A solo episode featuring your benevolent leader doing some podcast housekeeping as well as talking about a variety of dental topics!

• The Very Dental Facebook group has amazing potential to create a tribe of like minded people! Join it with password: "Timmerman" and see what's happening in the Very Dental community!
• Social media is a garbage fire, but there are some diamonds hiding in the rubbish
• How are guests for the show chosen and why I take my "curating" job seriously
• The monetization talk: ads vs. Patreon...weigh in!
• Learning to love removable
• Why I didn't do consults before and why I'm doing them often now
• The Vedder Society invitation: September 24-26th, come see Dr. David Hornbrook with Al!

Some links from the show:

The Very Dental Facebook group

Freddie Mercury goofing around during "One Vision"

GC ISO Functional Compound

Lang Denture Duplicator

Ministar from Great Lakes Orthodontics

The Francis B. Vedder Society

Dr. Sara Rosen joins Alan to talk about dental school, the new grad experience and what it's like to be a part of the "COVID class." 

Dr. Sara Rosen recently graduated from the Touro College of Dental Medicine in New York. They discussed all kinds of things including dental school, residencies, boards, clinical competency and being a student in the COVID era! Also, Alan offered some of the wisdom from members of the Very Dental Facebook group to new graduates and dental students! 

The conversation:

• Sara attended the Touro College of Dental Medicine which is BRAND NEW!
• New York licensing and residencies
• Why choose a residency?
• New dental schools and adding bagels...the problems that new schools have to address
• How did the dental school handle COVID?
• Transitioning from dental school to "post dental school"
• How is Dr. Rosen thinking about dental school debt? Did she understand the debt she would be facing?
• The Very Dental Facebook group offers amazing advice! If you'd like to see the advice offered you need to join the group! Click through and use password "Timmerman" to get in! 

Some links from the show:

Touro College of Dental Medicine

Ergofitlife Facebook group (Katrina Klein!)

Sara's Instagram

The Very Clinical Podcast welcomes Dr. Ash Mark of All Things Dentistry fame is back with us to discuss all things Canadian, all things endo, and all sorts of other things.

We kick off by discussing our favorite Canadian acting legends.

Then into a rousing discussion about MB2 and cone beam for endo.

If you’re on Dentaltown Ash recommends Hank’s Guide to the MB2 as a definitive topic thread on MB2.

Ash has 4 different videos on all aspects of MB2, all shot through a scope.  Kind of a visual expansion of that thread.

Kevin enjoys watching MB2 videos on Christmas morning while his wife is in the shower.  Let that sink in for a moment.  #nerdalert

There’s European endodontist named John Rhodes - do a youtube search for him, he also produces some great content on endo and specifically MB2.

Ash starts getting into anesthetic chemistry - our minds are blown.  Get out your OrGo chem book, or don’t.  You do you.

Ash gives a pro tip for PDL anesthesia - 30 gauge super short needles.

Thanks for listening.  Ash is in the Very Clinical Facebook Page and you should be as well!

Alan is joined by three amazing guests to discuss hiring and how COVID has changed everything when it comes to being an employer! 

The guests:

• Dr. Matt Standridge is a clinician, educator and podcaster who’s been on the podcast a whole bunch of times and has had some pretty serious hiring and staffing issues over the last year!
• Sandy Pardue is the founder of Classic Practice Resources. She’s an absolute wizard with office systems and should be the first person you think of for consulting and team training. Sandy is also a podcaster and has been on the show a bunch of times, too!
• Paul Edwards is the founder of CEDR Solutions. You need employee handbooks and CEDR Solutions is who you should get them from. Also...CEDR Solutions is basically an all in one HR solution for dental offices. 

The conversation:

• Matt turned over almost his ENTIRE TEAM in the last year! (Oof)
• Are people "getting paid to stay home?"
• The hiring situation was getting tough before COVID!
• Child care, home schooling and family situations have really affected dental hiring
• How has politics affected people and their work situation?
• State by state unemployment changes
• This hiring situation is unprecedented!
• ALWAYS BE HIRING! 
• Work on your hiring skills and culture!
• Don't poach, but always be receptive
• Sign on bonuses?
• Generational differences in hiring moving forward
• Sandy presented at a meeting! It's weird, but it's happening!
• Voices of Dentistry coming January 21-22, 2022!
• Last words from Paul: work on your hiring skills
• Last words from Sandy: hire fast, fire fast
• Last words from Matt: record a "video explanation" for positions that you're hiring for to screen potential candidates!

Links from the show:

Classic Practice Resources

CEDR Solutions

The Very Dental Facebook group (password: Timmerman)

Dr. Mark Whitefield joins Alan for a rousing discussion of how implants can change everything for the general dentist. Mark is a fourth generation dentist from Nashville who admits to being obsessed with dental implants!

• Mark talks about being accredited in both the AACD and AAID and how that's made him a better dentist.
• Mark graduated in the mid 90's during the big cosmetic boom but switched his focus to dental implants in the early 2000's.
• What I noticed about Mark is that his mindset is that dental implants can be for anyone. Not just high end/wealthy patients.
• Mark hates removable! He tries to get edentulous patients back to TRUE FIXED! (particularly in the mandible)
• Cost effective fixed implant restorations are within reach! 
• What keeps dentists from getting into implants?
• Keeping implants in house
• Can a person who fears surgery become a surgeon?
• Young dentists aren't afraid of anything and they have a ton of debt!
• Removing barriers to implant treatment
• Mark explains that dental benefits actually cover a lot of implant services
• The solution for implant education is mentorship!

Some links from the show:

Mark's practice

Mark's implant marketing service, Implant Evolution

We welcome Dr. Ash Mark of of All Things Dentistry Youtube page fame!

Ash showered!

He’s in Canada!

Ash has almost as many views on his Youtube channel as Kim Kardashian

We talk Canadian rock bands

Ash makes some really long videos but lately they are on calcified canals

Endo tips!

1. Diagnosis
2. PA and BW
3. CBCT
4. The 6mm rule
5. Magnification!
6. Munce burs
7. We discuss table top root canals
8. We discuss separated files

We discuss Gentle Wave

Join our Very Clinical  Facebook group!

Al is joined by long time listener favorites Dr. Frank Clayton and Dr. Melissa Zettler for a talk about regrets. Between the three of them they've had 72+ years of experiences of dentists and practice owners. Al asks the question: what do you wish you had done better? What regrets do you have? And man did this Group Function come through! 

• Start saving EARLY! (no, even earlier)
• Avoid buying stuff on payments
• Use your student loan money wisely
• Buy used cars
• Not letting employees go sooner
• Take more time off...being away from the office is NOT the same as "losing money." Not even close.
• Take CE, but don't be in a rush.
• Choose CE early that can pay off over a longer career.
• Get to a point where you don't care if the patient follows through with care.
• Lay the patient back far enough. The patient is only there for an hour. You're there ever day.
• Orthodontics is a great choice for a lot more patients than dental school ever taught you.
• Make connections with honest colleagues...find people to give honest feedback

Go join the Very Dental Facebook group (use password: Timmerman) to talk with the group about this episode or anything else! You can email Al at simplebutnoteasy@gmail.com!

Al is joined by his best friend from dental school, Dr. Bart Schultz. Their main conversation focuses on getting the most out of continuing education. Their wide ranging conversation covered a LOT of topics:

• Why you should be doing more consults? What does a consult do for you?
• Getting reps
• Why "my practice isn't like that..." is a cop out
• The "surgically comfortable" mindset (some people are just plain less scared to try new stuff)
• Getting reps and keeping reps up
• Learning that you DON'T want to something is still useful information
• Note co-op from dental school
• 16 finals in 2 days and mixing zinc phosphate
• Context and why dental school doesn't work
• Dentists and interpersonal skills
• How to take away the right stuff from CE
• CE as an investment...take CE early = get more from your investment

Some links from the show:

Spear Education

Spear Practice Solutions

Dental Online Training

World renowned author, lecturer, and innovator Dr. Ray Bertolotti joins the show this week.

Dr. Raymond Bertolotti is perhaps best known for introducing "total etch"  to North America in 1984. He has been credited with coining the phrase "adhesion dentistry" in 1985.  Dr. Bertolotti first used "Adhesion Dentistry" when he retitled his "Cosmetic Dentistry" seminar, reflecting the true nature of what he was using to achieve aesthetic results with minimal invasion.
In America, Dr. Bertolotti  also introduced Caries Detector in 1984, Panavia in 1985,  cantilevered PFM adhesion bridges in 1986, intraoral tin plating in 1989, self-etching primers in 1992,  HealOzone in 2004, and all-ceramic zirconia adhesion bridges in 2017.  The sectional Contact Matrix system, "Microprime B",  Accolade PV,       "Microetcher" sandblasting,  and intraoral tin-plating are also his innovations. His materials and techniques continue to reflect a compilation of international knowledge which has been evolved into a "how to do it" seminar of international reputation.

He maintains both his adhesion.com website and has seminars on Ruiz Dental Seminars

Today we talk about polymerization shrinkage and the Class II restoration and how Bulk EZ is a game changing product for gap free restorations.

Thanks for listening,

Kevin and Zach

Al is joined by Dr. Darin Dichter and Dr. Doug Benting, the instructors of a course Al took at Spear Education in Scottsdale last week! Some of the topics they discussed:

• Why doesn’t one size fit all for someone who loses all of their teeth?
• Why should dentures be the basis for all cosmetic dentistry? Why is removable the red-headed stepchild of dentistry?
• How can you start planning for a “terminal dentition” earlier to make a transition to edentulous easier and more predictable.
• Losing teeth is a grieving process!
• Informed consent and practicing “slow dentistry”
• Do you hate dentures because you’ve bought into the “short cuts?”
• All-on-4 is appropriate for some cases. Not all. Pay in dollars or pay in bone?
• Can a patient give informed consent for bone removal like All-in-4? They’ll NEVER get that bone back!
• Let’s talk about “terminal” dentition!
• Some teeth are hopeless, but not useless
• What has Spear done to keep people safe and comfortable in the COVID era

Some links from the show:

 Restoring the Edentulous Arch

Spear Online

Al sat down with Dr. Jeff Rouse during a recent trip to Scottsdale! Jeff was teaching "Airway Prosthodontics" concurrently with the course that Al was taking and they had a chance to catch up an all things airway!

• Jeff's first job might surprise you!
• How COVID (temporarily) killed in person CE and what the folks at Spear learned from it
• How Frank Spear changed Airway Prosthodontics for Jeff
• Why the best airway team members have a personal connection to airway problems
• "Airway Aware" and "Airway Directed"
• When a grinding appliance is actually an airway appliance?
• Are airway problems a modern phenomenon?
• Who are the best people in the world according to Al?

Some links from the show:

Airway Prosthodontics

Spear Online

Sorry not sorry, but this show starts off with a giant 10 minute rant about Saturday morning cartoons.  Listeners over 50 will delight in Kevin's re-telling of the early ages of 70s cartoons while Zach enjoyed the boys commercial cartoons of the 80's.

Dr. Alan Mead joins us to talk about electric handpieces and tries to sell Kevin and Zach on making the move.  You can't see it, you've gotta feel it...it's electric!

Alan tell us that he preps harder, faster, better, and stronger with the electric handpieces. He praises the torque, lightweight features, and variable speed.

Downsides include that they are more expensive to buy and maintain.

Kevin actually did a demo on an electric and disagreed on the lightweight feature, if anything he thought it was heavier and the difference in the way it cut didn't jive "in his hands".

Zach hasn't bothered trying electrics because he's cheap and has a good system with handpiece repairs on his Star handpieces.

Have you tried electric handpieces? Are they better? Worse?

Weigh in on the Very Clinical Facebook Group!

Dr. Dawn Kulongowski, Dr. Rich Rosenblatt and Dr. Tammy Bailey join Alan for the "maiden voyage" of the Group Function podcast! We talk about a topic that most Very Dental people can relate to...change! Some highlights:

• Passive-aggressive ADA talk
• Hiring in the time of COVID.
• Procrastination and how to lean into change
• Askholes and asking the perspective of others
• Going with your gut
• Change vs. "zooming"

Some links from the show:

The Very Dental Facebook group

Al's email

"Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway" by Susan Jeffers

"Survival is not Enough: Zooming, Evolution and the Future of your Company" by Seth Godin