The Dr. Phil Klein Dental Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 806 - It Starts With Leadership: Creating the Exceptional Patient Experience Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

What does it actually take to make a patient say, "I'm really glad you didn't try to sell me anything today"? The answer has very little to do with your handpiece or your composite, and everything to do with how your practice makes people feel.

Dr. Lori Trost is a full-time clinician whose Columbia, Illinois practice centers on esthetic dentistry with a wellness-focused approach to patient care. A sought-after lecturer across North America, clinical evaluator for numerous dental manufacturers, and prolific author of professional dental articles, Dr. Trost is a member of the ADA, ASDA, and AGD, serves as a board member of the AACO, and is a recipient of the prestigious Shils Foundation Award from the ADA for Entrepreneurial Spirit and Leadership. She was also named one of the "Top 25 Women in Dentistry" by Dental Products Report. Her decades of clinical experience and her nationally acclaimed course on patient experience make her one of the most credible voices on this topic in dentistry today.

In this episode, Dr. Trost breaks down what it truly means to create an exceptional patient experience — and why so many practices, even those with veteran clinicians, are falling short. Drawing on the response to a standing-room-only lecture she delivered to over 1,000 attendees, she reveals the three pain points that resonated most deeply and explains how practices can address them systematically. This conversation is a candid, practical look at the cultural and operational gaps that quietly erode patient trust, retention, and referrals.

Episode Highlights:

Research shows patients who wait more than 10 minutes in a reception area become disengaged, turn to their phones, and are significantly more likely to leave negative reviews. Software that tracks patient check-in time can help front desk teams intervene before frustration builds, and moving patients promptly is one of the simplest and most overlooked retention strategies in practice management.
Only 35% of dental offices conduct a morning huddle, despite it being one of the most powerful tools for aligning a team before the clinical day begins. Practices that skip this daily communication ritual are more prone to in-office chaos, miscommunication between clinical and administrative staff, and patients who leave without understanding what happens next in their care.
Patients who are not oriented to the value of their visit before they reach the front desk are more likely to question fees, dispute charges, and disengage from treatment planning. Building clear verbal handoffs between the operatory and the front desk — including scripted language to describe clinical findings like cracked teeth — is a trainable, systems-based solution that directly impacts case acceptance and perceived practice value.
Phone distraction in the operatory is not just a behavioral nuisance — studies from major universities confirm that the mere presence of a phone reduces a patient's ability to retain health information. Practices that implement a phone-off policy during appointments report stronger patient engagement, fewer safety concerns during active procedures, and more meaningful clinical conversations.
Leadership gaps are among the most commonly reported pain points in dental teams, yet many practice owners either avoid the leadership role or conflate being liked with being effective. Defining a clear leadership style early — including during the hiring process — and investing in leadership development through courses and reading reduces team dysfunction, lowers staff turnover, and creates a practice culture where doing excellent work is the norm rather than the exception.

Perfect for: General dentists, practice owners, dental office managers, treatment coordinators, and any clinical team member who wants to understand how practice culture and patient communication directly impact retention, referrals, and long-term practice success.

If you've ever lost a patient not because of your clinical work but because of how they felt walking out the door, this episode will show you exactly what to change.

Ep. 805 - Risk Is the New Diagnosis: Rethinking How We Practice Dentistry Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

What if the true measure of clinical success in dentistry was not how well we treat disease, but how effectively we prevent it from ever developing in the first place?

Penny Hatzimanolakis is a periodontist and prosthodontist who has been practicing evidence-informed, prevention-focused oral health care since 1994. A faculty member at the University of British Columbia's dental faculty since 2002, she is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership. A published author, national speaker, and industry board advisor, she operates the Elevate Oral Health and Learning Centre, where she provides advanced training and individualized, patient-centred care with a strong commitment to serving underserved communities.

This episode applies the P4 medicine framework — predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory — to oral health care, challenging dentistry's long-standing habit of measuring success by treatment volume rather than disease prevention. Penny introduces a compelling fifth P, preservation, as the overarching clinical goal that should unify all dental disciplines. The conversation spans periodontal risk management, individualized recall protocols, peri-implantitis prevention, and the role of emerging AI technologies in moving dentistry from reactive repair toward precision prevention.

Episode Highlights:

Current dentistry measures success almost exclusively through treatment outcomes — restorations placed, pocket depths reduced, implants placed — while rarely quantifying how much disease was actually prevented. Reframing success to include avoided restorations, preserved attachment, and maintained healthy dentition would likely reveal that proactive prevention rates in most practices sit at only 10–15%, a standard no other medical discipline would accept.
The standard twice-yearly dental recall interval has no scientific basis and originated largely from consumer advertising campaigns dating back to the 1920s and 1940s. Risk-based recall intervals — which may range from one to six months or beyond depending on the individual patient's disease activity, systemic health, and compliance — represent a more evidence-informed approach to maintenance scheduling.
Guided biofilm therapy is an evidence-based, minimally invasive clinical protocol structured around a sequential eight-step framework that aligns directly with P4 medicine principles. The protocol incorporates disclosing agents to visualize biofilm, motivational interviewing, salivary diagnostics, nutritional counseling, and powered biofilm disruption using fine erythritol powder, allowing targeted management of biofilm as the primary etiological driver of both periodontal disease and peri-implantitis before a hand instrument is ever introduced.
Patients with type 2 diabetes carry approximately a 50% elevated risk of developing peri-implantitis, and implant deterioration when it occurs progresses significantly faster than comparable breakdown around natural teeth due to the absence of a periodontal ligament and its associated host defense mechanisms. Thorough pre-implant risk stratification — including full medical history review, systemic disease assessment, and identification of compounding risk factors — is essential before implant placement is undertaken.
Preservation of tooth structure is emerging as a unifying philosophy across dental specialties, exemplified in endodontics by the growing evidence base for vital pulp therapy including partial pulpotomy on mature teeth with carious pulp exposures. Using a calcium silicate-based hydraulic cement following incremental pulp tissue removal to achieve hemostasis can allow clinicians to avoid full pulpectomy and obturation, eliminating the associated costs of root canal treatment and the indirect restoration that typically follows.

Perfect for: general dentists, dental hygienists, periodontists, prosthodontists, and dental residents seeking to integrate evidence-informed prevention protocols, risk-based recall strategies, and minimally invasive principles into daily clinical practice.

If you have ever questioned whether dentistry's definition of success is truly serving your patients' long-term health, this conversation will change how you think about every patient you see.

Ep. 804 - What You Believe Is What You Build: Breaking Free from Corporate Dentistry Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Is corporate dentistry holding you back from the practice you actually want to build — or is the real obstacle something happening in your own head?

Dr. Mark Kogut is a pediatric dentist, orthodontist, author, and educator with over 42 years of private practice experience. He built a thriving fee-for-service pediatric and orthodontic practice with more than 5,000 square feet, seven consultation rooms, and a team of 30, all while teaching orthodontics to pediatric dental residents for 22 years at what is now Texas A&M College of Dentistry. He is also the author of the Amazon bestseller Breaking Free: How to Escape Corporate Dentistry and Build Your Dream Practice. Dr. Kogut's depth of experience in both clinical care and practice leadership makes him one of the most compelling voices in independent dental practice today.

In this conversation, Dr. Kogut unpacks the mindset framework at the core of his book — including the Mobius Method, a model for understanding how beliefs, behaviors, and results are cyclically linked and not simply linear. He and Dr. Klein explore why fear is the single greatest barrier preventing dentists from making the leap to ownership, how a fee-for-service model can be built from scratch even in today's insurance-heavy environment, and what it actually takes to develop the leadership skills and team culture that sustain a thriving independent practice. The discussion draws directly from Dr. Kogut's four decades of real-world experience and his years mentoring residents toward thinking beyond clinical training.

Episode Highlights:

The Mobius Method reframes the relationship between beliefs, behavior, and results as cyclical and multidirectional rather than linear. Recognizing that the results you get reinforce what you believe — and that your beliefs shape the results you pursue — is a foundational shift for any dentist considering the transition from associate to owner.
Fear is identified as the single most significant obstacle preventing dentists from transitioning into ownership. Just as clinical skills like administering injections are learned through practice and repetition, business skills are also learnable — and many can be outsourced, reducing the threshold of knowledge required before making the leap.
A gap analysis framework is presented as a practical tool for major practice decisions, including large equipment investments. The approach involves defining a clear target, honestly assessing the current state, identifying the gap between the two, and building a step-by-step plan to close it — applicable to financial planning, staffing, and practice growth.
Structuring a practice as fee-for-service from the start is presented as both viable and preferable for dentists who want to deliver care on their own terms. In orthodontics specifically, full-fee collection before treatment begins was a consistent model in Dr. Kogut's practice, enabled by building trust with patients and families before financial conversations took place — and by equipping team members to have those conversations more effectively than the dentist alone.
The wheelbarrow-versus-tractor metaphor captures the difference between a practice driven by poor systems that requires constant manual effort and one powered by well-trained, values-aligned team members who pull the practice forward. Hiring for growth mindset and cultural fit — rather than years of experience — and investing in team development through coaching, continuing education, and book clubs were central to sustaining that tractor model over four decades.

Perfect for: General dentists and specialists considering transitioning out of corporate or DSO environments, dental residents approaching the end of their training, and any practice owner looking to strengthen team culture, leadership skills, and the mindset foundations of independent practice.

If you have ever talked yourself out of ownership before you even started, this episode will show you exactly where that thinking comes from — and how to change it.

Ep. 803 - Universal Composites with Dr. Marc Geissberger: What Dentists Need to Know Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Are you still selecting composites based on shade count and marketing claims — or are you evaluating what actually matters clinically? This episode cuts through the noise and gets into the real science behind modern composite selection.

Dr. Mark Geissberger brings over 30 years of clinical and academic experience to this conversation. He is Professor and Immediate Past Chair of the Department of Integrated Reconstructive Dental Sciences at the University of the Pacific, School of Dentistry, where he directed the Aesthetic and Complex Care Clinic and has taught for 25 years. Dr. Geissberger earned his dental degree from University of the Pacific in 1991, was elected to Omicron Kappa Upsilon, and later earned a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology. He has served as President of the National Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, serves as University Representative to the AACD University Council, and has authored a textbook on esthetic dentistry published by Wiley-Blackwell. With over 350 continuing education programs presented nationally and internationally, Dr. Geissberger is one of the most experienced restorative dental educators in the country.

This episode explores how composite materials have genuinely evolved beyond marketing buzzwords, what dentists should actually evaluate when selecting a new restorative material, and how a new generation of universal composites is simplifying anterior and posterior workflows without sacrificing aesthetics. Dr. Geissberger provides a frank, science-based framework for evaluating handling, radiopacity, shrinkage, and shade matching that applies to any composite on the market. The conversation also covers composite warming, adhesive protocol selection, and isolation strategies for everyday clinical use.

Episode Highlights:

Single-shade composites made a bold promise that the science never fully supported. True shade matching requires cluster-engineered shade systems — a process that one leading manufacturer spent a decade developing to legitimately cover 16 Vita shades with just five carefully engineered shades, rather than simply repackaging existing best-selling SKUs.
Radiopacity is one of the most underappreciated criteria in composite selection. Measured in aluminum equivalent, conventional composites typically range from 300 to 500 percent, while dentin measures approximately 100 percent and enamel 200 to 250 percent. A highly filled universal composite can reach 900 percent aluminum equivalent, making restoration margins, recurrent decay, voids, and overhangs far easier to identify diagnostically on radiographs.
A composite filled at 91 percent by weight dramatically reduces polymerization shrinkage — down to approximately 1.4 percent compared to 2.2 percent or higher in conventional composites and 3 to 5 percent in flowables. Higher filler content also correlates with improved flexural strength, better wear characteristics, and a more sustained polish over time.
Composite warming — heating material to approximately 155 degrees Fahrenheit — serves two distinct clinical purposes: it improves handling by reducing viscosity for better adaptation, and basic chemistry supports that the added heat drives greater monomer conversion, depth of cure, and final hardness when the composite is cured within approximately two minutes of placement. This technique allows clinicians to adjust the same material's behavior differently for class five restorations versus anterior cases.
A universal adhesive used as a smart, substrate-driven etching strategy offers the most clinical flexibility. Total etch is appropriate for enamel-only preparations such as incisal edge repairs, selective etch suits combination restorations like class fives, and self-etch is preferable for root caries restorations. Over-etching dentin with total etch removes the mineralized substrate needed for effective bonding to the inorganic component of dentin and should be avoided in those situations.

Perfect for: General dentists looking to optimize their direct restorative workflow, dental residents building composite technique foundations, and restorative specialists evaluating new universal composite systems for anterior and posterior use.

If you place composite restorations in your practice, the clinical framework in this episode will change how you evaluate every new material that crosses your desk.

Ep. 802 - Scaling Up: The New Era of Dental Hygiene with Katrina Klein Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Are you leaving serious revenue on the table by treating your hygiene department as a break-even cost center? What if your hygienists could become the most powerful case acceptance drivers in your entire practice?

Katrina Klein is a registered dental hygienist with 17 years of clinical experience, national speaker, author, competitive bodybuilder, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist, and Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist. She is the founder of ErgoFitLife, an organization dedicated to making ergonomics and fitness a lifestyle for dental professionals to prevent, reduce, or eliminate occupational pain. With nearly 30 years in dentistry and a reputation as a leading voice in dental hygiene advocacy, Katrina brings a uniquely evidence-informed, practice-centered perspective to expanding the hygiene role.

In this episode, Dr. Phil Klein and Katrina Klein challenge the widely held belief that the dental hygiene department is a loss leader, arguing instead that it can and should be a significant revenue-generating hub within any practice. The conversation covers how hygienists can move beyond scaling, root planing, and prophy to incorporate soft tissue laser therapy, adjunctive periodontal therapies, oral probiotic recommendations, airway assessment, implant maintenance, and orthodontic case co-diagnosis. They also address the current HR crisis in dental hygiene, the growing threat of DSO models utilizing minimally trained personnel for hygiene-adjacent procedures, and the critical importance of philosophical alignment between hygienists and practice owners. This discussion is essential for any dental team serious about elevating patient care and practice profitability simultaneously.

Episode Highlights:

A hygiene department focused solely on prophylaxis and scaling and root planing is unlikely to cover its own overhead at current wage rates. By incorporating comprehensive assessments, adjunctive periodontal therapies, airway screening, oral cancer screening, and co-diagnosis of restorative needs, hygienists can transform their operatory into a consistent revenue generator beyond insurance reimbursement ceilings.
A real-world case was presented in which a non-compliant periodontal patient was introduced to an adjunctive peroxide-based tray delivery system, resulting in reduced calculus burden, improved periodontal health, tooth whitening, and ultimately full patient buy-in for clear aligner therapy and soft tissue laser treatment at every maintenance visit — all within an insurance-based practice.
Soft tissue laser therapy is identified as one of the highest-impact tools available to hygienists, yet lasers frequently sit unused in practices because hygienists lack hands-on training and confidence. Sending the hygiene team together to live, hands-on continuing education courses — rather than passive lecture-format CE — is recommended as the most effective strategy for clinical adoption and team-wide implementation.
Peri-implantitis is described as a growing clinical priority, with hygienists now encountering implant patients at nearly every maintenance appointment in periodontal-focused practices. Updated protocols have replaced outdated instrumentation approaches, and ongoing continuing education is emphasized as essential for hygienists to confidently probe, assess, and educate implant patients on proper home care.
A legislative trend is emerging in multiple states allowing dental assistants with as few as 120 hours of training to perform supragingival scaling under DSO models, creating a direct workforce and quality-of-care challenge for registered dental hygienists. Hygienists are encouraged to proactively demonstrate their expanded clinical value, advocate for their scope of practice, and educate patients on the meaningful difference between credentialed hygiene care and minimally trained scaling services.

Perfect for: Dental hygienists at all career stages looking to expand their clinical role and earning potential, general dentists and practice owners evaluating hygiene department productivity, and dental residents or new graduates building their philosophy around comprehensive team-based care.

If you have ever wondered whether your hygiene department is working as hard as it could for your patients and your practice, this episode will completely reframe how you think about it.

Ep. 801 - Recognizing Risk: Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders Explained Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

How confident are you that the white patch you noticed at your last exam wasn't something that needed a biopsy? The uncomfortable truth is that for every HPV-negative oral cancer, there was a visible precancerous lesion — and fewer than 5% of those lesions are identified before they become cancer.

Dr. Ashley Clark is an Associate Professor and Division Chief of Oral Pathology at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. She holds a DDS from Indiana University and a certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology from the University of Florida. With over 40 published papers and abstracts, more than 200 continuing education courses delivered, a Fellowship in the American College of Dentists, a Fellowship in Health Education, and authorship of the oral pathology sections of both Dental Decks and Dental Hygiene Decks, Dr. Clark is one of the most prolific oral pathology educators in the country. She has earned multiple prestigious teaching awards, serves on the Commission on Dental Accreditation review board for oral and maxillofacial pathology programs, and sits on the Advisory Board for Oral Cancer Cause.

In this episode, Dr. Clark breaks down the full spectrum of oral potentially malignant disorders (PMDs) — from leukoplakia and erythroplakia to erosive oral lichen planus and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia — and explains exactly why the dental profession is failing to intervene early enough. The conversation covers the clinical criteria that demand a biopsy with no exceptions, why the standard two-week watch-and-wait approach is inappropriate for sharply demarcated lesions, and how to structure long-term surveillance once a PMD is diagnosed. Dr. Clark also addresses the medicolegal exposure dentists face when PMDs go unmonitored, and makes a clear, evidence-based case that appropriately treating leukoplakia alone could reduce oral cancer rates by 50%.

A sharply demarcated white lesion requires a biopsy regardless of patient history, smoking status, or lesion duration — no additional clinical information changes this decision. Watching such a lesion without a diagnosis is not a valid clinical strategy because it is impossible to treat something without knowing what it is, and the most common benign diagnosis is hyperkeratosis while the most common malignant result is squamous cell carcinoma.
Autofluorescence devices can serve as a useful adjunct to white-light examination, but should not be used as standalone diagnostic tools. If a lesion loses fluorescence compared to surrounding healthy tissue, the clinician should return to white-light examination to determine whether the area is sharply demarcated — if it is, biopsy is indicated regardless of other findings.
Once a PMD is diagnosed and treated, the standard of care supported by the literature requires monitoring every six months for 20 years, with each visit including photographic documentation and probe measurement of the lesion. Any change in size, surface character, or appearance at a surveillance visit warrants a new biopsy; if the lesion remains stable, continued observation without repeat biopsy is appropriate.
When dysplasia is confirmed histologically, the recommended treatment escalates based on severity: mild dysplasia may be managed with laser ablation, while moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia, or carcinoma in situ warrants surgical excision with a scalpel. After tissue destruction, the patient returns to the general dental office for long-term surveillance monitoring for recurrence or new sites of involvement.
General dentists are technically capable of performing punch biopsies on accessible sites including attached gingiva, buccal mucosa, lateral tongue, dorsal tongue, labial mucosa, and hard palate. Sites including the floor of mouth, ventral tongue, soft palate, and gingival bumps with aesthetic considerations are better referred to oral surgery or periodontics; post-operative management of punch biopsy sites typically requires pressure hemostasis, chemical cauterization if needed, and a single suture for tongue sites, with minimal analgesic requirements for most patients.

Perfect for: General dentists seeking clearer biopsy decision-making criteria, dental hygienists who perform oral cancer screenings, dental residents in any specialty, and practice owners who want to understand the medicolegal implications of PMD surveillance protocols.

If you've ever hesitated before recommending a biopsy, this episode will give you the clinical framework and the conviction to act.

Ep. 800 - Dropping Insurance? Buying a Practice? Your Marketing Matters More Than Ever Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Are you pouring money into dental marketing every month without knowing if it's actually working — or worse, overpaying for services that underperform?

Brandon Bosch is the President and Founder of Dr. Marketing, a dental-specific marketing agency with clients across the USA, Canada, Central America, and beyond. A Certified Marketing Expert in both Google and Meta advertising, Brandon has been working exclusively in the dental industry since 2008. He has led the development of hundreds of high-performing dental websites and advertising campaigns, and is a sought-after speaker at major dental conferences including New York, Chicago, Anaheim, Florida, and Hinman. His expertise spans digital advertising strategy, search engine optimization, print marketing, lead tracking, and the psychology of patient acquisition — all within the highly regulated dental landscape.

This episode cuts straight to the real-world marketing challenges dental practice owners face, from overpaying for generic services to navigating the patient flow disruptions that come with dropping an insurance plan or acquiring an existing practice. Brandon brings concrete benchmarks, actionable frameworks, and case studies drawn from years of working exclusively in the dental space. Whether you are trying to attract high-value fee-for-service patients, rebuild after a transition, or simply understand what you should actually be paying for marketing, this conversation provides the clarity and structure most dental owners are missing.

Episode Highlights:

Most dental practices have no reliable system for tracking whether their marketing investment is actually converting into new patients. Without a lead-tracking layer between your website and your patient management system, you are forced to rely solely on reception staff feedback — creating a three-way disconnect between the practice owner, the front desk, and the marketing agency that is difficult to resolve objectively.
The industry benchmarks for patient acquisition costs range from approximately $150 for emergency and hygiene-driven patients up to $450 for cosmetic, implant, and orthodontic cases. On average, a dental practice can expect to convert approximately 40% of inbound leads into confirmed appointments, meaning a pipeline of 50 leads typically yields around 20 new patients.
Practices offering promotional discounts to attract new patients should be aware that the recall rate for discount-driven patients runs between 30 and 40 percent. This self-selects for low-retention patients and actively works against long-term practice growth, making discount-based campaigns a poor investment for PPO or fee-for-service offices.
When a practice drops a major insurance plan, a significant short-term revenue decline is expected. One documented case saw monthly collections fall from approximately $85,000–$89,000 down to $65,000 before recovering to near $80,000 over a 14-to-15-month period. A strategic shift in marketing messaging — emphasizing second opinions, in-house membership plans, and third-party financing options — is essential to attracting fee-for-service patients and closing larger cases during the transition.
Short-term marketing strategies such as paid search ads, meta ads, and print campaigns generate immediate lead flow but require ongoing spend, while long-term strategies such as search engine optimization, blog content, and directory management build compounding organic traffic over time. A well-structured marketing plan uses both in combination, tailored to the specific goals and growth stage of the practice — and should be reviewed jointly by the practice owner and office manager at least once per month.

Perfect for: General dentists, practice owners considering or currently transitioning away from insurance, dental office managers, treatment coordinators, and any dental professional who wants to evaluate or improve the ROI of their current marketing investment.

If you have ever wondered whether your marketing dollars are actually growing your practice or just keeping a vendor in business, this episode will give you the frameworks to find out.

Ep. 799 - Dentistry Meets Wellness: The Chairside Conversation That Could Change a Life Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

What if your dental chair is actually one of the most powerful wellness intervention points in a patient's entire healthcare journey? Most dental professionals spend more face time with their patients each year than any other clinician — yet too many are leaving that opportunity completely untapped.

Dr. Uche Odiatu, DMD, is a practicing dentist in Toronto, author of The Miracle of Health and Fit for the Love of It, and a professional member of the American College of Sports Medicine. He holds certifications as an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Yoga Instructor, and Certified Boot Camp Instructor, and has delivered over 500 lectures across the United States, Canada, England, Denmark, Norway, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. He has presented at the American Dental Association Annual Session 14 times since 2006, making him one of the most recognized voices in dental wellness education.

In this episode, Dr. Odiatu and Dr. Phil Klein explore the mind-body-mouth connection and make a compelling case for why conversations about sleep, nutrition, obesity, stress, and exercise belong in the dental operatory. Drawing on current research in neuroscience, exercise science, gastroenterology, and sleep medicine, Dr. Odiatu offers a framework for how dental professionals can deliver high-impact wellness guidance in as little as 30 to 45 seconds chairside. The discussion reframes dental practice from a transactional model focused on procedures to a transformational model centered on patient health outcomes.

Episode Highlights:

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is elevated through regular physical exercise and plays a direct role in neuroplasticity and learning. This connection between movement and cognitive performance — intuited decades ago and now confirmed by neuroscience and psychiatry — forms the foundation of the mind-body-mouth framework discussed throughout the episode.
A 2024 Journal of Obesity study found that over 90% of dental patients reported they would be comfortable having their dental provider discuss nutrition, weight management, and obesity chairside. Research also shows that obese patients — independent of smoking status and oral hygiene — demonstrate significantly greater loss of attachment, increased bleeding on probing, and tooth mobility, making weight a clinically relevant conversation in the periodontal assessment.
Sleep quality is framed as a critical systemic health indicator that dentists are uniquely positioned to address. Patients presenting with daytime drowsiness, dry mouth, or morning headaches may benefit from referral for a formal sleep study, which can reveal not only apnea events but also deep sleep duration, blood pressure variability, and nocturnal hypoglycemic episodes — all factors that affect healing and overall systemic health.
Approximately 95% of adults consume insufficient dietary fiber, averaging around 12 grams per day against a recommended minimum of 30 grams. Adequate fiber intake — both soluble and insoluble — supports the gut microbiome's production of short-chain fatty acids, which function as endogenous anti-inflammatories. Given that periodontitis, gingivitis, and most systemic diseases share an inflammatory pathophysiology, this has direct clinical relevance to the dental patient population.
Power toothbrushes and water flossing devices represent a significant upgrade over manual oral hygiene tools, with powered brushing cited as dramatically more effective than manual brushing. For patients with implants, limited dexterity, or documented poor flossing compliance — estimated at approximately 95% of patients — chairside demonstration of proper water flosser technique, including lip seal around the tip, can dramatically improve home care adherence and protect restorative work.

Perfect for: General dentists, dental hygienists, and specialists looking to expand their clinical impact beyond the oral cavity — particularly those interested in integrating wellness conversations into recall exams, new patient appointments, and restorative consultations without adding significant chair time.

If you've ever wondered how to make your practice feel more meaningful while delivering measurably better patient outcomes, this episode gives you the science, the scripts, and the confidence to start tomorrow.

Ep. 798 - From GP to Perio Practice: Expanding Your Role as a Dental Hygienist Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Are you a dental hygienist wondering whether a periodontal specialty practice is the right career move — and what it actually looks like day to day compared to general dentistry?

Cheryl Calmis, RDH, BS, MEd, brings over 30 years of clinical dental hygiene experience with deep expertise in periodontics and diode laser therapy. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from the University of California, San Francisco, a Bachelor of Science in Biology from San Jose State University, and a Master of Education in Instructional Design from Western Governors University, where she graduated with highest honors. Cheryl has conducted pilot research for a major dental laser company, serves as a professional educator for a leading oral irrigation brand, delivers continuing education lectures on contemporary hygiene topics, and has authored articles for multiple dental publications including Today's RDH.

This episode draws a detailed clinical and professional comparison between working as a dental hygienist in a general practice versus a periodontal specialty office. Cheryl shares her own 9-year journey through general dentistry before transitioning to a perio practice, offering an honest and practical roadmap for hygienists considering a similar move. The conversation covers patient demographics, appointment structure, clinical protocols, laser use, chemotherapeutics, and the mindset required to thrive in a perio environment. For hygienists in GP settings, Cheryl also outlines how to advocate for — and build — a stronger in-house periodontal program without ever leaving their current office.

Episode Highlights:

Periodontal specialty patients differ significantly from the general practice population. Most patients referred to a periodontist are adults, often in their 50s or older, presenting with advanced bone loss, refractory periodontal disease, recession, or implant-related maintenance needs — with approximately 70% of patients having at least one implant in the mouth.
Periodontal charting is performed at every single appointment in a perio practice, not just annually. This continuous data collection allows the hygienist and periodontist to track pocket depth trends, bleeding scores, and disease stability over time — with patients often actively tracking their own numbers visit to visit.
Diode lasers are used by dental hygienists in California — and in most states — for laser bacterial reduction within periodontal pockets. This application is typically performed during non-surgical periodontal therapy or during maintenance appointments when a pocket shows signs needing additional intervention, and at the low energy levels used for bacterial reduction, tissue heat generation is not clinically significant.
Re-educating patients about the nature of bone loss is a core communication skill in periodontal practice. Patients referred from GP offices often feel demoralized after previous treatment did not reduce their pocket depths; the key clinical reframing is that bone loss represents history that cannot be reversed, and that stabilization — not resolution — is a clinically meaningful and realistic success outcome.
Hygienists in GP offices can proactively build periodontal program depth without changing jobs. By initiating a conversation with the practice owner about improving periodontal diagnosis, implementing consistent full-mouth charting, and expanding non-surgical therapy protocols, a GP hygienist can gain the clinical exposure needed to evaluate whether a specialty perio career is the right fit.

Perfect for: dental hygienists at any career stage considering a move into periodontal specialty practice, hygienists in GP settings looking to elevate their clinical role, and dental residents or students exploring the range of hygiene career pathways.

If you've ever wondered what it would feel like to do deep, focused periodontal work every single day — this episode gives you the clearest picture of what that career actually looks like from someone who's lived it.

Ep. 797 - The 3D Printer That Could Replace Your Mill Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

What if you could hand a patient their finished crown before they even leave the chair — and it cost you $22 to make? Chairside 3D printing is no longer a future concept; it is happening right now in high-volume practices, and it is reshaping how dentists think about same-day restorations.

Dr. Michael Erdos is a general dentist and co-owner of Tawil Dental, a Brooklyn practice with nearly 50 years of history in cosmetic, restorative, and implant dentistry. A Columbia University College of Dental Medicine graduate and former Chief Resident at Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Erdos has built his clinical focus around the intersection of aesthetic dentistry, prosthodontics, and digital workflows. Over the past several years, he has worked directly with Shining3D to test, refine, and optimize in-office digital printing workflows at scale, with a particular emphasis on making AI-driven design and chairside printing practical for everyday clinical use.

In this episode, Dr. Erdos walks through a complete chairside 3D printing workflow — from intraoral scan to cemented restoration — and explains exactly how a general dentist can deliver a crown, veneer, onlay, or pediatric crown in a single visit using a compact, countertop printer that weighs under five pounds and requires nothing more than a standard wall outlet. He compares chairside printing directly to milling, discusses the ceramic-infused resin materials now cleared for permanent restorations, and shares his honest assessment of where the aesthetics stand today versus lithium disilicate. This is one of the most clinically detailed and financially transparent conversations about chairside 3D printing available to the dental profession.

Episode Highlights:
The complete chairside workflow from scan to cemented restoration can be completed in approximately 30 minutes, with a significant portion delegable to a trained assistant. The process involves scanning the full arch and bite pre-operatively, scanning the preparation, uploading to a cloud-based platform, and using AI design software to generate a restoration proposal — typically within one to two minutes — before sending directly to the printer in a single click.
Ceramic-infused resin materials now cleared for permanent restorations contain over 50% ceramic filler content, including ceramic compounds such as lithium disilicate and zirconia variants, which meaningfully increase strength and aesthetics compared to earlier-generation printable resins. While these materials do not yet rival the optical properties of pressed lithium disilicate or full-contour zirconia, post-cure staining, glazing, and nitrogen-atmosphere curing can significantly enhance final appearance and surface quality.
The additive nature of 3D printing allows for margin and contour accuracy that can surpass subtractive milling in certain applications, particularly for thin restorations such as veneers, where burr diameter in milling limits the fineness of internal line angles and margins. For no-prep or minimal-prep veneer cases, printed restorations can be bonded over natural tooth structure with minimal or no enamel reduction, then refined chairside after cementation.
From a financial standpoint, the per-restoration material cost using sealed single-use resin capsules is approximately $22, and a single capsule can accommodate multiple restorations of the same shade printed simultaneously — including up to six veneers or a three-unit bridge. At a practice fee of $750 per printed resin veneer, a four-veneer case generates approximately $3,000 in production at a material cost of $22, with the hardware investment in the printer recoupable within a single week of focused use.
Chairside printing opens a clinically and financially accessible pathway for pediatric white crown restorations as a direct alternative to stainless steel crowns, allowing the printed crown to be fabricated during the same appointment while other restorative procedures are completed. The same workflow applies to budget-conscious adult patients currently treated with direct composite bonding, converting them to indirect printed resin veneers at a price point that improves case acceptance without competing directly with laboratory-fabricated porcelain veneer cases.

Perfect for: General dentists exploring same-day digital workflows, prosthodontists integrating in-office printing, pediatric dentists seeking aesthetic alternatives to stainless steel crowns, and dental residents building their understanding of AI-assisted restorative design and chairside digital technology.

If you have been waiting for 3D printing to become fast enough, affordable enough, and simple enough to work in a real practice — this episode will show you it already has.

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