Chew on This! A Dental Podcast

Aren’t we the best at infection control? Then why did the ADA put out guidance that makes it okay for us to turn away unvaccinated patients? Is it an ethics matter or a political matter? Who knows the difference anymore. We then move across the pond to the British Dental Association’s YUGE waiting list. Finally, a story about an adorable service dog melts Kevin’s heart and gets him to make shmoops...

A report on Henry Schein gave us some talking points on the supply world and what it looks like for both corporate and independent practices. Kevin then asked if dental employees should avoid all the wonderful sweet and sour candies in order to ‘practice what we preach.’ It was the perfect segue into a stress relieving activity known as the Rage Room. Could you swing a mighty sledgehammer? We know...

Kevin starts out with good news about a new dental assisting program that can add to our short staffing situation. Can we get about a thousand more started? We have work to do! Teresa found a ranking of insurance companies because of course she did. Veterans are very important to the show and to our families so we discussed a few ways we can give back to them. We’re giving a webinar on December 15...

The old saying “it’s who you know” proves to be true in today’s episode. Imagine going to the dentist and coming away with a primo career opportunity! We talk about dental connections to famous people - maybe you’re just a few degrees away from a celebrity! Find out who Kevin’s dream connection is and whether or not he can actually get an intro! We also talk about OSHA’s new expensive fines. Someo...

How's that for a salacious headline? We try. Kevin takes us into comic/gamer land to learn about a pretty neat marketing campaign. A dentist challenges young gamers in the name of oral health! Is being an Oral Avenger a thing? Teresa then reviews a proposed ranking system that patients will use to pick an office. "What's your Delta number?" could be the new pickup line for 2022. Weirder things hav...

We try hard to keep your interest! All topics are addressed in this episode. What’s your OSHA horror story? Do you have a patient story you’d like to share? Believe me - we are so interested! We wrap up with Teresa talking about insurance - so pretty much just like most episodes. Enjoy!   Episode Highlights:  Sports Related Injuries OSHA Violations  Medicare   Quotes   “Sp...

This episode comes with a graphic discussion warning. There’s a company that will - ahem - compost your body. Of course we had to talk about what to do with the teeth and fillings. It’s not all gross - we make it fun! Oh - did you know Teresa is going to turn her mom’s ashes into a diamond? Who knew!    Quotes Regarding composting: “California is not the first state to talk about this, t...

Is your office fun enough to keep employees happy? If you answered no then you may be in good shape! Turns out praise and appreciation is way more important than a ping-pong table. Who knew? Kevin discusses the overwhelming message he hears from his audience members and Teresa shares her strip club lunch story. How can you not listen after that teaser?    Quotes “What millennials want mo...

Every day there are headlines of dentists being investigated or indicted among other things. But most dentists are pretty cool people. Until we can be known for desirable careers we will have a hard time finding qualified team members. We don’t get all down in the dumps though - join us as we talk about how jogging toothbrushes and big molar kiosks could save the day!   Quotes “The economy of...

What do you do with an abandoned dental office nowadays? The answer may surprise you! Benco’s State of Dentistry report was released and we dive into some of their findings. We see lots of growth ahead for dentistry and so do the answers. That’s not a spoiler though so you should still listen to the podcast!    Quotes “The only ghost you will find here is the ghost of hospitality.” “Our...

Did you know that your radiographs and images may not even see a human eyeball? That’s because a computer program can now do that and has been in use for a while now. We talk about dental schools and whether or not they’re graduating with enough exposure to technology. Do they really need to be laser wizards when they get their white coat? Let us know what you think! We wrapped up with a feel-good...

We talk about the dental impact on the Friends reunion movie. What did they do to Matthew Perry?? Another workforce study is also discussed. Where are they dentists and where are they going? Finally we wrap up with a controversial video about how patients slide into our dental chairs. The scooch, the saddle and the blank stare - you’ve probably seen these wild moves in your office. Any others? Let...

An article came out recently that portrays dentists as pushy and treatment-happy. Once again a tiny minority gives a community a bad name. No worries though - we have a hometown hero dentist and a talented vocalist dentist to offset any bad reputation. Hope this one hits the high notes for you!  Quotes “Let’s be honest 99% of the time if you are told you need a filling, you probably need a fi...

Offices in WA state almost got some relief from PPE fees until reality set in. Pesky details are never a fun surprise. What would you do with $100K worth of dental equipment? We share the story of a thief who stole COVID vaccine vials along with dental equipment. Is a laser’s street value higher than an xray sensor? We pondered this along with the news that new dental schools are popping up soon....

Wildlife veterinary dentist is definitely an interesting career choice. One of us has a huge fear of ancient animals with teeth - guess which one! We also talk about a very strange study about oral surgeon Nazis. Just because you can study it doesn’t mean you always should. Finally we talk about how people tend to end conversations at different times which can make for some awkward patient convers...

We opened up talking about a Minneapolis practice that has finally reopened after last year’s riots. Hats off to Dr. Ali Barbarawi for committing to his community when many businesses fled. We then shifted to talking about specialists and why it’s been a struggle for some of them. Could the decision by Delta to delay reductions signal an understanding that the struggle is real? Especially post-COV...

EP 18: What If A Monkey Can’t Do Your Job?  Working in a dental office is hard. New employees have to learn weird terminology, work with weird tools and handle weird patients. No wonder staffing is difficult. We talked about a report from Dentalpost.net that surveyed the industry about dentistry’s workplace. It has a ton of statistics for RDHs, assistants, dentists and administrative team mem...

We’re nervous about a possible upgrade to AirPods that involves chomping, squeezing and clucking. Aren’t you concerned after you read that? Other topics included continued pandemic court judgements that don’t favor dental businesses and also a quick Smile Direct Club update. Finally, we hope you enjoy our conversation about how some dental students are learning anatomy peppered with memories of ou...

We are survey junkies - we admit it. The latest Oral Health Projections report was released which projects our workforce through 2030. With unemployment and COBRA benefits extending further into 2021, some employees are thinking that there is no rush to return. Schools are opening slowly which is keeping parents home. What else can we expect? We reviewed which specialties are booming (kids are pop...

We head to Europe for this edition (not really)! By pure coincidence (really!), we both chose stories from outside the good ole USA. Turns out dental anxiety isn’t really a thing in Sweden. Must be nice. And in Spain, if you thought you had a problem with patients not showing up for appointments then you haven’t seen anything like this new trend for European travelers. Grab your virtual passports...

The very sad story of a 7 year old’s death during a procedure brings a spotlight on medical emergency training. All team members play a part when it goes south. Teresa walks through a sample scenario so you can apply it to your team. We then talk about health literacy - it’s not just reading level. It’s how your patients understand what the heck you’re telling them. Literacy includes hearing, read...

A user on TikTok has a cheaper solution for flippers and chipped teeth. We bring you the pros and cons of this trend - with obviously way more cons. What noises annoy you the most? See where you rank on this scale and let us know if you have any other suggestions for this list. Finally we talk about how the industry is doing with respect to marketing and patient trends. We’d like to see marketing...

We went from news to bizarre in this episode. We succeeded in keeping our composure until almost the end but the influencer mom was too much. On a serious note, we discussed the first dentist giving COVID-19 vaccine (congratulations Dr. Thrower!) and what this means for other offices. We then went legal with discussion of the antitrust laws that have restricted dentists but not carriers. Finally,...

Episode 11 Highlights ADA’s update to its Code of Conduct regarding COVID-19 decisions Unlicensed dentist charged with sexual assault  Did cost factor into his popularity?  Uptick in home remedies and tooth care - related?  Alex Carico’s story: Santa’s 8 year old dentist! Peeping bathroom bandit in an Aspen Dental office and why employees are suing Don't skip the background check wh...

Smile Direct Club’s success has shown us that cosmetic dentistry is mostly pandemic proof. People hanging out on webcams all day are suddenly noticing their gummy smiles and shade D2 choppers. The acquisitions and mergers also continue and we talk about Smile Brands’ action in the market. And what do we foresee for 2021? Listen in and let us know if we’re crazy or not!  Episode 10 Highlights...