Episodes
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Dr. Matt Griffith is a pediatric dentist on the big island in Kona, Hawaii. Dr. Matt is the first and only pediatric dentist I have ever interviewed from Hawaii!
Dr. Matt talks about his crazy backstory of opening his own practice in Kona. His style is one of providing a high level of patient care, and not being forced to see more kids a day than he's comfortable with. We talk about what the culture is like with his patient population, and some of the challenges of being a pediatric dentist in a rural spot in the middle of the Pacific.
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Dr. Leigh Colby is my guest on the podcast today. Leigh is a dentist, a former practice owner, and has founded and been involved in multiple high-tech dental startups. He is an entrepreneur and innovator as much as he is a clinician.
Leigh is also the founder of TriAgenics. TriAgenics has spent years developing third molar tooth bud ablation technology. For those who aren't familiar, this technology uses targeted microwaves and a small probe to "zap" and prevent the formation of third molars during childhood. Ablating the tooth bud would prevent the need for invasive extractions later on when the teeth are fully developed.
This technology is in the final stages of FDA approval, and will quickly become available commercially as an option to our patients. In this podcast, Dr. Colby shares with us how the technology works, what the equipment looks like, the initial investment costs, and why pediatric dentists will be paving the way to make this procedure a great option for our patients.
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Episodes manquant?
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Dr. Kris Hendricks is a pediatric dentist and practice owner from New Mexico. I came across his viral TikTok video showing models of how different styles of pacifiers affect occlusion in kids.
Kris talks about how he was essentially gifted an orthodontic practice in New Mexico. He shares his take on social media, going viral, and what he currently recommends to parents asking about pacifiers. We break down what the research says for pacifier recommendations, and if "orthodontic" pacifiers are all they are cracked up to be.
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It's my pleasure to host Nate and Bob from the "Just Say No to the DSO" Podcast. These guys have built a popular podcast platform that I've been hearing a lot of buzz about. They were kind enough to join me for an episode to talk all about DSOs.
Nate and Bob discuss why they became so passionate about educating dentists on the harm of DSO buyouts. We also review and bust five common DSO myths. They discuss how pediatric dentists are targets for these deals, and what other options you might consider for the future of your practice.
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Bourbon and Baby Teeth was a blast down in New Orleans this year. If you haven't been... put it on your bucket list. Even though it's always tough to record podcasts at conferences, I was able to pull aside three awesome dentists to have a quick conversation over some bourbon.
1. Dr. Hubert Park talks about pros and cons of doing his scratch start vs his practice acquisition.
2. Dr. Phil Chung talks about extracting permanent teeth with the SOAN, as well as his insane sealants protocol.
3. Dr. Chad Jensen talks about what goes into developing a new product in the dental field, as well as talking about his new Octo-Matrix.
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Dr. Marc Soelberg is a pediatric dentist who recently did a scratch start in Post Falls, Idaho. After several years of associating without a partnership offer, Dr. Soelberg decided to open his practice in a growing rural town in northern Idaho.
In this episode, we talk all about what opening a practice in 2024 looks like. He shares his challenges with obtaining a loan big enough to cover the cost of an office that's a functional size. We also discuss what marketing strategies worked best to obtain new patients, along with sharing some mistakes he made along the way.
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Dr. Reed Faldet is a young dentist and entrepreneur who has built an 8-figure commercial real estate portfolio. He has transitioned out of full time dentistry to focus on real estate. We have a great discussion all about real estate, including the following topics:
- How has the market for commercial real estate changed?
- When does it make sense to lease a practice space compared to buying and building?
- What options are there if you don't have the cash for a down payment?
- How does lending work for practice loans?
- What are the tax benefits to owning real estate, and how does depreciation work to lower taxable income?
Dr. Faldet also helps partner and mentor with dentists looking to purchase their real estate but who need help along the way. His email is [email protected]
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Dr. Kevin Kennedy is a pediatric dentist and practice owner from Clarksville, Tennessee. He fostered and adopted three kids during his pediatric residency before having biological children of his own. This experience really opened his eyes to the complexities and challenges of kids who have experienced loss, or as Kevin defines it "kids from hard places."
Dr. Kennedy shares his story and gives listeners some advice on how to care for these kids and communicate better with their parents.
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This episode is all about pediatric dentistry in Canada! I'm joined by four awesome docs: Drs. Sara Werb, Shuran Liang, Nikhil Sharma, and Priya Kothari are all amazing pediatric dentists and each have their own unique experiences that they share with us. Some of the topics we discuss:
- What does Canada's administration of dental care look like? Is it similar to Medicaid?
- Certain materials that are and aren't allowed in Canada (Bioflx!?)
- What does it take to get a dental license in Canada? Are there any residency programs?
- What are the challenges to practice ownership, and how are employee rights/benefits different than in the US?
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Dr. Donny Qafleshi is a pediatric dentist in Indiana. He comes on to share some of his personal and professional experiences as an immigrant, a dad, and a pediatric dentist. Some of the things we discuss:
-Dr. Donny's journey to the United States as a child to escape war
- How to know when a practice partnership is the right choice
- How many kids a day is a sustainable amount to see without burning out?
- Internalizing emotions as a pediatric dentist and a new parent
- Working on mindfulness and techniques to prevent work anxiety
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Dr. Nick Luke is a pediatric dentist, originally from Iowa but now practicing at a busy office in Wisconsin. Dr. Nick is a big fan of finding creative ways to follow the guidelines and literature while also creating a fun experience for his patients.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why Wisconsin is awesome
- Hall crown philosophy and techniques
- MTA usage in pulpotomies
- Caries removal and biofilm control
- How being a dad and work-life balance go together
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Dr. Jay Leung is a pediatric dentist and owner at The Little Tooth Company Pediatric Dentistry. He practices and runs two offices with associates in Connecticut.
Dr. Jay comes on the show to share his experience of being audited by Medicaid. After receiving a daunting letter in the mail and being threatened with some hefty penalties, Dr. Jay was able to use legal help and great documentation to defend and protect himself. He gives listeners some pointers and advice in the event an audit ever happens to them.
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Dr. Art Nowak has been practicing pediatric dentistry since the mid 1960's, back when there were only seven residency programs. He taught pediatric dentistry at the University of Iowa for almost 50 years, during which he published "Infancy Through Adolescence." This textbook is a staple in our profession, and Dr. Nowak literally "wrote the book" on comprehensive pediatric dentistry.
We have a great discussion on how pediatric dentistry has changed through the years. Dr. Nowak expresses his concerns that we have commercialized pediatric dentistry and moved away from focusing on prevention and treating the whole patient. Dr. Nowak continues to stay busy and he is excited to release his newest edition of the textbook sometime next year.
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Dr. Kristine "Love Peace" Grazioso is a pediatric dentist with a large practice in Massachusetts. She practiced for years as contracted provider with Delta, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Medicaid. In 2020, she made the decision to drop all insurances and go completely FFS, in order to provide better care for her patients. Even though she practices in a competitive area, her practice is busy and thriving.
Dr. Grazioso shares her story about how she made this transition. She gives pointers and advice to other pediatric dentists who are interested in going OON with dental insurance plans. Dr. Grazioso has used her experience as a springboard to provide consulting and coaching services to other pediatric dentists who want to fight against being handcuffed to dental insurance companies.
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You see it all the time on iPedo... "I'm tired of my associate job and I want to start my own practice, but I'm not sure where to start." It's no surprise that a large void exists for knowledge and content relevant specifically for pediatric dentists who want to start their own practice.
Well we have some huge news to share on the podcast today. For the last 6 months, Dr. Corey Hastings and I have been working tirelessly on building a comprehensive course specifically for pediatric dentists who want to start their own practice. We are super excited to roll out Little Smiles Practice Mastery, an online video lecture series that walks you step-by-step through the startup journey. This "power pediatric dental MBA" has almost 15 hours of lecture material, along with all needed spreadsheets, forms, attachments, and paperwork you need to jump-start a practice. All of this in a low-cost subscription platform that is available on-demand whenever you need it.
On today's episode, Corey and discuss the benefits of practice ownership over a cold beer. We review why we made this course, what all is included, and why we believe most pediatric dentists can build an awesome practice without spending a fortune on a consulting company.
Make sure to stop by our booth at AAPD to get on our mailing list, or visit www.pediatricdentalmba.com. We anticipate the course to go live early this summer and we are so excited to give other dentists the tools they need to achieve their practice goals.
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Thad Harker is a project advisor at Primus Dental, a design and build full-service construction company that has built close to a 1000 dental offices across the Midwest.
Thad and I have a great conversation about dental office design and construction. He emphasizes that the construction process is all about managing people. We talk about how things have changed with higher interest rates and construction costs, but that it still makes financial sense to not lose opportunity cost and get yourself a "golden hammer."
Some topics we discuss in this episode:
- Why are construction costs high, and will they come back down?
- Why does location matter?
- Does it make sense to price shop a build-out?
- How have pediatric office designs changed post-COVID?
- Is it still worth it to do a start-up and be a practice owner?
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Where would we be if we didn’t have the support of our non-dentist spouse/significant other/partner? This episode is specifically for them!
Today my wife, Jenna Goetz, reflects on her impact on my journey to become a pediatric dentist. We talk about when does it make sense for the spouse to work in the office, pursue his or her own career, or to stay home with kids. Jenna gives some advice to young power couples and how to get the most out of this journey. We also joke about how annoying dentists can be when you get them all around each other at conventions and meetings.
This is a great episode to listen to with your significant other who is not a dentist!
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Chip Fichtner is the co-founder of Large Practice Sales and a return guest on the podcast. His firm helps practice owners complete transactions and partner with DSOs and "invisible" DSOs who allow the doctor to maintain autonomy and a minority position. We last spoke on the podcast about two years ago. Because of our episode, his firm closed a $50+ million dollar deal on a large pediatric office.
Chip has a tight pulse on what's going on in the DSO world. I wanted to get an update on what DSOs are doing with pediatric practices in light of the higher interest rates. I try to ask Chip some tougher questions in this interview.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Is access to capital an issue for DSOs right now?
- Have we seen any DSOs struggle or go under because of lower free cash flow?
- What happens to the dentist's retained equity in the parent company if the parent company fails?
- Who calculates EBITDA in these transactions, and where does all the variability come from?
- How does LPS keep tabs and verify the quality and financials of the DSOs they work with?
- What does the ideal pediatric dental practice look like in terms of commanding a high multiple?
Chip can be reached at www.largepracticesales.com
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Everybody in pediatric dentistry is talking about the Soan right now, so I had to learn more. On today's episode, I hosted Dr. Ann Bynum and Chris Malzone from NuSmile. Chris had sent me a demo model to try out, so I took this opportunity to talk with him and Ann about the technology.
The Soan is an cordless electronic anesthetic pen. It allows you to give intraosseous injections to kids without collateral numbness. I specifically talk with Ann about the benefits of the device, technique questions, cost of using the device, and limitations.
Anybody that would like to learn more is welcome to check out Nusmile.com, as they host free webinars to learn more about the device.
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Dr. Benjamin Morgan joins us on the podcast today. He's a pediatric dentist and the owner of Rockwall Pediatric Dentistry in the greater Dallas, Texas area.
Ben comes on to talk about a variety of topics, including his journey to practice ownership, why he dropped Texas Medicaid, creative ways that he increases his revenue, how he structures a 2-doctor practice, and what life is like being a pediatric dentist in a crowded Dallas market. We also discuss his decision NOT to build a 15,000 sq ft facility after buying the land and designing the space.
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