The Dental Hacks Podcast

Kevin and Zach are joined once again by the incomparable Dr. Melissa Zettler! This time Melissa let's the guys in on something Melissa has changed her mind about in business. Melissa has dropped a bunch of insurances and wants you to know that you can do it if you want to. Also...people are replaceable except for you.  Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb." The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “verydental10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing you

I mean...it's not REALLY free stuff. But finding new uses for things you already have/paid for is almost the same as getting free stuff. All riffs on several things he's found that feel like free stuff now that he's using them better. Some links from the show: Audible.com SRAM AXS app Medit Software CAD-Ray Splashtop new cart uninterupted power supply keyboard wheels Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wond

Today's Very Dental Extra is brought to you ad free by our friends at Ivoclar! Dr. John Nosti is a practices and teaches comprehensive restorative dentistry to dentists all over the country. In his first guest appearance on the Very Dental Podcast John and Alan have a wide ranging conversation about John's origin story, restorative dentistry and specifically how important a quality curing light is! Pork Roll or Taylor Ham? The John Nosti origin story! (he started in orofacial pain!)  Teaching with the Hornbrook Group--->Clinical Mastery Series How did he build a practice in "big case dentistry?" The three best photos in an introductory exam The new patient interview  Big cases come out of hygiene...how do you change the conversation? "Your teeth look different to me today." Communication and meeting the patient where they are The best closing line! Why should you avoid the eBay/Amazon curing light? 5 second cure vs. 5 second timer Who is curing the composite? Dentist or assistant?  Rock the Drill! Some link

Dr. Armen Mirzayan and Damien Bonner from CAD-Ray join Alan for a deep dive into digital dentistry. Armen presented at the Francis B. Vedder Society last weekend and he crushed it. We have a discussion covering lots of topics! The history of the Vedder Society How Armen and Damien got in to digital dentistry CAD-Ray is a service company that sells digital stuff (scanners, CBCTs, printers, mills, etc.) How dental meetings have changed Armen and Damien are scanner agnostic...you can get there with any scanner The fundamentals of scanning are the same, no matter tha scanner Scan paths and how to scan quickly and effectively Why is it hard to scan anterior teeth? (spoiler: incisal enamel) Start at "home base," your purchase point The most scanned mouth in all of dentistry is Armen's Speed of scan is basically a feature of the size of the scanning area Scanning softwares are like iPhone vs. Android What makes a good dental technology company? Medit and their free software suite A story about Dr. Cory Glenn Some

Zach and Kevin welcome back Dr. Melissa Zettler to talk about what she's changed her mind about. Melissa has taken a TON of CE in order to learn how to do AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE as quickly as possible. She thinks that there was a lot of pressure to be a super dentist early in her career. She did this and it was disruptive to her family life and can be a financial strain. The big message...slow your roll. Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb." The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “verydental10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at t

After some excellent in person continuing education, Al riffs on how to get the most out of CE. The key is to remember that the real world is a little different than the brainspace you find yourself in an engrossing CE experience! Some links from the show: CAD-Ray The incredibly tiny Shining 3D Aoralscan Elite Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your

Al is joined by 3rd year dental student and host of the Very Dental Student podcast, Mohamed Abo-Basha! Their conversation focused on what it looks like to be a 3rd year dental student at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. Al liberally sprinkles stories of mid-90s University of Minnesota dental school as well. If you've graduated you'll enjoy the nostalgia (and that you're done!) and if you're a dental student you'll commiserate! Some links from the show: OU College of Dentistry Dr. John Najarian at the University of Minnesota Septodont Paroject Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you h

Kevin and Zach welcome back Dr. Lance Timmerman to discuss some life lessons. Take home: travel now. Don't wait. Some links from the show: Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb." The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “verydental10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! -- Eno

As a 3rd year dental student, Mohammed wonders if the protocols that he's learning in dental school are applicable to real life. He sat down to interview Alan Mead about "real life dentistry."  Bonding protocols in real life Etching vs. self etch Alcohol vs. acetone based bonding agents Composite wedging and matrices Heated composite and "snowplow" Indirect workflow and lab communication Diagnosing cracked teeth/cracked tooth syndrome How do you know when a tooth is unrestorable? Some links from the show: Ultradent Peak Universal Ivoclar Adhese Universal Garrison Composi-tight Full Curve3D Fusion Sectional matrices Bioclear Evolve posterior matrices Garrison Composi-tight 3D Fusion Matrix Rings Bioclear Diamond Wedges DeNovo Preformed Matrix bands Bioclear HeatSync heater Cosmedent Renamel De-Mark flowable GC G-aenial Flo X Bulk EZ Cosmedent's Cosmecore Medit i700 Template and TempTray Traxodent Premier Knit Pack cord Itena Dentotemp Fuji Plus cement Join the Very Dental Facebook group usin

Alan is joined by Dr. Melissa Seibert: a podcaster, educator and clinical dentist extraordinaire! Our conversation covered a lot of ground! Podcasting talk between podcasters Melissa's take on how to read and find literature On research and the desk drawer bias Melissa's origin story How well does dental school prepare us? How Melissa became an educator Knowing your reason why you're doing it What is burnout and what can help with burnout? Is burnout transient or chronic and long term? Podcasting at meetings...go to the Chicago Midwinter! Time becomes precious...travel time is limited when you have a family. Some links from the show: The Dental Digest Podcast Dr. Melissa Seibert's Instagram The Journal Club Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us

*not Dr. Lance Timmerman joins Kevin and Zach again, this time to talk about what he's changed his mind about business. It turns out that Lance isn't fond of a giant, hygiene-centric practice. After COVID he found that dental hygiene barely covered its own overhead and he definitely didn't enjoy it. Some links from the show: EMS Airflow Become a member of the Very Clinical Facebook group!  Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb." The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “verydental10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same t

Al riff's on a listener's suggestion. The listener suggested that specialists seem to get very gentle treatment and reviews on social media platforms, but somehow whenever general dentists or pediatric dentists come up, people seem to lose their minds. Why is the image of generalists so much worse than specialists? Some links from the show: Dentists Are Bad by Matt Yglesias The comments section of the above article (enter at your own risk!) "Dentists are bad" podcast with Dr. Paul Springs Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL10” y

What does it mean when a patient tells you that "I found you from the internet?" Well, practically nothing. Did they see your website? Did they read a review? Did they see a social media post? Unless your front desk is REALLY good at figuring this stuff out, you may not be able to tell where your marketing is really working and where it might be missing. Michael Anderson and Laura Maly of the Wonderist Agency join Alan to talk about this problem and a solution that they will be rolling out. What if you could automatically connect your marketing result and your practice management software to show exactly where your marketing is working and the dollars and cents it is creating in your practice!  Some links from the show: The Wonderist Agency Your Virtual Consult Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental t

Dr. Lance Timmerman joins Kevin and Zach to talk about things we've changed our minds about. Today's episode continues the series for Zach and Kevin where they talk to some experienced dentists about what things they've changed their mind about over the years. Today's episode features a discussion with Lance about heroic dentistry. Lance does significantly LESS heroic dentistry. Today's episode includes a great description of the "tipping point" about terminal dentition that includes newer technlogies like All on 4 as well as age and health considerations. Become a member of the Very Clinical Facebook group!  Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb." The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the b

Social media tells the story of influencers that are killing it while living their best lives. But here in the real world, some people are living in crises. There are people suffering with mental health issues all around us and it's not always obvious who is.  Al received a couple of pretty scary anonymous letters that tell a story of mental illness and anger at the dental industry that's worth thinking about.    Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support t

Alan welcomes back Dr. Mike Melkers for a wide ranging conversation. Mike and Al go WAY back (DentalTown in the "oughts" anyone?) and we catch up a little bit. Al was affected by a video Mike recorded earlier this year contrasting "comprehensive" care vs. "appropriate" care.            View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Michael Melkers (@drmichaelmelkers) What is comprehensive care? What is appropriate care? Mike is the guy to help us understand appropriate care for the dentist and the patient. Meet the patient where they are, for what their goals are The shame of not doing all FMR's Do patients have "goals?" Values vs. ethics Think about the "why?"  Considerations not consequences "What are your expectations for your teeth at x" (insert an age) "Are you aware that you're missing a tooth here..." Purpose, Process and Presentation Some links from the show: Mike's Instagram "Dig-A-Palooza" in the Chicago Suburbs, October 25-26th featuring M

Today is a throwback episode featuring Kevin, Zach and Al talking about how they've evolved on caries removal. It's a classic and I hope you enjoy it! Original show notes:  Dr. Alan Mead of the DentalHacks podcast was gracious enough to join us again this week. And we start off with old school internet videos: Bonus:   He got a web redemption!       Then we got into some hot caries removal talk. What burs do you use? To dye, or not to dye? Do you "leave" any caries? Why or why not? Caries removal is a divisive topic. Did we get it right? Wrong? Let us know in the Very Clinical Facebook group! Please join the Very Clinical Facebook group to discuss this episode and much much more! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has

"Horse people are nuts. They're all crazy." --Al Al spins a tale of an industry that is self immolating right in front of him.  Nope. It's not dentistry. Not yet. It's horse boarding. Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check the

Today's throwback episode features the one and only Dr. Rob Ritter. Al talked to Rob back in late 2021 after having a couple of bad clinical beats and Rob has some pretty good advice. Original show notes: Alan is joined by Dr. Rob Ritter to talk about a couple of bad beats he had. Perfing an endo and punting a tough extraction had Al wondering if he should be doing these procedures in his office. Rob is a proud “restorative dentist” by choice and has described his approach as “from the gums up.” How did he decide what he wanted to include in his practice? Why did he decide to leave a lot of “specialty” procedures out? Some topics we covered: Rob’s course, “The Protocol”, the dates for 2022 are available and registration opens on September 14th. If you’re interested, you better sign up fast because they’ll sell out immediately! (limited to 14 people!) No compromise treatment “Just because you don’t want to do the right thing doesn’t mean I’m going to do the wrong thing.” “When you start feeling bad for patien

Today's throwback episode features a discussion on when to throw in the towel. Keep restoring or moving to a different kind of plan is a big deal these days. The guys have thoughts. Also...the baseball talk is 3 years out of date. FYI. Previous show notes: We open with a full 11 minutes on baseball so if you just want the dental chat, start the podcast a few minutes in.   This week we have a short chat on terminal dentition. What is terminal dentition?  How hard is it to make that call? Is it harder to make that call when you’ve seen the patient for 10+ years then a new patient? When do you quit restoring? What clinical criteria vs. patients health vs. financial considerations go into the decision? How is your comfort level with dentures, extractions, pre-prosthetic surgery, etc?  Does that factor into your personal choice of whether to recommend dentures vs restorations. Please join the Very Clinical Facebook group to discuss this episode and much much more!