The DOC Podcast

Summary: In this episode, I sat down with one of the most respected voices in dentistry, Dr. Witt Wilkerson - Director of Dental Medicine at the Dawson Academy and a true pioneer in the intersection of occlusion, TMD, airway, and integrative dental medicine. We had an incredibly rich conversation about the paradigm shift that I believe is transforming our profession: moving away from reactive, too...

OVERVIEW Most high-income professionals work incredibly hard, yet wonder why wealth and financial freedom seem just out of reach. The answer, more often than not, isn't about earning more. It's about understanding the fundamentals that turn a good income into lasting wealth. In this episode, Dr. Mike sits down with John Vento Sr., a CPA, financial advisor, and co-author of The Generational Wealth...

Overview: In this landmark episode, Dr. Mike sits down with Dr. Duane Grummons - a board-certified orthodontist, educator, and internationally recognized lecturer with over 50 years of clinical experience. Dr. Grummons traces the origins of airway-focused orthodontics from his early training under Ricketts, Bench, and Gugino in the 1970s, through the political and clinical headwinds of the 1990s,...

Episode Summary Dr. Trevor Nichols returns to The Doc Podcast for his second appearance, and a lot has changed. Since opening Nichols Orthodontics and Aesthetics in Gilbert, Arizona, in August 2024, Trevor has grown from a two-person operation to a team of 20, with a waitlist. In this rich conversation, Dr. Mike and Dr. Nichols cover the full journey: the leap from corporate/DSO orthodontics to pr...

Episode Summary In this powerful episode, Dr. Mike sits down with Dr. Staci Whitman, a board-certified pediatric dentist, functional and naturopathic dentistry expert, and one of the only dentists in the world certified by the Institute of Functional Medicine. Dr. Staci shares her remarkable journey from nearly leaving the profession entirely to becoming a trailblazer in functional pediatric denti...

Episode Summary Dr. Mike welcomes a powerhouse family of financial professionals to The DOC Podcast: John Vento Sr., his daughters Christine Vento and Nicole Vento, and his son John Vento Jr. Together, they discuss their brand-new book, The Generational Wealth Code , and share decades of expertise in tax planning, real estate investing, and wealth management. John Sr. traces his journey from doing...

In this episode of The DOC Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Dania Tamimi, an oral and maxillofacial radiologist, Harvard-trained dental educator, and holistic health advocate, for a wide-ranging conversation on why diagnosis must come first in dentistry, and why 3D CBCT imaging is no longer optional for orthodontists who want to truly serve their patients. Dr. Tamimi brings a uniquely multidisciplinar...

Episode Summary Dr. Mike DePascale is a Connecticut-based orthodontist and co-owner of a multi-location practice with his partner and mentor, Dr. Jeff Kozlowski. In this episode, Dr. DePascale shares his remarkable personal journey from suffering severe obstructive sleep apnea in his early 20s and undergoing orthognathic surgery to becoming a passionate advocate for airway-focused, early-intercept...

In this episode, Dr. Mike breaks down the 2024 update to the 2019 AAO White Paper on obstructive sleep apnea and orthodontics, published in the AJODO in April. After presenting to hundreds of medical, dental, and myofunctional therapy colleagues across the country, he recorded his full presentation for listeners worldwide. Timestamps 0:00 – Introduction, episode overview & why Dr. Mike recorde...

In this episode, I sit down again with Dr. David McIntosh, an ENT surgeon from Australia and one of the sharpest medical minds I know when it comes to pediatric airway and sleep-disordered breathing. We dig deep into the recently updated AAO white paper, including what it got right, what it got dangerously wrong, and why publishing a document about interdisciplinary care without a single interdisc...

In this episode, I sit down with Beth Lambert - bestselling author, founder of Documenting Hope, and creator of the CHIRP Study - for a deep dive into the skyrocketing rates of chronic illness in children. Beth shares her personal journey from pharmaceutical consultant to healthcare reform advocate, explains the "Total Load" theory of disease, and discusses the environmental, dietary, and systemic...

Episode Summary In this two-part episode, I sit down with the founders of Sound Health and the Sonu Band - one of the most innovative products in the airway and sleep health space. In Part 1, Dr. Paramesh Gopi shares his personal journey from tech entrepreneur to co-founder of Sound Health, driven by his own debilitating struggle with chronic sinusitis and allergies. He explains how a chance meeti...

Episode Overview I'm excited to share this week's episode, and I have to say, this one really hit home for me personally. My guest is Dr. Chad Capps, a board-certified orthodontist practicing in Rockwall, Texas, who also serves as adjunct faculty in the Department of Orthodontics at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry.  What makes this conversation so compelling is that, like me, he didn...

Episode Summary In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. David Phelps, dentist turned financial freedom educator, real estate investor, and founder of Freedom Founders. Both of us retired from our clinical practices in our mid-40s and share remarkably parallel journeys. We dive deep into why earning more won't set you free, how to build genuine margin in your money and your time, the danger o...

Episode Summary In this episode, I sit down with Dr. David Gozal for a wide-ranging conversation on pediatric sleep-disordered breathing. We discuss why SDB should be understood as a chronic, lifelong inflammatory disease, not a simple condition with a simple fix.  Dr. Gozal introduces his "Second Best Hypothesis" to explain how brain damage from childhood sleep apnea can be hidden by neural redun...

Episode Summary Dr. Vatish shares his unexpected journey from implant dentistry to becoming a leading practitioner in tongue tie releases and airway-based dentistry . The conversation covers diagnosis across age groups, the role of CO2 laser in treatment, the critical importance of myofunctional therapy , and the ongoing debate around evidence-based medicine in this emerging field. Key Topics &amp...

Episode Summary: In this episode of The DOC Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Hal Stewart, a Texas-based dentist who transformed his practice from a traditional, restorative-based practice to one with a holistic approach, focusing on airway and TMD health. We discuss what holistic dentistry really means, how airway dysfunction connects to malocclusion, TMD, posture, and systemic health, and why the den...

Episode Summary In this in-depth conversation, I welcome Dr. Ellen Stothard, PhD, a sleep researcher with expertise in integrative physiology, neuroscience, and data analytics. Ellen shares her unconventional journey from psychology student to sleep science researcher to clinical data specialist, offering a unique perspective on what "evidence-based" really means and how clinicians can become ever...

Episode Overview In this episode of The DOC Podcast, I’m joined by Doctors Claire Ferrari and Allie Larios of Ferrari Larios Orthodontics in Kensington, California. Together, they discuss transforming patient care through a proactive, whole-body approach to orthodontics.  Topics include the need to integrate overall health into orthodontic residency programs, early diagnostic and treatment for pre...

In this episode, I welcome Dr. Joseph Yousefian for an in-depth discussion on pediatric airway disorders and innovative orthodontic treatment approaches that can change lives.   🎯 Episode Highlights Dr. Yousefian's Personal Journey His son Ryan's severe sleep apnea diagnosis and dramatic academic decline Ryan's transformation from a struggling student to a Washington University scholarship recipi...

Episode Description: Join me for an in-depth conversation with husband-and-wife dental team Drs. Jeffrey Hindin and Jill Meyer, who are pioneering a whole-health approach to dentistry that addresses the root causes of disease rather than just treating symptoms.   Key Topics Discussed: • Building an etiology-focused practice that treats underlying causes, not just symptoms • Early orthodontic inter...

In this episode of the DOC Podcast, I welcome Dr. Mary Motlagh to discuss one of dentistry's most critical yet overlooked issues: why beautiful dental and orthodontic work fails over time, and what we can do to achieve lasting stability. Dr. Motlagh, a restorative dentist with over 25 years of experience, shares her transformative journey from creating stunning cosmetic cases that broke down withi...

In this deeply personal and inspiring episode, I sit down with Dr. Brett Christiansen, an Army veteran and board-certified orthodontist who has transformed his practice to focus on treating the root causes of malocclusion and sleep-disordered breathing.   Dr. Christiansen shares his remarkable journey from growing up on an Idaho farm to becoming one of only five orthodontists in the country board-...

Episode Description: Join me for an in-depth conversation with sleep medicine specialist and quadruple Board Certified Physician (Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care Medicine, Sleep Medicine), Dr. Sima Tahir, as we discuss the critical role that sleep plays in overall health. Dr. Tahir shares her journey from working on the COVID-19 frontlines to opening her own boutique sleep prac...

Episode Description In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. Susan Maples, a pioneering general dentist who has practiced in Holt, Michigan, for over 40 years. Dr. Maples shares her revolutionary approach to dentistry, which goes far beyond traditional "drill and fill" methods, focusing on total health, the oral-systemic connection, and empowering patients (especially children) to take contro...