Everyday Oral Surgery

Building a practice is not something that’s taught in dentistry school. Instead, you need to dramatically expand your business skills to make a success of your new practice. Today we speak with Dr. Curt Hayes about how he built his practice from scratch and why he removed narcotics from his pain management strategy. We open our conversation by exploring Curt’s training and career, which includes c...

The time maxillofacial and oral surgeons spend in residency is invaluable, but sometimes what you learn in practice can be just as beneficial. This sentiment is echoed by Dr. Ryan Sheppard, today’s guest, who is on the show to talk about platelet therapy and internal sinus lifting techniques. We open the episode by taking a look at Ryan’s history in surgery, the influences of having a surgeon for...

Today’s guest is Dr. Alan Felsenfeld, here to talk about how he has found meaning in his dynamic career through mentorship, community work, best practices, and building good relationships with patients and fellow residents. Dr. Felsenfeld is currently retired but still very active in the community, and he is still affiliated with the UCLA Medical Center where he was a full-time faculty member sinc...

Many complications can arise during anesthetization due to factors like patient history. Surgeons need to proceed with caution during this process, taking extra care to learn about a patient’s context, even if it is not solely their responsibility to gather this information. Today’s guest is Dr. Louis Halkias, here to talk about how he takes extra care with anesthetization, as well as weigh in on...

Today’s guest is Dr. Joseph Funderburk, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Specialist at Grand Junction Oral Surgery, Colorado. He joins us on the show to talk about running a practice and share some of his techniques for surgery procedures too. Dr. Funderburk received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) in Denver, and he kicks the show of...

The career of an oral surgeon is intimately linked to the responsibilities of their assistants, but the topic of how to train assistants is not frequently spoken about. Today on the show Dr. Stucki sits down with his co-host Dr. David Salomon and they have a productive discussion about approaches to training assistants, as well as bite block usage and patient positioning during surgery. The show b...

If oral and maxillofacial surgeons can find the time to commit to their local hospitals and associations beyond their private practices, the integrity of the specialty will be more securely protected. This is a belief held by today’s guest, Dr. Alexis Olsson, and his career shows it. Dr. Olsson is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon practicing in Chicago, Illinois. He is currently Chief of Oral and...

In the discipline of oral surgery, cases can get complicated for highly technical reasons, but perhaps it is the emotionally complex cases that present the biggest challenges. Today, we speak to Dr. Ole Jensen about his experiences with challenging cases, also diving into the contributions he has made to the field of implants. Dr. Jensen received his DDS degree from Northwestern University School...

Succeeding as an oral surgeon is about far more than academic and clinical talent. It also requires you to be a leader and a salesperson. This is just one of the many great insights today’s guest, Dr. Thomas Schlieve, shares with us. With advanced fellowship training in oral, head and neck oncologic surgery, Thomas is the current Graduate Program Director at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. I...

Residency is the perfect learning environment for young maxillofacial surgeons, with valuable skills and know-how shared among professors and peers alike. Once qualified, the transition into private practice or starting a practice of your own can be quite daunting. Our guest today is an old-time friend and expert maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. William “Billy” Hull, who has plenty of guidance to share....

Talking less and listening more empowers your patients and helps you better serve their needs. This insight is provided by Dr. Justin Evanson of Pacific Dental Services. Today we speak to Justin about his work as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, what he’s done to overcome his challenges, and the ways that he’s improved his practice. We open our conversation by exploring his training and the proc...

As a small community, oral and maxillofacial surgeons need to share what they have learned to ensure everyone's practice thrives. In today’s show, Dr. Raza Hussain gives us insights into the knowledge he has gained through both his academic and faculty surgery work. Raza practices in Chicago, where he is the Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Me...

In this solo episode with your host Dr. Grant Stucki, listeners will hear all about avoiding the mistake of taking out the wrong tooth. While this is not a glamorous topic, it is still an important one since too many patients have left their dentist’s office with the wrong tooth missing. Very little is said and taught on this issue because it seems like such a simple thing to get right. In general...

Today Dr. Stucki interviews Dr. Scott Weiskopf, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practicing in Tennessee in the Memphis area. Ever since he introduced a fully digital workflow and started printing his own surgical guides, his dental surgery practice has been transformed because it allows him to produce and place top-quality implants. In this conversation, Dr. Weiskopf shares how his appointments...

As surgeons, we must ensure the highest and best use of our time, and an important part of this is creating systems and delegating unnecessary duties. Joining us today to share his insights on this is Dr. Thomas Sarna, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and one of Grant’s mentors during residency. In this episode, Thomas walks us through some of his systems and the...

Although residency training can be comprehensive in many ways, it is vital to find what works for you as a surgeon once you are in practice. Today’s guest, Dr. David Salomon, has done just that, tweaking his anesthesia technique over time to administer it efficiently, in the least resource-heavy way possible. As a prestigious doctor working in Connecticut, David runs a successful private practice....

Oral surgical procedures are performed to treat impacted teeth, difficult tooth extractions, implants, dentures, or other dental prostheses, and each oral surgeon has their own techniques and preferences when it comes to equipment, anesthesia, and patient reports. Today’s guest is, Dr. Eric Blamires, DMD, a Dentistry Practitioner in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In this episode, Eric shares with lis...

Have you ever been at a conference where you heard an intriguing technique or tip from a fellow oral and maxillofacial surgeon or dentist that you then implemented effectively in your practice? We know we have. Welcome to the Every Day Oral Surgery podcast, where we hope to share some techniques and personal experiences that could be beneficial to your surgical or dental practice. In this episode,...