Very Dental Extra: What Dental Assistants Want Dentists to Know with Kate Reinert
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Release Date: 11/11/2023
AME: Endpoints
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan kicks off the July 4th holiday week by diving into the psychological relief of "hard endpoints" in dentistry. From the binary satisfaction of an extraction to the gamified progress bar of using disclosing solution during hygiene, he contrasts these clean wins with the existential anxiety of restorative work—like chasing deep caries or dropping crown margins on a difficult second molar. But in a twist of ultimate podcasting irony, the dental gods decide to test his philosophy mid-recording. After literally just cementing a crown on a patient with limited opening, Alan returns to the...
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Very Dental: The 80/20 Rule of Dental Hygiene with Beth Parkes
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan welcomes Beth Parkes, a clinical dental hygienist and educator from Canada, to break down the evolving world of hygiene instrumentation. Beth challenges the common "ultrasonics-to-completion" mindset, advocating instead for a balanced marriage of 80% power scaling and 20% intricate hand instrumentation for optimal tactile feedback. The duo dives into the resurgence of guided biofilm visualization, the absolute game-changer that is the "Vision Butler" (hilariously rebranded as Spandex Advanced in the US) lip and cheek retractor, and the critical metallurgical differences between...
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Very Clinical: 12 Crowns and $350K in Debt? Inside Modern Dental Education
The Very Dental Podcast Network
This throwback episode from 2023 features Dr. Meylinda Meredith. Zach and Kevin welcome back special guest Meylinda, as they kick things off with some hilariously relatable (and occasionally creepy) bad neighbor stories. The conversation then shifts to the front lines of dental education, diving into the post-COVID realities of dental school, the controversial shift to pass/fail and typodont-based board exams, skyrocketing tuition costs, and the critical decline of clinical "reps" for incoming graduates. Some links from the show: Join the using one of these passwords:...
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Very Dental: Airway, Orthodontics and Omissions with Dr. Matt Standridge, part 2
The Very Dental Podcast Network
The cliffhanger is paid off in this highly anticipated follow-up episode! Alan welcomes back Dr. Matt Standridge to finish their deep dive into the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) controversial white paper on Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB). Matt pulls back the curtain on the paper's actual citation list, exposing questionable sample sizes, misplaced reference numbers, and instances where the AAO’s conclusions directly contradict the very research they cited. From the true diagnostic value of CBCT scans to the data surrounding tongue ties, premolar extractions, and palatal...
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Very Dental: Airway, Orthodontics and Omissions with Dr. Matt Standridge, part 1
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan is once again joined by podcast veteran Dr. Matt Standridge to dissect the American Association of Orthodontists' (AAO) controversial 2026 white paper on sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and orthodontics. Together, they pull back the curtain on the document's surprising omissions—including a shrinking author panel that entirely removed sleep physicians—and critique its heavy, restrictive reliance on full polysomnography (PSG) as a gatekeeper for early pediatric intervention. Dr. Standridge highlights how the paper's narrow scope and questionable citations conflict with both...
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Very Clinical: Is Academic Dentistry Better Than Private Practice?
The Very Dental Podcast Network
This throwback episode from 2023 features Dr. Meylinda Meredith. Zach and Kevin sit down with Meylinda, a fellow UMKC dental school alumnus and current clinical faculty member teaching operative dentistry. They dive into a fascinating discussion comparing private practice associateships with a career in dental education, exploring everything from the perks of academic vacation time to the unique traits of Gen Z dental students and how "just-in-time" learning changes the way they absorb material. The trio also discusses the modern integration of digital scanning versus traditional PVS...
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AME: No More Joint Premedication?
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan dives into the long-awaited alignment between dentists and orthopedic surgeons regarding antibiotic premedication for joint replacement patients. Reflecting on a , Alan breaks down the history of joint prophylaxis confusion—from the shotgun antibiotic approach of the 1990s to the frustratingly vague "case-by-case" guidelines of 2012 and 2017. He highlights the game-changing late-2024 AAOS/ADA update, which officially confirms that routine systemic antibiotics do not reduce the risk of periprosthetic joint infections. Alan shares his exact, blunt office protocol letter designed to...
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Very Dental: "Super Flowables," Color Stability and the Bioclear Method with Dr. David Clark
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan once again sits down with Dr. David Clark for a deep dive into a massive paradigm shift shaking up the Bioclear Method! Dave discusses the clinical realities driving the development of the new Tooth and Surface Specific (TSS) matrix system and drops a bombshell announcement: the wholesale transition away from legacy composites toward color-stable materials. They explore why whole-tooth restorations face severe color shifts over time, how new Japanese filler particle technologies from Kuraray and GC prevent these failures, and how the introduction of "super flowables" allows clinicians to...
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Very Clinical: Very Rock and Roll, part 4
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Zach, Kevin and Al have been tiptoeing around it for three episodes, but today we do a deep dive on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! The guys break down the highly secretive, two-step nomination process—debunking the illusion of the "fan vote"—and call out the historical genre biases that left iconic stadium rock, heavy metal, and progressive bands frozen out for decades. From debating the definition of "innovation" versus "commercial success" to throwing down over legendary snubs like The J. Geils Band, Weird Al, and INXS, this episode is a passionate, witty look at the politics, snobbery,...
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AME: The Disney Experience
The Very Dental Podcast Network
In this episode, Alan returns from a high-stakes, five-day marathon chaperoning a high-school band trip to Orlando. Behind the magic of Disney venues, full-on recording sessions, and a 48-hour round-trip bus ride, he finds a fascinating study of human behavior under pressure. From Disney's multi-million-dollar mastery of the queue to a universal lack of spatial awareness on the park paths, Alan breaks down the massive operational scale of a resort employing 80,000 people. True to form, he bridges these observations directly back to the clinical environment—comparing the luxury of "zero-wait"...
info_outlineAlan is joined by Kate Reinert who is a dental assistant who now works with Zirc Dental Products as a clinical efficiency consultant. We had a wide ranging conversation where we talked about implementing new procedures (from the standpoint of the team) as well as helping find and fix "pain points" in clinical systems. Zirc Dental Products is a company that basically helps offices understand how much better things can be in the dental office!
Some topics we covered:
- implementing new procedures
- finding pain points
- the history of "processing dental instruments"
- Central Sterilization as the "heart of the dental office"
- "Instrument creep" and how cassettes can fix it
- Say no to cabinets and lean operatories
- Get Zirc involved DURING the design process
- Getting rid of the "hit by the bus" notebook and reducing training time
- The advantages of resin
Some links from the show: