Workplace “culture” isn’t a fluffy corporate buzzword that’s code for office parties—it’s the very lifeblood of productive dental practices. Despite all the talk about “culture,” few people understand what it really is. This is unfortunate for dentistry, where culture is the secret to building strong teams and productive practices, especially now that most dentists are…

You would think that any progress made in the area of medical-dental integration would be a step forward. But why does it seem like the first step is a futile, bottom-up approach? Anything that improves access to care for patients is a very welcome development. If it doesn’t promote true medical-dental integration, however, then that…

Dentists have enough to worry about as it is with the ever-present fear of a malpractice lawsuit hanging over their heads. One wrong move, and they can say ‘goodbye’ to their dream of running a profitable practice. The bad news is that, as three dental practices recently experienced, dentists now have to worry about what…

Most people would rather go into debt or get locked into a payment plan for a new car than pay for a dental procedure that costs a tiny fraction of the price of a new car. Why is this? Why is dentistry always perceived as expensive when it’s actually much more affordable than most medical…

The CEO of a successful DSO visited me at Toothapps headquarters and asked an intriguing question that, really, everyone in dentistry needs to be asking. Dentistry is experiencing a revolution in response to some major problems in the industry, particularly when it comes to the open sharing of dental patient data. With sprawling networks of…

Even if, like me, you had never heard of “AGGA” before, the recent bad press surrounding this orthodontic appliance has been hard to ignore. The Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance (AGGA) has been flying below the radar for quite a few years, unknown to even many dentists, until recent lawsuits cast a spotlight on the device,…

Dental practice owners and managers deal with thorny issues on a daily basis. But which problems are truly important and which ones are truly urgent? Knowing the difference is the key to solving the biggest issues in our industry. In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, I explain how to determine whether a problem…

 Patients, how long should you wait to get a tooth filled? Dentists, how long should you wait before telling a patient they need a filling? The answer just might surprise everyone. In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, I begin by going back to the basics to explain what dental decay is and…

You’ve heard the hype about ChatGPT; now it’s time to see how it can make your job as a dental professional or practice owner much easier. Artificial intelligence (A.I.), generative artificial intelligence in particular, is here to stay, and it holds immense potential for the dental industry. There are upsides and downsides to A.I. technology,…

Did you know that your patients’ health information is being held hostage in a data prison? The conversation about Practice Management Systems (PMS) in dentistry has gotten stale. What’s worse, most dentists today aren’t aware that PMS systems that don’t comply with recent legislation could leave dentists vulnerable to fines of up to $1 million.…