Your Dental Besties

Are we expecting too much from dental hygienists, or are we simply not giving them the support, time and opportunities they deserve? This week, we're joined by Canadian dental hygienist, educator, mentor and independent practice owner Fiona, better known as @mouthboxx. And what a conversation this turned into! From the reality of qualifying and being thrown straight into clinical practice, to...

What happens when a dentist decides to put prevention, patient health and his hygiene team at the centre of his business? This week, we're joined by Dr Brian, the dentist behind 323, a practice in California that's challenging the traditional approach to dentistry. And we have to say, this conversation was a breath of fresh air! We're talking about the hierarchy in dentistry, why hygie...

Is dentistry becoming too focused on how many patients we can see, how quickly we can treat them and how much money we can make? In this episode of Your Dental Besties, Claire and Ben get into a conversation about something they are both increasingly passionate about: slowing dentistry down and giving patients the time, attention and care they deserve. From the pressures of busy appointment books...

What happens when you stop waiting for someone else to create the career you want? In this episode, Claire and Ben are joined by Canadian dental hygienist, educator and practice owner Irene Iancu for a conversation that goes far beyond dental hygiene. Irene shares how frustration with the limitations of traditional practice eventually led her to build her own. From designing a completely different...

What does it actually take to become a better clinician? In this episode of Your Dental Besties, Claire and Ben are joined by dental therapist Laura Bailey for a very honest conversation about the side of dentistry we don't always see online...... the mistakes, the investment, the constant learning and the reality of putting yourself out there. Laura opens up about returning to education more...

What happens when you achieve the career you worked so hard for… and then start wondering what comes next? In this episode of Your Dental Besties, Claire and Ben are joined by Anna Middleton, aka The London Hygienist, for a brilliantly open conversation about career evolution, personal branding, working with major brands, burnout, boreout and learning to redefine success. Anna shares how she built...

What does it actually take to be exceptional in dentistry? In this episode, Claire and Ben are joined by Adrian for a fascinating conversation that goes far beyond clinical dentistry. They explore the power of storytelling, public speaking and human connection, why trust matters more than ever in an increasingly AI-driven world, and how small changes can completely transform the patient experience...

What happens when one of the biggest names in technology enters the dental world? In this episode of Your Dental Besties, Claire and Ben get into the launch of the Dyson toothbrush- from AI, cameras and water flossing to the much bigger question of what evidence actually sits behind the products we recommend. They discuss the growing influence of social media and influencer marketing on oral-healt...

Do you ever finish a day in clinic and replay your appointments in your head, wondering what you could have done differently? In this episode of Your Dental Besties, Claire and Ben tackle a question from a newly qualified clinician who feels incompetent, constantly overthinks their appointments and struggles to switch off after work. They talk honestly about clinical confidence, comparison, CPD, m...

With more dental hygiene and therapy programmes opening across the UK, Claire and Ben ask a big question: what does the future of the profession actually look like? In this episode of Your Dental Besties , they imagine what they would include if they could design their own dental hygiene and therapy education from scratch- from oral-systemic health, women's health and behaviour change to mento...

1,300 miles. Two Dental Besties. One unforgettable road trip… and apparently absolutely no ability to keep hold of our belongings. This week, we're taking you behind the scenes of our Canadian adventure- from Calgary to Banff, Lake Louise, Edmonton and one of the most beautiful drives we've ever experienced through the Canadian Rockies. Claire and Ben talk spontaneous tattoos, bears, mount...

Claire and Ben discuss what they have been up to. From Canada to Milan, they have been busy. Ben discusses translational science and gives us some interesting insights into some plans he has coming up. Have your say. Get in touch with team YDB to send us your Agony Aunt and Agony Uncle dilemmas. Send us your funnies. Give us topics you want to discuss. What guests do you want to see on the pod? Em...

Claire starts by putting a scenario to Ben and asks his thoughts on treating influencers for social media marketing. What is your thoughts on this? Do you think this is a good form of marketing and do you think it is ethical? Ben and Claire also discuss influencers being paid to talk about products generally. Your Dental Besties then go on to talk about marketing strategies if you are a direct acc...

Ben and Claire talk about how they perform their cancer checks. They discuss a case where a young woman had a lesion on her tongue which was not diagnosed until it was really advanced. Do you check even if the patient has seen a dentist first? Do you check every time you see a patient? Answer in the comments. Tell us how you perform your cancer checks.

Ben and Claire start with a discussion about Ben's new skin care regime. Does retinol work and have you heard of retinal? Apparently its a thing! Listen if you want to know good skin care routines. And did you know that you can have pilates for your face? Ben talks about his recent course that was for pilates for special injuries and this includes the TMJ. If you are a practice owner you can d...

Upsell is a dirty word. It is difficult talking about 'sales' in healthcare, and really it shouldn't be a conversation. It should be about patient need. But is this reality we live in now in dentistry? What are your thoughts about this topic? Have your say and tell us your view below in the comments Thank you to EMS UK for sponsoring the podcast so we can bring this content to you. Boo...

Ben and Claire answer an agony aunt/agony uncle sent in by a listener about a new hygienist joining their team and only having a certain amount of equipment. What happens if the new hygienist works on the same day as the current hygienist, but they only have one unit to perform particular treatments with? How would you navigate this scenario? Comment below

This weeks podcast goes into referring to perio specialists and how to have difficult conversations with patients. Ben and Claire also discuss a recent webinar that they carried out for Oral-B professional. Did you tune in? Have your say on the topics by commenting below. What topics do you want to discuss on the pod? Let team YDB know

A lovely listener started Team Ben and Team Claire and the duo talk about how this came to be. They show us the T-shirts that Jade and Vicky created from Cwytch Study Club had made. Ben wear Gums Guy pink and Claire wears Khaki, in series 1 they said they would love scrubs in these colours. Such a lovely gesture, so a BIG THANKYOU to Vicky and Jade at Cwytch Study Club. Then Ben talks about Vaping...

Ben and Claire talk about ratio's of hygienists to dentists across the globe to begin. Some of these ratio's might shock you. They then talk about notes and how some people question if we need to write as much as we do. They talk about templates and what they write in their notes, as well as discussing how to make this process more efficient. What are your thoughts? Do you use AI for your...

Ben and Claire discuss the EFP probe. Have you seen this, and would you find it useful? Ben catches Claire off guard, and despite her protests to edit that bit out, Ben argues to keep it in, and so we took this episode off Claire so she cannot edit it. We decided it was funnier to keep the episode authentic, so team YDB kept it in! After this blip, they discuss blood pressure and whether we should...

Season 7 begins with Ben and Claire talking about new shiny pieces of kit that can be useful in clinic. From Flamingo, to AI note taking, to Cordeze, to GBT machine. What new pieces of kit have you heard of recently? We want to review more things so that we can see if it is worth you investing. If you want to invest in a GBT machine, or you want to discuss the deal for hygienists and therapists to...

Claire gives us another rendition of 'when dentistry turns to murder'. Hear about the dentist who poisoned his wife and the dentist who shot his wife on safari. Yes there are 2 in this episode. Ben and Claire then discuss if hygienists can treat pets, and successfully made us realise why they cannot. Thanks for our sponsor EMS and don't forget to join us at the dentistry show in May at...

Ben and Claire invited the lovely Gareth onto the podcast to discuss all things income protection. Have you ever wondered why you might need it? How to look into it? What different levels of cover mean? Then this is a podcast to listen to. Gareth is well-versed in the dental industry, which is important. And you will see what a lovely guy he is too. You can contact Gareth on 07496254769 or find hi...

Ben and Claire talk about fads that have been popular. From charcoal toothpaste to tooth gems. What fads can you remember. Team YDB also have an exciting announcement! We will be at the Birmingham Dentistry Show at the NEC on the 15th -16th May. We are picking up the set and moving it to Birmingham. We will have some stools on the set so that some people can be involved on the LIVE podcast session...