The Authentic Dentist

Most dentists inherit one model. See more patients. Add more operatories. Push production higher. Dr. Allison House ran inside that model across seven practices before she opened her own. Then she walked away from it on purpose. In Episode 113 of The Authentic Dentist podcast, Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas open the debate few dental conversations touch head on. Is high-volume, high-efficiency...

AI sits in every dental conversation right now. The question has shifted. It is no longer about what AI does. It is about whether your practice adopts it, at what speed, and what happens to your team when you do. Shawn opens with a story about their friend Adrian, who brought an AI content idea to his team and watched them resist it. The reason underneath the resistance: fear of replacement. Dr. H...

🎯 Dentist incomes dropped $40,000 since 2010. One thriving Comfort Dental doctor told Shawn Zajas, "I hate patients." If you have ever driven home wondering how much longer you have left in you, this episode names what most dentists never say out loud. Shawn Zajas and Dr. Allison House sit down for an unscripted host-only conversation about the economics, ethics, and emotional weight of practicin...

You’re one decision away. Not from the result. From becoming the person who earns the right to pursue it. In episode 110 of The Authentic Dentist Podcast, Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas unpack the identity shift that precedes every real transformation in dentistry and in life. They draw from Rocky IV, Olympic weightlifting, youth rock climbing, and the Israelites wandering outside the promised...

What are early-career dentists actually thinking? Not the polished conference version. The Reddit threads, the Dentaltown forums, the TikTok rants, and the private conversations that happen when nobody is performing. Shawn Zajas pulled real, unfiltered sentiment from across the internet and brought those questions directly to Dr. Allison House, a practicing dentist with over 25 years of experience...

Are you telling yourself a story about your practice that's slowly draining you? In this episode of The Authentic Dentist Podcast, Shawn Zajas and Dr. Allison House tackle the invisible force behind dental burnout: the narrative running in the background of your mind. Not the schedule. Not the patients. Not the overhead. The story you tell yourself about all of it. Shawn opens up about wrestling w...

When Bad Dentistry Is a Cry for Help: Why Dental Professionals Need to Look Deeper A dentist posts about a colleague's terrible work on Facebook. Dozens of comments pile on. Dr. Allison House was the only one who asked a different question: What if that dentist is struggling? In this episode, Dr. House and Shawn Zajas confront one of the most uncomfortable truths in the dental profession. When you...

Dr. Kianor Shah is doing something unprecedented. As founder of the Top 100 Doctors organization and the Doctor to Doctor movement, he has united over 1,100 healthcare professionals from 163 countries. His mission: ensure doctors lead the AI revolution rather than follow it. In this episode of The Authentic Dentist, Dr. Shah joins Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas to discuss the upcoming Global Me...

Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas kick off 2026 with a raw conversation about what separates dentists who thrive from those who stall. After hosting two Olympic athletes over the holidays, Allison shares a key insight: elite performers surround themselves with coaches in every dimension of life. Not because they lack knowledge. Because growth demands outside eyes. The episode confronts a hard...

🎯 What happens when unlimited opportunity meets limited capacity? Dr. Allison House shares her $100K failure—and why she'd do it again. As 2025 wraps up, we're sitting in our new studio having the conversation every dental professional needs before stepping into the new year. This isn't your typical goal-setting episode. It's a raw, honest look at what it actually takes to live authentically in a...

What happens when a dentist who started with pegboards faces down stage four cancer and emerges with the wisdom of 44 years in practice? In this deeply moving episode, Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas sit down with Dr. Michael Thompson, a pioneering Arizona dentist whose career spans from the pre-internet era to today's AI-driven landscape. This isn't just another career retrospective—it's a mast...

In this groundbreaking first in-studio episode of The Authentic Dentist Podcast, Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas sit down with Adrian Lefler, founder of My Social Practice, to unpack the seismic shifts reshaping dental marketing and practice management. Adrian's journey into dentistry began unconventionally—emerging from bankruptcy in 2009, he discovered how to get businesses on the front page o...

🎯 Why discounting your dental services is actually stealing from your team—and the data-driven framework that transforms how you price with confidence and integrity. Ever feel like insurance companies control your fees? Struggle with pricing because you want to be "accessible"? Dr. Allison House reveals the uncomfortable truth: when you discount out of sympathy, you're not just reducing your inco...

What story are you writing that you'll be proud to tell your grandkids? In this milestone 100th episode, discover the decision-making framework that transforms how you approach every choice in your dental practice and life. After six years and 100 episodes, Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas step back from clinical techniques to explore something more profound: the legacy we're creating through the...

Discover dentistry's best-kept secret: how 16 dentists created an unbreakable safety net that protects practices during crises—completely free. What happens when a dentist gets cancer mid-veneer case with six weeks of patients scheduled? Dr. Allison House reveals how her dental disability group mobilized 15 colleagues to cover the practice for two months, each sacrificing one day monthly with zero...

🎯 Why every dentist feels like a fraud despite years of education - and the authentic path forward that changes everything. If you've ever felt like an imposter despite your dental degree and clinical expertise, this vulnerable conversation will transform how you see yourself and your practice. Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas tackle dentistry's most pervasive yet unspoken challenge: imposter sy...

In this transformative episode of The Authentic Dentist Podcast, Dr. Allison House sits down with Dr. Lauren Yasuda Rainey, a dentist who courageously stepped away from the traditional "successful" practice model to discover what authentic fulfillment actually looks like. Dr. Rainey shares her vulnerable journey from having what appeared to be the perfect practice—fee-for-service in Berkeley, Cali...

In this vulnerable and practical episode of The Authentic Dentist, Dr. Allison House shares her authentic response to economic downturns in dentistry, drawing from 25 years of practice experience. With characteristic honesty, she admits to the very human reaction of panic when schedules empty, before moving into strategic action. The conversation explores the cyclical nature of dental practice eco...

Dr. Brian Baliwas shares his authentic journey from an unexpected path into dentistry to building a high-tech practice in one of America's most competitive dental markets. After discovering his passion for dentistry through shadowing experiences that revealed the profession's unique balance of healthcare impact without the life-or-death pressure of surgery, Brian navigated the challenges of dental...

This powerful conversation with Dr. Miles Madison reveals the authentic journey of a periodontist who embraced innovation when it was considered "fringe" and transformed his practice through genuine connection and continuous learning. Dr. Madison's story embodies the podcast's core themes of authentic leadership, professional growth, and finding your unique voice in dentistry. From starting colleg...

In this transformative episode of The Authentic Dentist Podcast, Dr. Allison House sits down with Dr. Brian Harris, a visionary cosmetic dentist who revolutionized his practice through authentic connection and innovative technology. Dr. Harris shares his remarkable journey from traditional general dentistry to becoming a leader in cosmetic dentistry and dental technology innovation. The conversati...

This episode of The Authentic Dentist explores a remarkable journey of professional transformation and authentic self-discovery. Dr. Ashley Clark shares her vulnerable path from nearly dropping out of dental school due to struggling with hand skills to becoming one of only 300 oral pathologists in the United States. Her story embodies the authentic dentist journey—moving from what she thought she...

In this powerful episode of The Authentic Dentist podcast, Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas tackle one of the most challenging aspects of authentic leadership: finding the courage to speak truth when it's uncomfortable. Drawing from Dr. House's real experiences confronting unethical practices in dental associations, they explore the tension between our natural desire for agreeableness and the mor...

In this enlightening episode of The Authentic Dentist Podcast, Dr. Allison House and Shawn Zajas explore the multifaceted nature of risk-taking throughout different life and career stages. They examine how our relationship with risk evolves over time—from the bold, physical risks of youth to the calculated professional and emotional risks of maturity. The hosts share personal experiences to illust...

In this emotionally powerful episode, Dr. Allison House shares the recent tragedy of a dental school classmate whose practice was destroyed in an accident that left him severely burned and hospitalized. This unfortunate event serves as a catalyst for an authentic and vulnerable conversation about the critical importance of proper insurance planning for dental professionals. Dr. House and Shawn exa...