The Dental Hacks Podcast

Burnout. The very real phenomena experienced by many of us. Dreading the work. Dreading the routine.  Most dentists (and humans, for that matter) experience burnout at times. Your humble host is no exception and frankly is barely hanging on until Spring Break next week. I tried to come up with some tips to help beat burnout and this is what I came up with besides the obvious (and helpful) "take a vacation": Knock something off your long term “to do” list Fire a patient that you hate seeing Exercise Take a break from social media Get deeply involved in something (a book, podcast, cooking, woodworking project)...something that you can find a flow state in What things have you found help with burnout?  Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy" 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

Alan is joined by one of the best teachers in clinical dentistry, Dr. Dennis Hartlieb. Dennis has a podcast called the DOT Sharecast Continuing education is about taking away something, not everything. Needs, values and resources Dental school expectations...dentistry doesn't last forever YOU remember the compromises that the patient does not A riff on second opinions and overtreatment Overtreatment makes us ALL LOOK BAD Is All-on-X overused in dentistry? Is implant education pushing this too much? "The last treatment that you'll need." Except when it isn't. Treat patients...not procedures. Ethical pressures...mostly financial Medical documentation-->box checking Relationship driven dentistry  "You can't harvest the same day that you're planting seeds." "Don't start what you can't finish." Polishing a turd Failed teeth vs. failed implants Heroics and your skill set "Are you going to be mad at me if...?" If you have to show the patient the chart you've already lost Is dentistry easy? Some links from the show

Dr. Dan Smith joins the guys to talk "Myths and Tips" at VoD 2023!  Dan's myth: Facebook and Instagram dentistry is clinically irrelevant. The stuff you see on social media is more about flexing for other dentists than it is for patients.  Dan's tip: micro diamonds for carving composite anatomy if you're into making anatomy. Some links from the show: Buddy Mopper microdiamond block from Brasseler Meisinger very fine 12 fluted football bur If you want to interact with us, head over to the Very Clinical Facebook Group! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy" 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

Today Alan is joined by David Becker of Enova Illumination! Alan sat down with David to talk about ergonomic/angled prism loupes! Although the technology isn't new, it's definitely the hot thing in magnfication!  Some links from the show: Enova angled prism loupes Get more information from Enova through the Very Dental link! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," 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

What happens when software moves past providing a service and starts providing value to dental offices and patients? That's what Ryan White of Weave came to the Very Dental Podcast to talk about! Ryan explains how the future of dental software will make the things that office managers find tedious and time consuming easily automated so they can spend more time serving patients! A few of the topics we cover: Salt Lake City is awesome! What's the elevator pitch for Weave? How is Weave different than its competitors? Why have so many "third party" softwares added so many similar features and how to choose what's right for your office How Weave has led the way to automated insurance verification Why didn't practice management software figure out these innovations? Some links from the show: GetWeave.com Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the show

Dr. Frank Clayton joined Kevin and Zach to talk "Myths and Tips" at VoD 2023!  Frank's myth: You are "in control" at your dental office. The buck stops with the leader in charge, but you're not in charge of all the buttons and levers. There are "bigger things" going on that you don't have control over...so they aren't worth sweating.  Frank's tip: Find out what you like and do well...and stick to it.  Some links from the show: If you want to interact with us, head over to the Very Clinical Facebook Group! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy" 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” yo

A very available and transparent(ish) version of AI generated content has taken the world by storm over the last couple of months. ChatGPT and other applications have allowed people to generate amazing and relevant content almost instantly. If you haven't seen it and messed around with it, you might want to take a look. I had Chat GPT write an episode of the Very Dental Shorts. Using the prompt: "Write a 15 minute episode of the Very Dental Shorts where I explain to my dental listeners how we can use AI in our practice and our marketing." Then I had Elevenlabs generate a virtual voice of myself and read the ChatGPT copy that it created.  The result is in today's podcast and I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it. You should take a listen and then join us in the Very Dental Facebook group to discuss it!  The transcript of the ChatGPT generated content: Welcome to another episode of Very Dental Shorts, the podcast for dental professionals who want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in

Dr. Ricardo Mitrani has lectured all over the world on all kinds of dental topics. He takes engaging with his audience VERY seriously. Alan spoke with Ricardo at the Spear Summit in 2022 about the challenges that an educator faces when his medium (face to face seminars and workshops) changes drastically. As always, Ricardo and Alan have an extended and wide ranging conversation covering a bunch of topics: The challenges of the "one way" remote presentation  Why is real time audience feedback so important Ricardo's "Masterclass" experience and how he brought it to the hybrid education model at Spear How storytelling helps in education Creating an interaction with patients that is all your own Using silence to allow patients to process "What are we doing today, doc?" Oof. Are you able to take the time to talk with patients? All the data that you can collect from the patient might allow you to detach from actual patient care. "I didn't feel listened to" Authentic connection vs. "academic" connection Al on perfe

Zach and Kevin are joined by the one and only Dr. Jason Lipscomb for "Myths and Tips!"  Jason's myth: You can learn to "love" dentistry Jason's tip: generating content with ChatGPT and "Answer the Public"  Some links from the show: If you want to interact with us, head over to the Very Clinical Facebook Group! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy" 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 b

Q: What are exams for? A: ? The new patient/comprehensive and recall exam are so commonplace that sometimes I think we don't think about the why. In this episode Al digs a little deeper (spoiler: it's not a chance for you to find stuff to do on patients) and explains how he has created trust and value with a plain old recall or new patient exam. Some links from the show:  Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," 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 i

Voices of Dentistry is a terrific meeting for dentists at all phases of their career, including dental students! Al sat down with three dental students from Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine in Glendale, AZ. He is joined by second year dental students Andres (Andy) Palacios, Christian Putegnat and Valentin Meyts to talk about a wide variety of topics! Al explains about dental school in the 90's and being a "new dentist" in the early oughts Student debt...how bad is it and how well do they understand it? ($600k for school) First patient experiences in dental school and how things work at Midwestern University What are dental students looking at when they get out of school? Residencies? What coping skills have the guys developed? Instagram dentistry isn't real Don't compare yourself with others Dental school is the time to DO STUFF! They have to fix whatever you mess up!   Some links from the show: Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," or

"I have this conjecture...that I find that there's a strong relationship between how many implants a doctor does and how much they believe that everyone gags on dentures..." -Dr. Russell Schafer Zach and Kevin are joined by Dr. Russ Schafer for "Myths and Tips!"  Russell's myth: denture gaggers don't really exist.  Russell's tip: use alginate for initial denture impressions..."I want you to gag!" Some links from the show: Russell's courses If you want to interact with us, head over to the Very Clinical Facebook Group! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy" 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 “

Al riffs on social media. What's good, what's bad and what's ugly.  Some links from the show:  Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “verydental10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! -- Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headl

Dr. David Rice, a New Yorker who has relocated to Florida (there are a lot of those nowadays) joined Alan at the Greater New York Dental Meeting last November to tell stories and drop knowledge. Some of the highlights include: A food fight with the University of Minnesota grad pros residents at Chicago Midwinter Dental meetings aren't dead yet! The transition to editing DentistryIQ David on photography (his secret: his assistant) The interesting dental practice of David Rice Al on being cold How has being a "new dentist" or dental student in the last few years? Less clinical experience and more debt...yet more entrepreneurial! David on midlevel providers in dentistry Some advice for new dentists Some links from the show: Dentistry IQ (David is the editor) IgniteDDS (David is the founder) The Thermostat War on Dentistry IQ Dr. Ash Mark's Youtube channel "All Things Dentistry" Dr. Dennis Hartlieb's "DOT Hands On" Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," o

Zach and Kevin are joined by Dr. Scott Terry for "Myths and Tips!"  Scott's myth: Universal composites aren't universal! Scott's tip: STA anesthesia If you want to interact with us, head over to the Very Clinical Facebook Group! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy" 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 ha

Most of dental CE would have you believe that unless you're doing All on 4's all the time or FMR's on the daily that you're not that great of a dentist.  Listen folks...it's not true. The majority of us are out there plowing through single tooth (or quadrants) of treatment at a time. And it's OK.  Some links from the show:  Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," 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 pr

Dr. Rob Ritter joins Alan for another wide ranging conversation about Florida, technology, implementing new things in your practice and the future of CE. The pros and cons of being an "early adopter" The trouble with most continuing ed is the "how to" of implementing it in your office The evolution of "The Protocol" (Rob's continuing ed course) Instagram dentists I don't hate What to do/say when your patients can't afford the care you're offering Do you have to give your patients many options? (Rob says no) What does Rob say to dentists that will do a compromise treatment plan? What patients don't remember about compromise treatment plans "Evidence Based Dentistry" and how do we know what we know? (are we citing one article or are we really understanding the evidence?) All or nothing statements and "tribes." Rob on Instagram: "Take the picture the day it goes in because that's the best it's ever going to look." Post recalls. Nothing lasts forever...especially dentistry Al's "Raving Fans" moment at the Kois C

Zach and Kevin are joined by Dr. Brian McGue for more hot "Myths and Tips" talk!  Brian's myth: The posterior palatal seal! Brian's tip: contour adjacent contacts for molar crowns and especially implant crowns (use a fine cylinder diamond) If you want to interact with us, head over to the Very Clinical Facebook Group! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook," McWethy" 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

Assen Dobrikov is a first generation immigrant from Bulgaria and he owns and runs Dani Dental Studio in Tempe, Arizona. Al had the pleasure to talk to him about his journey from his boyhood in Bulgaria to owning and running a full service dental lab in Arizona! Dani Dental Studio was one of the amazing sponsors of the recent Voices of Dentistry meeting and meeting Assen was one of the highlights for me! Some links from the show:  Dani Dental Studio Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," 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 so

I'm fascinated with dental microscopes. Dr. Jorge Zapata uses dental microscopes for all aspects of dentistry. Neck pain drove him to try microscopes and he credits them with saving his career. What he didn't realize is how much it would change the way he looks at dentistry. Dr. Artie Volker and your humble host aspire to use scopes like Jorge. I had a chance to talk with both of them in the Enova Illumination booth at the 2022 Greater New York Dental meeting. Artie and Al pepper Jorge with questions about how he got started and how he's using the scope for all aspects of dentistry. It seems that most dentists who are excited about microscopes run into barriers that dampen their enthusiasm. Jorge can help you push through those barriers! Some highlights: Does your chair matter? Al does hygiene exams through the scope The mirror matters Jorge's redesign of Global's camera mount Polishing composite with the microscope If it looks good at high magnfication, it's going to look GREAT at lower magnification Dental