The Dental Hacks Podcast

All of these business models are fantastic...for the business. Not for the client. All are based on being a pain in the ass for the client. The $x/month credit card swipe “subscription.” “New Paper” Spotify and other subscriptions, if you aren’t careful Based on being difficult to cancel. Or at least multiple steps. Often inexpensive enough that you won’t bother. Verizon’s “you can only cancel by calling this number” Automatic renewal by credit card of ANYTHING Medicine’s “automatic premium payment” and “never discussing money before a procedure” technique. Some links from the show: The Voices of Dentistry The Very Dental Facebook group If you would you like support the Very Dental Podcast Network you should support our sponsors! They help us create content that is, for lack of a better word...Very Dental! The Very Dental Podcast Network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Here are 3 reasons that you should check out Microcopy Dental: Their Instagram posts are hysterical. Dental mark

The Very Clinical guys take a look back with special guest Dr. Nate Lawson, the materials guy! Highlights include: Dr. Nate Lawson has an awesome Instagram page! Check it out here!  https://www.instagram.com/dentinaltube/ We hear Nate’s origin story Nate teaches at The University Of Alabama Birmingham and also practices. Nate tells us how to become an Instagram model. Nate answers questions from our Facebook page!

Alan is joined by friends and colleagues Dr. Dawn Kulongowski, Dr. Melissa Zettler and Dr. Frank Clayton to talk about COVID. Specifically how we’re feeling 18 months into the COVID pandemic. What’s different? What’s changed for the worse? Did anything good come from it? Stuff that’s changed: Costs of everything have gone up Hiring/finding employees is REALLY difficult Delivery everything New business models requiring less people/more efficiency (Dawn’s vet story) No dining rooms for fast food Tolerance of crazy patients Single use/waste Everyone using straws Wiping the pen Asking about vaccination/health information Health screening Staffing changes Hygiene recall is messed up! What we’d keep: Al: Exercise Dawn: Less travel “I’ve put a new dollar amount on my time…” Melissa: More time with family “We were the house that was willing to have everyone over…” Frank: Pay attention to your time/free time. Also have patients prepay. Some Links from the Show: Land of the Giants podcast (season 4 focuses on the

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 patients, you start making bad decisions” Late 90’s “needs based” dentistry to “wants based” dentistry Doing dentistry because you NEED to (financial constraints) is more common Al’s bad beats and walking away f

Alan tells his "origin story" of purchasing a practice for a mere $87,500 23 years ago! Some links from the show: The Voices of Dentistry The Very Dental Facebook group If you would you like support the Very Dental Podcast Network you should support our sponsors! They help us create content that is, for lack of a better word...Very Dental! The Very Dental Podcast Network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Here are 3 reasons that you should check out Microcopy Dental: Their Instagram posts are hysterical. Dental marketing is usually cheesy and appeals to the lowest common denominator. Microcopy Dental posts legitimately funny stuff on their Instagram account! Microcopy makes a wide variety of single use carbides, diamonds and polishers. Such a wide variety that their catalog reminds me of an encyclopedia. But with better pictures. Microcopy dental makes it so you’ll never have to experience that “dull bur” feeling ever again. A new bur. Every. Single. Time. Go check out all Microcopy Dent

We are joined by Dr Jorge Zapata of Ogden Utah, post Labor Day Zach makes us jealous by telling us about Turks and Caicos We recap summer Kevin had a GREAT summer vacation Zach was on the water a lot! Jorge took his boys to college We discuss Jorge’s posting on Facebook First we discuss Class 2’s Jorge uses Bioclear and Garrison Jorge uses Kuraray Clearfill composite Jorge has great anatomy! Jorge is a rubber dam man Then we talk endo Jorge uses Edge endo Jorge uses a sealer from Kerr Jorge does retreats and apicos We talk about the perfect marriage of CBCT and microscope We talk about extra canals and the surgical microscope We talk about 3rd molars and the scope Join our Very Clinical Facebook page!! If you would you like support the Very Dental Podcast Network you should support our sponsors! They help us create content that is, for lack of a better word...Very Dental! The Very Dental Podcast Network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Here are 3 reasons that you should check out Microcop

Alan is joined by two relatively new owners of microscopes. Specifically the Zumax OMS 2380. Dr. Graham Forbes and Dr. Brad Mattison both bring some pretty compelling arguments for microscope use in their offices in this episode. Graham’s story: He loved what he saw from the Eastern European scope gurus (Dr. Maxim Belograd and Dr. Nazariy Mykhaylyuk) and found that a full day of restorative dentistry was getting hard on his neck! Brad’s story: In dental school he watched a lot of dental Youtube and was inspired by Dr. Gerard Cuomo. The rest of the interview is a deep dive about what you need to know about dental microscopes, what you could expect the shopping experience to be and why the three of us recommend the experience of working with Enova Illumination and Zumax. Some links from the show: Maxim Belograd’s Instagram Narzariy Mykhaylyuk’s Instagram Leica dental microscopes Global dental microscopes CJ Optik dental microscopes Labomed dental microscopes Enova surgical headlamp Al’s microscope chairs:

When can self-imposed limitations be good? Al discusses the pros and cons of placing limits on things to help focus on what's important. Some examples: addiction debt COVID continuing education and procedures that you offer! Some links from the show: The Very Dental Podcast Network website The Paradox of Choice Voices of Dentistry If you would you like support the Very Dental Podcast Network you should support our sponsors! They help us create content that is, for lack of a better word...Very Dental! The Very Dental Podcast Network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Here are 3 reasons that you should check out Microcopy Dental: Their Instagram posts are hysterical. Dental marketing is usually cheesy and appeals to the lowest common denominator. Microcopy Dental posts legitimately funny stuff on their Instagram account! Microcopy makes a wide variety of single use carbides, diamonds and polishers. Such a wide variety that their catalog reminds me of an encyclopedia. But with better pictu

We are joined by Dr Jorge Zapata of Ogden Utah, whose Beast Of Burden is a surgical microscope First we mourn the passing of Charlie Watts drummer for the Rolling Stones. Start Me Up….Jorge’s bio Miss You …. We talk about Kevin’s son and skiing Time Is On My Side …. We discuss extending Jorge’s career by implementing the surgical microscope Mother’s Little Helper… We discuss Jorge’s global use of the microscope for all dental procedures Satisfaction…. We discuss Jorge’s sharing of videos and photos on several forums including the Very Clinical Facebook page Paint It Black…. We discuss the times Jorge DOESN’T post recorded videos Waiting On A Friend… Jorge’s lecturing has dimmed because of Covid and how he met Alan Mead You Can’t Always Get What You Want… Kevin could not get used to using a microscope in a Cerec class. Zach tried one at VOD It’s Only Rock And Roll…we sign off and beg you to join our Very Clinical Facebook page. Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors!

Dr. Jason Smithson joins Alan to talk about putting COVID behind us, the future of CE and how mentorship really works. What is the "post-COVID-ish" period looking like in the UK "fallow time" Webinars have changed Jason's educational platform a lot Is hybrid teaching (part webinar/at home part in person) the future? Do dentists need the socialization of CE? Jason and Alan are probably more country than most dentists Spear Homecoming...making our Spear heroes more human! Jason is the new Spear composite guy and has never taught there yet (hopefully in September!) Remembering Russell DeVreugd The Vedder Society should get Jason! How does mentorship work? Some links from the show: The Vedder Society fall meeting DOT Hands On The Restorative Programme Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you

Al's had a couple of really weird days. So obviously he has to think of an analogy to torture in the latest episode of Very Dental Shorts! How are horses like patients? How come some stalls need to be cleaned WAY more than others?  Some links from the show: The Very Dental Facebook group The Voices of Dentistry Summit! Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide burs, diamond burs, polishers and a variety of single use products that make your office more efficient, make your infection control simpler and your dentistry better! Find more information at verydentalpodcast.com/microcopy Dentures get a bad reputation in dentistry. Quite a few dentists even brag about how long it has been since they have done a denture. Dr. Russell Schafer wants to reverse this trend. So

The first day of school puts Al in a contemplative mood. How good are you at seeing things through someone else's eyes? Does this skill have any application in dentistry? Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide burs, diamond burs, polishers and a variety of single use products that make your office more efficient, make your infection control simpler and your dentistry better! Find more information at verydentalpodcast.com/microcopy Dentures get a bad reputation in dentistry. Quite a few dentists even brag about how long it has been since they have done a denture. Dr. Russell Schafer wants to reverse this trend. So if you want to learn to hate dentures less, you need to take Russell's course on November 12-13th 2021 in New Orleans! Learn techniques to streamline

Alan is joined by Jay Glazer of Crazy Dental. Jay is Al's "connection" in the dental industry. They talked about a bunch of stuff and some of the topics they cover were: What's the difference between Crazy Dental and DC Dental? Al hates it when reps show up in your office. Sales reps vs. a really good website. (Jay was a rep) Is Alexa listening to you? Jay is a big fan of the Voices of Dentistry! What has changed in the dental industry since COVID (Jay was HOSPITALIZED!) The dental industry is obsessed with PPE The supply chain is really trying to catch up...where will dentistry get hit? Why has Al switched to Crazy Dental? Al's eBay handle: a2thdoc Why does Al deserve a Lamborghini from Audible.com? Why do dentists hate the dental industry? Is the dental tax real? Have you ever seen the 3M Innovation Center? Why does Al still use Sof Lex discs? Because that's what he learned on at Minnesota! UPS drivers Why should Zach Meiners find a new hobby? Some links from the show:

Do you look at the schedule in advance? Do you remember the name of your problem patients? Al reflects on how the way he views his "hair on fire" patients has changed over the years and whether it's for the better.  Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide burs, diamond burs, polishers and a variety of single use products that make your office more efficient, make your infection control simpler and your dentistry better! Find more information at verydentalpodcast.com/microcopy Dentures get a bad reputation in dentistry. Quite a few dentists even brag about how long it has been since they have done a denture. Dr. Russell Schafer wants to reverse this trend. So if you want to learn to hate dentures less, you need to take Russell's course on November 12-13th 2021 in

Can you knock out a crown prep from start to finish in 40 minutes? Over the last couple of years I've put together a workflow that's leisurely yet thorough and gets great results for the classic single unit crown.  I'd be curious to hear if you have tweaks that can make this even better!  Some links from the show: Template/Temp Tray from Clinician's Choice Medit i500 intraoral scanner Premier Knit pack cord Premier Traxodent Ultradent Astringident X Vividprime desensitizer Cosmedent MirrorImage Itena Dentotemp Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide burs, diamond burs, polishers and a variety of single use products that make your office more efficient, make your infection control simpler and your dentistry better! Find more information at verydentalpodc

Aka: Instagram wants Al to get a Husky! Al discusses how he’s influenced what Instagram puts in front of his eyeballs by watching videos to the end, and saving stuff for later on Instagram! If you’d like to have a more pleasant social media experience, you should check this episode out!  Some links from the show: Reply All episode Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide burs, diamond burs, polishers and a variety of single use products that make your office more efficient, make your infection control simpler and your dentistry better! Find more information at verydentalpodcast.com/microcopy Dentures get a bad reputation in dentistry. Quite a few dentists even brag about how long it has been since they have done a denture. Dr. Russell Schafer wants to reverse th

Any dentist or dental team member that spends any time in a medical office cannot help but notice the distinct differences in how we treat patients and deliver care. Dr. Tarun Agarwal joins Alan to candidly (and I mean CANDIDLY) talk about what physicians could learn from dental offices and what dental offices might learn from medicine! Some of the topics include: T-Bone talks about meetings and the Voices of Dentistry How COVID affected 3D Dentists...getting back in to "course shape." How hard is it to perf a tooth? Hard...but not impossible! What's new at 3D Dentists? The history of the 3D Dentists retreat. "This is how education should be." Living together is an interesting way to learn The treatment center/addiction during COVID Al's medical problems What medicine can learn from dentistry (and vice versa) The patriarchal approach of medicine may have a place in dentistry Two diabetics walk into a room Water shaming...what is the right amount of water? having to pee all t

How do you make decisions about purchases and other things? Do you make lists, do the research and struggle to choose or do you get the first thing that checks all of your boxes? Alan discusses "The Paradox of Choice" and how it's influenced the way he makes choices. Some links from the show: "The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz Salsa Cutthroat Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide burs, diamond burs, polishers and a variety of single use products that make your office more efficient, make your infection control simpler and your dentistry better! Find more information at verydentalpodcast.com/microcopy Dentures get a bad reputation in dentistry. Quite a few dentists even brag about how long it has been since they have done a denture. Dr. Russell Schafer

Alan invites you to join him (and lots of other Very Dental people) at two upcoming (and amazing) events! The first is the Vedder Society meeting this September 24-26th in beautiful Bellaire, MI!  Second is the Voices of Dentistry summit on January 21-22, 2022 in spectacular Scottsdale, AZ! Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide burs, diamond burs, polishers and a variety of single use products that make your office more efficient, make your infection control simpler and your dentistry better! Find more information at verydentalpodcast.com/microcopy Dentures get a bad reputation in dentistry. Quite a few dentists even brag about how long it has been since they have done a denture. Dr. Russell Schafer wants to reverse this trend. So if you want to learn to hate

Kevin and Zach spend way too much time talking about their favorite reruns on TV Kevin likes The Office Zach likes Curb Your Enthusiasm  We give Crazy Dental a shout out…. Check them out! Then we actually talk about redoing your dentistry First class 2 fillings Then crowns Then root canals Then dentures (ugh) Then night guards and sleep appliances Then we talk about the dirty secret of orthodontics Then implant complications Go to the Very Clinical Facebook group and join! The Voices of Dentistry website is up and registration for dentistry's favorite meeting is open! Go check out the lineup and book your room! Check out our amazing speaker/podcaster line up in Scottsdale, AZ on January 21-22, 2022!   Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! When you choose to buy from our sponsors you're helping support the podcasts that you love! The Very Dental Podcast network is brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide burs, diamond burs,