The Dental Hacks Podcast

What happens when you pay a company to handle your office's web presence way too much money and they screw it up? You figure out how to do it yourself! Or at least you do if you're Dr. Shawn Van de Vyver. In episode 109 we introduce you to Shawn Van de Vyver, a dentist who understands marketing better than anyone you know and who has learned to harness all the amazing tools available online to create and manage leads as well as automate almost any process you can imagine. He's a unique individual and he let Alan sleep on his couch. In today's Brain Trust we talk about "herodontics." Have you ever done something at a patient's request that you were pretty sure wasn't going to work? Do you ever find yourself treating a patient that you can just tell you should have sent on their way? The Brain Trust explores this bizarre tendency in some dentists (Alan is guilty, big time). Our Brain Trust features Dr. Brooke Blicher, Dr. Will Wyatt, Dr. Ayesha Zaruhullah and Brain Trust noob Dr. Paul (the Italian Smith) Amato.

Is preventing cavities as simple as changing diet? Is it all a lack of home care? In episode 108 we welcome back Dr. Pamela Maragliano-Muniz to talk more about what dentists and dental teams can actually do to prevent dental caries!  Her background is unique...and so is she. She's probably the only dental hygienist/prosthodontist you know. Pamela owns Salem Dental Arts in Salem, MA and is a column editor at www.dentistryiq.com as well! She is a featured lecturer on prevention and risk assessment in dentistry. In the second half of our endodontics focused Brain Trust segment we talk complications, irrigation, obturation and all kinds of good stuff. We feature endodontist Dr. Rebekah Lucier-Pryles from episodes 99 and 100 to engage with general dentists Dr. Mac Jones and Dr. Craig Heins along with your trusty co-hosts. The journey we take helps us understand that endodontists are people, too. Some links from the show: The Dental Economics Principles of Practice Management Conference (Jason and Alan will be podc

Dr. Pamela Maragliano-Muniz is not your run-of-the-mill prosthodontist. Nope. Not even close. She wanted to be a professional hockey player. But then decided on dental hygiene. After she became a hygienist, she found that she loved teeth so much that she wanted to go back to dental school! Her background is unique...and so is she. Pamela owns Salem Dental Arts in Salem, MA and is a column editor at www.dentistryiq.com as well! She is a featured lecturer on prevention and risk assessment in dentistry. She's got a lot to say about some stuff that some dentists gloss over. Can we really assess patients risks in such a way that we can prevent tooth decay? She sets the record straight in episode 107 of the Dental Hacks! In our Brain Trust segment we dive a little bit deeper on endodontics. We bring back endodontist Dr. Rebekah Lucier-Pryles from episodes 99 and 100 to engage with general dentists Dr. Mac Jones and Dr. Craig Heins (along with Jason and Alan) on all things endo. We talk hand filing, file choices and

There are a bunch of dentists that work with their spouse in the dental office. Dr. Mike Melkers is one of them. There are significantly less dentists that use tractors on a regular basis. Again, Dr. Mike Melkers is one of them. Very few dentists have created a disc golf course at their home. Dr. Melkers is one those, too. It's called "Thumper's Hollow." In today's episode, we discuss all this stuff. More importantly, we discuss the things that dentists need to do outside the practice of dentistry to keep themselves sane. You'll learn a few things (what is a catio?) and have a few laughs, guaranteed. Dr. Melkers returns to teaching this November in Waltham, MA teaching a course called "Occlusionists Now" with Dr. Lane Ochi! If you use the coupon code "HACKS" you'll receive a discount on your registration! Oil pulling? Figs for healthy teeth? The Brain Trust returns to discuss the craziest things that patients have said to their dentist. Join Dr. Dawn Kulongowski, Dr. David Scardella, Dr. Erin Elliott and Dr.

In this special episode the Dental Hacks Brain Trust talks CBCT. Specifically, three of the members of the Brain Trust panel explain the features, specifications and decisions that they made in selecting their CBCT machine. This Brain Trust, along with four other "decision trees" will be featured in an insert in the July 2016 issue of Dental Economics. The Dental Hacks worked alongside Dental Economics to help explain some of the decisions that real, wet-fingered (ewwww) dentists make about equipment purchases. If you find this podcast and the insert in Dental Economics useful, please let us know at info@dentalhacks.com!

How do you become better as a dentist? Is it as simple as taking a course? Or is there more to it. That's one of the topics we discuss with Dr. Mike Melkers in episode 105 of the Dental Hacks podcast. Mike is well versed in how we develop our understanding of new concepts. He's a teacher as well as a learner and he discusses the ups and downs of continuing to learn our craft. He also discusses the work he put in to become a master in the AGD this past weekend! Dr. Melkers returns to teaching this November in Waltham, MA teaching a course called "Occlusionists Now" with Dr. Lane Ochi! If you use the coupon code "HACKS" you'll receive a discount on your registration! In the Brain Trust things get a little lighter when we open with the question: what's the craziest thing a patient has done in your dental chair. Alan is joined by Dr. Dawn Kulongowski, Dr. Andy Hayes, Dr. Erin Elliott and Dr. David Scardella to tell stories that get very inappropriate very quickly. Some links from the show: The Dental Economics Pr

Dental Hacks listeners have let us know that they like our "Go Hack Yourself" segment where we talk about the "hacks" in our life. Products, instruments, books podcasts or anything else that makes our life easier and better. So when someone suggested a whole episode of "Go Hack Yourself" items we jumped on it! Alan joins Dr. Tammy Bailey, Dr. Brook Blicher, Dr. Mac Jones and Dr. James Heaton as they suggest all kinds of VERY cool "Go Hack Yourself" suggestions! Here's what they talked about: The Amazon Echo The Amazon Tap The Amazon Echo Dot The BFC Syringe (Better, Faster, Cheaper) Aquasil Ultra Cordless Aquasil Digit Impression Cartridge Connector Trauma Pathfinder What Implant is That? Blue Sky Bio implant treatment planning software Hightail File Sharing OperaDDS Zirc Crystal HD mirror heads G. Hartzell and Son  Ellman Frigi Dent spray Radio Shack component cooler "Air in a Can" TopGolf Voltron Legendary Defender Endodontics Unsponsored endo CE course Spiffies Baby Tooth wipes This was an amazing Brain

Dr. Chris Phelps spends most of episode 103 delivering actionable marketing content. Whether it's gift cards for nearby restaurants, wine and cheese parties or car washes he's giving you ideas for TONS of campaigns that you can use to drive new patient flow. He's also the originator of CallTrackerROI, an ingenious service that allows you to track how effective your marketing is. He's also one of the foremost experts on the science of influence. He's even studied directly under Dr. Robert Cialdini PhD, who is essentially the jedi master of influence marketing. All this gives Chris a very interesting and fascinating outlook on why some marketing works and some marketing doesn't. If you loved the actionable items that Chris shared in episode 103 then you're probably going to want to hear more. Here's how you can: check out the episodes that he did with Dr. David Maloley on the Relentless Dentist podcast. He did episodes on all six of the principles of influence. Check out Dr. Phelps' workshops coming up: August

Jason and Alan spend a little time talking about vacations, some internet marketing and some stats about the podcast and its audience!  Some links from the show: Facebook Canvas: https://canvas.facebook.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ If you have any questions or comments for us please drop us an email at info@dentalhacks.com or find us (and like us!) at www.facebook.com/dentalhacks. Or, if you prefer…give us a call at (866) 223-5257 and leave us a message. You might be played in the show! If you like us, why not leave us a review on iTunes? It helps us get found by like minded people and might even help us get into "What's Hot" in the iTunes store! Go to this link and let the world know about the DentalHacks! Finally, if you aren't an Apple person, consider reviewing us on Stitcher at: stitcher.com/podcast/the-dentalhacks-podcast! If you would like to support the podcast you can check out our Patreon page! Although the show will always remain free to download, our Patreon supporters get access to

Jason LOVES real estate talk. Al is kind of meh. But every dentist eventually runs into some of these concerns.

Dr. Chris Phelps is a marketer. It's in his blood. Spend any time with him at all and you'll see that he just can't turn it off. He's the originator of CallTrackerROI, an ingenious service that allows you to track how effective your marketing is. He's also one of the foremost experts on the science of influence. He's even studied directly under Dr. Robert Cialdini PhD, who is essentially the jedi master of influence marketing. All this gives Chris a very interesting and fascinating outlook on why some marketing works and some marketing doesn't. You're going to find Chris fascinating, and you're probably going to want to hear more. Here's how you can: check out the episodes that he did with Dr. David Maloley on the Relentless Dentist podcast. He did episodes on all six of the principles of influence. Check out Dr. Phelps' workshops coming up: August 5-6 "Get More Quality New Patients and Guide them to Yes" and August 12-13 "Ethical Principles of Persuasion for Dentistry"   In the Brain Trust we feature Dr.

Dr. Mike DiTolla makes a triumphant return to the Dental Hacks podcast in episode 101! Our first return interview gets his very own episode and we talk about a bunch of amazing stuff! For instance: How is being bought by Dentsply like marrying a wealthy woman? How the merger of Dentsply and Sirona spawned what could be the most epic dental meeting of all time: Siroworld 2016! Why it's best if you don't have to be brilliant every time you come to the office and what Mike wants to do to make life more consistent How do temporaries make everyone's life a little harder? How do they choose speakers and performers for Siroworld? What was it like to be a guest on the Adam Carolla show? Should you feel bad if you aren't doing a bunch of onlays? What is a vertiprep and can zirconia tolerate a feather edge? Be sure to check out Mike's podcast, the Accidental Geniuses, with his partner-in-crime Dr. Josh Austin, too! Some links from the show: Dr. Mike DiTolla on the Adam Carolla Show My Brother, My Brother and Me podca

Jason and Alan talk about class II's from start to finish! Some links from the show: sectional matrix rings: Palodent Triodent V3 rings Bioclear Twin Ring Garrison Dental Composi-Tight 3D XR matrices: Triodent super curve Palodent wedges: Triodent Wave Wedge Bioclear Diamond Wedge New Garrison Composi Tight 3D Fusion wedge instruments: LM Arte Condensa Microbrush Bioclear Tru Contact saws bonding agents: 3M Universal Optibond FL Ultradent Peak Universal other: Kerr Occlusal Wax  

How can you improve outcomes in your endodontics? How do you know if your specialists are doing a good job for you? Our second interview with Dr. Rebekah Pryles and Dr. Brooke Blicher is a deep dive in some of the procedural nuances that endodontists are using daily to get great outcomes. Should you be using hand files more? Are you irrigating long enough? What sealers are they using? You'll here it all from a couple of very approachable specialists. Be sure to check out their recently released book: Endodontics Review: A Study Guide. I bought it...it looks like a textbook but reads like one of those "for dummies" books. I love how easy it is to navigate to what you want and it's written to be engaging, not boring! The Brain Trust expands upon more interesting dental business models. We spend a hilarious half hour with Dr. Melissa Zettler, Dr. Frank Clayton and Dr. Brent Young talking about "emergency only" clinics, "walk in" hygiene clinics and a whole new beast that allows dentists to bid for the the kind o

In our very first Hackisode, Jason and Alan talk about where they learned implant placement and restoration and what they might have done differently. Questions or comments? Email us at info@dentalhacks.com!

Almost 100 episodes in and the Dental Hacks haven't done much of a deep dive into endo...until now! Dr. Brooke Blicher and Dr. Rebekah Pryles are endodontists that work together in White River Junction, Vermont. Not only that...they're authors of a recently released endodontics text that you should take a look at: Endodontics Review: A Study Guide. Although they wrote it for those attempting to be board certified in endodontics we think it's pretty appropriate for anyone interested in taking a look at evidence based root canal treatment! The Hacks start this two part interview by discussing endodontic education as well as diagnosis and treatment planning. The Brain Trust welcomes back Dr. Frank Clayton, Dr. Brent Young and Dr. Melissa Zettler to take a hilarious look at alternative business models in dentistry. Have you ever thought about bringing specialists into your office? Will specialists stop having brick and mortar offices any more? How about "emergency only" clinics? They Brain Trust hashes out some i

Communication in dentistry can make all the difference between successful treatment and compromise. In episode 98 of the Dental Hacks podcast we continue talking with oral surgeon and podcaster Dr. Russell Kirk about how dentists and specialists can increase communication in an effort to deliver better and more consistent care. Specialists have to deal with so many different styles of communication from dentist to dentist. Some old school dentists are strictly referral pad guys while technically savvy dentists can send digital images and instant messages. You'll hear what makes a specialist happiest from their referrals and how you can get on your specialists' "nice" list! Be sure to check out Russell's podcast, "the Business of Dentistry" on iTunes and his website!

Dr. Russell Kirk is an oral surgeon from Lebanon, TN. He's also a podcaster. His podcast, "The Business of Dentistry," focuses on helping dentists take a practical look at running their small business. Jason and Alan had the pleasure of meeting Russell in person during their recent trip to Nashville. They sat down to talk with Russell about how oral surgeons are trained, his experience as a dentist in the military and how student debt is affecting the choices that new dentists are making during school and after graduation. We also feature Dr. Kirk in our Brain Trust segment. He joins Jason, Alan, Dr. Lance Timmerman and Brain Trust newcomer Dr. Shawn Van de Vyver to talk about surgical complications in dentistry. We recently had a listener email to ask us to talk about our experiences with paresthesia because she was having troubles with it and she wanted to hear what some other dentists had experienced. We think this will help a lot! Go Hack Yourself: Jason: TSA Precheck  Alan: Pocket app If you have any que

Jason and Alan review day one of the amazing Practice on Fire Meeting!

You might be surprised how hard it is to prevent embezzlement in the dental office! As David Harris of Prosperident explains, the conventional solutions that everyone thinks of often don't do the trick. Individual log ins to practice management software are great, but easy to get around. Cameras and keyloggers are fine as long as you know when to look! So what's the real tip off? Behavior. David and the Dental Hacks dig into what kinds of behavior you might look for that could give away an embezzling employee. Plus, David is offering Prosperident's embezzlement risk assessment for free if you use the code: "dentalhacks." The Brain Trust gets serious about charting in episode 96. That sounds boring but I promise you it's not! What kind of templates are available? What kind of red flags should you look for with regard to patients you might want to chart in more detail? How do you avoid getting "landed on?" All questions that Dr. Lance Timmerman, Dr. Melissa Zettler and Dr. Richard Low consider in detail! Go Hac