practice growth solutions.TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction to orthodontic AI, corporate orthodontics, and specialty pressure with guest Dr. Neal Kravitz05:27 Dr. Kravitz explains how orthodontic AI supports diagnosis and records automation without replacing specialist judgment09:41 Discussion of underrepresented topics in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics and what evidence-based orthodontics research needs more of14:29 Balancing evidence-based orthodontics with clinical experience and why residents need room to develop sound orthodontic treatment planning24:41 How research bias from companies, authors, and reviewers shapes what orthodontists read and how the JCO editor manages this challenge28:29 Advice for new graduates on private practice orthodontics, finding mentors, and navigating corporate orthodontics with confidenceKEY TAKEAWAYS: Orthodontic AI is a powerful adjunct tool for diagnostics and workflow automation. Still, it will not replace the clinical judgment that distinguishes a trained orthodontist from a general dentist who uses Invisalign treatment without oversight or expertise.Research bias is not limited to industry-sponsored studies. Reviewer bias and author bias are equally real, which means every orthodontist must approach the literature, including the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, with informed skepticism and critical thinking.The philosophy of doing less protects patients. Dr. Kravitz argues that overtreatment, not under-treatment, has driven his most regrettable cases, and that conservative orthodontic care built around humility and honest self-evaluation defines what ethical practice looks like across an entire career.ABOUT THE GUEST:Neal Kravitz, DMD, MS | Ashburn South Riding, VA OrthodontistRESOURCES MENTIONED:People + Practice - WebsitePractice TalkDr. Leon Klempner - People + Practice

It's time to perform a special audit in your practice! This one is called the Invisible Friction Audit. Kiera guides listeners through how to catch problems that might not be very obvious, but are total gamechangers in terms of practice operations. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is going to be a great topic. I hope you guys are excited about it because it's going to be an audit of your practice. I think that there's oftentimes invisible friction that's happening inside practices and offices oftentimes don't catch it. They don't understand what's going on and they're like, something's happening and it's just this invisible friction. And so how can we actually catch this sooner in your practice? If you guys are new to our podcast, welcome. I'm Kiera Dent, host and founder of the Dental A Team and the Dental A Team Podcast.   I'm obsessed with all things dentistry, including my last name being Dent. Our mission is to possibly impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible and to influence, inspire, and to motivate you to have the best practice, the best life, and the best team that you could ever imagine. I genuinely know and believe that running a successful practice does not need to be hard. I've had hundreds of thousands of clients tell us that, Carrie, you've changed our perspective. You've made this to where...   I feel happy about going to work. You've inspired my team. We've got team members that text us telling us how much they love working with Dental A Team. And that's our mission. That's our passion. That's what we are truly experts in the field for. And today, this is one of those things of like, when you have friction that's invisible, how do you actually fix that? How do you actually make this thing better? How do you make it to where, my gosh, like, like we don't know and how can we catch this? So I wanted to just help you see like, here's the quiet, invisible, almost like.   cobwebs in the back corner that if you are able to figure this out, fix it so it's not there, you're not just walking past it, hopefully your practice will be able to thrive. ⁓ So number one is just like, how long does it take to make decisions to move your practice forward? And delayed decisions, I remember one of my favorite quotes is, a wrong decision is better than like indecision. ⁓ Indecision actually impacts far greater than making a wrong decision and...   I remember I was at this really big financial conference and they were talking about how one of the presidents of the United States, I don't remember which one it was, came in and there was this big thing of who we're going and what different things they were going to do. And it had serious impact. And the president came in and made a decision. like, well, how do you know that's the right decision? He said, I don't. But what I know is us sitting in indecisions costing us more than making a wrong decision. And I've thought about that a lot of, I don't even think half of the decisions we make in a day and day out of a practice.   would impact millions of lives and different pieces. And yet I think we sit on them acting as if they are these big audacious decisions rather than just making a decision. And I think it also builds the decision-making bone in our body where it's like, okay, we just make decisions and we move forward. And I think empowering your team to be able to make those decisions without needing to come through you to make every decision. So for example, like delayed decisions on.   treatment sitting in unscheduled. like, are we calling on those people who's taking responsibility for that? Like, let's just get unscheduled treatment called in on a consistent basis. What about like billing and insurance errors and issues? What about lab cases not being tracked? What about our Invisalign and Ortho cases? What about team members where it's like, let's circle back later, let's circle back later. Like, just make the decision in the meeting and move forward and make sure we count about it.   What about like patients who need multiple touch points to commit and to say yes to treatment? Like, why did CareDent get so good at closing cases? Because I hated the follow-up. So it was always, and like, it's a two, two, two follow-up. But these like delayed decisions or who are we going to hire or what things do we need to have for this or what budget do we have? And I understand that being a business owner is like death by a thousand cuts. Like you just get pummeled with question day in and day out. So it's like.   Let's have set days where we make decisions and like, let's make the decision and move forward. All of us execute on it. Attraction by Gina Wickman is very big on, we come to the table to solve and make decisions and we move forward and we solve them forever. So I think when you have like practices, like this is just invisible friction that you don't realize is there, but it's all these things sit there like looming storm clouds because we're not moving forward. We're not getting them done. We're not actually executing on things. And then we have to,   follow back up and team members need to remember. And I'm just big on interaction they teach a lot about. We have our weekly leadership meetings and we solve the issues. Now, if there's something that's gonna take longer and doesn't need immediate care today, it can actually go on what's called a parking lot or long-term issues. And I think having this in your practice, having this as part of your cadence, if it doesn't need to have your decision today, get it moving, but stop the friction. And what we've seen is like,   When I have practices that start working on this and people have clear owners and we stop the decision fatigue and we stop having a lag in this treatment goes up, schedules get more full, tasks start to get resolved, team members feel like they get answers, doctors don't feel like there's so much sitting on their shoulders. And that's honestly just you moving things forward and having owners of it. So I also think of like when a treatment coordinator owns all of the unscheduled treatment and they own our   monthly goal and they own how many people are supposed to be in there, we increase our scheduling. Like I was your treatment coordinator. So we start getting more people on the books sooner. We start hitting our daily goals sooner. And I've got a cadence of if you don't schedule today, I call you in two days, two weeks, two months. And then I send you a letter. There's no question marks of how I follow up with these people. There's no like, well, call people, Kiera. No, like it's just a set process that we follow. And then we make sure that people are being accountable to that. I think it's just great. Like it's not changing anything. We're not having to bring in more patients. We're not having to change up.   Our marketing, like we just move things along without having the delay. So I think when you guys are sitting in meetings or you're looking at it, like look to see how can we make decisions sooner and solve things forever rather than sitting here and being like, well, we'll get back to that. We'll solve that later. We'll solve that later. Make the decisions, give the clear owners and move things forward. The other one is going to be ⁓ an invisible friction of I think energy and practices have this is crazy. When we walk into offices, we're able to quickly feel   Is this practice thriving or is this practice like truly just like hanging on by a thread or do people not like each other? And I think that emotional piece ⁓ definitely plays. so looking at like, how's our team culture and what things are causing a rift in the culture. So are we making our one-on-ones every single month to find out how team members are truly doing? Are we looking at like, is our schedule consistent to where people know they can get out on time? Or if that's not ⁓ a culture piece, like people just know we're here for two hours afterwards and that's just our culture.   but at least that expectation can be met. What about like where we can add emergency patients? So front office knows, clinical team knows we're not having this like front office, back office divide. What about when we come into a room, is it clear on how we have our procedures set up so that way every person's there we're not having popcorn? What about like doctors like staying on time and if you're not on time, like let's adjust the schedule and then start scheduling more appropriately so that way we're not constantly running into lunch, running behind in the day.   Making sure our patients have all their new patient paperwork Thinking about are we doing Friday five shout outs? Are we doing team? Shout outs where people are looking at each other and like really finding happiness. We're working with each other I think it's just like that energy usually the drains start to happen on energy and culture and it's just that invisible friction when We can't count on our schedule. We can't count on getting lunch. We can't count on getting out on time I remember I worked in a practice and we were quote-unquote off on Fridays   And I was the one who, we had a patient that was scheduled on Fridays, I would be the one who was the assistant to cover. And without fail, every Wednesday or Thursday, the doctor would be like, we'll just add you on Friday. And it used to drive me absolutely crazy. So much so that I went and I interviewed at another office, I got another job, and then Jason got accepted to pharmacy school. And I think about like, why, Kiera why did you get to that space where you were like so dissatisfied? And it was because I could never bank on   when I had time off, I wish that they would have just hired me for four and a half days every Friday I knew. And if like patients didn't schedule, I'd get a Friday off. That would have been better for me to schedule rather than the like hope wish hoping that I have Fridays off. Cause I'm told like, we don't work Fridays unless we schedule a patient. Well, I'm angry with you every single time. Now that you schedule a patient, I don't want to help that patient. Like I do, but I wanted that Friday off. Cause I thought, so how can we give that, ⁓ consistency, the clear expectations clear is kind in these instances.   How do we make sure like, where do we add those ER patients? Where do we have like correct pieces for setting up? What about our hygiene exams? Making sure those are clear. Make sure our patients show up so hygiene's not running behind. Like all these little micro stressors really just eat at your team to where people like myself want to go look for another job. And it's not because they don't enjoy their job. It's just because all these things eat at team members too. And so I think predictability oftentimes like helps people feel safe. I think about   me with Jason, Jason has a great job and it allows me the freedom to go and be a bit more creative and unpredictable in the company. But my team does not need to feel unpredictable. ⁓ I need to create a safe, secure environment. Otherwise team members feel that like, like I said, it's an invisible friction that just causes them to create risks. And so when you have offices that ⁓ really truly keep their numbers strong, like we have strong numbers, we're constant on our cashflow, we're hitting our metrics.   you actually reduce team turnover. And the reason why is because it's not compensation, it's this predictability, like we're solid. And also the business owner is more solid. I remember I did a podcast a long time ago with Dennis Advisors and they said, team members, the best thing you can want for your boss and your dentist is to be a very profitable, like productive practice because the doctor's not concerned about cashflow and there's more stability and continuity within the practice.   ⁓ And so, and also what it does is it helps us prepare our days. We're not like chasing, trying to hit our production goals and always doing add-ins. Like it's more solid. Now we still need to maintain that level of flexibility and adaptability because dentistry is not perfect. I think it's, can we get 80 % where we can bank on, I get lunches, I get out on time. Those are big things that are micro stressors for teams. so creates a calm team and stronger execution. So I think we could even ask our teams through anonymous surveys of what are the things that just cause like   rifts or tension or frustration. And then what are the things that bring you like great joy and satisfaction? I'm really big on when I ask these surveys, I want to hear about pain points, but I also want to hear about good. So that way we don't get rid of the good while trying to fix the pieces. Also, you can ask about it in one-on-ones like, hey, what causes the most amount of stress? What causes the most amount of joy? These things are going to help you then be able to fix those little pieces. And then I think like one of the last things of this invisible friction that I see in practices is   like when standards start to slip without noticing. So like our morning huddles start to get shortened, case presentation is like not as consistent or as thorough. We don't have as strong of financial conversations. We're so busy that we're not answering calls. We don't have training. We're hiring a bunch of new people. We're tolerating like a good enough practice rather than excellent standards. I have found that   I think to me that that's just like a car that's like breaking down. Like we're not fixing, we're not taking in for regular oil maintenance. We're not filling it up with the best gas. We're not fixing when things break to where it didn't happen overnight, but it was a slow shift to where I had this great car that I loved and I enjoyed being to where I look at this car and I don't even know where it is. And so I think it's a, let's not, let's not lose the clinical excellence. Let's not lose our standard of excellence because teams want to be part of excellence. And especially in healthcare, these things really matter. Like we,   We follow our morning huddles. We follow our leadership meetings. We have department trainings and meetings. We make sure that we are solid on our case presentation. We're solid on our phone call answering. We're solid on our scheduling. don't lose the maintenance on our clinical and our practice excellence because that's going to really, really, really create friction where you're going to lose great team members because they want to go work for the best. They want to be at the best practice. You want to be the thriving practice. That's great for culture, great for our clinical excellence and great for our   our leadership within the practice. Like that's what we want to be known for. That's what teams strive to be a part of. And so how can you make more of that? And I think like when we let these little things slip, we're also letting other things slip. And I think about like my new year's resolutions and how often do I just let that slip a little bit or how often do I let some of my like, you know, we'll get to it later. I think keep yourself to a high level of standards of excellence because otherwise you do start to decay as a practice.   ⁓ And I think patients feel that teams feel that and you accidentally start to erode your practice. So when we look at it, we can actually like once a quarter, could SWAT or maybe once a year we SWAT analysis. So our strengths, our weaknesses, our opportunities and our threats. And maybe on our weaknesses, like where have we gotten a little too comfortable in our practice? Where have we maybe let that standard of excellence drop and it's hurting our culture and it's creating this friction. Those would be a few things. And so when we look at this and we think back on where the invisible friction piece is happening,   How are our decisions and are we taking too long on making them? What is draining our team energy and how can we fix that? And then where have our standards slightly started to slip and we wanna catch those. So those would be some great questions to ask at a quarterly meeting. You can ask them at a team meeting. But looking at this to see like, this is going to be that invisible friction. And if we get those things moving and evolving, there could be other pieces, but I find these really hit hard in practices often. And so I think it's where...   like a car, we don't wait for it to be broken and screaming and we can't get to work. We fix it on when the service light turns on or we make sure we get our oil change on a regular basis or we get our tires rotated on a regular basis. We don't wait for the tire to explode or the car to run out of gas or oil. Instead, we do that proactively. And I think when you look at proactive practices and our advanced and elite practices,   They are constantly SWOT analyzing. are constantly looking down the line. We're constantly checking to see where are we slipping and we're keeping it simple. So we're not expanding, but we're keeping it very simple and we're cleaning out where is this friction happening? So we don't lose team members. We don't have a practice that was like once great and now has deteriorated. We're literally looking to like, how can we boost through this and have it? So I think like a lot of times it's not about like pushing harder for growth and that's how we're going to hit the next level.   A lot of times it's more about how can we make success easier to maintain and sustain. And when we look at it that way, we can avoid like get rid of this invisible friction. We can make sure the undertones of the practice are really lively. And I hope that, I hope you feel the vibe and the energy when you walk into your practice. Feel, it like everybody's a unit, everybody's together. Sometimes it's not, sometimes it's hard and every practice goes through this. So just want you to know, like it's not you, it's not paramount to you, but every single practice goes through hard times. Every single practice goes through   changes. I think when we look at these pieces, I just want you to remember it goes through that. I did talk to my team a little while and I said, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge something important. We're in a season of real growth. And I think acknowledging that and calling it out sometimes is very important. And I listed off a lot of pieces of like, hey, I know this might feel chaotic, but this is meaningful expansion and growth like this requires focus, flexibility, and teamwork.   Growth seasons can feel full and sometimes uncomfortable, not because something is wrong, but because we're stretching into the next level of who we're becoming. The direction we're heading is strong, intentional, and incredibly exciting. This phase is part of building something exceptional and magical, something that truly positively impacts the world in the greatest way possible. Thank you for adapting, staying flexible, supporting one another, and continuing to deliver incredible results for our client. I'm deeply confident where we're going, and I'm grateful to be building it with each of you.   And I bring that up because there was some invisible friction in our company. You could feel the energy was off. You could feel people were feeling like question marks. And I think as leaders, sometimes you might not even need to fix it. You just might need to give a clear direction of this is where we're going. This is the season we're in and things are in a good space. Other times it's because we do have decision lag. We do have draining energy. We do have standards that are slipping. So figure out what it is and then commit to, I'm gonna fix this before.   It breaks. I'm gonna pay attention to these warning signals like I do in my car and I'm gonna listen to them in my practice. And if you need help, maybe you aren't even aware that the warning signs are buzzing off and that's what we as consultants are able to do. We either help fix them as they're blowing off or catch them before they even become an issue. So reach out, let's take a look, let's listen to your practice because truly running a successful practice does not need to be hard. It does not need to be something where you're hoping and wishing that you're gonna have greatness. You actually know when it's more predictable. I believe that success   Should not be something where you're like is it gonna happen or not? Like your success is inevitable. Let's make it happen together So reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com or go to our website TheDentalATeam.com book a call I'd love to chat with you me too in person and as always commit to getting rid of that invisible friction commit to having the best practice It's gonna be great for you and your team and as always. Thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast

Episode #1691 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Dr. Tony Schicktanz and Dr. Alex Besmer bring a fresh, next-generation perspective to the profession. From building clinical skills in implants and prosthodontics to navigating early career decisions, business growth, and patient psychology, this conversation is candid, insightful, and packed with real-world lessons for young dentists.

In this episode of The Art of Living Big, Betsy shares some profound insights on grief. She explains that it’s not linear and how we can grow bigger than it. How relationships with those we have lost can change form rather than end, and why hope is a brave decision. This one will move you. Oh, and who doesn’t want a bed jet? Transcript:  Welcome to The Art of Living Big, where we explore how to live intentionally and with more joy. I’m Betsy Pake, your host, master, coach, and creator of the Navigate Method. Here to help you listen in to your true desires, elevate your standards, and live life to the fullest. Now, let’s go live big. Hello. Hi everyone. Welcome to the Art of Living Big. I’m excited to do this episode today, which when we, as I say that, when we get to the topic, you’re gonna be like, wow, you’re excited about talking about this really heavy thing, but I, promise there’s hope in it, and I think that’s the really important part in all this. So last week I did an episode where it was really just me breaking the seal of coming back. So thank you for to so many of you for listening. I am so just so grateful that you accept me back into your ears while you go about your daily tasks. And,, and let me talk with you. I. Wanna tell you a couple other things, and again, if you’re new here, you’re gonna be like, why is she telling me this? I, I don’t know if you’ve been here a while, you’ve kind followed along the journey whether you wanted to or not. And so I’m gonna give you a couple quick updates. My teeth are complete. That is one of my updates. If you remember last year I had dental work that had to be done. I had, , cap and I had a couple weird teeth things. I don’t even remember now what it was, but it was a lot of stuff and it was stuff that I had kind of put off for a couple years. Anyway, once I had that done, I got Invisalign because I had a lot of strange gaps in my teeth that I didn’t have most of my adult life. It, just started happening as I really started clenching my teeth these past few years, and so I. Got my Invisalign. The Invisalign is over, and then I got two new front teeth, I guess I got bonded so that the little space between my teeth was. , Filled in, I guess you could say. I don’t know, I think, I don’t think anybody that meets me that doesn’t know me would notice to me. It looks like I have a couple of chiclets in my front, two front teeth, but I’m getting used to it and it does feel really good to have like a even smile, you know? And I see my teeth so much because of how I record on Instagram. So anyway. My teeth are complete. And it just feels really good to have that journey done. I mean, it’s been like a two year journey to get my, to get them teeth straight. And now I have this really incredible mouth guard that I can wear at night that is, I don’t know, it’s just space, age and amazing. And , I’m happy about that. So that’s keeping my teeth from ever moving again, and it feels really good. So, if you’ve been here for a while, you know that I am. A big fan of sleep, like I really like my bed and I like to sleep, so I wanna tell you about something that I bought. It is not sponsored. I tried to get them to sponsor me for a year. I was messaging and filling out forms on their website. Never, did they reach out to me, which I was like, I am the perfect person to talk about this because I’m obsessed with sleep for one thing, and I. Have a whole audience of women who are right where I am, where you likely need this thing. Now I’m gonna tell you what the thing is, and I’m gonna tell you my honest to God truth about it. But first I just wanna talk about sleep and how much I love it. Okay? So, if you’ve been here, you know, cozy Earth is one of our sponsors. You can get 20% off anything on the website. , You use the code live big Betsy, and you can get 20% off, but. Yeah, that’s neither here nor there for this episode. What I really wanna tell you is that if you followed, you know that I’m obsessed with their house coat. Okay? So this is like my routine. Are you ready? Because if you really want some insane, , cozy sleep, I’m about to give you all the things. I have an aura ring and that gives me my sleep score, right? So if you’re familiar with that, I routinely get 94, 96 sleep scores. I don’t know what happens when you get a hundred. I have a feeling I’d there would be a parade outside for me if I got to a hundred. But my point is I get really high sleep scores now. It. Is it one thing or another? I don’t know. But I’m gonna tell you all the things because there may be a piece of one of these things that helps you. Okay. Enough of the lead up, let me tell you. So there is this, and again, none of this is sponsored except for Cozy Earth isn’t really sponsored. They give us a, they sponsor this show, not this particular episode, but I love them. So what I do is I have this. Bath salts. That’s a magnesium bath salt, and it’s called flu, F-L-E-U-D fluid. I have a subscription, I don’t know, it’s 20 bucks a month and I get three of them. So I do a fleud about once a week, and it is like a high concentration of magnesium, but different from Epsom salts. It makes me feel so chilled out. , There’s other stuff in it, but it is amazing. I put it in my tub and I set a timer so that I stay in there at least 20 minutes and those nights,, and I typically notice this will last four or five nights, and then I notice I need to do another one, or that it makes my sleep better if I do another one. So what I’m about to tell you, the rest of the, this is why I could never have a partner ’cause of all, the things I’m about to tell you. So I take my fleud bath, I put on my cozy earth. House coat, that’s what it’s called on the website. It is basically a comforter that they cut into the shape of a house coat. I put it in the dryer. Okay. I put it in the dryer so it gets warm, and then I put it on when I’ve just gotten outta the shower or gotten outta the bathtub. Okay? Now I walk into my bedroom and I turn on. Turbo. Turbo mode of my bed jet. Okay, so the bed jet is the thing I was saying. I was trying to get them to sponsor me and they didn’t. I’m gonna tell you, the bed jet is like a machine that goes underneath your bed and there’s a hose, like a vacuum cleaner hose that goes into a sheet, a special bed jet sheet. Okay. This sheet lives above your top sheet and under your comforter. Okay? And it’s got these channels that go all the way up through the sheet. And on the bottom part of that sheet, it’s like a, it’s like a envelope. Do you know what I mean? It has two sides. The bottom side is porous, and so the air comes out. From the bottom onto you, and the comforter that you have on top keeps that air contained inside the bed. Okay? So they have turbo mode and it’s 10 minutes of hot air and high fan, and it heats your little bed up to the coziest thing. So now I have on the cozy earth housecoat, I am deliciously relaxed because I’ve had a fluid bath. I’m cozy. I turn on turbo mode, it gets everything all set up. I get in and it’s warm. It’s not too hot, it’s warm. It’s really great. Now. Now the next thing I do. Is I have a special pillow for between my knees, so my knees don’t go knocking together. ’cause I sleep on my side. I, have, I didn’t realize how ridiculous this was until I started really telling you I have a purple bed, which is a specific kind of bed and that I love. I’m obsessed with it. I have a friend that told me to buy one. She bought one for everybody and her family, they’re amazing. Again, no sponsorship. I should have one purple bed. The pillow that keeps my knees from knocking together. I have a NOD pod, which I’m a huge fan of the Nod Pod. A couple years ago I spent $3,000 at Christmas time on Nod Pods for people I love. So the Nod Pod is a weighted eye pillow that goes over your eyes and helps your parasympathetic nervous system and helps you relax into a deeper state of relaxation. So here I am. I’m in the cozy bed. The fan is off now ’cause it’s been 10 minutes so Turbo Mode is done. I’m in the purple bed. I have the Nod pod. I also have a Nod Pod body. I will tell you, I bought the no brand one on Amazon, but it’s, , a weighted blanket that’s just the size of your torso. Okay, so now I got this weight. I got my mouth guard in. Now I hit the dry button. On my bed Jet, it has cool mode, but it also has dry, which just rotates the air around so it’s not too hot, it’s not too cold. And then when I get really hot, , as one does at one o’clock in the morning, I press the cool button. The, remote control is huge and lit up, and , the words are big. So I don’t need my glasses and I can hit cool in it. Sends like shot a shot of cool air around the inside of my bed and it is heaven. So I know that’s a lot of things. What did I say? Food bath. The. Housecoat heated housecoat turbo mode on the bed jet, the purple bed, the nod pod, the nod pod body, and the custom mouth guard. But I’m telling you what like it is. It is really good. It is really good. I sleep really good. Okay, so what was that like 10 minutes of telling you all my crazy, sleep schedule. But we do what we have to do. I do believe that sleep may be like one of the most important things. To keep ourselves healthy and to keep ourselves going, , and to have the energy to be able to do all the things we need to do every day. So anyway, that is my crazy sleep story. But you can get your cozy Earth stuff. Make sure to use the coupon code ’cause it’s 20% off, which I think is great.. I’m a big fan of the Cozy Socks too. Anyway, this episode is not sponsored by them, but I’m obsessed, so I feel like I, they’re like, which episodes do you want us to sponsor? I’m like, it don’t matter. I’ll just be talking about it all the time. ’cause I really like it. I’ll tell you, I get sponsorship opportunities now all the time, and I never take ’em very, very, very rarely. The ones I want are like Veg Jet. Nobody calls me, but. Because I only want stuff I really, really love. I don’t wanna tell you to buy a bunch of stuff you don’t need. Okay. All that stuff you need, come over to my house, spend the night, I’ll get you set up. Okay, so now, for kind of this other part of the show that I really wanna have this discussion with you. Okay, so this past week I woke up and I, it was a Wednesday on St. Patrick’s Day and. I felt so weird, like heavy. I just felt heavy grief in a way that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was real weird and I got up and I,, did my thing and got the shower started. And then I was like, what is this? And then it dawned on me that it was the anniversary of my mom dying and I actually had to ask Sury. So I had to, ask her what is 2026 minus 1988, and when she said it’s 37, I just, cried in a way that I can’t explain 37 years since my mom died. 37 years. And it’s funny, , that book, the body keeps the score. I think, your body keeps the score. My body knew, I feel like every day, I have no idea what the date is. I should probably know, but I’m like, I don’t know what date it is. I just know it’s like Wednesday or Thursday or whatever and sometimes I don’t even know that. And so I wasn’t really paying attention. I knew it was coming because , of course, ’cause it’s St. Patrick’s Day, so everyone’s talking about St. Patrick’s Day, but. It really hit me in a different way than it has before. And I started thinking about grief and how I don’t think it’s, , I know for sure it’s not linear, and I know that because it’s been 37 years, and if it was linear, I wouldn’t have had the reaction that I had when my computer said 37. I was like,. I made a sound, , like a painful sound. I almost heard myself and thought, what is that? And it was just the shock of 37 years. It’s been a whole lifetime and it’s not even like a, it’s almost her entire lifetime. For one thing. I hadn’t thought of that till just now. She died at 41, so it’s almost her whole lifetime, but it is. A lifetime. , By the time someone’s 37, they’ve given life. Like it’s, just so long. And I thought it’s been that long since I’ve seen her or asked her a question or smelled her or heard her voice. , It’s not like now where we have video. Like when I go, my kid’s gonna have video. He’ll be able to listen to me any moment, , for decades. We don’t have that from 1988. I never, ever texted with her. I never know what that was like. I wonder what she would even think about all the technology now. I wonder what she would think about what I’m doing now. And , if you’ve been here a while, you’ve heard me talk about this, but my mom died one day when I was in high school. I went to school and she went on a trip with my sister. There was a guy from our hometown who was a hockey player, and he was playing at the university on his final game before he went into the NHL Felt special, and my mom was spontaneous and she liked to celebrate things and to make things special, and so she and my sister decided they would get in the car and drive to his last game. How cool that would be to be there and to be able to cheer him on. And he went to the college where my sister went and my dad worked. And so off they went that morning. They left early before I even woke up. And when they were driving, they got to New York. I lived in Vermont at the time. That’s where I grew up. And the game was in Ohio. So they were in New York. Right around Watertown if you’re in that area. And long story short, my mom got off at a wrong exit. They stopped at a little store and said, how do you get back on? , Sometimes you get off on the highway and then you’re like, I can’t get back on. , There’s no entrance, there’s just an exit. And he said, oh, this happens all the time. You have to take this little access road. And when you get to the end of the access road. Then , you’ll see the entrance ramp to the highway. And he said, just be careful ’cause it’s a twisty road. And my mom said, it’s okay, we’re from Vermont. And they got in the car and , it was March and it was cold and it was icy. And as my mom was turning around a bend, the car skidded off the road and kind of down and in little embankment. And , as. Cars do. When you kind of pick up momentum, you know, faster, you go down a little embankment, you pick up some momentum, and there was one tree in the middle of this field, a whole field. And of course, she hit the tree, hit the tree. My sister climbed, got outta the car. She had, broken her jaw and they both had their seat belts on, but. She climbed up the embankment and someone was driving by and they stopped and looked at her and just said, I’ll call the ambulance. And my sister said, thank you. And the ambulance came and they took the jaws of life and they helicoptered my mom to the closest hospital where she had surgery and died about 12 hours later. , I think about that tree a lot, and historically I have, because it was just like a one tree in the middle of a field. There was a lot of places you could go. It was like a parking lot with one tree. But you know, she went where she was looking. , That’s what you do when you’re driving, but that is what you do in life. You go where you’re looking, you go where you are mulling things over. You go where you’re worrying, you go where you’re putting your attention. And I have often felt over the years that my mom and I were creating my business together, that perhaps before I was born, before she was born, we had a pact that I would be her daughter. And she would have some dramatic exit where I would be devastated to the place where I had to find meaning in it in order to move forward. And that meaning would create a lot of good. And so that is how I think I got to where I am , and even became a coach, , back in 2012 and started doing this work. . Here’s the thing that I think when I look back, and someone asked me recently about what is a belief that you have about life? And I knew it ex immediately. I was like, oh, I know. Which is a funny thing that I would know, but I was like, oh, I believe things can change in an instant. Like things can change in an instant, and I know that to be true because of my mom. But the weird thing. Is, I never took that to mean things could go bad in an instant. It’s always been a thing that brought me hope. It’s always been when things are going sideways where I’m like, man, this won’t last. ’cause things can change in an instant. My brain did the opposite. For some reason, it, rewired. To this can turn around any second and it doesn’t even need an explanation. And I really think that’s my superpower. When one of my friends was asking me this, it was actually a client, a friend, client, an old client now a friend. And I was like, I think that’s what it is. , I think that’s like the whole basis of how I operate in life. So, , there is specific moments. In my life where that belief has saved me when hope felt irrational, but I held onto it anyway and I didn’t pay any attention to what was happening. And you’ve probably heard me say this on the show over the years, , I don’t care what’s happening. It’s not real. It’s my old vibration showing up, and now I’m thinking about something else. , Every. Every day. And I did the, I do, , , I did a podcast episode on this back in January, I think, where every day I write as if it’s a day in the future. And typically what I do is I pick a day at the end of the quarter. ’cause that’s how I do my goals, is like quarterly goals. And I pick a date and then that’s the date that I write about. So like every day. A day every day. This year I have written, it’s now March 31st and I am, and then I write all the great things that are happening. And the really interesting thing, and in that process as we’re getting close now to March 31st, is I wrote some crazy stuff and it’s almost all come true. It’s almost all come true. And I noticed when I would be taking chances, like risks, but they were calculated risks or I was. Trying to shift to do something different or bring in something different into my business or whatever it was. And I know it’s because my brain was like, well, to get to that we have to do this thing. Like we’ve got to add in this thing. We’ve got to take this risk. We’ve got to pay somebody to find this person for us, or whatever it was. And I just think those two things together. So that when I was writing every day, it, could change. . Things can change in an instant, and turnarounds don’t require any reason. There’s no reason, just like this bad thing didn’t really require a reason. Symmetric, sym symmetry of chaos, I guess you could say, ? It just all came together, and I think things can all come together all the time. I posted on Instagram that day about grief and about how, I don’t think it’s linear. I think it’s access. I think it’s as you’re going through bigger things, you have more access to grief. As you learn and grow and get to know yourself better, you have more access to grief. The amount of access I had at 16. To understanding grief and, working through it or even experiencing it was different than my experience. Now at 54, almost 55, I’m having different things happen in my life and that door to grief is wide open and that’s why it hit me so hard that morning My. Child has, I say child 24 has a cat that they have had since they were 10, and tonight we’re going to put that cat down. He’s been in the hospital. It is just time. And so we have access to handle grief in different ways. When we’re older, we have access to make different decisions about grief as we get older. And I think that there’s something really nice about never losing access to it. , I know that sounds kind of weird ’cause who wants to have grief? Like that feels, I’m gonna use the air I’m using. Air quotes bad. Like it feels bad, right? But I have a lot of hope. I know it sounds weird ’cause I don’t have hope the cat’s gonna live. We’ve made the decision and we’re going over there tonight, but I have a lot of hope that there’s healing in it, that there’s evolution in it, that there’s purpose in all of it. And that choice probably made unconsciously at age 16, , is still running in the background. Things can change in an instant. I know the situation with Sammy, the kitty isn’t changing, but I know the way we feel about it, Ken and I know things can shift. So here’s the thing when I posted this on Instagram is I got so many messages from people. I mean, hundreds of messages and everybody can relate to grief. , It’s just such a human thing. I think the part that is harder is when you’re 16 or 10, 22 and you’re trying to relate to grief because you haven’t had enough life experience to be able to access it where you can really process it. And so I have some thoughts of what I would tell someone who is. Loving someone who is losing a parent as a kid. Oh, y’all know I’m gonna cry. I’m not gonna cry. It’s gonna be fine, but I have some real thoughts. So I have some thoughts. Maybe they’ll be helpful. Maybe they’ll be helpful down the road. I think the first thing is to recognize. That your access to the grief when you’re younger is going to change as you get older. And that’s not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean, oh my God, this is never going away because , that’s just a part of life. It’s not whether it’s your cat, your dog, you know your parent. You don’t ever get over it. But what happens, and I think especially when we go through something when we’re young. We’re expanded and the threshold of our emotion is pushed in A way that doesn’t always happen in adolescence is that you get the opportunity to get bigger than it a lot earlier. The grief doesn’t really get smaller, but that’s not a bad thing because you start to really expand around it. And I actually think in a way we don’t want it to go away because, I’m not gonna cry because it I is a reminder and it really helps us access the love as well. , There’s that idea of the light and the dark and the good and the bad, and you can’t put one into perspective in the same way if you don’t have the other. So you don’t ever get over it, but you get bigger than it. And if it happens to you when you’re younger, you have an opportunity. I’m coming from my perspective. . If you had never lost a parent and you’re like, wait, what? But you have an opportunity to experience way more joy than other people. If you can access the grief, you can access the joy in equal parts, and I think that is a superpower. I think that makes your whole life. Like I, I believe we came here as like spiritual beings to experience the ups and downs, not just to experience ups. Like we came here for all of it. And so this gives you access to all of it, and I think that’s a really special thing. The other thing that I wanna say is the relationship doesn’t end it. Is our belief that when they are no longer in the physical form, that they’re gone. I’m using air quotes again that they’re gone, but I don’t believe that. I believe it changes form. I believe that the access, it’s like when my mom was in the kitchen and I was like in our TV room, and I would yell to her and she would answer. I wouldn’t see her, but I would get the answer to my question. And I talk to my mom now all the time, even more so over the past few years than I ever have before. The other day I said to her, I want a miracle today. It was on her anniversary of her death. I said, have something happen today that is so crazy that I would never, ever believe it if it didn’t happen today. Like something that right now, if you told me it was gonna happen, I’d be like, that’ll never happen, and I got that. I’ll do a show on it, but it’s not gonna be today. But I got the craziest thing happened, the craziest thing. And so I decided that was my sign and that there’s signs all over. And if that could happen, why not ask for something every day? And you might feel like we don’t get to have miracles every day, but I think we do. What if we do? What if you’re wrong? What if we do? What if the relationship doesn’t end? It just changes form, and I’m still in a relationship with her and she can actually help me in such a different way now, and that when I don’t communicate with her, or I don’t ask her for what I need or I don’t show up, then I’m limiting myself and I’m cutting myself off from her. It’s not her doing it to me, it would be me doing it to her and. There will be a moment. There is a moment, I think for me that happened years after my mom died, where I realized how much she shaped the way that I think, and not just in her being here, but in her not being here and. There was so many lessons that shaped my life, which I really like my life. I really like my life, especially right now. I really, really like it, and it, her loss shaped it just as much as her being, and that’s legacy. That’s not loss, that’s legacy. And so I allow the lessons from her loss. To be attributed to her and to influence the way that I operate and the way that I enjoy my life, my sleep, I’m allowed. We’re allowed to dive into the things that make us happy. It can be silly and whimsical and fun, and we can know how important it is because we can know how shitty it is when it’s gone and that it could be taken at any moment. My mom didn’t wanna go. I’m sure she would have changed her mind if she had an option. All right. The next thing that I would tell someone that is witnessing someone losing a parent right now is to let them say the wrong thing. After my mom died, I was so devastated as one would be, and my dad was not. Super present in my life. I’m gonna say it. My parents were married, but my mom was the homemaker and my dad worked and he was also really active in our community and he volunteered for lots of things and he was busy and the way he interacted with us when my mom was alive was a lot different. It’s not that he’s a bad man at all. He’s lovely and I. And now as an adult have formed a really, especially over the past year, he has been just a super rock star for me. So when my mom died, she’d only been dead a few weeks and I said something terrible to him about that. And so he let me, he, let me just say that shitty thing. He never asked me to explain it. He never told me how it hurt his feelings, which I’m sure it did. He just forgave me really fast. And looking back, I think he was likely just aware that I was afraid, that I was afraid of him dying too. And that was my process, and he let me have it. So if you’re watching someone lose a parent, or they just lost a parent, let them say the wrong thing. Let it go. And also you are allowed to be angry. You’re allowed to be fine. You are allowed to feel both of those things on any given day. And if you are losing a parent, you’re allowed to be angry, you’re allowed to be fine. And you’re allowed to feel both of those things on any given day. It’s just life. It’s life and life is happening. And I think the more that we. Allow ourselves to define the box instead of live in a box, the easier it will be for us to be able to move forward and to get perspective on it, and to grow around it, and to grow bigger than the grief. And so here’s my thoughts on. All of this and on hope , as a bigger lesson, , hope as a practice. I say lots of times to women in the navigate method that hope, I think is one of the scariest things. ’cause you have to trust almost something outside yourself. And I think most people treat hope like it’s something that happens to them when the conditions are good, like when it’s safe to hope. But I think one of the bravest things you can do is hope. Hope for better, hope for clarity, hope for realizations, for peace, even when the conditions aren’t right, even when it doesn’t seem likely. And you know what my mom’s death accidentally told, accidentally taught me is that hope is a stance. , It’s a decision. It is a rewire. We can say, this awful thing happened and this shitty thing I went through and, that things can change in an instant. It’s neutral, right? You choose to make a reason to keep going no matter what your situation, whether you lost a parent at 50 or you lost ’em at 10, or you never have at all. We all have. Things that we grieve. We grieve relationships and jobs and friendships. People don’t have to die in order for us to be grieving and for all these lessons to still be important. And that choice, I think to, decide that you are going to focus where you wanna go. I feel really lucky that has quietly been chugging along in the background of my brain. And I don’t know if that’s just how I was wired long before my mom was born. And I have a lot of other flaws. Like, let me celebrate the one thing. I do this really well and I make a really good, soft boiled egg. Okay, so let me have this. So, but I think that when we can do that. We can recognize what unconscious choices are you actually listening to and which ones would you choose, , in inside group. That’s one of my favorite things to do with people is to really dig down and find out what is it unconsciously that you’re thinking? What’s the pattern that’s running, and do you need to rewire it? Do, does that pattern need to change? It’s okay that you thought that thing for a long time. It probably served you and kept you safe, but now what do you want to be thinking? What would you choose? How do you want to live this wild and precious life? Because things can change in an instant and you don’t have to lose someone to learn this. But if you have, , I want you to know that the very thing that breaks us open can actually be the thing that keeps us going. And that, I think is how you live a big life. Just a reminder, we have our fireside chat this coming month in April on the fifth. Yeah, it’s Easter. I know it’s Easter Sunday. The scheduling sometime chooses us. We don’t choose the scheduling. It’s all right, so it, you can’t make it. We’re gonna do it again early May. If you can make it, maybe you’ve spent the day doing Easter stuff. Maybe you won’t do any Easter stuff and you’ll just wanna come hang out with me. It might be a smaller group, which will be really fun. We’re just gonna talk about. Some of these big decisions. There’s no real script for these. We don’t record them. They’re a place to be honest, and to share and to have a little community, when we feel so alone in some of our big decisions, especially around marriages, and that’s the work that I do. It can be isolating and there can be a lot of shame in there. And so this just brings you to a place where everybody gets it and you don’t have to explain yourself. So come join. Come join me over there, fireside Chat. You can find the link in the menu on my website, betsy p.com, or just message me on Instagram Fire. If you just shoot me a message, it just says Fire. It’ll automatically reply. The world of bots is amazing, but it’ll help me get it to you quicker. Also, if you haven’t followed along on Instagram, come find me there. It’s just Betsy and I’ve got something new that I’m working on. I’m really so freaking excited about these videos that I’m making. None of them are live. I’m trying to figure out if I need to hire a videographer, but I have stories to tell and I wanna tell it in a new way. So I’ll still be doing the same content that I’ve been doing, but I have some other things just to share with you about what it’s like. To start over in your fifties. There’s so many little funny stories every week that I have, and I thought, let’s, share these in a new way. So be sure to be looking for those. I really wanna get those out soon. So it, it is on my short list, and then next month please go to my YouTube because we are. Again, we’ve really done a lot of work. I say we, it’s me and my cat. Enjoy my, operations bestie. , We’ve done a lot of work to create systems so that I can get some really good YouTube videos out for you. Longer form where I’m gonna be recording y’all. I bought gear. I got, a set up now. , You know you gotta come, you gotta come and visit me over there. . I’ll let you know when it’s live, but be on the lookout. You can also just text me on Instagram or dm me on Instagram, YouTube, and it will send you the link so that you can follow along and get alerted when they’re live. Okay? All that chatter, just to say, I’m so happy that you’re here. Thank you for being with me on this journey, and I love you so much. I’ll see you next time. Bye-bye. Thanks for joining me on The Art of Living Big. I hope today’s episode sparked something within you, maybe pushed you to dream a little bit bigger and live a little larger. Don’t forget to subscribe. Leave us a review and share this podcast with someone you know who might need a little inspiration today. You can find me over on Instagram at betsy pa and on my YouTube channel. Remember, the world is vast. Your potential is endless, and your life, it’s yours to shape. Until next time, keep reaching, keep exploring, and keep living big.

LTC Kirkland and Dr. (COL) Cajigal break down the head and neck medical standards from DoDI 6130.03 that generate the most anxiety for ROTC families. This episode covers eyes and vision, refractive error cutoffs, the spherical equivalent calculation, LASIK and PRK timing, keratoconus, color vision testing and service-by-service policies, ear tubes and hearing tests, chronic sinusitis versus routine sinus infections, braces and Invisalign timing (including the June 1 rule and how ROTC differs from the service academies), and wisdom teeth. They explain what the standards actually say, how DoDMERB applies them, where families commonly misunderstand what is disqualifying, and why applicants should never delay medically appropriate treatment out of fear of DoDMERB. The eyes and vision section uses graphics and visual explanations. That portion is much easier to follow on screen. Watch the YouTube version for the vision segment: https://youtu.be/hptRgIJsRdQ?si=eE4Y73Ee3AE07d1d&t=240 If your family needs help navigating a DoDMERB disqualification or waiver, contact us about DoDMERB Consulting: https://dodmerbqualified.com/start About DoDMERB Qualified: DoDMERB Qualified helps Service Academy and ROTC families navigate the DoDMERB medical qualification and waiver process. LTC Kirkland handles all family consultations. Dr. Cajigal reviews cases behind the scenes as the medical expert. Learn more at dodmerbqualified.com.

Matt Brown and Dr. Avi Patel explore the practice-growing potential of clear aligners, especially Invisalign. They cover misconceptions around lab fees, the power of digital scanners for case acceptance, overcoming fear of new treatments, and unlocking growth within your existing patient base. A focused conversation on confidence, communication, and opportunity in modern dentistry.

Rivian (RIVN) shares accelerated after Uber Technologies (UBER) said it will invest $1.25 billion into the EV company's robotaxi fleet. Diane King Hall talks about how it signals a gear shift in the autonomous driving industry. On the earnings front, Five Below (FIVE) showed what Diane calls "really strong" same-store sales. Elliott Investment is making another stake, this time in Invisalign maker Align Technology (ALGN). ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

Elliott Investment Management has acquired a significant stake in Align Technology, the maker of Invisalign, to enhance the company's stock value after a substantial decline since 2021. Align's stock, which peaked at $729.92 amid increased demand for cosmetic procedures during the pandemic, closed at $172.41 recently. Analysts from Barclays Plc note signs of stabilization in dental markets, projecting Align's stock to trade at 12 times its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, compared to the current 10 times. Elliott's involvement follows its history of strategic investments in healthcare companies, aiming for market revitalization.Learn more on this news by visiting us at: https://greyjournal.net/news/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Thriving Dentist Show, Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah share practical ways to reduce no-shows for high-value dentistry like implants, Invisalign, and sedation cases. You'll learn why patients skip these appointments and how to fix it by building desire, asking for full payment upfront, using strong confirmation systems, and training your team to support the process. Plus, hear a powerful marketing tip on Google EEAT and why it matters for your practice's online visibility. Don't miss this value-packed episode!

Send a textDr. J.L. Holliday is a second-generation dentist practicing in Greenville, SC, where he focuses on high-end, fee-for-service dental care. After graduating from MUSC in Charleston, SC, Dr. Holliday served as a general dentist in the U.S. Navy for six years, including a GPR at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton and two years at sea.Dr. Holliday credits much of his growth in dentistry to Molis Coaching. He was a graduate of Molis Mastermind Class 13 and is thrilled to now serve on the Molis Coaching faculty. He is also a speaker for Align Technology, where he enjoys presenting on complex Invisalign treatment, Invisalign Smile Architect, and iTero Design Suite. He leverages this digital expertise, coupled with advanced training from Spear Education (including Treatment Planning, Occlusion, and Worn Dentition Workshops), for high-end comprehensive dentistry and full arch cases.Dr. Holliday recently founded the Digital Restorative Academy to teach other doctors how to incorporate digital dentistry and same-day CADCAM into their practices. He is passionate about empowering team members and fostering professional growth, viewing the practice's success as a platform to serve his wife, Katie, and their three young children, and to continue his long-standing commitment to international dental mission work.✨Connect with Dr. Holliday:Website: https://digitalrestorativeacademy.thinkific.com/Thank you so much to Align for making this episode possible!

Most dentists are brilliant clinicians and hopeless with numbers — and Bilal Ahmed has built a career filling exactly that gap. A chartered accountant and tax adviser who stumbled into the dental world through his wife's professional circle, Bilal brings a corporate finance sharpness to a profession that's long been underserved by the accounting industry. In this episode, Payman and Bilal cover the full financial landscape for dentists: from the quirks of associate contracts and HMRC tax investigations to the thorny arithmetic of Invisalign, the hidden traps in popular tax schemes, and the long game of inheritance tax planning. Honest, direct, and refreshingly unafraid to say when something just doesn't work — this one's a must-listen for any dentist who's ever wondered if they're paying more tax than they should.In This Episode00:00:50 - Introduction00:01:05 - Finding dentistry00:03:05 - Nuances of dental accounting00:08:35 - Tax investigations00:19:25 - Good accountant vs great accountant00:21:05 - Practice valuations and the post-Covid hangover00:59:00 - Pricing strategy01:07:05 - Making Tax Digital01:09:30 - Expensing and entertainment01:23:00 - Tax avoidance schemes01:28:25 - Inheritance tax planning01:34:05 - Last days and legacy01:36:05 - Being an outlierAbout Bilal AhmedBilal Ahmed is a chartered accountant, tax adviser, and business consultant working exclusively with dental professionals. He came to dentistry by accident — through his wife's network — and recognised quickly that dentists were operating in a financial vacuum, using accounts only at tax time rather than as a tool for planning and growth. Drawing on a background in corporate finance, Bilal now helps dentists make sense of their numbers, structure their businesses correctly, and plan for long-term wealth — all while keeping things firmly on the right side of the line.

In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, Matt Brown and Dr. Andrew Vallo discuss why Dr. Vallo moved away from in-house Invisalign payment plans and what that decision revealed about cash flow, default rates, and profitability. They break down the importance of tracking key financial metrics and using real data to shape smarter payment strategies.

this week on Delusional Diaries, Halley and Jaz are back on the couch after a whirlwind couple of days, starting with Maddie's Miami wedding, which delivered everything: 6 a.m. glam, bridesmaid pool hangs, emotional speeches, and an after-party that turned into a full-on club experience. they reflect on watching a friend go from past heartbreaks to finding the right partner, the stress of wedding planning finally paying off, and why seeing someone's dream day unfold exactly how they imagined it hits so hard. the episode then shifts into a more vulnerable conversation as Jaz opens up about navigating an unexpected loss and the emotional whiplash of going from excitement to processing something entirely different. she shares what it's like to move through something deeply personal while also living online, balancing private grief with public commentary and unsolicited opinions. together, the girls get honest about hormones, healing, chosen family, and why adult friendships can truly feel like home during life's harder chapters.of course, they balance the heavy with their very original fun. they dive into the internet frenzy around Mikayla Nogueira's divorce announcement, debate whether the backlash was fair, and unpack the chaos of Tell Me Lies' manipulative men and morally grey characters. from influencer ads to toxic situationships, Australia travel plans, Invisalign updates, and 17-hour flight anxiety, this episode is raw, hilarious, and very on-brand: grief, gossip, growth, and a little delusion, all in one.Timestamps 0:32 - Maddie's wedding recap 15:05 - Internet topics 24:45 - Tell Me Lies Finale 32:56 - Getting on the same page 46:26 - Next Top Model More of Delusional Diaries Podcast:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delusionaldiariespodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@delusionaldiariespodcastYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelusionaldiariespodcastSubstack: https://delusionaldiariespodcast.substack.com/Website: https://delusionaldiaries.com/More of Halley:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halleykmcg/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@halleykateMore of Jaz:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justjazzzyidk/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justjazzzyidkYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/justjazzzyidkLinksIM8 - IM8.com/delusional for a free welcome kit, 5 free travel sachets plus 10% off your order Wayfair - wayfair.com Nutrafol - nutrafol.com and enter promo code DELUSIONAL for $10 off your first month's subscription and freeshippingChime - chime.com/diaries See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If your tongue could talk, it would tell you it affects far more than speech — from sleep quality and hormones to jaw development and restless kids. In this episode I interviewed Kristi Dobbs, a dental hygienist and myofunctional therapist from Roberts Integrative Dentistry, about how oral posture, nasal breathing, tongue-tie releases, and simple device and exercise-based therapies can transform sleep, behavior, pain, and overall health.What myofunctional therapy is: muscle-focused therapy for the face, tongue, jaw, and soft palate (like physical therapy for the neck up).Some modern lifestyle contributors to poor jaw development: softer diets, early solids/formula, early tooth removal and braces timing.Common signs linked to oral function problems: narrow palate, long face, gummy smile, mouth-breathing, snoring, TMJ, speech issues, picky eating, digestive problems, plantar fasciitis.The four pillars of myofunctional therapy: nasal breathing, lip seal, correct tongue posture, and proper swallowing.Device options: MyoMunchie (from ~6 months), Myobrace, Myo nozzle/Remplenish, and Invisalign palatal expansion when needed.Tongue-tie approach: pre- and post- myofunctional therapy plus a laser release and suturing to optimize outcomes and retrain function.Timing and commitment: therapy typically runs 12 sessions over ~6 months; results improve with ongoing maintenance exercises but require occasional practice to retain gains.Integration with other therapies: best results come when myofunctional therapy is combined with ENT, SLP, chiropractic, massage/lymphatic work, orthodontics, and other integrative providers.Virtual options: evaluations and much of the therapy can be done via telehealth; surgical procedures require an in-person provider.Contact Kristi Dobbs and Roberts Integrative Dentistry:Myofunctional Therapy Info: https://robertsintegrativedentistry.com/oral-myofunctional-therapy/Roberts Integrative Dentistry Phone and Email:  (417) 246-3029 and office@robertsintegrativedentistry.comMyofunctional Therapy can be performed virtually.Signs and symptoms of disordered breathing: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/FMfcgzQfBkQwSbXXmnqckwjRmgSCfkTp?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1New Resource: Breast Health Guide - dailywellnesscommunity.com/breast-health-guide→ Please take 1 minute to show your support of the show!  Apple Podcasts: Sign in and scroll to the bottom to review!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-wellness-podcast/id1651051841Spotify: Leave a rating and follow the show! (Click on the 3 dots.) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/melisha-meredithYouTube: Subscribehttps://www.youtube.com/@DailyWellnessCommunity-podcastConnect with Melisha and the Daily Wellness Communityinstagram.com/dailywellnesscommunity/facebook.com/dailywellnesscommunityWebsite: dailywellnesscommunity.comEmail us at: info@dailywellnesscommunity.comSome products I mention may be affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through one of my links. Our family greatly appreciates your support, it helps us keep creating the free resources we make for you all!DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

This week on The School Runway, Cara returns from her Disney Cruise with tales of fireworks at sea, Aladdin-themed dinners, and a not-so-magical pig bite in the Bahamas. Meanwhile, Bronagh is battling yellow Invisalign attachments, and prepping for her upcoming ski trip with a mountain of thermals and vac-packed bags.This week:Disney cruise tips: from Castaway Cay to pirate night and that Bloody MaryHow to make the most of a child-free Disney World dayListener contributions: Based on Cara's ongoing battle of things Deliah has been sneaking into school, we ask our listeners 'what your child has sneaked into school?'Big news: Bronagh's finally getting her dream blue StaffyPacked with travel tips, pet manifesting, and laugh-out-loud parenting moments, it's another warm and wonky week on the pod.Connect with The School Runway Podcast:Instagram: @schoolrunwaypodLeave us a voice note: https://sayhi.chat/oeks4Don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify! x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedians Jiaoying Summers (What Specie Are You? Hulu Special, Tiger Mum Podcast) and Yola Jean Lu (Help My Vagina Is Trying to Kill Me special, Patsy short film) join Jameela Jamil for an “Asian invasion,” unpacking shame, power, and humiliation in ways only Wrong Turns can.Jiaoying shares the childhood story that rewired her immune system forever, involving a roadside motel and discarded “balloons.” She also recounts the most mortifying collision of debt, pride, and gynecological exams imaginable, and explains why embarrassment loses all power once you decide not to care.Yola brings exquisitely awkward confessions, including a man who periodically asks for nudes with unsettling sincerity, and a prolonged, one-sided love story with a dentist that involved unnecessary Invisalign, a farewell card, and travel-size toothpaste.Along the way, Jameela reflects on inherited guilt, public embarrassment, private text messages never meant to be seen, and the strange ways women are taught to feel indebted just for existing.And remember next time you're having some special alone time... the ancestors are watching.Jameela's Substack is A Low Desire To Please, you can also find her on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.Our consulting producer is Colin Anderson.Wrong Turns was created and produced by Jameela Jamil and Stewart Bailey.Listen to Wrong Turns on Amazon Music or wherever you find your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are diving deep into the world of cosmetic dentistry and oral health with the most in-demand aesthetic dentist on the planet, Dr. Michael Apa. Listen in as Dr. Apa gives us a masterclass on how-to seriously level-up and love the appearance of your teeth – even if you're on a budget.You'll hear about:Veneers 101: Pros, cons, costs and what to ask during your very first consultation.Invisalign vs braces: Find out which one Dr. Apa would choose – and why.Red flags: Dr. Apa shares his “no-go” zones for Botox and how lip fillers and other cosmetic enhancements can impact cosmetic dentistry.“Ozempic teeth”: The impact that rapid weight loss can have on your face, and why you should wait to hit your "goal weight" before investing in a smile makeover.The never list: The three habits Dr. Apa personally avoids as a leading cosmetic dentist.Girl math: If veneers aren't in the budget, Dr. Apa reveals the two non-invasive treatments that offer the biggest “glow-up” for your smileFor any products or links mentioned in this episode, check out our website: https://breakingbeautypodcast.com/episode-recaps/ PROMO CODES: When you support our sponsors, you support the creation of Breaking Beauty Podcast! QuinceRefresh your wardrobe with Quince. Don't wait. Go to Quince.com/BREAKINGBEAUTY for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. One SkinOneSkin's OS-01 Peptide™ is proven to target the visible signs of aging, helping you unlock your healthiest skin now and as you age. For a limited time, get 15% off OneSkin with the code BREAKINGBEAUTY at https://www.oneskin.co/BREAKINGBEAUTY #oneskinpod. Get social with us and let us know what you think of the episode! Find us on Instagram, Tiktok,X, Threads. Join our private Facebook group. Or give us a call and leave us a voicemail at 1-844-227-0302. Sign up for our Substack here. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to watch our episodes! Related episodes like this: TikTok-Viral Purple Toothpaste, The Best Electric Toothbrush to Invest In and Teeth Whitening Tips With Oral Care Expert Dr. Laurence WalshThe Biggest Celebrity Transformations Decoded: A Deep Dive with Dana Omari-Harrell @IGFamousByDanaBoob Jobs The Ultimate Guide With ‘Natural Aesthetic' Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Lara Devgan*Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, all products reviewed are gratis media samples submitted for editorial consideration.* Hosts: Carlene Higgins and Jill Dunn Theme song, used with permission: Cherry Bomb by Saya
 Produced by Dear Media Studio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

Matt Brown and Dr. Andrew Vallo discuss how dental practices can improve cash flow by leveraging free iTero scanners and smart vendor negotiations. Dr. Vallo shares real-world insights on working with labs to secure equipment without upfront costs, optimizing payment terms, and creating flexible Invisalign payment plans. This episode highlights practical strategies to strengthen cash flow, improve efficiency, and support sustainable practice growth.Click here to join our free study club! https://chat.whatsapp.com/H746zQhOps161RNOv5Meut?mode=hqrt3

The Rule That Broke For a decade, SEO had one simple goal: rank higher than everyone else. That rule just died. Patients are not typing “orthodontist near me” and clicking through five websites anymore. They are asking ChatGPT. They are reading Google AI Overviews. They are using conversational tools that skip the ten blue links entirely. Here’s what most practices have not realized yet. AI search engines do not rank practices. They select them. If you are not selected, you are invisible. Your beautiful website does not matter. Your years of “doing SEO” do not matter. This shift changes everything. Get your Free SEO Audit: https://hip.agency/contact/ Grab your copy of Orthodontic Practice SEO: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GGBWLBLR Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/orthodontic-practice-seo/id6757766846 From Rankings To Recommendations Traditional search worked like a phone book. You searched. You clicked. You compared. You decided. AI search collapses that entire process into one conversation. Instead of forcing patients to research five options, AI tools recommend providers directly. Often just one or two practices. That’s it. This is not a ranking system. It’s a trust system. Google’s AI Overviews answer questions directly at the top of results. ChatGPT does not pretend to be a search engine. It acts like a knowledgeable assistant guiding decisions in real time. When a parent asks, “Who’s the best orthodontist for Invisalign for my teen near me?” the AI does not say: “Here are ten websites. Good luck.” It says: “Based on your needs, I recommend these providers.” If you are not in that answer, you do not get a second chance. Free Growth Session Why Your Old SEO Playbook Just Stopped Working Classic SEO rewarded keywords, backlinks, page optimization, and technical performance. All of that still matters, but it’s no longer enough. AI engines work differently. They summarize instead of list. They cite instead of rank. They select sources instead of pages. Instead of ordering websites by relevance, AI evaluates who appears trustworthy, who demonstrates real expertise, and who can be safely recommended without risk. This explains why some practices with fewer backlinks or lower traditional rankings suddenly appear in AI answers while others with “strong SEO” vanish completely. AI is not asking, “Who optimized best?” It’s asking, “Who do I trust enough to recommend?” The Real Ranking System — Trust Over Traffic Every AI search engine relies on the same decision framework. ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity. All of them. They look for three core signals. 1. Topical Authority Do you own the topic, or are you just scratching the surface? One Invisalign page optimized for keywords no longer signals expertise. AI looks for topic ownership. A full ecosystem of content proving you understand the subject from every angle. Cost and financing. Treatment timelines. Comparisons versus alternatives. Maintenance and care. Suitability for teens versus adults. Risks, outcomes, and expectations. If your site answers only one of these, AI assumes you are not the expert. 2. Verifiable Credibility AI does not trust claims. It trusts proof. It actively scans for board certification, recognized provider tiers, awards and “best of” recognition, years in practice, case volume, and external validation. These signals matter more now because AI must justify its recommendations. It cannot guess. 3. External Trust Signals AI does not rely solely on your website. It cross-checks reviews across multiple platforms. Not just Google. Authoritative directories. Press mentions. Industry listings. Community validation. The more independent sources confirm your legitimacy, the more comfortable AI becomes recommending you. Free Growth Session Why One Page Will Never Be Enough Again For years, SEO rewarded focus. Pick a keyword. Optimize a page. Build links. Win. AI rewards depth. When someone asks about Invisalign, AI does not want a sales page. It wants confidence that you are the authority. That’s why topical clusters matter now. One core Invisalign page. Supporting pages on cost, care, timelines, and alternatives. FAQs written in clear, extractable language. Structured formatting AI can easily parse. This is not about writing more content for the sake of content. It’s about removing doubt. AI selects practices that leave no unanswered questions. The Trust Signals That Actually Trigger Recommendations Here’s where most practices fall short. They have credibility. They just do not surface it clearly enough for AI to verify. AI strongly favors practices that explicitly showcase board certification with outbound verification links, awards tied to authoritative publications, review volume across multiple platforms, mentions from high-authority websites, and transparent doctor bios with credentials and education. This is why press placements and authoritative citations now punch far above their weight. A single mention on a trusted outlet can matter more than dozens of generic backlinks. AI recognizes the source. Free Growth Session Being Selected Beats Being Ranked Traditional SEO is competitive. AI visibility is compounding. Once AI begins recommending a practice, it appears repeatedly in similar conversations. Each mention reinforces authority. The practice becomes a default choice. This mirrors early Google SEO, but with fewer spots and higher stakes. In classic search, being number five still meant traffic. In AI search, being number five often means nothing. Only the selected practices win. How To Become The Practice AI Chooses This is not theory. It’s execution. Here’s what actually moves the needle. Shift from pages to topic ecosystems. Own entire treatment categories, not just keywords. Surface credibility aggressively and clearly. Credentials, awards, and experience should be impossible to miss. Expand reviews beyond Google. AI pulls from multiple platforms. Diversification matters. Secure authoritative citations, not random links. Focus on sources AI already trusts. Structure content for AI extraction. Clear headers, FAQs, concise answers, and schema markup. Actively monitor AI recommendations. Search manually. Track visibility. Learn from who’s being selected and why. Free Growth Session Trust Is The New Ranking Factor SEO did not disappear. It evolved. The practices that will win over the next decade are not the ones chasing algorithms. They are the ones building undeniable credibility. AI does not reward clever tricks. It rewards certainty. In a world where patients increasingly let AI guide their decisions, the question is no longer “How do I rank higher?” It’s “Why should AI trust me enough to recommend me at all?” Answer that convincingly, and rankings stop mattering. Free Growth Session The post Your Old SEO Methods Don’t Work Anymore | Here’s Why appeared first on HIP Creative.

Some festive favourite moments from the show

In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, host Matt Brown talks with Dr. Michael Wollock—top Invisalign provider and founder of Diamond Makers—about his path in dentistry and the value of mentorship and education. Dr. Wollock shares practical tips for strengthening Invisalign offerings and emphasizes treating patients as whole individuals. The conversation highlights how community, support, and genuine connection drive success in modern dental practice.

Mama Tish is in good company this week because Olympic legend Adam Rippon is here and is OBVIOUSLY her new BFF. Adam dives into some of his wildest stories, from nearly telling Mike Pence to take several seats, to Britney Spears tweeting at him, to what it actually feels like to win an Olympic medal at 28. They spiral into therapy confessions, Dancing With the Stars secrets, Tinder-husband love stories, and why staying home with dogs is elite. And yes, they spend a generous amount of time admiring Adam's truly perfect Invisalign teeth, which might be the real gold medal moment. It's unfiltered, hilarious, emotional, and peak chaos… just the way we like it. Follow Adam: https://www.instagram.com/adaripp/?hl=en Follow your hosts: https://www.instagram.com/sorrywerecyrus/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/tishcyruspurcell/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/brandicyrus/?hl=en Thank you to our incredible sponsors: Nobl Travel: Head to NoblTravel.com for up to 58% Off your entire order. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. PLEASE support our show and tell them our show sent you. Jones Road Beauty: Use code SWC at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Cool Gloss with your first purchase! Rula: Go to Rula.com/CYRUS to get started today. CBDfx: Get 40% off your first order with code CYRUS at cbdfx.com. 1800 Contacts: Order online at 1800contacts.com or download the free 1-800 Contacts app today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kiera is joined by renowned cosmetic dentist Dr. Pia Lieb to talk about Dr. Lieb's journey in her field, as well as her insights into what the rich and famous ask for (and pay for) when it comes to their teeth. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I am so excited. I have an incredible doctor on our podcast. Dr. Pia is coming to   from New York, Manhattan. And this woman is incredible. She has been able to build and sustain a high-end cosmetic practice. She's figured out how to be, you guys are gonna love this, a referral only destination for patients seeking discretion, innovation, and ultra-personalized care.   This woman has been named the Michelangelo of dentistry and I am so excited to welcome her on the podcast. Welcome Dr. Pia, how are you today?   Dr Pia (00:32) Thanks for having me, Kiera.   Kiera Dent (00:34) Of course. Well, I have been so excited about this podcast. I don't often get to bring clinical guests onto the podcast. And so to just kind of hear of how you do your cosmetic dentistry, how did you become this practice of being so sought after? ⁓ How did you become the Michelangelo of dentistry? So kind of just walk the listeners through how did Dr. Pia go from where she was to where she is today? Kind of just give us a background on, on who you are and what your story has been.   Dr Pia (01:04) Well, I'm gonna start with, it all started in dental school. There was a lecturer by the name of Dr. Gallup Evans who has passed away since. And he was giving a PG, which is obviously post-doctoral course on cosmetic dentistry. And his reputation was he was the one who did.   the supermodel Polina Povaskova's veneers back in the early 90s. And I went up to him after the lecture and I basically said, I'm a sponge, teach me, tell me what to do so I can do the same thing that you're doing. I've completely fell in love and cut out a class to go to that course. And after the course, he turned around to me and said, well,   sweetheart. You're either born with it or you're not. So I went home and I cried for five days.   and he completely tore me to shreds and that really got me upset and ⁓ I was a great student. was the youngest in NYU as a student. I graduated high school at 16. I was the nerd, right? And basically what I did is I was asked to start teaching after residency and that was my...   Kiera Dent (02:03) Absolutely.   Dr Pia (02:26) way to make sure that I would never allow anyone to speak to a student like that. And my whole point was, I want to empower the dental students. I don't want anyone to feel the way I did by this particular person. And basically I had nowhere to start. So I started taking all of these courses, these PG program courses, and I met up.   Kiera Dent (02:37) Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (02:53) When I was actually in dental school, I went and I met the holy grail ceramist who invented veneers in America. And I went up to him and I said the same thing, I'm a sponge, please teach me. And he was like, great. Okay. You have a car. And I'm like, yes, I do. He goes, all right, come to the lab every Friday after school and every Saturday, let me teach you how to prep and how to do veneers. And this man who also passed away has taught me everything.   Kiera Dent (03:12) I'm   Dr Pia (03:23) that I know because the doctors were not doing it and there was only two guys in New York that were doing veneers in the 80s and in the 90s and those were older men in their 40s and they were not going to take a young 20 year old female and teach her what to do because they were you know insecure that we were going to take over the business from them.   So that's how it all started. And obviously, I taught for 18 years and I did do that what I set my mind to do. I wanted to give every one of my students the best experience that they can have with dentistry and with cosmetic dentistry. And we're still friends after all these years. So I must have done something right, that they still love me to invite me for dinners into their houses.   Kiera Dent (04:10) Thank   ⁓ I think that you're speaking to my own heart. mean, having that love   being in the dental colleges, of   to give back, like that's the whole reason Dental A Team exists was because of those students that you just fall in love with. And kudos to you because I got really lucky and I worked at Midwestern University's Dental College in Arizona. And I have been told that the culture there and the experience there is not like most dental schools. It was a very empowering, very enriching. There was no smashing of models. There was no...   ⁓ destroying people's dreams, but I know that that's not everywhere. so kudos to you for ⁓ making a stance and also not giving up on your dream. And I think something I took from that is how often are we maybe told something that's not true and we believe it. We take that on as an identity and yes, crying for five days. I don't blame you, I would have done the same thing, but ⁓ it is.   Dr Pia (05:03) No, it's demoralizing, you know, like it's   just here you are, you're this young bright-eyed and bushy-tailed eager beaver who wants to be the best at her profession and then you get some 50 year old man telling you, ⁓ honey, you can't do this, you gotta be born with it. I'm like, really?   Kiera Dent (05:20) Hmm.   Maybe I am born with it and have you seen it. ⁓   Dr Pia (05:25) And you know what I was and that's that's the   thing and it's just but it's the way he said it but we'll get back to karma because 18 years go by and he was lecturing again and karma if it's a small I don't want to say the b word on a podcast but   Kiera Dent (05:42) Mmm.   Hahaha   Dr Pia (05:51) it is. So he's got the lecture, same thing, same before and afters. And this time I'm wearing a white lab coat and scrubs underneath and I had you know, and at this point, I was clinical assistant professor and there were like 350 doctors in the audience. And he's like, Does anyone have anything to say? And I'm at the back wall, I wasn't sitting down, I was standing up and I raised my hand and I was like,   He goes, and he goes, I know that name. You're in press and you're my competition. And he was like, and you know, what is it that I said? said, you know what? Thanks to you, I am who I am today. I want to say thank you. If you didn't say this to me and make me go home and cry for five days, I wouldn't have.   done everything humanly possible to be your competition and here I am I didn't know if he was gonna slap me or kick me out or just whatever it was but it was not what I and he said you know come on down and just tell us more about it he goes you've got so much pressure all over the place and it was funny because at that point   Kiera Dent (06:52) Ha!   Dr Pia (07:08) That was like maybe 10 months after I did 10 episodes on TLC of 10 years younger. And I was all over the place. Like everybody knew me from TV and from press and ⁓ the New York Times wrote that I'm the Michelangelo in Smile Boutique. And it just got to that point. I got the recognition that I worked so hard for. he was like, all right, give me a hug. I was like, thank God.   to   get a slap. But I was ready to get like thrown out or to. So that's kind of what I wanted to do is I just want to empower every single person out there. And you have to understand, when I went to school, we there were no women, it was 97 % men, we had   Kiera Dent (07:43) You   Dr Pia (08:02) maybe seven girls in the graduating class. I mean, not that we had a lot. We have much smaller classes back then and we were 97, but seven out of 97 is a low percentage.   Kiera Dent (08:14) That is,   yeah. Wow, that's such a fun, ⁓ I think kudos to you. And one of my favorite lines through life has been, life is not happening to us, it's happening for us. And I'm sure in that moment, you felt like life was happening to you. Like, who is this jerk? And they destroyed my dreams. And yet, ⁓ again, not to say that that's ever the right route to go. But I just want to highlight and compliment of you took something that people could have said would be sour grapes and you actually turned it into beautiful wine.   and you turned it into something beautiful and it was fuel to your fire to make you into this incredible woman that the world needed. And so I'm very curious, how did you then go from, okay, here we are, how'd you become this renowned cosmetic dentist, getting on TLC, getting all the press, like what was kind of the way to get into that? Because I'm sure there's a lot of dentists who want to live your dream. How did you do it?   Dr Pia (09:04) I think the   way in was truly like in 1998 or 99, I don't remember what year it was, but it was the first gen art fashion show for Fashion Week in New York where they took up and coming young designers and they had a private fashion show with about 10 of small up and coming, which we don't have anymore. mean, New York Fashion Week is no longer what   used to be. But I go there and I had a patient from Belgium who had a really good friend who was an up and coming crazy French designer and he was showing the runway and I just basically went with her and I remember that we were after the fashion show there was a VIP with champagne and we got these wristbands and so forth and my   my patient was, you know, late 30s, single and ready to mingle. And there was this really cute male model that did the runway for ⁓ another designer that wasn't as big. And she was like, my God, he's so cute. And here I was, I had no makeup on, right?   Kiera Dent (10:07) Yeah.   Dr Pia (10:23) this long Margiela dress and I have like Doc Marten boots, my hair up in a ponytail, just like mascara and red lips on. And I went up to this guy and I said, hi, I'm Dr. Pia. You know, my friend Jacqueline wants to meet you. And he had this woman who was next to him and she was like, you gotta talk to me. I'm his booker. I didn't know what a booker was. So I'm like, what's a booker? I thought it was like the, you know, betting on horses, know, like booking, you know, that's what I thought.   Kiera Dent (10:47) Yeah.   Yeah.   Dr Pia (10:53) And basically, ⁓ I was like, No, no, no, I'm just, you know, we're going behind if you guys want to come and join us at the after party behind and he was like, great, she goes, No, no, no, we can't go anywhere. You got to go through me. And I'm like, Okay, I said, Look, I'm a cosmetic dentist. And back then we had cards, right? So I was like, Here's my card. She goes, I want one, too. And I and   Yeah, that was it. had some drinks afterwards. And she was like, Yeah, I want to come in as a patient. I have to come in first before he comes in. Because he said he needed his teeth done. I was like, okay, so the next morning, I'm like, live it at like nine o'clock. I call Wilhelmina who was like back then the number one modeling agency for men. And I call and I'm like, Can I speak to Jennifer and   Kiera Dent (11:32) Yeah.   Dr Pia (11:47) She picks up the phone. I'm like, hi, it's dr. P again. I'm like, I just want to make it really clear I'm married. I do not I am NOT picking up on on your male model It was my friend who was interested just making putting it out there and being totally transparent. So she's like fine I Want an appointment so I booked her and the moment that I booked her She introduced me to the modeling industry. So then I started getting all the models   Kiera Dent (11:57) Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (12:13) the supermodels, I got everybody in and I think that's how it all started with the press and everything because they've seen my work with the modeling industry and that's how kind of it all started and the thing with me it's always been privacy it's I've never named names I will never name names because it's like plastic surgery if you're going to go in and get a facelift do want it to be plastered all over the press I don't think so so it's the same thing with veneers I mean I do very   natural handmade porcelain and the whole secret that I think to my success is I've never gone into that chicklity white Hollywood smile the toilet bowl teeth or the turkey teeth as now they all go to Turkey to have them done well I've never done that so for me I've always followed what I believe in and did the best that I can and I think that that is as long as you love what you do   Kiera Dent (12:55) Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.   Yeah.   Dr Pia (13:12) and try to be the best that you can be. think the universe, no matter what God you believe in, you know, I think the universe gives it back to you.   Kiera Dent (13:23) I think, well, and also what I heard from that is kudos to you for just going and meeting people and for being out there. Like, I don't think people realize the power of connections, the power of human interaction, the power of who you know. I think we're in such a society where it's all online and we just think, which you can still connect online, but like, don't be afraid to say hi to people. Don't be afraid to introduce yourselves and...   Like I said at the beginning, Dr. Pia, it's very rare that I bring on clinical guests to the podcast. So I'm curious, you work on supermodels, you work on really incredible people. I have a doctor, which we will not name names either, who works on movie stars in LA. so I have a couple of questions and if you don't want to answer by all, you probably do. We will chat post show and see, exactly off call. ⁓ But.   Dr Pia (14:07) I probably know him. If it's it, we'll do it all off, off.   Kiera Dent (14:15) I'm curious, Dr. Pia, just for listeners to know, what is like, I'm gonna ask a few questions and like I said, privacy and respect are my number one. So if there's something that you're like, I'm not gonna answer by all means, audience just know Dr. Pia is so kind to come onto the podcast for us and I did not prep her because I never know what I'm gonna ask. It's just a genuine curious host over here wanting to know, what are the average cases like dollar wise, our low end to our high end of cases that you're doing?   I just want people to know, because I think people do not believe that this is real life dentistry and it can be.   Dr Pia (14:51) You're talking about veneers or you're talking about all the procedures. Veneers. Veneers are from three to 45, 100 or two. It depends. mean, if someone is a massive grinder and I've got issues with them.   Kiera Dent (14:54) I would say let's do veneers and then let's do other procedures.   Dr Pia (15:12) having, you know, doing the grinding at night, felspathic, I'm a little bit weary of doing that and I'll do the 3D printed. ⁓ As much as I'm not the greatest fan of doing that, I would rather keep them in a night guard and let them have the beautiful teeth. But it basically is... ⁓   Kiera Dent (15:19) Totally.   Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (15:35) You know, for the handmade porcelain, I mean, there are some people out there that are charging over five. And I think that's just a little bit exaggerated because I know how much it costs me to make. think, you know, 4500 is a fair price. You don't have to go above five. I think that's just the ingredient.   Kiera Dent (15:42) Totally.   Sure.   Mm-hmm. Which I appreciate that you say that, especially with the press and with the people that you worked on. You have an opportunity to charge more, but you're also being ethical and fair, which I think ties to the passion, the love, the reason people can trust you. So how many veneers, this is like, now I'm gonna just be like a nerdy patient. How many, because I feel like a lot of people just want like the four veneers and then the six and then.   Dr Pia (16:15) Alright, come on, bring it on!   Kiera Dent (16:20) Do you just do all of them? there a space where clinically you recommend like we stop here for smile lines? What's kind of your, what's your, what's your clinical excellence on this? What do you recommend?   Dr Pia (16:25) No!   I think you should have either one or as many as you need. think the biggest problem and the... Okay, now you got me. So my competition in New York will only do 10. And he's my former student.   Kiera Dent (16:37) I'm ready. She got fired up everybody. Juicy like sits up.   Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (16:51) which is even more infuriating to me. Like I so disagree because I think if you have a beautiful smile and let's say you fell and you've had a root canal and the tooth is starting to change color. I think if you're a good clinician and a good clinician is a cosmetic dentist, I don't believe a GP could do this. Okay. And men, we have the issue with 40 % are colorblind. So that's another issue altogether.   Kiera Dent (16:52) That's   I do remember there was a girl in dental school who couldn't like really see and I was like, how do you like she couldn't see colors and I'm like, how do you, how do you, how do you get over that as a dentist? I'm just curious. I can't check the color, right? Okay, so making sure you think that you can do one if you're a good clinician, which is, love this. Cause people tell me all the time, you can't do one.   Dr Pia (17:29) Well, they get the dental assistant to choose the color.   I do one. do one. So I do one.   I do one. I'll do two. If you're if you ground I do four.   I'll do six, I'll do 10, I'll do 12. If the person has a really big smile and it's a color correction like a tetracycline case, then I have to do 12, you know, like, because it depends if you're someone that has this uber large mouth, then and you when you smile, you go back to the second molars, you have to do it. But I feel that this whole entire ⁓   doing 10 or nothing. think that is so unfair to the patients. And I think it's such bad karma as well, because it's going to come back and bite you later on, because I don't feel that everyone has to have that many done. And the other thing that I'm actually known for is the fact that I don't believe that   you have to necessarily file the tooth down. If the teeth are in the correct position, okay let's back it up. If the teeth are not in the correct position do Invisalign first and then do the handcrafted veneers because the way I do them they're as thin as a contact lens so there is no drilling needed. Anytime why I wouldn't want anyone to drill my teeth to put veneers on why are you taking away to add on it's an   Kiera Dent (18:42) Love.   Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (19:08) moron right so if you are a true cosmetic dentist and know how to do this and have the right support of the right ceramist they should be see-through   Kiera Dent (19:09) Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.   Yeah.   Dr Pia (19:24) So if that's the case, there's no drilling involved. And if you need only one, just do one. There's no reason to spend that money on doing more if you don't need them.   Kiera Dent (19:32) It's incredible.   which I'm so grateful to hear this. This is why I was so excited. I'm like, I have so many questions about this and I'm just curious of how you do it and to hear that being really talented at this, you don't need to do more than that because I hear all the time like, well, if you only do four, then you're gonna see it, but I don't disagree with you. think if you're good at what you, and this isn't just dentists. I also think dentists, well, I'm gonna go out on a limb. Now I'm fired up to be, like, here we go.   Dr Pia (20:02) No, no, they   want the money. It's clear as day. They're doing it for the money.   Kiera Dent (20:06) Right.   Well, and also I'm like, if you're not good enough to be able to do one without it looking like a chicklet, I might question, you good enough to be doing this in general? And that I know is a very bold statement, but I might get really good at this. I don't disagree.   Dr Pia (20:18) No, they should not be doing them. I'm sorry, they should   not be doing it. And with felspathic, with the handmade porcelain, it... I can't say it enough. One is not a problem.   Kiera Dent (20:35) Okay, let's talk about different labs and how do you choose a good lab for ceramic, for cosmetic cases? Like what's the difference? I mean, I've heard some people that are printing ⁓ Emax crowns for the front and I wanna like cringe and I'm like, ⁓ that feels really bad. So let's talk about like, how do you pick a good lab? What's the difference of a good lab? How is it handmade versus not? Like what are some of those nuances within the cosmetic world that really make a difference on being able to do one versus having to do eight to 10?   Dr Pia (20:48) No, no, no, no, I didn't write.   Kiera Dent (21:03) because you're gonna see lines and it's gonna look different.   Dr Pia (21:06) Okay, so I'm a nerd. I'm going to give you the whole entire background. Okay. ⁓ So basically the handmade porcelain is felspathic and it can be as thin as 0.16 of a millimeter, which is technically a contact lens. Okay. It's thinner than your natural fingernail, not with gel on it or powder, you know, polish. I'm talking about a natural fingernail. So having said that,   Kiera Dent (21:08) I love it. I want this.   Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (21:33) Now in the way that those are made they're done on platinum foil so you take the model of the teeth they put platinum foil which is also like super super thin microns it's you know anywhere between 10 microns 20 microns okay and then on that porcelain on that platinum foil the porcelain multiple colors multiple translucencies get added on and that's   the veneer is made. Okay so that's how we're able to have them super thin. The 3D printing, different story altogether. So 3D printing needs to have minimum   Kiera Dent (22:05) Mm-hmm.   Yeah.   Dr Pia (22:17) between 1.5 to 2 millimeters of thickness. So those right there are thick. Okay, so that's why you need to file. Otherwise, everything is gonna be out. That's why they need to do 10 because they can't match the flatness of a natural tooth. So those are done by a computer. So what you do is you scan with the feldspathic. You still have to take good old fashioned impressions because the model has to be poured in   Kiera Dent (22:22) Right.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (22:47) it cannot be on plastic to do the platinum foil. With the 3D printing, with 3D printing veneers and crowns, you basically just scan the tooth, send it via, you know, the cloud. It gets to the lab, they print out the model, and then they start designing the shape and the size of what they want the veneer or the crown to look like.   Kiera Dent (22:51) Interesting.   Dr Pia (23:14) and then they have this block which is like about this big and it's like a disc it's like an oversized hockey puck okay and out of those they usually get out of those hockey pucks usually they get 25 crowns and veneers like either or okay ⁓   Kiera Dent (23:22) Mm-hmm. Okay.   Sure, okay.   Dr Pia (23:35) Now those blocks you have to understand they come in one solid color and very opaque hence why they look like toilet bowls like you can see like ⁓ Simon from What is it the the show with America's Got Talent right now his teeth walk in before him   Kiera Dent (23:55) Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (23:58) They're so white and chalky. He had them done and they're too big, personal. I mean, I think they're too, he's too horsey. He should have stayed with the veneers he had before because they looked more natural and.   Kiera Dent (23:58) It's true.   Dr Pia (24:12) But that's the problem. If you have them very, if you have the 3D printed, the opacity is one solid, you know, base that the computer then drills that hockey puck to form the crowns and the veneers. So you're never going to get the aesthetics of having incisal translucency or having a halo or having them nice and flat. You're not, because the computer is going to make them the thickness that   Kiera Dent (24:33) right?   Dr Pia (24:41) They cannot drill those any thinner than that because they're going to break.   Kiera Dent (24:46) So this is fascinating and I love this because now I have more quite like being an assistant, also having worked in this, also having gone to labs, also having like things done for family and friends that I know. Are you a fan of custom shading where you send your patients to the lab or how, okay, so how do you get it to where it's like a perfect shade match, like consistently, any tips that you have to make it to where it is really that absolutely perfect, making your smiles.   Dr Pia (25:04) Hell no.   Kiera Dent (25:15) beyond perfect without sending them to a lab. Because I think a lot of people hold back and they're like, I've got to send it. But I've seen a lot of dentists where they'll try to put the shading in, they try to put the translucency in. This is no knock on dentists. This is like, hey, we've got an expert here. Let's ask how she does it so we can all rise up.   Dr Pia (25:30) Okay, honestly, I take the patient to the window. My whole main thing is every single office that I've built, I need to have windows that are five feet tall.   and sunlight. So I'm able just to move the patient to the window. And that's where the talent comes in. I'm able to take shade without a shade guide. I mean, I'm at that point, but I've been doing this for decades now. So it's like at the beginning, I wasn't so I would do the shade guide and I would write it on a piece of paper and just be like, okay, the neck is an A two and then we have an A one body and then we have translucency of two millimeters and a halo and I just draw it.   Kiera Dent (25:41) Fascinating.   Dr Pia (26:10) and then they would make every single veneer with the same recipe. It's almost like cooking. But the window and natural sunlight is the key. Because all these computers that you put up against your tooth, all due respect.   Kiera Dent (26:15) I see. Mm-hmm. Yep. Mm-hmm.   That's great.   they shade it differently.   Dr Pia (26:29) it's not only   that you have to understand everybody's tooth is a different length okay like your centrals are fairly long for the average person right that particular shade guide is not going to read color on your tooth that you probably have 12 millimeter long centrals and i'm diagnosing you over the video right so that particular   Kiera Dent (26:35) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   Yeah.   Mm-hmm. Hey, thank you. Yeah.    Dr Pia (26:58) light source is not going to be able to read 12 millimeters perfectly from the gum line to the incisal. It's just not going to happen. You're going to need and if you're not good at taking shade, go do endo or oral surgery or ortho.   Kiera Dent (27:07) Right.   It's true cosmetic is about I feel it's about the precision. It's about the aesthetics and like there I mean I hire designer to do my house. I'm not going to do it. I know that that is not my forte. I'm really good at other things, but I'm not good at color matching and what goes well together and how to put this together. It's just not my strength and skill set and I really do believe like this is what I think going back to your original professor speaker lecturer who   completely dash your dreams. I think maybe possibly what he meant was, I think there's some people who have a natural eye for cosmetic and aesthetics and there's other people who maybe don't. And I think you can adapt it and evolve it and become, and you have clearly proven that. But my guess is, I mean, hearing that you're even on fashion week, my hunch is you already by default had a very strong fashion aesthetic. Maybe you didn't, but I would guess that that kind of has been a part of you.   Dr Pia (28:07) No, I did. did.   And you know, I do like my own makeup and I know my colors and things like that. And so that helped. I have to say that really did help me quite a bit.   Kiera Dent (28:11) Mm-hmm.   which is why you were drawn   to this. You had the passion, fire, because you already knew that.   Dr Pia (28:21) And I loved it and I was like, how can I? And then what the other thing is like, you may not know you have it. So the other thing what I say is buy some art books. That's what I did. Buy some art books. Get to learn the difference between the chroma and the hue and just take a couple of art classes and see if you have it.   And if not, what can you pick up and learn from those art classes if you really want to do it? And I'm not trying to be sexist by any means, but I do think that women are better at it because of color. And I think we're a lot more patient because the way I do it is I do diagnostic wax ups on every case, whether it's one tooth, unless it's even with the prepless veneers where I don't touch the tooth.   Kiera Dent (28:52) Yeah.   Dr Pia (29:16) I still do the wax ups to see I've had all let me backtrack a little bit but I've had every single 2d program   in the last what 16 years that they've been out more than 16 years okay and it's not the same when you see yourself in a photo with the size and shape and color that you might want okay it's like using it's like using the apps to change your hair color i'm   Kiera Dent (29:32) Wow.   I agree.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (29:50) the strongest belief that if you do want to change your hair color, I think you should try on a wig and wear it for a couple of days. So that that whole entire ⁓   Kiera Dent (29:58) Yeah, I don't disagree.   Dr Pia (30:03) philosophy that I have what I do is I do the diagnostic wax-ups I do the indexes and without drilling the teeth the patients come in and I pop it over their teeth, you know with the Luxe attempt, know the temporary material that sets over it and I tell them to walk out with it and You know, it's not bonded on or anything. They can just take their fingernail and just pop it all off But go out let your family see it. Let your partner see it. See how you feel. Is it too long?   Kiera Dent (30:22) Mm-hmm.   Dr Pia (30:33) Is it too square? Is it too round? I'm allowed to have my opinion, but you're paying me and if your opinion is different than mine You have you should have the right as a patient to get what you want. Not what I want We have to come somewhere in between sometimes like I'll put my foot down and I'll be like you really don't want them that way   Kiera Dent (30:49) Mm-hmm. And I'm glad...   You're right. We don't want them to make a statement before you walk in the room. That's what we're going to just highlight here. But hey, if you want white white, like at the end of the day, that's what they're going to have. I love that you, ⁓ I think this is probably what's made you really great. I don't know. I've heard a lot about you. But I think what you do is you make sure that the patients are obsessed with the results and not that Dr. Pia is obsessed. Like you're obsessed with the craftsmanship of what you've done.   You're really talented at that. But like hearing that you let people walk out and go try these on and what is it going to be like before you do it? That to me says that you are so obsessed about the outcome and the result for the patient. And then your job is to make sure you have the most excellent craftsmanship, the best product, the best techniques, the best method to get them the outcome they want. And I think hearing that, I'm just so proud of you. And I'm so grateful to hear that there are clinicians in our industry that   are obsessed about that rather than the reverse. Because I think some people are obsessed about maybe the dollar, maybe about doing these types of cases, but they're not the best at it, or this is what I think that they should look like. You really want to make sure that that patient is like a walking raving fan of you before you even do the work on them. And that I think is very special about you.  

Today's comedy show fires up with a foggy-brain Monday and only gets weirder from there. The crew dives straight into Invisalign pain, classic rock childhoods, and one of the most uncomfortable “man-to-man” confrontations ever witnessed at a rock concert—yes, complete with a territorial son, a shoulder-rubbed mom, and a threatened fistfight over absolutely nothing. Welcome to the holidays.Rafe recounts in disturbing detail how a grown man threatened to throw hands at him because he called someone's mother beautiful—apparently a crime in some households. Lern talks epic velvet-pants rock-god energy at her Clapton Chronicles gig. Moon shares how he spent childhood listening to exactly zero music because his parents apparently believed in silence as a lifestyle. And Rizz? He just wants people to leave his house on time and stop pretending gift-giving is fun.Then we roll into dead-body calls to radio stations, airline rankings, holiday travel chaos, dumbed-down TV, Code Red data breaches, lost luggage stories, and an extended philosophical meltdown about whether adults should opt out of Christmas gifts entirely.Comedian Greg Warren stops by to talk about the best snack cakes, his upcoming stand up comedy shows at The Funny Bone, an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on December 15, and his comedy podcast, The Consumers.Plus a massive concert announcement: Guns N' Roses coming to Busch Stadium on August 16—and yes, Rizz is already requesting the day off.This episode is chaos, comedy, and a surprising level of group therapy all wrapped up in a funny podcast. Daily Show Notes:Sexy Time Fun FactsRafe Does RedditGreg Warren stopped by to talk about his upcoming Jimmy Fallon appearance and showsCity of O'Fallon, Missouri, warns personal information from alert system may have been leaked ‘Dude, call the police': Body found in Frederick Co. after man calls into radio station with tip12th grade girls are less likely than boys to say they want to get married somedayFollow The Rizzuto Show @rizzshow on social media for more from your favorite daily comedy show. Connect with The Rizzuto Show Comedy Podcast online at 1057thepoint.com/RizzShow. Hear The Rizz Show daily on the radio at 105.7 The Point in St. Louis, MO. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sibling Rivalry, Bob and Monét debate the right room temperature, Invisalign etiquette at the table, and whether teeth are technically bones. Bob talks about almost getting scammed during a dental visit and recalls his vending machine investment, while Monét shares how she was duped over custom wigs, grills, and an Uber scam. They compare plant knowledge, discuss bulls and bullfighting, and test what they know about pH balance. Plus: doxy-PEP in the UK, people who call every ex a narcissist, and whether they've ever scammed anyone themselves. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/RIVALRY to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today! Want to see exclusive Sibling Rivalry Bonus Content? Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/siblingrivalrypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to be the first to see our latest Sibling Rivalry Podcast Videos! @BobTheDragQueen @MonetXChange Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is The Zone of Disruption! This is the I AM RAPAPORT: STEREO PODCAST! His name is Michael Rapaport aka The Gringo Mandingo aka aka The People's Pickle aka The Jewish Brad Pitt aka Captain Colitis aka The Disruptive Warrior aka Mr. NY aka Mr. Nantucket is with Dean Collins aka Dean Cuddles aka The Young Shooter aka The Fake Kurt Cobain aka Deuce Collins aka Deuce Cuddles & they are here in the flesh to discuss: Dean being back from Europe, Mike Rap gets Invisalign, Dean seeing Oasis by himself, the food in Slovania, Dean being sick & needing batteries, what they've been watching, movies to get excited about, & a whole lotta mo'. This episode is not to be missed! Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Send questions & concerns to: iamrapaportpodcast@gmail.com Subscribe to Rapaport's Reality Feeds: iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/867-rapaports-reality-with-keb-171162927/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rapaports-reality-with-kebe-michael-rapaport/id1744160673 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3a9ArixCtWRhfpfo1Tz7MR Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/rapaports-reality-with-kebe-michael-rapaport/PC:1001087456 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a776919e-ad8c-4b4b-90c6-f28e41fe1d40/rapaports-reality-with-kebe-michael-rapaport Stand Up Comedy Tickets on sale at: MichaelRapaportComedy.com If you are interested in NCAA, MLB, NBA, NFL & UFC Picks/Parlays Follow @CaptainPicksWins on Instagram & subscribe to packages at www.CaptainPicks.com www.dbpodcasts.com Produced by DBPodcasts.comFollow @dbpodcasts, @iamrapaport, @michaelrapaport on TikTok, Twitter & InstagramMusic by Jansport J (Follow @JansportJ) www.JansportJMusic.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.