The Dental Hacks Podcast

Dr. Paul Homoly is a legend in dental communication. Alan was joined by Paul at The Voices of Dentistry for a podcast about evolutions. Whether it's how Paul's speaking business has evolved through the COVID era or how dental teams can evolve the way they practice dentistry by investing in themselves and the way they communicate with their patients, Paul will have you spellbound!  How Paul's business changed during COVID (also his golf game) The red carpet experience (and who gets it) Dental folklore (some people just have a s****y truck!) Should complex care patients come into the practice through hygiene? When does readiness happen? Patients can sense when a dentist NEEDS them to do the work. And they can sense when the dentist doesn't care if they do the treatment. Leadership isn't just for teams. It's for patients, too. Some links from the show: Paul's website If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I use Zirc’s products literally every day! Ever

Dr. Alan Mead joins Zach and Kevin to do a deep dive into block scheduling! Kevin kicks off this amazing conversation with THE question: "what are you selling?" He then explains how block scheduling has crushed it in his practice and how you can take back control of the chaos in your schedule!  Want more information? Become a member of the Very Clinical Facebook group where Kevin kicked off a rip roaring thread about block scheduling! If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Listen, most dental practices are wasting an enormous amount of time and money on disorganization. Zirc's Color Method takes all of your instruments and all of your materials and organizes it perfectly into color-coded tubs, trays, and cassettes. You gotta look into this for your practice and if you’re thinking, “Alan I do not have time for this!” you’re in luck because Zirc just launched a new service department where they will do it all for you!  Go to verydentalpodcast.com/colorm

Our training leads us to believe that we need to DO SOMETHING. When our patients present with a problem we're supposed to have a solution! But is that correct? Does every aptient problem have a solution that we can "fix?"  Al talks about the concept of intervention bias and his recent experience in a medical setting. 

Practice management software is a weak spot in dentistry. Much of what we use today is based on database technology from 20+ years ago. PMS hasn't kept up with the rest of the technology world. Alan recently sat down with Dr. Rania Saleh to talk about a cloud based practice management software called Oryx. Rania is the creator and CEO of Oryx Dental Software. It's an all inclusive, cloud based software.  I'll be blunt...this is the future of dental practice management software and you're going to be hearing a lot about it from me in coming months! Some links from the show: Oryx Dental Software Kois Center If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  Listen, most dental practices are wasting an enormous amount of time and money on disorganization. Zirc's Color Method takes all of your instruments and all of your materials and organizes it perfectly into color-coded tubs, trays, and cassettes. You gotta look into this for your practice and if you’re thinking

Dr. James Nelson from New Orleans joins Kevin and Zach to run the gauntlet at VoD 2022!  The questions: How did COVID affect your practice? You have to have a crown on #2...what material do you choose? Did you/would you place sealant on your own children? Your significant other needs ortho...wires/brackets or aligners? If your own #29 needed endo/core and crown/crown lengthening, would you do it or go right to an implant? If your significant other had a slight diastema between 8 and 9 would you suggest ortho, resin or porcelain? Go check out the Very Dental Facebook group (use password Timmerman or Hornbrook for entry!) If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I recently posted a simple case i the Very Dental Podcast Facebook group. The case came together using Cosmedent's Renamel Microfill. Nothing polishes or holds a polish like a microfill and Renamel microfill is available in a ton of shades and comes in both syringes and compules. Go check out Rena

Al runs into some artificial intelligence in a medical setting and riffs on how this might apply in dentistry at some point. Some links from the show: Oryx Dental Software WoundZoom If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I recently posted a simple case i the Very Dental Podcast Facebook group. The case came together using Cosmedent's Renamel Microfill. Nothing polishes or holds a polish like a microfill and Renamel microfill is available in a ton of shades and comes in both syringes and compules. Go check out Renamel Microfill at verydentalpodcast.com/microfill. You’re going to find a ton of uses for it and you’ll wonder how you worked without it! I’ve been using a Medit scanner from CAD-Ray since early 2019. I just upgraded to the i700 and I really like it. Medit has a lot to offer including a very appealing price point, no monthly fees and support that only CAD-Ray can offer! If you’re ready to bring digital dentistry into your practice, you need

Alan is joined once again by Dr. Mark Costes. The guys are a couple of months post Voices of Dentistry and do a little wrap up.  Mark is the founder of the Dental Success Institute, a podcaster and a good friend. The guys have a wide ranging conversation that covers all kinds of topics! VoD wrap up What it's like to be 50 Does shaming work in dentistry/medicine? Mark's next project...the Dental Success Summit at the JW Marriott resort on June 10-11th! Go learn about stuff that they didn't teach in dental school! Do meetings with like minded people! A little "inside baseball" from two titans in dental podcasting Have we reached "peak podcast?" Does the guest matter with regard to downloads? Who is Mark's favorite/most interesting interview? Some links from the show: Dental Success Summit is June 10-11th 2022 (use code "Alan2022" for an extra 10% off!) Voices of Dentistry is January 20-21 Go check out the Very Dental Facebook group (use password Timmerman or Hornbrook for entry!) If you'd like to support the

Dr. Matt Standridge, the ketodontist himself, stepped off the stage at VoD directly into a podcast with Zach and Kevin! He answered the questions that everyone was talking about and some of them might surprise you! The questions: How did COVID affect your practice? You have to have a crown on #2...what material do you choose? Did you/would you place sealant on your own children? Your significant other needs ortho...wires/brackets or aligners? If your own #29 needed endo/core and crown/crown lengthening, would you do it or go right to an implant? If your significant other had a slight diastema between 8 and 9 would you suggest ortho, resin or porcelain? Go check out the Very Dental Facebook group (use password Timmerman or Hornbrook for entry!) If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I recently posted a simple case i the Very Dental Podcast Facebook group. The case came together using Cosmedent's Renamel Microfill. Nothing polishes or holds a polish li

Could buying a REALLY nice saxophone make you a better saxophonist?  Well, maybe. But you'd be better off investing in lessons and practicing a lot. A nice horn is icing on the cake, but it can only make so much difference.  The same goes for dental instruments, materials and technologies. Al loves the idea of short cuts, but over and over he's realized that success comes with putting in the work. Some links from the show: Chad LB's Instagram Selmer Mark IV vs. Nexus 1 Go check out the Very Dental Facebook group (use password Timmerman or Hornbrook for entry!) If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I recently posted a simple case i the Very Dental Podcast Facebook group. The case came together using Cosmedent's Renamel Microfill. Nothing polishes or holds a polish like a microfill and Renamel microfill is available in a ton of shades and comes in both syringes and compules. Go check out Renamel Microfill at verydentalpodcast.com/microfill. You’re goin

Inspired by bad service at his bank and horrible features in accounting software, Al turns to his Brain Trust to talk about the resistance to change and how to break through it! Dr. Dawn Kulongowski, Dr. Melissa Zettler and Dr. Frank Clayton join Al to discuss all the ways that we resist our gut and drag our feet against the changes we need to make. Whether it's moving your office, firing your employee or switching banks, we've got ideas about how to help you move through change! Go check out the Very Dental Facebook group (use password Timmerman or Hornbrook for entry!) If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I’d like to thank Cosmedent for their support of the Very Dental Podcast network! Let’s talk about Ideal preps. That’s what we’re all aiming for and one excellent way to get there is to use a dual cured core material to build a broken down tooth back up to ideal contour. Cosmecore from Cosmedent is my choice for buildups. It’s dual cure, comes in a

Zach and Kevin interview Dr. Erin Elliott and her husband Tom! We learn a bit of the family history (get ready for TMI!) and then the fellas throw Tom (a nondentist) and Erin (an amazing dentist) and they run the VoD 2022 questions on the Elliotts! The questions: How did COVID affect your practice? You have to have a crown on #2...what material do you choose? Did you/would you place sealant on your own children? Your significant other needs ortho...wires/brackets or aligners? If your own #29 needed endo/core and crown/crown lengthening, would you do it or go right to an implant? If your significant other had a slight diastema between 8 and 9 would you suggest ortho, resin or porcelain? Do you want to weigh in? Join us in the Very Clinical Facebook group!  If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I’d like to thank Cosmedent for their support of the Very Dental Podcast network! Let’s talk about Ideal preps. That’s what we’re all aiming for and one excelle

When you're putting in legitimate effort and not getting results, it feels really unfair. What do you do when you're doing the best you can and things still aren't going well?  Al has some thoughts about this related to some medical stuff he has going on. But really, these challenges can be related to all kinds of things in your life. Go check out the Very Dental Facebook group (use password Timmerman or Hornbrook for entry!) If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I’d like to thank Cosmedent for their support of the Very Dental Podcast network! Let’s talk about Ideal preps. That’s what we’re all aiming for and one excellent way to get there is to use a dual cured core material to build a broken down tooth back up to ideal contour. Cosmecore from Cosmedent is my choice for buildups. It’s dual cure, comes in a variety of colors and cuts just like a tooth. You’ll get a super smooth finish with no gouging. Both work great, but those syringes are handy and

Al recently got to sit down with Dr. Chris Bowman at Voices of Dentistry 2022 Mark Costes finished his talk on time at VoD 2022! Miracle? Maybe. Al is anal retentive about time and timeliness.  Chris let's the patient that he's not going to rush on their care. That's reframing things a bit. Is Delta Premier going to go away? How can we "top off our practice" with a bit of insurance participation? "It's good to be old" Using "negative language" (limitations and restrictions) when referring to dental benefits One patient in 4 chairs. "Doc, you might as well be going fishing." I didn't plan it this way. 4 stages of change shock awkward, uncomfortable tolerable routine Go check out the Very Dental Facebook group (use password Timmerman or Hornbrook for entry!) If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I’d like to thank Cosmedent for their support of the Very Dental Podcast network! Let’s talk about Ideal preps. That’s what we’re all aiming for and one exc

Zach and Kevin were joined by superstar Dr. Mona Patel just moments after her triumphant talk at VoD! She answers the questions that Kevin and Zach came up with for VoD! The questions: How did COVID affect your practice? You have to have a crown on #2...what material do you choose? Did you/would you place sealant on your own children? Your significant other needs ortho...wires/brackets or aligners? If your own #29 needed endo/core and crown/crown lengthening, would you do it or go right to an implant? If your significant other had a slight diastema between 8 and 9 would you suggest ortho, resin or porcelain? Do you want to weigh in? Join us in the Very Clinical Facebook group!  If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I’d like to thank Cosmedent for their support of the Very Dental Podcast network! Let’s talk about Ideal preps. That’s what we’re all aiming for and one excellent way to get there is to use a dual cured core material to build a broken dow

Al is back from his February hiatus with some thoughts on an overlooked skill/talent/tool: likeability. It’s awesome to be amazing at your craft. It’s 100% worth learning new techniques and delivering as close to perfection as possible. But let’s be completely honest…stuff goes wrong. The best dentist you know still has appointments that they wish that they could forget.  A couple things about likeability.  To be blunt, people don’t sue someone that they like. The rare time that things go badly, having a patient that has legitimate affection for you can make a HUGE difference.  For most people it’s way easier to be likeable than you think. But it requires that you take a good hard look at how you feel about your “doctor” role. Go check out the Very Dental Facebook group (use password Timmerman or Hornbrook for entry!) If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I’d like to thank Cosmedent for their support of the Very Dental Podcast network! Let’s talk abo

A very slap happy Al is joined by Tom Brown and Joe Chickerillo of "Your Virtual Consult!" Your Virtual Consult was one of the sponsors of January's Voices of Dentistry. This conversation was nothing short of fascinating because Al has always been underwhelmed by "teledentistry." This isn't teledentistry, this is SO MUCH BETTER! The guys discussed: What is teledentistry and why does it suck? How could you use "Your Virtual Consult" to increase case acceptance? They discuss the ingenious process that they're using to help patients get comfortable with YOUR office! How can you use "Your Virtual Consult" make it so you don't ever have to have phone calls or Zoom calls ever again. Al prefers texting. Al prefers the automated checkout. Al wants to be left alone. How can you use "Your Virtual Consult"  like a giant set of headphones to make the world leave you alone, but actually makes you seem caring and inviting? How can you use "Your Virtual Consult" to help you find the patients that fit your office well? You'

Dr. Mike Keller (aka: 'Ol Soft Hands) of Delaware stopped by the Very Clinical booth at VoD and Zach and Kevin grilled him!  The questions: How did COVID affect your practice? You have to have a crown on #2...what material do you choose? Did you/would you place sealant on your own children? Your significant other needs ortho...wires/brackets or aligners? If your own #29 needed endo/core and crown/crown lengthening, would you do it or go right to an implant? If your significant other had a slight diastema between 8 and 9 would you suggest ortho, resin or porcelain? Do you want to weigh in? Join us in the Very Clinical Facebook group!  If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  I’d like to thank Cosmedent for their support of the Very Dental Podcast network! Let’s talk about Ideal preps. That’s what we’re all aiming for and one excellent way to get there is to use a dual cured core material to build a broken down tooth back up to ideal contour. Cosmecore f

Dr. Brian McGue of Implant Pathway AND 3D Dentists fame drops in to talk with Zach and Kevin at VoD! As they did to a bunch of guests, the Very Clinical guys grill Brian on the following questions! The questions: How did COVID affect your practice? You have to have a crown on #2...what material do you choose? Did you/would you place sealant on your own children? Your significant other needs ortho...wires/brackets or aligners? If your own #29 needed endo/core and crown/crown lengthening, would you do it or go right to an implant? If your significant other had a slight diastema between 8 and 9 would you suggest ortho, resin or porcelain? Do you want to weigh in? Join us in the Very Clinical Facebook group! 

Dr. Russell Schafer and Dr. Clinton Timmerman of the "Totally Oral" podcast join Kevin and Zach to run the Very Clinical gauntlet at VoD 2020! To refresh your memory, here are the clinical situations that The Totally Oral guys weigh in on: The questions: How did COVID affect your practice? You have to have a crown on #2...what material do you choose? Did you/would you place sealant on your own children? Your significant other needs ortho...wires/brackets or aligners? If your own #29 needed endo/core and crown/crown lengthening, would you do it or go right to an implant? If your significant other had a slight diastema between 8 and 9 would you suggest ortho, resin or porcelain? Do you want to weigh in? Join us in the Very Clinical Facebook group! 

Alan Mead joins Kevin and Zach to run the Very Clinical gauntlet at VoD 2020! To refresh your memory, here are the clinical situations that Alan weighs in on: The questions: How did COVID affect your practice? You have to have a crown on #2...what material do you choose? Did you/would you place sealant on your own children? Your significant other needs ortho...wires/brackets or aligners? If your own #29 needed endo/core and crown/crown lengthening, would you do it or go right to an implant? If your significant other had a slight diastema between 8 and 9 would you suggest ortho, resin or porcelain? Do you want to weigh in? Join us in the Very Clinical Facebook group!