Very Dental: Do What You Like with Dr. Rob Ritter
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Release Date: 08/23/2024
Very Dental: Predictable IPR with Dr. Phil Kaplan
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan welcomes Dr. Phil Kaplan, founder of Skyline Dental Designs in New Jersey to the Very Dental Podcast. Phil's dental path began at age fifteen answering phones and cleaning ops before earning his DDS at Howard University and launching a scratch startup during the pandemic . In this episode, Dr. Kaplan shares his perspective on the functional imperative of treating traumatic occlusion and details the clinical realities of clear aligner therapy . Moving past the guesswork of standard diamond flame burs and tedious hand saws, he breaks down how implementing Garrison Dental Solutions’...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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,...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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,...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outlineToday's throwback episode features the one and only Dr. Rob Ritter. Al talked to Rob back in late 2021 after having a couple of bad clinical beats and Rob has some pretty good advice.
Original show notes:
Alan is joined by Dr. Rob Ritter to talk about a couple of bad beats he had. Perfing an endo and punting a tough extraction had Al wondering if he should be doing these procedures in his office. Rob is a proud “restorative dentist” by choice and has described his approach as “from the gums up.” How did he decide what he wanted to include in his practice? Why did he decide to leave a lot of “specialty” procedures out? Some topics we covered:
- Rob’s course, “The Protocol”, the dates for 2022 are available and registration opens on September 14th. If you’re interested, you better sign up fast because they’ll sell out immediately! (limited to 14 people!)
- No compromise treatment
- “Just because you don’t want to do the right thing doesn’t mean I’m going to do the wrong thing.”
- “When you start feeling bad for patients, you start making bad decisions”
- Late 90’s “needs based” dentistry to “wants based” dentistry
- Doing dentistry because you NEED to (financial constraints) is more common
- Al’s bad beats and walking away from endo and surgery (and why it didn’t last)
- Case selection...don’t let your guard down!
- You don’t HAVE to do anything you don’t want to
- No shame in referring anything that you don’t want to do
- Find a referral network that is an extension of your practice
- Rob ALMOST took a tooth out earlier this year...and then decided against it. It was a wise choice.
- Vedder Society name drop (come in a couple weeks!)
- Learning from Pat Allen...can I be Pat Allen?
- How long had Rob been practicing before he had decided what he WANTED to do.
- Remember that adding new stuff is hard to learn and REALLY hard to implement.
- Developing a referral network and how to work in a rural environment
- Rob on legacy
- Your family >>> teaching dentists/doing dentistry
- The most valuable thing is time!
Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!"
The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you’d like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us!
--
Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you’ll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL10” you’ll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time!
--
The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist!
--
Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products!
--
CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you’ll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!