Very Dental: Measuring Success in Marketing with Michael Anderson of Wonderist
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Release Date: 08/05/2022
Very Clinical: Getting Ahead of It, part 5: Extractions and Grafting
The Very Dental Podcast Network
In this installment of the "Getting Ahead of It" series, Zach, Kevin, and Alan dive into the art of proactive patient communication for extractions and bone grafting. The trio tackles the clinical reality of keeping patients calm and callbacks low. They break down essential chairside scripts—from warning patients about the visceral sounds of intentional crown breaking and tooth sectioning, to setting expectations for the universal 48-hour peak pain window. The conversation also explores surgical nuance: navigating anesthesia differences between endo and extractions, managing pain protocols...
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AME: The 23% Supply Savings Wake Up Call
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan pulls back the curtain on dental supply ordering, sales reps, and overhead costs . Despite traditionally relying on habitual distributor relationships and trusting that his practice was getting the "best price," Alan details a head-to-head comparison shopping test using Net32 for a routine restock order . Matching identical brand-name and disposable commodity items—from local anesthetics to surface barriers—yielded an immediate 23% savings ($117 off a $500 order) with virtually zero effort . Alan discusses the awkward social dynamic of distributor relationships, why dental supplies...
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Group Function: Skipping Class for Scopes and Ergos with Jeff Metcalf and Spencer Smith
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Live from the exhibit floor at the 2026 Bioclear Summit in Scottsdale, Alan sits down with Jeff Metcalf (Zumax) and Spencer Smith (Enova) to demystify high-magnification clinical optics . The conversation explores the advantages of intimate boutique conferences over massive trade shows, why capital equipment like dental operating microscopes requires multiple touchpoints before purchase, and how advancements like Vario-focus lenses and modern LED illumination have flattened the learning curve . They also dive into the explosive rise of ergonomic loupes, discussing how deflection optics are...
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Very Clinical: Getting Ahead of It, part 4: Endodontics
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Zach, Kevin and Alan tackle the art of "getting ahead of it" in clinical endodontics—managing patient expectations before a single bur touches tooth structure so clinical realities sound like explanations rather than post-op excuses. The crew breaks down scripts and practical protocols for handling hot teeth, setting realistic expectations around post-op PDL soreness, and managing the paradox of treating asymptomatic necrotic teeth that leave feeling worse than when they walked in. Along the way, the conversation dives into practical clinical pearls—including pre-op Medrol Dosepacks,...
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AME: True Stories
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan examines how authentic storytelling has been hijacked by modern social media algorithms, manipulative "negative hook" advertising, and political spin . Reflecting on Seth Godin’s early blogging philosophy and the honest conversations shared among colleagues at dental meetings, Dr. Mead critiques how platforms prioritize engagement and hook rates over truth and human connection . Addressing the psychological toll of digital doomscrolling, he shares his personal experiment with stepping back from social feeds using the upcoming keyboard-equipped Clicks Communicator and makes a passionate...
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Very Dental: Dr. Tuan Pham on Regret Minimization and Dental Maverick AI
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan catches up with longtime colleague and Dental Maverick founder Dr. Tuan Pham to explore his transition from clinical practice to the forefront of dental software innovation. Tuan shares the life-first philosophy that led him to retire early to spend formative years with his young children, detailing how Jeff Bezos’s “Regret Minimization Framework” inspired his pivot away from the operatory. The conversation dives deep into Tuan’s latest venture, Dental Maverick AI. It's an intelligent automation platform designed to tackle the dental industry’s most persistent operational...
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Very Clinical: Getting Ahead of It, part 3: Fixed Prosthodontics
The Very Dental Podcast Network
In this pre-Halloween clinical roundtable, hosts Zach and Kevin are joined by Alan to tackle the subtle art of "getting ahead of it" in "fixed prosthodontics." After kicking things off with childhood Halloween prank confessions—ranging from flaming bags on doorsteps to near-arson in the storm drains—the trio dives into proactive patient communication for single- and multi-unit crown workflows. They break down essential chairside scripts designed to eliminate post-op callbacks, covering provisional sensitivity expectations, cord-packing and soft-tissue soreness, CEREC milling downtime,...
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AME: Dueling AIs
The Very Dental Podcast Network
In this episode of The Alan Mead Experience, Alan dives into the fast-moving, subscription-heavy world of artificial intelligence and its rapid convergence in everyday dental practice . From wrestling with multiple monthly fees to testing dedicated AI recording hardware like the Plaud NotePin, HiDock P1, and the upcoming Flowtica, he explores how quickly general LLMs like Gemini and tools like Riverside are making older transcription apps obsolete . The conversation turns clinical as Alan examines how frictionless tech—whether it's high-magnification operatory microscopes or ambient scribes...
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Very Dental: Treating the Disease, Not Just the Tooth with Dr. Josh Solomon
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Recorded live at the Bioclear Summit in Scottsdale, Alan sits down with pediatric dentist Dr. Josh Solomon for a wide-ranging, candid conversation on treating disease rather than just teeth . The two dive into the eye-opening power of high magnification and microscopes in daily practice, transitioning from surgical interventions to chemotherapeutic protocols, and practical strategies for getting both parents and kids genuinely engaged in home care . From air polishing and caries control with glass ionomer to chairside communication hacks like asynchronous video treatment plans, this episode...
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AME: The Absurdist Dentist
The Very Dental Podcast Network
"Biology remains undefeated." Alan reflects on the stark contrast between social media’s flawless clinical highlight reels and the sobering reality of burnout and mental health struggles in the profession . Borrowing from the philosophy of absurdism and the myth of Sisyphus, he argues that because restorative work enters an aggressive biological environment destined for entropy, biology remains undefeated . Rather than viewing inevitable breakdowns as personal failures, dentists can free themselves by recognizing their true role: not performing permanent miracles, but buying dignified time...
info_outlineThe Wonderist Agency is truly a one stop marketing solution. They take a personal and design centered approach to dental practice marketing. They've been supportive of dental podcasting and specifically for the Voices of Dentistry meeting and a partner to the Very Dental Podcast network. All of that said, my conversation with founder Michael Anderson was enlightening in a way that I didn't originally expect.
One of the problems with dental marketing is the inability to know if your spending is truly making a difference. Is the money I'm spending really bringing people through the door? I asked Michael about this consistent gripe from dentists and he had a really direct answer that I think you'll want to hear about!
A few highlights:
- Michael's take on dental meetings in a post-COVID world
- How are you capturing leads? How are you tracking them?
- Can dentists use lead lists in a subtle and effective way?
- How do you become the business that people remember when they're spurred to do something? (spoiler: drip sequences!)
- Consumers want to be chased! (By texts, that is)
- Front desks LOVE messaging because it doesn't feel too pushy
Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy."
If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!
After the course I took at Cosmedent back in May, I realized that polishing restorations, especially composite restorations is an afterthought for most dentists. Getting a beautiful shine with lasting luster is just too much work, so why bother? But what if you could make your patients happier and make your composite restorations last longer? You need to try Enamelize, the aluminum oxide polishing paste from Cosmedent that will change the way you look at composite polish forever. Check it out at verydentalpodcast.com/enamelize!
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Our friends at Spear Education want Very Dental people to know about a special event they’re having this summer! This new opportunity brings the leaders in dental education together to Educate, Elevate, and Empower you! Whether a current member or new to Spear, this event will reignite the spark in your practice. It’s a “Whitman’s Sampler” of all the amazing educators at Spear Education including Frank Spear, Gregg Kinzer, Jeff Rouse, Darin Dichter, Gary DeWood and Ricardo Mitrani! It’s clinical! It’s business! But most importantly, it’s all Spear! Spear live is happening on the east coast in Boston, MA on August 12th and 13th! Go check it out at verydentalpodcast.com/Spear!
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You know that our friends at Zirc are the organization people. With the Color Method and all the different storage and instrument sterilizations options, they’ll keep your processes streamlined and efficient! But they’re not JUST the organization people. Every dental office should check out the amazing products that Zirc has to offer for organization, isolation and visualization at verydentalpodcast.com/Zirc!
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Our friends at CAD-Ray want you to know that there has never been a better time to get into intraoral scanning! They sell and support all kinds of digital dentistry products from scanners, to printers and even cloud based software! For instance, the Medit i600 itraoral scanner is priced at just about $13,000! And if you didn’t know, CAD-Ray now distributes 3Shape scanners and the amazing Trios 4 wireless just had a $10,000 price cut! It comes in under $25,000. And all these options come with CAD-Ray’s unbeatable support! Go check it out at verydentalpodcast.com/cadray!
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If there is one thing that’s changed the way I look at teeth the most, it’s probably the headlight I use with my loupes. Our friends at Enova make amazing loupes and distribute Zumax dental microscopes, both the best you can buy. But the amazing, weightless and cordless Qubit, Quasar or Quantum headlights (all others are just toys) are the biggest game changer. But be careful…if you try one, you’re going to buy one! Why haven’t you checked out Enova Illumination yet? You can get a killer deal on all things Enova by using the Very Dental link you’ll find at verydentalpodcast.com/Enova!
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Have you been looking at your supply bill lately? Prices are REALLY going up on all the things you use every day in your office. Our friends at Crazy Dental understand and are here to help! Very Dental listeners can get 10% off their orders from Crazy Dental by using coupon code “VERYDENTAL10”! Go check out their amazing catalog and save yourself 10% off of their already amazing prices at verydentalpodcast.com/crazy!
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If you’re looking for a one stop dental marketing solution, then look no further than the Wonderist Agency. Wonderist can help you with branding and a killer website. They’ll design ad campaigns no matter how you want to get your name out there. But maybe most importantly, they’ll show you how your marketing plan is working! They have industry leading analytics that help you understand what works and what doesn’t in your area and they’ll help you spend your marketing dollar in the wisest way possible! Go check out the Wonderist Agency at verydentalpodcast.com/Wonderist!