Dental Unfiltered

Safe, predictable sedation is built on tiny details that most courses overlook: flow rates, mask choice, escort protocols, and front desk triage. In this episode, Dr. Sasha is joined in-person by oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. V for an end-to-end breakdown of oral and inhalation sedation. From setting expectations with nervous patients to managing acute intra-op emergencies like syncope and hy...

Are you treating your dental membership plan like a discount coupon, or like a true recurring revenue model? In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, host Matt Brown sits down with Paul Lowry, co-founder of Dental Menu, to dismantle why most in-house, "DIY" membership plans fail—and why shifting to a dedicated membership platform can unlock tens of thousands of dollars in hidden revenue. Ma...

What would you do differently if you had to start over? Zach Shelley and Kirk Teachout answer that question for dental practice management. Kirk puts Zach in the hot seat with five rounds of tough questions, and both hosts answer each one. In this episode:The one hire they'd skip, and why outsourcing insurance and billing frees up your front officeThe investment that turned out to be a distrac...

Are your handpieces running smoothly, or are everyday habits quietly cutting their lifespan in half? Too many practices treat handpieces as disposable tools, resulting in sluggish performance, unexpected equipment failure, and thousands of dollars wasted on preventable replacements. In this episode, host Matt Brown sits down with Richard “Dicky” Ball , CEO of Summit Handpiece Express, to uncover w...

This episode of Dental Unfiltered features Matt Brown and Elijah Desmond discussing “human equity”, the trust and goodwill built through genuine relationships, generosity, and follow-through, beyond financial value. They talk about giving without expecting something in return, protecting your time by investing it in people who act on advice, and how vulnerability and an abundance mindset can stren...

In this special crossover episode, our very own Dr. Andrew Vallo joins Dr. Blake Hamblin, Dr. Collin Myrick, and Gary Bird on My Dental Playbook for the grand finale of their 5-part Hygiene Crisis Series. Between soaring wages, staffing shortages, PPO reimbursement pressures, and climbing overhead, many practice owners have written hygiene off as a broken loss-leader. But what if the problem isn&#...

This episode of Management Unfiltered is about addressing workplace issues early and fairly so they don’t become part of a dental practice’s culture. Zach Shelley and Kirk Teachout discuss how to tell a people problem from a process problem, set clear expectations, invite staff feedback, and correct issues privately while recognizing good work publicly.

This episode of Dental Unfiltered is a “State of the Market” conversation between Matt Brown and dental-practice transition advisor Justin Klingshern. They discuss how higher interest rates and shifting buyer expectations are changing dental practice valuations and sale terms. The key theme is that buyers increasingly value practices that can grow and operate beyond the owner: diversified procedur...

Mastering the Periosteal Sling Suture for Unshakeable Graft StabilityBone graft mobility is the enemy of successful ridge augmentation. In this episode of Clinical Unfiltered, Dr. Sasha breaks down the periosteal sling suture; a critical technique for securing grafts during advanced socket and ridge procedures. What you’ll learn in this episode: How the periosteal sling suture pairs with flap adva...

In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, host Matt Brown is joined by Dr. Rehan Shahid to talk about his journey from a new dental graduate to owning four practices in about four years. They explore how Rehan moved quickly from his first acquisition to building a multi-practice group, why he favors action over waiting for perfect conditions, and how he approaches growth in rural markets. Matt and Reh...

Dental Unfiltered host Matt Brown sits down with longtime dental leader and investor Dr. Jim Arnold to discuss what can happen behind the scenes of a DSO sale, recap, and equity rollover. Jim built and grew his practices, sold at a time that made sense for his goals, and experienced a first recap that returned 9.16 times his equity. Later, after rolling equity into another deal, he lost that inves...

In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, hosts Matt Brown and Dr. Andrew Vallo discuss how experience-based incentives can motivate dental teams, boost morale, and help drive stronger results. Dr. Vallo explains the monthly sales contests at Starlight Dental Management, where treatment coordinators compete based on first-half-of-the-month collections. Prizes have included a weekend cruise, sporting-e...

In this episode of Management Unfiltered, Zach Shelley is joined by Mike Nelson to discuss The Atlas Project, a new ecosystem designed to help dental professionals grow their businesses, relationships, health, and sense of adventure. Mike shares how his career in landscaping, dental implants, technology, and industry events revealed a major gap in dentistry: while professionals have access to plen...

In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, hosts Dr. Vallo and Matt Brown share firsthand stories about the nightmare scenarios that can derail a dental startup. From construction delays and unreliable contractor timelines to lease disputes, legal complications, and unexpected expenses, they unpack the challenges that can turn a promising practice launch into a costly and stressful experience. They dis...

In this episode of Management Unfiltered, hosts Zach Shelley and Kirk Teachout explore the leadership balance every practice owner, office manager, and team leader needs to master: knowing when to step in, when to step back, and when helping may actually be holding your team back. They discuss how to address small issues early, hold people accountable in private, praise them in public, and gradual...

In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, hosts Matt Brown and Dr. Vallo discuss how dental practice leaders can protect their time, empower their teams, and create more effective meetings. They explore why executives shouldn’t attend every meeting, how a clear chain of command prevents unnecessary interruptions, and why leaders need to trust their teams to solve problems independently. They also expl...

What if the fastest way to grow your practice is to stop treating sales, financing, and specialist referrals like separate problems? In this powerhouse episode of Dental Shark and Tell, Dr. Sausha sits down with a lineup of top clinicians and industry voices to break down the exact operational playbooks that move high-value cases forward. Inside this episode: Building a Front-Office Sales Departme...

Patient financing is often treated like a last resort, but it may be one of the most powerful tools a dental practice has to help patients move forward with needed treatment while improving practice growth. Matt Brown, Dr. Andrew Vallo, and Chase from HFD discuss how financing can increase treatment acceptance, improve patient access, and create a more stable financial future for dental practices....

This episode of Management Unfiltered explores the difference between being nice and being kind in dental practice leadership. Kirk Teachout argues that “nice” people tell you what you want to hear, while “kind” people tell you the truth you need to hear—even when it creates discomfort. He explains how filtered feedback can allow scheduling problems, collections issues, and poor decisions to grow...

In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, host Matt Brown sits down with Kevin from Mango Voice and Danny from Evora to unpack the good, the bad, and the ugly of AI in dentistry. They discuss where AI is genuinely helping practices today, why compliance and data privacy matter, and how breaking down data silos could shape the future of dental workflows.#DentalUnfiltered #DentalAI #Dentistry #DentalPod...

Hiring an associate should scale your practice, not add to your headaches. So why do so many associate relationships fall apart within the first year? In this episode, we break down why practice owners struggle to retain and empower associates, from hoard-worthy case selection to total onboarding breakdowns. More importantly, we share the exact blueprint to set your next associate up for immediate...

Speed and quality aren’t opposites, when you have a true clinical system, they actually depend on each other. In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, Matt Brown sits down with clinical coach Dr. Aaron Nicholas to unpack why relying on “what feels best in my hands” is often just a defense mechanism for having no standard at all. Aaron breaks down how eliminating wasted motion, timing your procedures,...

Every dental practice owner knows the feeling—an unexpected resignation, a sudden cash flow dip, or a surprise equipment breakdown that throws the entire day into chaos. But here’s the truth: most practice “surprises” aren’t really surprises at all. In this episode, we break down the most common operational curveballs that catch practice owners off guard and share the exact systems you need to pre...

What’s the real line between a stressed-out practice owner and a scalable dental CEO? In this episode of Dental Unfiltered, Matt Brown and Dr. Andrew Vallo are joined by guest Dr. Kyle Perkins to unpack the operational moves that actually move the needle; starting with the phones. Dr. Andrew breaks down a listener question on call center ROI, explaining why a dental-specific call center will outpe...

Are massive, crowded dental conferences losing their charm? In this episode, Matt Brown sits down with Dr. Len Tao, former practicing dentist, founder of iSocial Reviews, and event creator, to break down why bigger isn't always better when it comes to industry events. Len shares his journey from building and selling a tech company to launching Supercharge Dental Practice, an exclusive, high-to...