The Dental Hacks Podcast

Jason and Alan had the honor of talking with Dr. Frank Spear of Spear Education! This was their first conversation with him since the COVID outbreak and the conversation focused a lot on changes in the landscape of dentistry and dental education! How has COVID affected dentistry and dental practices? Some dental practices have done BETTER in 2020! What are the things that these practices have in common? Messaging (stay in touch, let them know you're available!) Proactive messaging about safety "We're concerned about your dental health." Efficiency ("if you're coming in, let's get it done!") "The Big Dip" (hygiene scheduling) The history of dental infection control...why is dentistry ahead of this curve? How is "on campus" going at Spear Education? "Live Virtual" seminars...better than in person? Faculty club round tables...the best value at Spear! The new occlusion curriculum on Spear Online! New research in occlusion...now incorporated into the Spear curriculum! Cause and effect is often not as simple as

The brilliant Dr. Russell Schafer joins Alan to talk about how he uses a 3D printer and digital design to find the middle ground between barely adequate treatment and the full Cadillac. Many times your patients have situations that don't allow for ideal treatment. Russell has found several situations where digital design and printing have made for a cost effective solution that works for his office AND his patients. Whether it's digital dentures, printed provisional crowns or short term orthodontics, in office 3D printing is filling a need that often goes unfilled in our offices. Some links from the show: NextDent 5100 Printer Blue Sky Bio Crown and Bridge module Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reas

HOUSEKEEPING:  We released the Thanksgiving episode to some users last week. If you heard an opening bit about Thanksgiving last week then you've heard this show. Go back and re-download last week's show and you'll hear about root canal rotary files and video games. Sorry, the management. It's almost over.  We just have to obturate. Is there a dirtier word in dentistry than obturate? Do you need special consent to obturate someone? Did I overdo it and say obturate too many times?  Oops... I did it again. Sincerely, Britney P.S. (would obturate) Highlights include: We discuss drying the canal and what happens if it doesn't get dry? 1 step or 2 step? What sealer do we use?   Kevin got fancy and went to BC sealer, but Zach is old school with Kerr Tubliseal Do we use heated gutta percha?  Guttacore?   Cold GP?   Single cone? How do we sear the gutta percha?  Touch and Heat?  EBay heated instrument? Do we bond in cores same day?   Spoiler Alert:  You bet. Do we write any prescriptions afterwards?  Antibiotic hot

Al is joined by Dr. Zach Meiners to talk about a bunch of tips to help reduce your office overhead! Zach is one of the managers of the Clinical Hacks Facebook group, and one of the co-hosts of the Clinical Hacks Podcast which you should listen to every single time it's released! Here's a few of the things Zach recommends that are just like what you're using, but a lot less $$$! Safco micro applicators (think Microbrushes, but a lot less expensive!) Vividprime G (Just like Gluma desensitizer...but WAY less expensive!) Vivid PreviGard (Like Prevident, but much more cost effective) Pearson PacDent iMatrix/Safco Ideal Form (Just like the rings and metal sectional matrices you're using, but less $$$) Zach is the man. Saving us money all while being incredibly good looking. He's a treasure. Hit him up in the Clinical Hacks Facebook group! It’s a weird fact of being a dentist...some patients don’t think they can come to the dentist without having some kind of insurance or benefits.  Instead of lamenting this f

Jason and Alan are joined by the incomparable Dr. Gina Dorfman and Dr. Melissa Zettler for a rousing round of "what would you do?" We asked the Dental Hacks Nation to come up with interesting and challenging scenarios for this Brain Trust to kick around and we think you'll like what we've come up with! We discussed: How to refer, relationships with specialists and how owner dentists need to explain how they want this done to those associates that they're working with What do you do with people that ask about expensive treatments that you know from history and their monetary situation that they have absolutely zero intention of following through with? What do you do when a medical doctor tells you to stay in your lane when you want a kid assessed for apnea? What would you do if a hygiene patient from earlier in the day called the office and wanted to talk to the doctor. When the doc comes to the phone the patient explains that they didn't feel that the hygienist was using proper COVID protocols/PPE? You’ve di

Al spends a little time telling the story of how the Dental Hacks podcast got its sound! Also, he discusses the amazing Black Friday Deals you can get just by being a member of the Dental Hacks Nation! Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reasons and you can pick up 2 CE's on infection control as well! Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/freece! It’s a weird fact of being a dentist...some patients don’t think they can come to the dentist without having some kind of insurance or benefits.  Instead of lamenting this fact, why not lean into it? Why not give them benefits? That’s where our friends at Boomcloud come in. BoomCloud has been helping people create and run membership plans in their offices since 20

We're back with the endodontic series and we're ready to bust out our rotary files. But first..do you even play video games bro? Well Kevin used to and he had a pretty big obsession with Princess Peach. Zach learned everything he knows about football from the original Tecmo Bowl and like the Final Fantasy purist he is, he wishes you could just cast a Cure spell rather than have to do some fillings. Would you like to see Zach and Kevin play Blades of Steel against each other online? Why isn't this possible in 2020...or is it? Kevin is using a new Woodpecker AI motor.  and is enjoying it. Zach uses a Woodpecker 3 apex locator. Kevin uses mostly the Edge Endo GTX System. Zach uses the Edgetaper Platinum System. Don't miss out on the glidepath files for small canals. What irrigants do we use?   How about file lubes?  (yes, we said lube). Is rotary endo too fast? How do we make sure the irrigants sit long enough? We're getting closer and closer to finishing this root canal...check back next week when we get to obt

Whether it's a bad review on Google or someone says something mean or untrue about you on social media...what can you do? Al argues that you can't do much at all and you shouldn't try.  The Streisand Effect Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reasons and you can pick up 2 CE's on infection control as well! Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/freece! It’s a weird fact of being a dentist...some patients don’t think they can come to the dentist without having some kind of insurance or benefits.  Instead of lamenting this fact, why not lean into it? Why not give them benefits? That’s where our friends at Boomcloud come in. BoomCloud has been helping people create and run membership plans in their offices si

Dr. Artie Volker joins the Dental Hacks again, this time to discuss digital workflow and the lab industry! Artie has actually built a lab in his office and has a unique perspective on how dental workflows will change in the future! Why did Artie build a commercial lab in his office? How many people do you need for a dental lab? Can you have a dental lab without stone models? Why does milling zirconia in office make so much financial sense? When you do your own lab work, what do you learn about your preparations? make sure you have occlusal clearance recontour adjacent teeth! Al says have very fine finishing burs for adjusting zirconia Artie is stacking porcelain (NERDS!) Artie is using for Lab Pronto orthodontic aligners! How do labs stay profitable moving forward? Working DIRECTLY with a lab tech (e.g.: in the operatory) How to start in digital dentistry according to Artie! Some links from the show: Artie's "Live Virtual" composite course coming up December 3-4! 3D Dentists Oral Sedation for Adults an

Al is once again joined by the one and only Memorie Valentine. This time they discuss what makes an impact on new patients. Memorie currently works in a start up practice where she sees LOTS of new patients and she has some amazing insights about what helps a new patient choose your office as a dental home! The take home message: Patients want to feel heard Patients want to make a connection Patients want to be comfortable Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reasons and you can pick up 2 CE's on infection control as well! Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/freece! It’s a weird fact of being a dentist...some patients don’t think they can come to the dentist without having some kind of insurance or bene

We continue our spinoff of a spinoff of a podcast this week and talk Saturday night live for the first 10 minutes. Specifically our favorite 3 cast members and some of their skits. On this week's continuation of the endo series we discuss access: Kevin likes long shanks, and let's be fair who doesn't. Both of the guys like round burs If you haven't studied any modern access techniques and you graduated in the 00's or earlier it would probably benefit you to revisit best practices for rotary or reciprocating files. Both of the guys like endo explorers. ZAM likes ultrasonics for troughing difficult to find canals, just like the fancy euros on YouTube. Great endo youtube Channel - John Rhodes When do you punt a case if you can't find the canals? What do you do when things go awry? What are some real batting averages for finding MB2? Next week we finally get into filing and irrigating this tooth! See ya!

Al discusses three instruments that he has seen used for composite placement that he had set aside in the past. Now...he's pretty excited about them! Microbrushes Composite brushes (several shapes and sizes) Microcopy "very fine" finishing diamonds   Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reasons and you can pick up 2 CE's on infection control as well! Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/freece! It’s a weird fact of being a dentist...some patients don’t think they can come to the dentist without having some kind of insurance or benefits.  Instead of lamenting this fact, why not lean into it? Why not give them benefits? That’s where our friends at Boomcloud come in. BoomCloud has been helping people crea

Jason and Alan are joined by the one and only Dr. Dennis Hartlieb! We've known Dennis for a long time as a teacher at Cosmedent and more recently as the creator of Dental Online Training! Dennis is pushing the limits of hands clinical education and his vision really hits a sweet spot in the COVID era! But not only is he a really great educator, he practices clinically 4 days a week! We had a really great and wide ranging conversation with Dennis as a our co-host! Some of the topics we covered: What do you do when you get behind on the schedule? How do you handle it when you get in the weeds? How has CE changed in the COVID era? Dental Online Training (www.dothandson.com): how it started, what is it, how it works Learning at your own speed/on your own time When is minimally invasive dentistry an excellent choice and when do we need to be more aggressive? Creating great relationships with a lab (Dennis primarily uses Synergy Ceramics) Dentistry on social media (the good, the bad and the ugly)  As an educato

Dr. Brad Keener joins Alan again to talk about something completely not dental related. Brad is a private pilot and a couple years ago he had an engine failure and made a crash landing! He survived and it's an amazing story that you shouldn't miss! Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reasons and you can pick up 2 CE's on infection control as well! Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/freece! It’s a weird fact of being a dentist...some patients don’t think they can come to the dentist without having some kind of insurance or benefits.  Instead of lamenting this fact, why not lean into it? Why not give them benefits? That’s where our friends at Boomcloud come in. BoomCloud has been helping people create and

Zach and Kevin continue their series on endo. This week we discuss anesthesia and isolation! Highlights include: We talk about our favorite SNL president impersonators  Kevin is a Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford fan Zach is a Darryl Hammond as Bill Clinton fan Ohio is the birthplace of presidents We discuss anesthesia for Endo. We discuss a recent septocaine dilemma. We talk about teeth that won’t get numb. We talk about rubber dams. Zach likes liquid dam. Kevin likes the double clamp technique Join our Clinical Hacks Facebook group!

Alan is joined by the incomparable Dr. Melissa Zettler to talk about horrible customer service. What can we learn from the lousy service you get from almost everywhere? Does everyone suck at their job? (spoiler: yes) There are simple things we can make sure our office does well to avoid being the topic of an angry podcast! Some links from the show: Dental Support Specialties It’s a weird fact of being a dentist...some patients don’t think they can come to the dentist without having some kind of insurance or benefits.  Instead of lamenting this fact, why not lean into it? Why not give them benefits? That’s where our friends at Boomcloud come in. BoomCloud has been helping people create and run membership plans in their offices since 2013. You need to check out Boomcloud for yourself. Jordan and our friends have put together the “Ultimate starter guide” for membership plans at dentalhacks.com/boomcloud. Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have

Jason and Alan join guest host Danny Vezmar for a rollicking conversation about the dental industry! Danny is the Director of Marketing, Restorative, Preventive and Lab at Dentsply Sirona. As a "third generation" dental industry person he's got a very unique take on the dental industry and our conversation was wide ranging! What does a day in the life of Dentsply Sirona's "Director of Marketing, Restorative, Preventive and Lab" look like and how can we streamline that title? Hot Voices of Dentistry talk Danny's family has been in the dental industry for a LONG time. Has Danny ever experienced a "Crystal Pepsi" product roll out? Why did IRM come in different colors? Should oral surgeons do TV commercials? How is COVID affecting Dentsply Sirona? PureVac HVE for aerosols Dentsply Sirona's One DS™ 2.0+ Rewards Program and Clinical Accelerator (Pacman vs. Tupperware) Jason and Alan are WaveOne Gold fan boys (What's the WaveOne situation?) Aquasil Ultra "Cordless" What's happening with CEREC? What's the deal wi

Al comes to you with a simple request...we need information. Specifically, we'd like you to answer a very short and very easy survey that you can find at dentalhacks.com/podcastsurvey. What's in it for you? Well, if you leave your name or an email where we can contact you, you'll be in a drawing for a $50 gift card from Amazon. And, if you leave a review for the podcast and let us know about it (info@dentalhacks.com or DM us on FB) you'll be entered twice! The chances of winning are pretty decent here, so it's worth your time! Thanks for listening and thanks for reviewing! Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reasons and you can pick up 2 CE's on infection control as well! Go check it out at dentalhacks.

In this episode of our endo series we discuss our methods of diagnosis for root canals in varying situations. And as you read that you're probably wondering how that's interesting for 30 minutes...well we spiked in all kinds of juicy Halloween discussion...favorite costumes, candy, movies..and a bonus hilarious story from Kevin's Halloween youth in the 70s. Back to the endo we hit on all the fun stuff. Cold test, heat tests, percussion, x-rays, draining fistula tracking, cracked teeth, all the fun stuff! Did we miss anything? Let us know in the Clinical Hacks Facebook page. Thanks for listening.

Dr. Dawn Kulongowski joins Alan to talk about some of the subtle and not so subtle ways that we think. No longer can you look at a group of people without thinking, "they're kind of close together over there" or "your mask isn't covering your nose, bro." Are we broken as Al posits or are we just different as Dawn thinks? If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check out Dawn and Alan weekly on the Peaceful Practice Podcast! Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reasons and you can pick up 2 CE's on infection control as well! Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/freece!