The Dental Hacks Podcast

Dr. Randy Houska is an interesting guy. He's a dentist in Vermillion, South Dakota which is home to the University of South Dakota. Alan and Randy discuss the pros and cons of being a dentist in a university town. Then Alan brings up a problem he's having with a particular earworm. Somehow, he can't get "You Got Lucky" by Tom Petty out of his head. Then they talked about AC/DC and team building events.  Even though Randy is a self-professed "regular-ass" dentist he has an amazing Twitter following that you should definitely check out!  Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur for crown preps and operative. It's a terrific bur by any standard, but the fact that it's single patient use means there's no risk of cross contamination and you always get a great cutting, brand-new-out-of-the-package bu

Today we discuss what might seem like a mundane topic, yet it's a procedure that most of us do 8 to 16+ times a day and some surprising discussion actually came up from the longest hygiene exam of all-time. Can you make a career out of hygiene checks? Mac tells us about someone who does. How often do you check your patients?How long do you spend in there?   What do you do when something is wrong that might take more time to talk about? Do your hygienists help you fill the schedule if there's something that could be done same day?

Memorie Valentine is a hygienist with interesting experiences! She's practiced in several states in lots of different kinds of offices and has a lot of wisdom about communicating patient needs. Alan and Memorie talk about the concept of "planting seeds" about treatment. It turns out that some of the the very best people to plant those seeds are the hygienists that spend the bulk of their time with patients!  Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur for crown preps and operative. It's a terrific bur by any standard, but the fact that it's single patient use means there's no risk of cross contamination and you always get a great cutting, brand-new-out-of-the-package bur. Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/damngoodburs! Let Microcopy's experience change the way you see dentistry with their damn go

How many teeth have we done root canal therapy on that we probably never should have in the first place? It's an uncomfortable topic because we have to be humble about our ability to diagnose and treatment plan for success! Dr. Lou Berman joined Jason and Alan for an in person interview from the Spear Summit 2019! We dove right in to cover a bunch of interesting endodontic topics! How do you know when you SHOULDN'T start endodontic therapy? How do you evaluate the foundation before the house is built? Creating Spear Education's endodontics curriculum Root resorption...what's up with that? It's not coming from the pulp, it's coming from the periodontium (external)...it's NOT an endodontic problem! Orthodontics and root resorption...feline herpetic viruses? The financial commitment of endo (and retreatment) "Root canals don't work on me" Endo temporaries (why don't we seal the access?) Single appointment endo vs. multiple appointment Leaving teeth open Berman Instruments new premium line! Al's rubber dam clamp

Alan had a chance to talk to Clinical Hack Dr. Zach Meiners about what he does when he's not being a dentist! Zach is a Kansas City Chiefs fan and happened to attend the Super Bowl in Miami earlier this year! What you didn't see at the Super Bowl living near decent sport teams how well does he disengaging from the profession when he's not at work? social media: do the positives outweigh the negatives! The Clinical Hacks! Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur for crown preps and operative. It's a terrific bur by any standard, but the fact that it's single patient use means there's no risk of cross contamination and you always get a great cutting, brand-new-out-of-the-package bur. Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/damngoodburs! Let Microcopy's experience change the way you see dentistry wi

The Clinical hacks this week 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 Clinical Hacks Facebook Page.

Jason and Alan discuss the coronavirus. Our take is uninformed by evidence. But don't worry. We're totally right.  Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur for crown preps and operative. It's a terrific bur by any standard, but the fact that it's single patient use means there's no risk of cross contamination and you always get a great cutting, brand-new-out-of-the-package bur. Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/damngoodburs! Let Microcopy's experience change the way you see dentistry with their damn good burs!

If you're a dentist and you are trying to get case acceptance, that means you're a salesperson. You might not love the wording, but the concept is true. If you are explaining the pros and cons of treatment, the benefits of treatment and consequences of no treatment...you're a salesperson! Jeff Palmer of the Case Acceptance Academy explains how to help patients move forward in an ethical and predictable way! We discussed a lot of topics including: Where did Jeff come from? How did he learn his case acceptance techniques. Why is case acceptance part of marketing? How do you measure case acceptance? "Marketing can't control what happens after the phone rings" In person coaching vs. online training (Jeff can do both) The exam isn't the case presentation! (diagnose first, treatment plan second)  "You need a..." is the wrong move after diagnosis  Show, tell, ask After you show the patient then shut up. Don't be the first one to speak. Having a staff member ask the questions that the patient is probably thinking Wh

Jason and Alan are joined by Lisa Moler of MedMark Media and Dr. Erin Elliott of Erin Elliot fame! They sat down to discuss a bunch of stuff on the second day of Voices of Dentistry! Topics include: How does one start a dental media company? The ZZZ Pack Podcast! Creating publications for specialists Dental Sleep Practice magazine What happens when you catch the sleep bug? Podcasting as "infotainment" (start with the "-tainment", move to the "info-") MedMark and social media...where are the big guys? Put it out there, you can't control how people react to your message Podcasts are social media The community that we've built through podcasting and social media Who are the "right" providers for sleep and airway? You don't have to treat, but you need to screen Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coars

Sit back and relax while we pound out some Class 4's together.  Kevin hates the really small DILFs, but he's not no problem with the big ones.   Mac and Zach kick it old school with some microhybrid love and try to convince Kevin that his "one composite fits all" just isn't going to cut it for these pesky chips.   We talk matrices, bevels (we like big bevels and we cannot lie), total etch, sandblasting, isolation, composite types, polishing and so much more.  Frankly, in the time it takes to listen to the show you probably could've done 2-3 DILFs and already be back in your private office enjoying a Marlboro Red. If you have opinions about MILFs please visit our Facebook Page and let us know where we got it right (and by right, we mean wrong).

Jason and Alan were joined by Tom and Vanessa from Localmed. Localmed was the Platinum sponsor of Voices of Dentistry 2020 and we really appreciate their support! Some of the things we talked about: goats (duh) Tom's elevator pitch (what is Localmed and what does it to)  How to create a chance for a patient to book a real appointment anywhere your practice has presence on the internet!  Will websites eventually be unnecessary? What do smartphone and internet savvy patients really want? Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur for crown preps and operative. It's a terrific bur by any standard, but the fact that it's single patient use means there's no risk of cross contamination and you always get a great cutting, brand-new-out-of-the-package bur. Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/damngoodbur

Brian Colao knows DSOs. He's an attorney that helps people create and administer DSOs. He's been a frequent guest on the Dental Hacks and he gave Jason and Alan some of his time at the recent Voices of Dentistry meeting. We went deep on the topic of DSOs and covered a lot of information: What is a DSO? (spoiler: "A DSO is an entity that provides nonclinical administrative support services to a dental practice that is owned by a licensed dentist.") From one practice to thousands When did we start to really see DSOs take hold The episode where we met Brian, "DSOs and Digital Smile Design (DHP186)" Was there a DSO bubble?  Denovo vs. Acquisitions What to do if a DSO approaches you? How do you research a DSO that might want to acquire your office? Brian thinks that there is probably a DSO that could fit most any office...go to a conference What are DSO deals looking like for selling dentists? The facts from Brian's mouth to your ears: DSOs are at 23% market penetration in the U.S. dental market right now. He pre

Today's episode of Dental Hacks Shorts is actually an episode of "The Peaceful Practice" podcast that Alan does with Dr. Dawn Kulongowski. It's a departure from the Dental Hacks, yet I think it's a good one to hear! Please enjoy our discussion of "getting outside your comfort zone!" With Dawn's kettlebell competition looming, Alan and Dawn discuss the path to self actualization being paved with discomforts, and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.  You can reach Alan and Dawn in the following places:   Email us at: podcast@peacefulpractice.com  Our FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/peacefulpracticepodcast  Our FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfulnessforprofessionals/  On the web:  http://www.peacefulpractice.com/podcast/  Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur f

Controversy this week! Kevin Fryer is pro-biteguard with his NTI's and sleep appliances. Mac goes on a mile long rant about biteguards and how much they suck. Frankly it's the most passion I've seen from Mac on a dental topic. Zach is pro-biteguard but despite efforts to make biteguards affordable, they are still a tough sell and even tougher to get people to comply with. We discuss various types of niteguards and how we make them and implement them in our offices. Occlusion and biteguards a a divisive topic and if you want to weigh in and let us know how wrong we are, please head to the Clinical Hacks Facebook Page.

Dr. Mike Keller (aka: "Soft Hands") joined Alan once again to talk about the he practices dentistry! A self professed "regular ass" dentist is co-owner of a large (by Al's standards, anyhow) practice in Delaware. Some of the things we talked about: what it's like to own but not manage (unicorn?) why does he dislike "blue" days? (scheduling) Mike describes the beach life in Delaware Al is not good at plowing snow Can you quit social media? Al's Rio 800 mp3 player Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur for crown preps and operative. It's a terrific bur by any standard, but the fact that it's single patient use means there's no risk of cross contamination and you always get a great cutting, brand-new-out-of-the-package bur. Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/damngoodburs! Let Microcopy's expe

Jason and Alan are joined by Dr. Jeni Perna (aka: yogi_dentist) and Dr. Vince Napoli (aka: invinciblesmiles) to talk about social media, practice models and orthodontics! How did Jeni and Vince start with Instagram? For patients? For dentists? Sharing vs. oversharing (authenticity helps define this) Content creators and "feeding the beast" What works on Instagram Alan's fat thumbs How to delegate office social media How do you know what will get social media traction? (Goats, the answer is goats.) Instagram Stories vs. main page Al's bleach accident on his dad Jeni and Vince are engaged to be married and they work together (a little bit...not full time) Vince's amazing/interesting business model (traveling orthodontist) Bioclear + orthodontics is a match made in heaven Selling and buying specialty practices CE for specialists (orthodontists specifically) Orthodontists and aligners. Is there such a thing as a "plastic only" office? Should someone else do your social media/Instagram? (spoiler: NO!) Some links

Dr. Jason Smithson joins Alan again...this time to talk about dental education and how one becomes a "teacher" in dentistry: How Jason became a teacher What role does social media play in where our educators are coming from Is what you're seeing on Instagram a realistic goal for regular dentists? What kind of cases make good "teaching cases?" Who do we really want to learn from?

Dr. Margaret Frankel and her assistant Dena Grissman are a dental team by day and competitive ice skaters on the weekends! Alan had a chance to talk with them about their history as friends, skating teammates and now co-workers! Margaret and Dena will be heading to an upcoming national competition in the coming weeks!   Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur for crown preps and operative. It's a terrific bur by any standard, but the fact that it's single patient use means there's no risk of cross contamination and you always get a great cutting, brand-new-out-of-the-package bur. Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/damngoodburs! Let Microcopy's experience change the way you see dentistry with their damn good burs!  

Another episode live from VoD!   This time we get Daniel Smith, DDS in the hot seat and he talks about transitioning his office from a privately owned family business to a Heartland owned DSO. What are the pros?   What are the cons?   Does Daniel have to sell every patient 4 quads of SRP and 87 sites of Arestin?    Is every DO a crown now? We talk a little more business than usual this week, but also tried to touch on some of the clinical stigmas that DSO's may or may not be known for. Are you with a DSO?   If so let us know what your experience is like on the Clinical Hacks FB Page!

It's OK if you don't like surgery. No really...you don't have to love everything about dentistry. Dr. Craig Harder is a self professed "regular ass" dentist from Moses Lake, WA and he joined Alan on the day before the Voices of Dentistry meeting started to talk about some great stuff: You could potentially survive for a year eating only potatoes. Some dentists don't like surgery. And they're still good people. Surgery--->more complications than crowns and filling It's all about the reps...including how to handle complications Hands on surgery courses should allow you to treat implant/surgery complications Orthodontics is a whole different animal than dentistry. Treating faces vs. teeth. Craig has a special olfactory superpower.    Our friends at Microcopy Dental have been making Damn Good Burs for more than 50 years! You need to give their single patient use burs a try! You need to request a free sample of their damn good NeoDiamond 1116.8C. It's a work horse round end taper coarse bur for crown preps and o