The Dental Hacks Podcast

The Very Dental guys discuss regular ass magnification. Mac tries to be coy with his 3.5X loupes... THEN mid-episode has a reveal you won't want to miss.  Kevin one ups everyone with his level of magnification, but mainly because his eyes suck big time. Zach has the most pathetic journey of magnification you could imagine, but admittedly he's on a pathway towards redemption. Does your team magnify?  Do you magnify at home like we do? How about headlights? Tell us more about how you magnify at the office and get on there to make fun of Zach and his overseas cheap loupes on the Very Dental Facebook Group.

The gang is back together and we're talking about how we deal with failures. - What is each of our most epic fails? - How has failure shaped the way we practice? - We run through some failure scenarios: - failure to diagnose - restoration fails too quickly - procedural error - poor experience perceived by the patient - How do we deal with failure emotionally? Mac Jones word count:  We actually let him talk quite a bit! If you want to interact with us, head over to the closed Facebook Group Very Clinical We want to produce episodes about the questions you have, it's a great place to post a clinical topic, you don't even have to post a photo! Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! The Very Dental podcast is brought to you by the Wonderist agency. The best marketing agency to build your website, logo, SEO, design, Google Ads, social media and on. And on. Marketing your dental office...the Wonderist Agency can help! Find out more at wonderistagency.com! Very Dental is

This is a VERY SPECIAL EPISODE! There is nothing wrong with your podcast app. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image; make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your podcast app. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to the Clinical Hacks Podcast Special thanks to Josh and Lance Oh yeah, we discuss crown preps too. Enjoy!

The Clinical Hacks Get White Highlights include: Go Chiefs! We pimp Voices Of Dentistry We discuss treating teeth whitening Neither do in office whitening Zach tried Kor Both use Opalescence

This week the gang gave Zach the week off and replaced him with someone with an amazing laugh, Dr. Aly Sergie. The topic this week was hydrogen peroxide in Dentistry. Listen as Aly gets all bubbly with enthusiasm over his favorite chemical of all time. Highlights include: -Zach is lost and the FBI is searching for him – Aly laughing Aly describes his happy accident Aly describes how 35% hydrogen peroxide is magical unicorn tears A crazy Russian Hacker pours hydrogen peroxide into pig blood Aly likes gingivectomies Don’t lose an eye! How to order 35% hydrogen peroxide Mac Jones word count:  47.5  If you want to interact with us, head over to the closed Facebook Group Clinical Hacks We want to produce episodes about the questions you have, it’s a great place to post a clinical topic, you don’t even have to post a photo!

What is a "lot of money" to you? Maybe a better question...what amount of money would you spend without thinking much about it?  Al discusses some interesting concepts about how we think about money, and maybe more importantly how our patients do. Also, what have dental benefits done to change this concept in our patient population? Do me a favor...invite a friend or colleague to become a listener to the Very Dental podcast. Better yet, show them how to download a podcast on their phone! Also, go join the Very Dental Facebook group using password: Timmerman! Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! The Very Dental podcast is brought to you by the Wonderist agency. The best marketing agency to build your website, logo, SEO, design, Google Ads, social media and on. And on. Marketing your dental office...the Wonderist Agency can help! Find out more at wonderistagency.com! Very Dental is also brought to you by our friends at Microcopy Dental. Single patient use carbide

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! Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! The Very Dental podcast is brought to you by the Wonderist agency. The best marketing agency to build your website, logo, SEO, design, Google Ads, social media and on. And on. Marketing your dental office...the Wonderist A

Alan had the distinct honor to moderate a round table with four of Spear Education's visionaries! He was joined by Dr. Gregg Kinzer, Dr. Jeff Rouse, Dr. Ricardo Mitrani and Dr. Bob Winter to discuss a wide variety of topics! They started off with "how did you get into dentistry" and it went all over the place from there! This is one you don't want to miss! Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! Some links from the show: Spear Education Spear Online The Very Dental podcast is brought to you by the Wonderist agency. The best marketing agency to build your website, logo, SEO, design, Google Ads, social media and on. And on. Marketing your dental office...the Wonderist Agency can help! Find out more at wonderistagency.com! Very Dental is also 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 d

It seems like a lot of very dental people would like to get out of dentistry. Al takes a highly unscientific look at this phenomena and what is behind it and follows it up with a few bold suggestions.  Keep your eyes open on the feed for a new show on the Very Dental podcast network called "We Are All Broken" where we'll delve into some of the issues that dental people deal with and how we can make those issues better! Some links from the show: The Peaceful Practice podcast Would you like to support the podcast? Then you should take a look at our sponsors! The Very Dental podcast is brought to you by the Wonderist agency. The best marketing agency to build your website, logo, SEO, design, Google Ads, social media and on. And on. Marketing your dental office...the Wonderist Agency can help! Find out more at wonderistagency.com! Very Dental is also 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 off

Al invites all Very Dental people to attend his study club! The Fall meeting of the Francis B. Vedder Society of Crown and Bridge Prosthodontics (aka: The Vedder Society) is meeting this September 24-26 at Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire, MI! It will feature the one and only Dr. David Hornbrook speaking on "Cements and Ceramics 2021." It's 13 hours of CE for $300 in an autumn paradise. Very Dental people will enjoy fantastic CE, food, recreation and most importantly camaraderie! Go check it out at www.veddersociety.com or fill out the registration here. Some links from the show: Take a listen to the podcast I did with the Vedder Society back in 2019 for the 60th anniversary of this very special study club!  Traverse City airport Shanty Creek Resort  

Zach and Kevin get stood up! Zach and Kevin discuss core build up techniques We discuss the difference between space fillers and true build ups Kevin discusses his “ reverse build up” for Cerec We marvel at certain Florida dentists’ amazing core build up technique and protocol Please join our Facebook page!

Alan is joined by Dr. Gina Dorfman and Zak Allmand to talk about dentists with side gigs!  Gina created YAPI which allows dentists to be paperless, allows offices to communicate within the offices as well as with patients (texting, reminders, etc.), get patient reviews as well as online appointments! YAPI does everything you wish you practice management software would do! Zak started Apex Payment Solutions, a company that helps dentists take credit card payments. According to Zak, most credit card payment companies are "shady af." Apex helps dentists get better deals on taking payments!  The conversation was really interesting because we dove into side gigs for dentists: A great dental side gig comes from solving a problem that dentists are having (paperless solutions, credit card payment rip offs, no podcast that I wanted to listen to) Zak is a Viking, hates the dental tax The side gig is often "the next adventure" Idea people need help executing their ideas Side gigs are often not tied to a specific plac

Alan is joined by his friend Dr. Brett Kessler to have a VERY frank talk about how people make changes in their lives. Both of them are in long term recovery from drugs and alcohol which gives them an interesting perspective on how people make behavior changes in their life. Some of the topics we discuss are: The "time machine" game and how our past experiences are formative How do recovering people deal with social situations where people are drinking? Dentists suffered during COVID because so much was out of their control How do people make positive changes in their behavior? Running sucks Counting streaks Results don't come fast enough to drive early motivation...so how do we maintain motivation? Did fear of COVID change Al's behavior? How much dental disease is preventable by behavior change (home care, diet, smoking, etc.)? Is behavior change a simple matter of education? (spoiler: hell no!) Consequences can drive behavior change. But they don't always. You should join the Very Dental Facebook group (p

Hey hey hey! Dr. Mac Jones joins the Very Clinical crew The Very Clinical guys talk about board horror stories Mac weighs in on getting contacts with Bulk EZ Make sure you're reducing enough on crown and bridge preps How do prep for retention How to grab crown prep length Plunger cusps...reduce them Learn how to recontour teeth READ THE DIRECTIONS of your materials Understand your bonding agents Simple isn't always the best Access extracted teeth, understand endo access anatomy Use an orifice opener Reduce the occlusal in endo if you can Section teeth in extractions...take out roots, not teeth Proximators Proximators + mallet Look in to bone grafting even if you aren't placing implants Instagram results...often "same day." Recalls are everything. Don't be the first person to do something. Don't be the last person, either.  Be sure to check out the Very Clinical Facebook Group!   

Alan is joined by a round table of dentists who want to talk about dental school and what it did to them. Dr. Russell Schafer graduated from LSU in 2013, Dr. Sarah Meyer graduated from Creighton in 2011 and Dr. Maggie Saludis graduated from University of Maryland in 2018! Each of them brings their own trauma/hilarity to the conversation! Some of the topics we covered are: instructor hazing classmates being removed operative practicals casting gold pediatric dentistry term papers and marathons taking (and failing) boards the ethical ramifications of boards using your brother as a boards patient Got your own dental school horror stories? Join the Very Dental Facebook group (use password: Timmerman) and freak us all out there! 

Everyone loves the Jason Smithson-esque class IV composite done with a gorgeous wax up and beautifully layered composites placed with precision using a polyvinyl stent. These "double half caff mochaccinos with a twist and extra sprinkles can be found all over Instagram and Facebook groups. They're awesome and everyone should learn to do them. But quite often a case lands in your schedule that doesn't allow you to do the prep work for this. Sometimes you have to settle for a vanilla latte. And vanilla lattes can be delicious! Al gives you his recipe for a consistent and satisfying "vanilla latte" class IV that can make you and your patient happy with a quick and simple appointment! Some links from the show: curved Mylar strips Cosmedent's Creative Color Opaquers 3M Sof-lex discs Microcopy very fine composite finishing diamonds Cosmedent composite brushes

Today's episode is part 2 of the interview of Al by Dr. Melissa Zettler! We go all over the place in this one with topics including: How to lose weight during a pandemic Fitness as a middle aged person The one thing that Al needs for dentistry: light and magnification (that's two things) Enova Illumination light/loupe deal Melissa wants all the information about Al's farm. How many ducks are enough? Gracie the rescue lab How has work been affected by having kids?

We start off talking about summer vacations!  Summer is here and we’re excited, and summer plans seem real this year! As new dentists begin to graduate this year, we reminisce on our own beginnings in dentistry, failures we made and things we’d tell ourselves if we had a time machine. Topics include: Anesthesia Don’t be stingy on how much you give Have a skull to review anatomy when you get into slumps When you are slower, give more anesthesia for duration of anesthesia Have a youtube video of a block saved and ready to review Cold test prior to prepping Preps: Cavity Prep are you being too conservative?   The answer is probably yes Is your class ii box too small?   Probably Bevel big for class V’s Small class IV chips can be a big problem for you without over-engineering it. Lots of good pro-tips this week for the younger dentist. Check out the Very Clinical Facebook group for more on these topics, and so much more.

They say that turnabout is fair play, so in that spirit Dr. Melissa Zettler interviewed your host and benevolent leader, Al!  A few topics covered in this first episode: How did the podcast start? Why podcasting? The heady early days of podcasting What was it like to "grow up" in a dental office? Al had orthodontics. A lot of orthodontics. How did dad's influence affect the way Al practices now? How did the "dentist's kid" lifestyle affect Al's career choices? The Zoology family! Working/owning a horse farm Al's creative space is in headphones Some links from the show:  The Very Dental Facebook group

Welcome to the first episode of "Very Dental Shorts!" All of the goodness of the Very Dental podcast now in "Fun Size!" A lot of what we use in dentistry is expensive. Some of this stuff costs a bunch of money and sometimes we try and cut corners. Al offers three "expensive" items that he uses every day that are worth the money and he wouldn't live without! Zirc Crystal HD mirrors Septodont Paroject  Enova Illumination surgical headlights (Qubit Cool and PLT 100a) Why buy the "expensive" one? They're noticeably better than any other product I've tried. Purchase Zirc Crystal HD mirrors and the Septodont Paroject at Crazy Dental and you'll get the best price I've found on them anywhere. Use coupon code VDP10 and you'll get 10% off of that! Buy an Enova Qubit Cool or PLT 100a using this link: for a 18% discount (or 20% discount with loupes and a light!)