The Dr. Phil Klein Dental Podcast

Are the tough days getting harder to shake, or is something deeper building beneath the surface of your clinical life? Tiffany Castellanos is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and practicing psychotherapist with a master's degree in social work. With a prosthodontist husband and close ties to the dental community, she brings a uniquely informed perspective to the psychological demands of de...

Are your implant maintenance protocols actually protecting your patients' implants — or quietly contributing to their failure? Lynn Pencek brings a rare dual perspective to implant maintenance, having worked as both a clinical dental hygienist and an industry representative for major implant and instrument companies. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Thomas Jefferson University, a Master of Sci...

Patient communication is one of those skills that gets overlooked and undertrained—but it’s actually one of the most important things you can master to run a successful dental practice. To tell us all about it is our guest, Dr. Todd Snyder. He is a popular speaker on Viva Learning.com, a cosmetic dentist, international author, lecturer and consultant to dental companies. You can reach Dr. Snyder a...

What if the crown you've been planning isn't always the best answer — and a well-executed direct composite could outperform it for decades? Dr. John Gammichia is a 1995 graduate of the University of Florida College of Dentistry and a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD) with over 31 years in private practice in Orlando, Florida. He has completed more than 1,500 hours of continuing edu...

What separates a thriving dental practice from a struggling one often comes down to a single hire — and it's not the associate. It's the office manager. Your host, Dr. Phil Klein, brings over 40 years of experience across private practice, dental education, and industry to this solo episode on one of the most consequential hiring decisions a dentist can make. Dr. Klein holds a Bachelor of Applied...

What if you could deliver stunning anterior composite restorations in half the time it takes to freehand sculpt them — without relying on advanced artistic ability? This episode breaks down exactly how to do it. Dr. Mackenzie Kelly is a cosmetic dentist, educator, and adjunct faculty member at Indiana University School of Dentistry, where she graduated with highest distinction and received the Ame...

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...

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,...

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 ro...

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 I...

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 As...

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...

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 wor...

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 f...

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...

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...

Are you treating patients with dental implants the same way you treat natural teeth — and could that approach be putting those implants at risk? Dr. Jon Suzuki is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine and Professor of Periodontology and Oral Implantology in the School of Dentistry at Temple University, where he also serves as Chairman and Program Director of the Depa...

What does it take for a general dentist to stop dreading pediatric appointments and actually start enjoying them? The answer may involve improv comedy, a safari in Kenya, and a few well-chosen words about a dolphin tail. Dr. Nidhi Kotak is a dual American- and Canadian board-certified pediatric dentist, certified lactation counselor, and internationally recognized dental educator with over 14 year...

What if your dental practice could detect cardiovascular risk, catch uncontrolled diabetes early, and reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes — all before a patient ever sees their physician? This episode is hosted by Dr. Phil Klein, DMD, endodontist, and founder of Viva Learning LLC — the largest dental continuing education platform in the world with over 460,000 dental professionals in its user base....

What separates a veneer case that runs smoothly from one that falls apart at cementation — and how do the most experienced clinicians consistently deliver stunning results? This episode breaks down every phase of the porcelain veneer workflow with the kind of clinical specificity that only comes from decades of real-world practice. Dr. Gary Radz is a cosmetic dentist based in Denver, Colorado, whe...

Are you stuck running as hard as you can but still not moving the needle in your practice or career? Many dentists find themselves trapped in what feels like an endless cycle of busyness without meaningful progress. Dr. Todd C. Snyder joins us to share his insights on breaking free from "survival mode" and building a thriving dental practice. Dr. Snyder received his DDS from UCLA School of Dentist...

Is your composite workflow actually giving patients the best possible outcome, or are small technique errors quietly costing you bond strength, longevity, and chairside efficiency? Dr. John K. Zalesky, DMD, MBS, FICOI, FAGD brings over a decade of clinical and academic experience to this conversation. He holds a Master of Biomedical Science from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jers...

How do young dentists establish credibility and build case acceptance for high-end cosmetic work when competing against decades-experienced clinicians? Dr. Luis Abrahante is a cosmetic and implant dentist practicing in Mountain Brook, Alabama, near Birmingham. After graduating from the University of Alabama in 2021, he has built a thriving fee-for-service practice in just three years, specializing...

What does it really take to preserve pulp vitality in a severely decayed posterior tooth — and how does your handpiece factor into that outcome? Dr. Anna Paholiouk is a restorative dentist practicing in Orange County, California, whose clinical philosophy is rooted in minimally invasive advanced adhesive dentistry based on biomimetic principles. She serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of S...

Are you maximizing your ability to save implants threatened by peri-implant disease? With millions of implants placed annually, peri-implant complications are becoming routine challenges in every practice. Dr. Robert Convissar brings over four decades of clinical experience and pioneering expertise in dental laser technology to this essential discussion. A New York City-based general practitioner,...