Very Dental Classics: Finesse, Panache, Elan with Dr. Bart Schultz
The Very Dental Podcast Network
In this throwback episode of the Very Dental Podcast, Alan sits down with his long-time friend and dental school classmate, Dr. Bart Schultz, for a wide-ranging, candid conversation that blends nostalgia with clinical reality. Celebrating their entry into the 50-year-old club, the duo reflects on the evolution of their careers from green, baby-faced associates to seasoned clinicians. They swap unforgettable stories from the trenches, ranging from a "barbaric" old-school practice that recycled extracted teeth as autograft pontics to the historical misuses of Miracle Mix as a permanent...
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AME: The Averages
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan discusses the distinct economic realities of general dentistry, focusing on why the industry relies almost exclusively on a traditional flat-fee structure rather than complexity-based or hourly pricing. While individual clinical procedures exist on a vast continuum—ranging from effortless five-minute wins to grueling, unpredictable clinical nightmares—general practitioners routinely charge the exact same fee for both extremes. Alan breaks down how profitability structurally relies on "the averages," where highly efficient, straightforward procedures inevitably subsidize the...
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Group Function: From Hours to Minutes with Erez Druk and Dr. Giles Damron
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan welcomes Erez Druk, the co-founder of Freed.ai, and returning guest Dr. Giles Damron to explore how artificial intelligence is revolutionized clinical documentation. Giles shares his firsthand experience of using Freed’s AI-scribing software over the last two years to write thorough, accurate, and highly detailed dental notes in a fraction of the time. Erez dives into the heartwarming origin story of Freed—which began as a tool to help his family medicine physician wife fight burnout—and explains how the technology seamlessly filters out dental operatory noise, handles multiple...
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Very Clinical: Streamline Your Implant “Tackle Box” with Dr. Chris Salierno
The Very Dental Podcast Network
In this throwback episode, Kevin and Zach feature Dr. Chris Salierno talk about the real-world operational realities of implant dentistry. Moving past the textbook "before and after" presentation, Chris shares valuable lessons learned from his early residency clinical errors, examining how aesthetic, functional, and hygienic complications ultimately shape a successful final restoration. The conversation highlights the value of beginning with the end in mind and showcases the practical workflows of the Neoss implant system, demonstrating how a streamlined design and smart component features can...
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AME: The Rise of the Instant Expert
The Very Dental Podcast Network
Alan gets real about a major pet peeve that’s been festering on his Instagram feed: the rise of the "sobriety influencer." Celebrating over 24 years of clean time himself, Alan breaks down why the highly curated, aesthetic world of online recovery culture—full of sunny morning routines, mocktails, and six-month "experts"—feels completely detached from the gritty, anonymous reality of church basements and smoky bingo halls. He then flips the camera onto the dental world, revealing the exact same "pink cloud" script being run by young, inexperienced dental influencers. From flawless...
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Very Dental: Recovery and Layered Learning with Dr. Steve Ratcliff
The Very Dental Podcast Network
This episode of the Very Dental podcast is actually a terrific throwback to the Dental Hacks days! Step into the time machine as Al and Jason welcome Dr. Steve Ratcliff from the boardrooms overlooking the impressive Spear Education auditorium. This candid conversation delves into Dr. Ratcliff's early days at Spear, his role in developing their revolutionary study club modules, and the philosophy behind "layered learning." But this episode goes far beyond dentistry! Dr. Ratcliff opens up with incredible vulnerability about his past, including his firing from an oral surgery residency due to...
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Very Clinical: Walking Away to Win with Dr. Randy Houska
The Very Dental Podcast Network
In this throwback episode from the 2023 Voices of Dentistry summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, Kevin and Zach sit down with "Papa Randy" himself, Dr. Randy Houska. The South Dakota solo practitioner shares his rogue dental journey before diving deep into classic patient myths—including the persistent tale of babies "sucking the calcium" out of a mother's teeth and wisdom teeth causing orthodontic relapse. Plus, Dr. Houska delivers a pro tip on dealing with stubborn upper first molars, prompting a great debate on when to walk away for a hygiene check and when to start sectioning. Join the ...
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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:...
info_outlineAlan discusses the distinct economic realities of general dentistry, focusing on why the industry relies almost exclusively on a traditional flat-fee structure rather than complexity-based or hourly pricing. While individual clinical procedures exist on a vast continuum—ranging from effortless five-minute wins to grueling, unpredictable clinical nightmares—general practitioners routinely charge the exact same fee for both extremes. Alan breaks down how profitability structurally relies on "the averages," where highly efficient, straightforward procedures inevitably subsidize the time-consuming and difficult cases. The episode explores the unique consumer pressures of dentistry that mandate this setup: unlike the bureaucratic insulation of medicine, dentists are required to provide transparent, upfront financial estimates to patients navigating static insurance maximums. Ultimately, Alan challenges the status quo of the standard fee schedule, opening a debate on whether independent practice owners should implement tiered pricing models for high-complexity cases or simply accept the math of the middle.
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