The Dental Hacks Podcast

Following the news of Zach's intraoral scanner epiphany, the guys discuss some options for the next step after incorporating a scanner! A lot of hot printing and digital workflow talk in today's ep! 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" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Our friends at CAD-Ray want you to know that there has never been a better time to get into intraoral scanning! They sell and support all kinds of digital dentistry products from scanners, to printers and even cloud based software! For instance, the Medit i600 itraoral scanner is priced at just about $13,000! And if you didn’t know, CAD-Ray now distributes 3Shape scanners and the amazing Trios 4 wireless just had a $10,000 price cut! It comes in under $25,000. And all these options come with CAD-Ray’s unbeatable support! Go check it out at verydental

How do you let the patients that are a true pleasure to work on know that they are? In this episode Al rants about trying to be an excellent patient and what makes a patient be terrific to work on. Is it ethical to charge less on an easy patient? Perhaps you need to charge a difficulty fee for the ones that are a pain? Most importantly...what could you put in your "adult treasure chest" for adult patients that are a true pleasure to work on? Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Our friends at CAD-Ray want you to know that there has never been a better time to get into intraoral scanning! They sell and support all kinds of digital dentistry products from scanners, to printers and even cloud based software! For instance, the Medit i600 itraoral scanner is priced at just about $13,000! And if you didn’t know, CAD-Ray now distributes 3Shape scanners and the amazin

I've had the privilege to talk with Dr. Frank Spear and Dr. Gregg Kinzer on the podcast multiple times! The first time we ever had them on the podcast was June 2018 and I'm sharing it again for a very specific reason. I have the chance to record at the 2022 Spear Summit next week and I'll be featuring lots of content from the summit in the next months. I thought it would be interesting to hear these luminaries from a time before shutdowns, COVID protocols and before in person CE was gutted by the pandemic. In this throwback to June 2018 Dr. Frank Spear and Dr. Gregg Kinzer discuss all things Spear Education. Frank tells some stories about how he started presenting to dentists and how the Spear Center in Scottsdale came about. They also tell the story of how the two of became partners in dental practice. There's a lot to love in this podcast. We talk about the best way to bring new patients into your office ("what level would you like to be seen, Mrs. Smith?") and even how to transition patients you've been se

Kevin and Zach have returned from a short summer hiatus! Zach started using a Medit scanner and that's what the conversation centered on! How does an "analog" dentist change his technique to get excellent results with at scanner? Zach digs in to the new changes he's made and decides on whether he's going to stick with digital! "Yay Medit!" -Kevin 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" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Our friends at CAD-Ray want you to know that there has never been a better time to get into intraoral scanning! They sell and support all kinds of digital dentistry products from scanners, to printers and even cloud based software! For instance, the Medit i600 itraoral scanner is priced at just about $13,000! And if you didn’t know, CAD-Ray now distributes 3Shape scanners and the amazing Trios 4 wirele

Who's paying attention to the patient experience at your office? Al rants about the fact that this often overlooked factor is mostly unimportant in a medical setting. NO ONE is looking out for the patient experience in most medical offices because no one cares and it doesn't matter.  But it does matter in your practice. You can and should do better. We owe it to our patients and our teams. Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Our friends at CAD-Ray want you to know that there has never been a better time to get into intraoral scanning! They sell and support all kinds of digital dentistry products from scanners, to printers and even cloud based software! For instance, the Medit i600 itraoral scanner is priced at just about $13,000! And if you didn’t know, CAD-Ray now distributes 3Shape scanners and the amazing Trios 4 wireless just had a $10,000 price cut! It c

Dr. Natalie Ballas is a dentist and practice owner in Canby, OR. Nat came out to Michigan to experience the Vedder Society last September and it's taken me a year to get her to come onto the show! The two of them had a wide ranging conversation and some of the things they talked about are as follows: Is September the busiest time for dental events? (DS World and Spear Summit are the same weekend) Dental friends vs. IRL friends Work means "always being on" and using the commute to unwind Talking (or not talking) with nondental spouses about work Tiny teams and shrinking teams Getting the right number from a DSO = retirement What is the best thing you've bought for the office? (Al and Natalie answer in very different ways Having a flat facsimile (cardboard cut out) of employees for your office Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Cosmedent has an amazing fall

More hot denture talk courtesy of our special guest Dr. Russell Schafer This time we get into immediate dentures and printed dentures.  Hot takes abound! Highlights of things Russell talked about: Shining Path Scanner Nextdent priting resin Bosworth Soft Liner (sticks to resin well) Locator Attachments Soft Liner is way better than Tissue Conditioner per Russell Rebases are under-utilized vs. relines Repair your broken denture teeth with composite - for retention add a titanium pin plus some potholes in the acrylic 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" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Cosmedent has an amazing fall line up of continuing education! Coming up on September 22nd through the 23rd is our friend Dr. Artie Volker teaching “Composite Power 101!” Dr. Corky Willhite is offering his legendary “Ultimate Estheti

If you're looking for it you realize that a vast majority of your adult patients would benefit from some kind of orthodontic intervention. Most of the potential "big cases" that walk into my office would become smaller or at least a lot simpler if they had some kind of ortho. And with payment plans and aligners you might find that the obstacles to getting your patients to say "yes" are lower than you think. Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Cosmedent has an amazing fall line up of continuing education! Coming up on September 22nd through the 23rd is our friend Dr. Artie Volker teaching “Composite Power 101!” Dr. Corky Willhite is offering his legendary “Ultimate Esthetics” course! Both courses have lots of hands on exercises and as always they’re limited to 15 people which guarantees lots of individual time with instructors! Don’t miss your chance to learn

Dr. Gary Holtzclaw is a dentist and practice owner in Simpsonville, SC. Alan holds a special place in his hear for Gary because he was one of the very few people who attended Alan's presentation at the Dentsply Sirona World 2017. In Las Vegas. At 8am. On the topic of addiction.  So let's be honest...Gary is a peach. The guys had a wide ranging conversation that could have gone on a lot longer and some of the topics they discussed are as follows: Gary indulges Al in a college marching band story because both of them were in the marching band back in the day. Gary and Al are both old school podcast listeners. (Rio 500 mp3 player in the house!) Gary and Al both share a history of buying a "diamond in the rough" kind of practice. We're not sure those kind of practices are out there much any more, but if you find one you should buy it! Gary got into Spear Education/CEREC around the time you could buy CE on DVD!  Reality Ratings changed Al's dental life Gary explains his FriedRiceTacoPizza approach to immersing h

The Very Clinical guys reached out for help to talk about dentures. Apparently Zach, Mac and Kevin aren't red hot on full uppers and lowers. So they found someone who is! Dr. Russell Schafer joins the guys to explain how he does it and how he's simplified it to make it profitable and even (gasp) enjoyable! Links from Russell: Russell's lab: Cynosure Dental Lab, Tim Lane FB group: Oral Architects of Removable Prosthodontics 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" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Cosmedent has an amazing fall line up of continuing education! Coming up on September 22nd through the 23rd is our friend Dr. Artie Volker teaching “Composite Power 101!” Dr. Corky Willhite is offering his legendary “Ultimate Esthetics” course! Both courses have lots of hands on exercises and as always they’re limited to 15 pe

Just a little riff how much dentistry costs vs. how long it typically lasts. Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Cosmedent has an amazing fall line up of continuing education! Coming up on September 22nd through the 23rd is our friend Dr. Artie Volker teaching “Composite Power 101!” Dr. Corky Willhite is offering his legendary “Ultimate Esthetics” course! Both courses have lots of hands on exercises and as always they’re limited to 15 people which guarantees lots of individual time with instructors! Don’t miss your chance to learn in the greatest classroom in dentistry with some legendary instructors using the best of materials! Go check it out at verydentalpodcast.com/CEE! -- Our friends at CAD-Ray want you to know that there has never been a better time to get into intraoral scanning! They sell and support all kinds of digital dentistry products from scanne

Dr. Vince Buscemi is a dentist and podcaster from Michigan. He does his podcast with a partner, Dr. Jessical Gaul and it is called "ToothFaced the Podcast." You can find the podcast on Youtube and Spotify and it's a great listen! Vince has what most would consider a "dream practice" in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan! Vince and Al had a chance to talk about a variety of topics and the conversation went in an interesting direction. Poor Vince barely got a word in edgewise...sorry Vince! Some of the topics they covered: Why start a podcast? Who is the audience? Vince records live in his office! People have weird emotions about consult rooms. Vince misses the "Alan Mead Experience" podcast! How Al started telling his story publicly Vince's practice is completely FFS/insurance free in Bloomfield Hills! (Bloomfield Hills is a very wealthy Detroit suburb) You might think you want a practice like Vince's, but there are downsides! How do you tell weathy/important people "no" when they're used to hearing "yes?" Vince se

In this throwback episode we feature Zach, Kevin and Dr. Mac Jones, the "Chuck Cunningham" of the early Very Clinical podcast!  Highlights today include: Mac and Kevin are talented at extractions and do it all Zach's not a huge fan of extractions, can the guys give him some tips to up his game? The gang each share how they'd take out a tooth #19 from start to finish Opioids?  Are we part of the solution or contributing to the problem? Products or techniques discussed by each hack: Kevin Double block with Septocaine #23 Forceps PGA Sutures Dr. Pimple Popper   Mac Block with Lido, Septo infiltration 301T Elevator A. Titan forcep Benacel 600 mg of Ibuprofen + 1 Extra Strength Tylenol = great pain relief PTFE Suture Make the Root Smaller or the Hole Bigger   Zach Proximators Learning Minor Oral Surgery 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" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dent

A riff on mountain biking and how comparing yourself to others can be pretty negative and is usually a waste of time. Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Cosmedent has an amazing fall line up of continuing education! Coming up on September 22nd through the 23rd is our friend Dr. Artie Volker teaching “Composite Power 101!” Dr. Corky Willhite is offering his legendary “Ultimate Esthetics” course! Both courses have lots of hands on exercises and as always they’re limited to 15 people which guarantees lots of individual time with instructors! Don’t miss your chance to learn in the greatest classroom in dentistry with some legendary instructors using the best of materials! Go check it out at verydentalpodcast.com/CEE! -- You know that our friends at Zirc are the organization people. With the Color Method and all the different storage and instrument sterilizations

Dr. Frank Clayton joins Alan for a rousing and wide ranging conversation about life and dentistry. Some of the topics include: Reminiscing about classic DentalTown days Where did the idea for a dental podcast come from? Al misses the Droid 2 Good bad food Salty or sweet? Which was worse: selling Velveeta of dental school? Timer vs. living dangerously with setting cement Speedcem by Ivoclar "In my hands" DSLR failures Photography is simply to make other dentists feel bad We hate phone calls Zirconia works just fine...in my hands Social media: net positive or net negative? Are there rednecks in the north? "Jimmy is One of My Jewish friends" commercial Would you rather have a tight interproximal contact or a loose-ish contact? Frank has made a pact with Mac Jones to never get an intraoral scanner for C&B Carifree treatment rinse is worse tasting than "minty pool water." Don't care more than your patients do Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'

New dentists, take note! Not all dentists think that sealants are a wise preventive treatment! The very clinical guys, (Zach Meiners, Kevin Fryer, and Alan Mead) all have one thing in common...all pretty much dislike sealants! What? Aren't they preventing decay? Enjoy what's likely an unpopular take on sealants. Highlights include: - Do sealants prevent decay? - Can sealants "cause" decay? - What conditions should be met for sealants to be effective? - Is adding sealants into your hygiene program a revenue booster? - When did 3 experienced clinicians turn sour on sealants? - How does a microscope user view the sealant restoration? - Is the medium quality sealant the worst restoration? - Glass Ionomer sealants, do they have a place?   Fuji Triage 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" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors! 

What metrics are you measuring? How does measurement affect long term outcomes? Whether it's tracking blood glucose, logging what you eat or checking on your office's production and collections, measurement can help keep you accountable. But how important is this measurement? Can you measure too much? What happens if you get bad data?  Al relates his experiences with a CGM (constant glucose monitor) and how it's helped improve long term outcomes with diabetes and wonders if there is an appropriate analogy with measurement of key performance indicators of your business! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  After the course I took at Cosmedent back in May, I realized that polishing restorations, especially composite restorations is an afterthought for most dentists. Getting a beautiful shine with lasting luster is just too much work, so why bother? But what if y

The Wonderist Agency is truly a one stop marketing solution. They take a personal and design centered approach to dental practice marketing. They've been supportive of dental podcasting and specifically for the Voices of Dentistry meeting and a partner to the Very Dental Podcast network. All of that said, my conversation with founder Michael Anderson was enlightening in a way that I didn't originally expect.   One of the problems with dental marketing is the inability to know if your spending is truly making a difference. Is the money I'm spending really bringing people through the door? I asked Michael about this consistent gripe from dentists and he had a really direct answer that I think you'll want to hear about!  A few highlights: Michael's take on dental meetings in a post-COVID world How are you capturing leads? How are you tracking them? Can dentists use lead lists in a subtle and effective way? How do you become the business that people remember when they're spurred to do something? (spoiler: drip s

New (and used) dentists rejoice! In this riveting throwback episode, Kevin, Zach and Al discuss their methods for doing basic crown and bridge temporaries. Highlights today include:  Kevin immediately one-ups the groups and says he's mostly Cerec and rarely makes temps, so the moral of the episode is... skip temps and mill yourself so that you can be as cool as Kevin.  Zach, per usual has both the least expensive way of doing it and the most complicated, 3 different temp systems for a variety of scenarios.. nightmare!  Alan, also per usual, describes the most expensive way to make a temporary possible, but also has some unique solutions for broken down teeth, listen close for some pearls! Kevin's Integrity Products on the show mentioned include: Zach: Safco Dual Arch Trays for Pre-impression Safco Nice Bite Fast Set for Pre-Impression Safco Nice Temp Metal Ion Crowns for "jacked" teeth GC Alike Acrylic for long span cases or heavy bruxers on 2nd molars Temp-Bond Generic Polycarboxylate (Durelon)   Ala

After a restful July, Al has some things you should check out! From bicycle stuff, to podcasts to a switchblade knife, there's a little something for everyone to check out! Al's local (Michigan) bicycles for sale Facebook group Al's new mountain bike (2020 Trek Fuel EX 5) Hot Money: Porn, Power and Profit podcast Al's new knife Al's new headphones Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  After the course I took at Cosmedent back in May, I realized that polishing restorations, especially composite restorations is an afterthought for most dentists. Getting a beautiful shine with lasting luster is just too much work, so why bother? But what if you could make your patients happier and make your composite restorations last longer? You need to try Enamelize, the aluminum oxide polishing paste from Cosmedent that will change the way you look at composite polish forev