Publisher’s Notes
Dr. Glenn Vo shares strategies to building strong and happy Dental teams
Elijah Desmond, RDH: The Man, the Myth, the Legend ( And the Hype)
Dr. Christopher Hoffpauir shares the key to having a successful Dental Practice
Dr. Ron Nguyen's Extraordinary Entrepreneurial Journey
Publisher & Editor
Glenn L. Vo, DDS
CEO, Dental Lifestyles Publishing
Managing Editor
Ethan Webb
Project Manager
Hanna Garcia
Art Director
Jess Beltran
Editorial Board
Dr. Christopher Hoffpauir
Dr. Brittany Vo
Nick Pavlidis
Contributors
Dr. Christopher Hoffpauir
Dr. Desiree Walker
Dr. Michael Melkers
Dr. Alan Stern
Melia Lewis, RDH
Dr. Alice Hoang
Dr. Laura Brenner
Dr. Vi Ho
Sean Ryan
Gary Bird
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Dental Lifestyles is published quarterly by Dental Lifestyles Publishing Group. Advertisers may sponsor some articles and/or content. Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s opinion. Dental Lifestyles is not responsible for omissions or information misrepresented to the magazine. Advertisers and their agencies assume all liability for advertising content. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher.
Dental Lifestyles Publishing Group
Dr. Ron Nguyen’s Extraordinary Entrepreneurial Journey page 8
Publisher’s Note
Builiding a Strong and Happy Team: Using the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team and the 5 Love Languages in the Workplace........................
Practice Life
Building (Unique) Walls Within a City—Not Around it..................
The Key To Having A Successful Dental Practice? Don’t Be A Dentist.........................................
Why Dental Hygienists Need at Least 60-Minute Recall Appointments.............................
Entrepreneur Life
I Am An Entrepreneur.............. Mindset Life
What’s Possible..........................
Dental Lifestyle Feature Get Crackin’ On Life With Dr. Lou Chmura.....................................
To
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Your Practice, Do This On
trust. Without trust, team members cannot communicate effectively or hold each other accountable.
As dental professionals, we know that the key to a successful practice is a happy and dedicated team. But in today’s competitive job market, retaining team members can be a daunting task. The good news is, there are proven strategies that can help dental practices build a strong and happy team that can withstand the challenges of the modern workplace.
By embracing the principles outlined in the “5 Dysfunctions of a Team” and the “5 Love Languages in the Workplace,” dental practices can create a positive and supportive work environment that fosters teamwork, communication, recognition, and growth.
The “5 Dysfunctions of a Team” is a powerful framework that can help teams identify and overcome common challenges that can hinder their performance. These dysfunctions include the absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. But with the right strategies in place, we can build a culture of trust, accountability, and results that inspires team members to work together towards a common goal.
At the heart of the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team framework is
To build trust, we must create a safe space for open and honest communication and encourage team members to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation. This means promoting transparency and honesty in all aspects of the practice and creating a culture of openness and accountability.
Another key aspect of the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team framework is conflict resolution. In a dental practice, conflict can arise from various sources, from disagreements over treatment plans to personality clashes between team members. By establishing clear guidelines for conflict resolution and encouraging team members to share their thoughts and concerns openly, we can build a culture of respect and understanding that fosters teamwork and collaboration.
To ensure that team members remain committed to the practice’s goals and mission, it’s important to provide growth opportunities that align with their career goals and aspirations. This means offering additional training or education opportunities, providing mentorship and coaching, and establishing a clear career path with achievable goals and objectives.
The “5 Love Languages in the Workplace” is another powerful framework that can help dental practices recognize and appreciate their team members’ contributions, leading to increased job satisfaction and reduced
staff turnover. By identifying team members’ love languages and tailoring recognition and appreciation efforts accordingly, we can create a culture of positivity and support that inspires team members to do their best work.
The five love languages are words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, gifts, and physical touch. For team members who value words of affirmation, a simple “thank you” or a note of praise can go a long way. For those who value acts of service, providing additional resources or support can show that we care about their success. For those who value quality time, scheduling one-on-one meetings or team-building activities can help build stronger relationships. For those who value gifts, small tokens of appreciation such as gift cards or personalized notes can show that we value their hard work. And for those who value physical touch, simple gestures such as a handshake or a pat on the back can help build a stronger sense of connection and support.
Beyond the “5
of a Team” and the “5 Love Languages in the Workplace”
Offering competitive salaries and benefits is crucial to retaining team members in a competitive job market. But it is important to note that salary and benefits alone are not enough to keep team members engaged and motivated. To build a truly happy and dedicated team, we must create a positive work environment and a strong sense of teamwork.
Providing growth opportunities and professional development is crucial to helping team members feel valued and supported.
By developing a Pay Grade system that rewards team members for gaining more skills and knowledge and by providing additional training or education opportunities that align with team member’s career goals and aspirations, we can foster a culture of growth and innovation that inspires team members to do their best work.
To ensure that team members are happy and engaged in their work, dental practices should conduct regular evaluations that assess their job satisfaction and overall happiness. These evaluations should include both performance metrics and feedback on the work environment, so that we can identify any areas where we can improve and support our team members.
Building a strong and happy team is crucial to retaining team members in a competitive job market. By using the principles outlined in the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team and the 5 Love Languages in the Workplace, dental practices can create a positive and supportive work environment that promotes teamwork, communication, recognition, and growth.
Remember, every team member is valuable and deserves to feel valued and supported. By embracing these principles and fostering a culture of positivity and support, we can build a team that is happy, dedicated, and committed to the success of our practice.
Hailing from the hills of Montana, one might not immediately expect someone like Dr. Dannica Brennan to choose the life of a “city folk.” But after spending three-and-a-half years stationed in Tampa at Macdill Air Force Base, Dannica indeed fell in love with a Floridian city.
Before coming to Tampa with the Air Force, Dannica had recently completed dental school and a year-long residency at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), in 2018. Right off the bat, Dannica opted for the startup route. Interestingly enough, her own mother was her interior designer, thinking up how Dannica’s new office should look from top to bottom. While Dannica and her team had fun assuming the role of the general contractor, her mom kept pointing them toward her vision of more of an “uppity” feeling—and Dannica couldn’t agree more with her mom’s vision.
After all, Dannica realized, every patient is afraid of the dentist. They come into an office afraid of pain and discomfort only to see white walls and people fidgeting in a lobby as they wait to get called up to the plate, one at a time. Wouldn’t a more “uppity” vibe help
eliminate those counteracting and common clichés?
Dannica wouldn’t settle for a typical dental practice. After driving through Tampa for a few years, Dannica realized how much she enjoyed the murals, messily scattered throughout the area. As she came to appreciate how good it felt to stare at all of these artworks on the way in, she soon realized that she could create the same effect for her patients. While many dental offices pride themselves on putting up a picture, an inspiring quote, or even some practice values for their dental team, Dannica decided to take things a step further.
Even better, Dannica was keen on a certain chemistry: She knew that both she and her hygienist had something special going for them—they performed exceptionally well with anxious patients. Together, they made a goal: Their practice wouldn’t look, smell, or feel like a dental office. That’s one reason why, in the hygienist’s office—or the “tagged room”— Dannica is always finding something new written on the wall. Now, the “tagged room” has a “Where’s Waldo” effect going on: Any patient—anxious or not—can look up at the wall and read or see some form of entertainment.
A famous Tampa duo helped Dannica create a one-of-akind practice.
Pouring the artistic vibes of Tampa into her dental office started as an idea but, soon enough, one of Dannica’s best friends actually recommended a certain mural artist to turn dreams into reality. Thus, a one-of-a-kind practice—a dental office which exploded into a kaleidoscope of colors, designs, and works of art—would soon come about.
The friend who told Dannica that she should have artists do these murals was named Kenzy Vitale, and the artists that she was recommending her were the Vitale Bros. Coincidentally, these guys had been doing most of the artwork Dannica was admiring around the Tampa Bay area—they’ve worked for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Marriott Hotel, you name it. While they had worked for a dental practice or two before, they had never done anything too fun for a dentist. So, when it came to decorating Dannica’s practice, they went all out—and even got experimental with some pieces.
Dannica’s Business 101. Dannica hasn’t only gotten referrals from her unique office space, but she’s even had people asking her if they can shoot
movie clips or take photo shoots in her practice. That’s a welcome thing for Dannica, as she’s someone who really focuses on influencer marketing. Influencers are prominent in Tampa, after all, and that’s why she loves to bring them into her practice for posts, reels, and so on.
Plus, being a Fee For Service (FFS) startup, Dannica knew she was facing two obstacles. As a new business, it was one battle to attract new patients to her practice, build a reputation, and get everything in working order. But being a FFS practice meant that she had to do a little extra to attract patients to her practice—insurance matters get tricky, to say it bluntly.
But when you feel good, your work is good. You can sit in that operatory and stay inspired However, perhaps more importantly, your patients are going to love it just as much. Dannica has realized this isn’t just the case for the younger patients either: While her target demographic never exceeded the age of 50, she’s had a couple of elderly patients who surprised her with how much they appreciated the artwork. And hey, folks, I’m a big fan of respecting our elders.
By Dr. Christopher Hoffpauir
A lot of times, when people come to me for suggestions on how to run their practice more effectively, efficiently, or more profitably, I find that it’s their personal and emotional involvement that’s getting in the way of their success.
The problem is that we, as dentists, are technicians. When we think about opening our own dental practice, we think we’re going to be able to work the way we want to work, use the materials we want to use, and implement the techniques that appeal to us—we get real technical about it.
I think Michael Gerber said it the best in his book, The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. In this book, he explains why the majority of small businesses fail—and what we can do to
avoid failing. He describes three different business owner personalities relevant for understanding the “Entrepreneurial Myth”—the entrepreneur, the manager, and the technician. Typically, one of these personalities is dominant in a founder, and I believe that the technician is especially dominant in dentists. Are you leaving a hat on the rack? The first thing you must do as a dental practice owner is realize that you’re wearing several different hats. For one, we’re the confidant for our patients— they’ll tell us some of their most intimate problems.
On the other hand, we’re mentors trying to lead and train our teams and get them to perform at a level that they didn’t know they could possibly perform at.
But one hat that usually remains on the hat rack—that we forget to put on ourselves sometimes—is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) hat. The CEO hat is when you look at the organization—at the business as a whole—as an entire machine rather than just narrowing down on one of the moving parts. I like to think of it as the 500-footview: You take a step away from the practice and get a look at everything that’s going on.
Think facts, not feelings. When I was running a dental practice, I had one “admin day” every week. I would literally get away from the practice and remotely dive into the books, reports, invoices, and so on. I did this so that I could get that 500-foot
view unemotionally. What do I mean by that? Well, one of the key reasons I’d separate myself from the practice was so I could examine my business without being in front of my team members. The fact is, it’s hard for us to come across issues caused by our team members without reacting emotionally. For example, if we’re running through our bills and find that a member of the team spent $900 on Impregum because it was on sale, we might get upset in the moment and tell them all about how we’ll never be able to use the Impregum before it expires. In the end, we’ll probably both feel cruddy.
Our job as a CEO is to take that step back, get away from the team, look at the problems logically, and train yourself to think facts instead of feelings. In other words, don’t be a dentist.
more chaotic and increases the stress of your hygienist. With this increase in stress and less time to breathe between patients or even take a drink of water, the risk of burnout is so much higher. The last thing we need is hygienists feeling burnt out, quitting their careers, and patients not being seen for their preventative or periodontal health.
Do you feel like you have an overwhelming amount of patients needing to come into your office? Definitely, not a bad problem to have. If you have tried to schedule an appointment with a different healthcare provider in the last few years, you personally have experienced month-long waits. Dentistry isn’t the only one where there aren’t enough providers for the patients. Most especially when it comes to dental hygienists, the easy thing to fit more patients into your practices might seem like shortening the recall visit appointments from 60 Minutes to 40 if the perfect solution to this problem. Even though this might look great on paper and you’re able to fit in one to two more patients a day, in actuality, it can cause more problems. Here are a few reasons why the hygiene visit needs to be at least 60 minutes for not only the hygienist but your patients and your practice.
All healthcare providers are on the edge of burnout right now. We are overworked, patients are harder to work with, and life is just more stressful than it used to be. The last thing providers want, both dental hygienists and maybe even you, is an increased stress day than we already have. Shoving in a few extra patients a day definitely makes things
As mentioned previously, patients are harder than ever to work on. Have you noticed this in your own practice? Filling in extra patients potentially can make your schedule fall behind. Then, with a waiting room full of patients and feelings of frustration about being seen after their appointment time, they bring that stress into the operatory. It spreads throughout the entire staff. Of course, we as professionals should know how to manage that stress. However, it does get overwhelming when you are behind the entire day every day because appointments are not scheduled properly. Keep your patients in mind before shortening appointments to make sure they are being seen at the correct times. We know days get crazy, and being behind every so often is part of the healthcare life. Let’s schedule correctly to prevent it as much as we can.
3. Rapport.
When time is short, the most common thing that is dropped is rapport. I know for myself when I am out of time, I cut conversations short and get straight to biofilm removal. However, not creating that rapport can put a huge damper on continuing care appointments or needed treatment. Patients
need to trust or feel like they trust their provider, and if we are not give that time for them to build trust decreases the chance of rescheduling for any needed treatment. If you, as the dentist, do not like building rapport with the patients or are tired of chatting during the day, let your dental hygienist have the time to get to know the patient and have them feel comfortable in your dental practice. Most hygienists love chatting with the patient, and it’s the best part of the day. It breaks up the monotony of scaling and polishing and creates a family environment in your office. Have you noticed that lots of patients come to your practice because of your dental hygienist? Don’t take away that personal feeling by cutting appointments short.
4. Time for Answering Questions and Education. I have also noticed that as soon as the dentist walks out after an exam, the patient will turn to me and ask, “Now, what did they just say?” RDHs help fill in the gaps, educate them on the treatment, tell them the different options, and listen to their concerns and questions. When time is cut short, we feel like we have to rush the patient out and let the front desk answer any questions, which sometimes might not be the best option, especially if they don’t have a clinical dental background. This education time spent with the hygienist will, in turn, increase your revenue more than seeing one or two more hygiene patients that day.
5. Proper documentation is dropped. Do you notice yourself when you are short on time, your chart notes may not be up to
snuff? Proper documentation is critical to keep everyone calibrated in the office. Not only does the hygiene team benefit from these notes, but the front office also does when the patient calls in with questions or has insurance questions, to the assistants who see the patients in a few weeks for other treatment. Proper documentation is a vital part of what we do as professionals.
Before switching up the schedule, definitely chat with your hygiene team. Change is hard, especially when it is thrown on you without being worked through. Maybe your team will be on board with it! But, in my experience, shortening appointments has never been a great strategy for increasing patient load or production.
What does the dental hygiene team at your office’s schedule look like?
About The Author:
Melia Lewis, MEd, BSDH, RDH With her love of health and education, Melia graduated as a dental hygienist in 2009.
Before jumping into dental hygiene school, she spent part of her childhood learning the finer things of dentistry in her father’s dental practice in Canada. Since graduation, she’s worked in private practices in Canada and the US, as well as in education as an adjunct professor. She received her Master of Education degree in 2019. She is currently an adjunct professor at Utah Valley University and works clinically with patients to help their oral and overall health. She loves the field so much that she co-created Hygiene Edge, an education platform for dental professionals to learn new skills and techniques.
elieve it or not, that’s a little hard for me to say.
The other day I was writing an email to a friend and noticed my interesting behavior. As I was sharing how I’ve (voluntarily) overworked myself for the past few years, I caught myself hesitating writing, “the life of an entrepreneur” when describing myself.
Why was that so hard for me to say?
I almost changed it to “being self-employed.” When I caught myself doing that, I stopped and forced myself to write “entrepreneur.” Because the truth is, that is what I am.
And you might be, too, even if you don’t know it yet.
We always think an entrepreneur has to be Steve Jobs or
Elon Musk. It’s someone who is a savant, a genius in their field. They sacrifice, have passion, and often work until 3 am because they are so obsessed with their mission.
But that’s not me. And it might not be you, either.
You can be an entrepreneur without being that unicorn. If you create a business, you are an entrepreneur. If you want to work for yourself and create something out of nothing— even if you’re a normal person— why can’t you become an entrepreneur?
Let’s expand the definition of what an entrepreneur is. Because in thinking that you have to fit a certain mold, you prevent yourself from even trying.
I always knew I wanted independence. I didn’t want to have a boss who I always had to report to. This is why I became a dentist. Even though I didn’t want to own a practice, I wanted that autonomy that comes with being a dentist. And I always had jobs where I felt that freedom most of the time.
When I sought out change, I didn’t know what I was passionate about but knew I wanted that life. So, I kept trying for
it until it happened. It wasn’t super focused, streamlined, or fast. But it worked. Eventually, I built something out of nothing and found my passion for work.
It shows that you don’t have to be willing to sacrifice your whole life to start your dream business. You can take care of yourself and take breaks and go to sleep at 9 pm even while starting a business.
In fact, I’d argue that if you don’t take care of yourself, something will break anyway.
This is the beauty of starting a side gig.
It allows you to start slow. Maybe if you’re not pulling those 3 am nights, you will have slower growth. So what? Isn’t the point of creating a dream to make you happier and give you freedom? No one ever says, “I want to start a business so that I can feel more trapped and exhausted.”
If you have that desire, as I had, know that you don’t have to fit into the “entrepreneur” mold to create what you want. You just must have the desire and belief and keep going. We might not build that billion-dollar empire, but that’s the beauty of entrepreneurship: You get to create the life you want.
It’s okay if your building process is slower. If you focus on enjoying the process, not the endpoint, then at least you are living. (Or at least trying!)
Show up, take the pressure off, and remove the labels of what you think you should be, and the right thing will come your way. If you don’t have a passion, get curious and explore. You never know when your passion will find you.
I challenge you to stop diminishing how hard you work and start believing that you are enough. Become a cheerleader for yourself and celebrate the small wins. And say, “I am an entrepreneur.”
That belief will begin to grow, and when you believe, you can dream and achieve—on your terms.
If you have similar dreams of starting a side gig or becoming an entrepreneur but feel stuck, scan the QR code to schedule a free consultation with me!
Dr. Glenn Vo: Everyone knows you as the founder of Ultralight Optics, tell us the origin story there.
Dr. Ron Nguyen: Before the concept of Ultralight Optics was born, I first got into the entrepreneur game in dental school. The tuition was insane. The price of attending University of Southern California (USC) is up there, to say the least.
I knew that I didn’t want to graduate with any debt, and I noticed that the seniors were all selling their dental equipment, but the incoming freshmen already had the only equipment so they had no one to sell it to. Because of that, the market price was nothing: It was like 5 to 10% the original retail cost for what was basically new equipment. I could get a typodont that’s normally $20 for $10 or an articulator that’s usually $600 for $70. So I bought all my equipment like that right off the bat, and I was able to save thousands of dollars—which is a lot for a dental student.
I thought, “Wait, hold on, if this benefits me, I bet this would benefit my friends, too.” They weren’t organized as well as I was because I already had some concepts of what we needed in the next semesters from my other friends. So what I did was I went and bought all the equipment that I needed for the next semester and this semester after that, but I also bought some extra equipment for my friends. And while this equipment was 5 to 10% the market price when I bought it, it would sell for as much as 50% of the retail price when people actually needed it—so I was multiplying my money by five.
It was bonkers—I was selling so much dental equipment. But I couldn’t get enough dental equipment to be able to sell, and I started to think about what I could make myself. My friend’s husband was a manufacturer, so I talked to them and realized her husband could help me make something if I designed it. What I narrowed it down to was eventually thet LED light.
Dr. Ron Nguyen is the founder of Ultralight Optics and one of the pioneers of the Dental Loupe-Light movement. His revolutionary invention, the Feather Light LED, integrated optical designs and aircraft-grade aluminum alloys for the most technologically advanced headlight. Because Feather light is made by dentists, for dentists, it captures every functional aspect of illumination necessary in dentistry, ergonomics, and vision care.
The success and innovation of Feather Light LED have been the inspiration for numerous articles, featured in Dental Town, Dentistry Today, Dental Economics, Dental Product Shopper, Dental Product Report and many more.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Ron Nguyen about his entrepreneurial journey as well as his advice to budding entrepreneurs.
There was a lot of tinkering in my underground—I did a lot of electronics—because I was basically a mechanical engineer. I tried to make my own LED light and completely failed the very first dozen times doing it. But I knew I wasn’t gonna give up, that I’d keep on going at it. I wanted to see if I could get my money back because I had already put out so much—I had put in $10,000 into making this business as a poor dental student. That said, I was still bringing in income from selling dental equipment. I remained on the verge of figuring it out and failing time and time again until I finally cracked the code of what needed to be made and how to make it.
In 2005, I sold my house to fund the whole project. I went all in because I knew there was no one else who made a LED light anything close to what we had. Most lights back then weighed about 30 grams—that’s really heavy—but mine came in at a mere three grams. In other words, my LED light was 10 times lighter than what my competitors were producing.
At the time, I was finishing up my freshman year at dental school and just starting my sophomore year, and I found it incredibly hard to balance passing my classes and launch this project at the same time—I was putting in 18 hour days.
I was only selling to USC students at the time, but then this person—a student from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) named Tam— contacted me and said, “Hey, you want to go and sell your lights here? I’d be a vendor.” I went up there to meet this person, and Tam is now actually my wife.
I tried to sell our lights at the vendor day and only sold one, which was really demoralizing. The next day, Tam called me and asked how the event went, and I told her that we didn’t do too well. She says, “Ah, well, you only sold one, huh? Well, how about selling to the whole class?” She had sold the whole class for me. I pretty much hired her from there, but I hadn’t thought of it that way—I thought we were just friends and I’d pay her to help me with this project. For the next three years, I kept asking her on a date and she kept saying no. She told me that she couldn’t date her boss, and I said “Whoa, I’m not your boss! We’re just friends working with one another.”
From there, we started to develop into more of a personal relationship versus a work one. So, that was one big moment—I met my future wife and future company at that time—but another big moment would come at the Hinman Dallas convention.
I had to make a choice between graduating on time and finishing up my degree or going to this convention. I decided to go to the convention and, on the first day, we sold almost nothing. I was like, “Oh god, we’re gonna die, I should just give up right now.” And then, all of a sudden, on the next day, we crushed it so hard.
Word got out, and people knew who we were. For the next two days, we just crushed it. And that’s when I knew that this was all worth it. Even though I wouldn’t graduate for about half a year because I went to this convention, I was so glad I went. It shot off like a rocket from there, people were talking about it and we started winning all these different awards.
Dr. Glenn Vo: Ultralight is known for its innovative product design. Share the process of creating and also upgrading a product.
Dr. Ron Nguyen: I have an entire team of engineers now as well as product designers who
really make the process a lot smoother than before. When I first started, we were just blowing through like hundreds of thousands of dollars, banging our heads against the wall trying to get these things done. Now that we understand the process so much better, it’s so much smoother. I can go from a concept and an idea to a functional minimum viable product (MVP) within a matter of weeks or months.
Dr. Glenn Vo: From lights to loupes, Ultralight has been behind a number of great products. If you had to choose one, what’s your favorite product?
Dr. Ron Nguyen: My favorite product is still the very first generation light that we made from RadioShack. I have a picture of the first person I sold it to. I actually got back the original light, battery packs, and everything.
Dr. Glenn Vo: You are the epitome of a serial entrepreneur, where do you get this entrepreneurial spirit from?
Dr. Ron Nguyen: The entrepreneurial spirit originally came from my dad—it’s a whole family-run business. It’s my dad’s support in helping me understand the business, it’s my younger brothers that help me run it and help create ideas, and it’s also the ideas and
entrepreneurism that comes from the community. If anyone has an idea, we love taking those ideas on and seeing if it’s possible to go and bring them to the next level. Most of my wealth actually comes because of all the entrepreneurial people around me: I’ve helped build them up and then they’ve helped build me up and together we actually grow so much more. After starting my company by myself in dental school, I’ve realized how difficult and risky it is to bootstrap it. I’m always gonna partner up with someone else and work together as a team—it’s so much stronger that way.
Dr. Glenn Vo: Tell us about your family.
Dr. Ron Nguyen: My son Evan is only seven years old and already knows how to do 3D printing, coding, and scratching. Laura, our five-year-old daughter, is super creative, too. She knows how to draw and has a wonderful imagination. I was constructing a shelf in our living room, and she copied what was pretty much an exact replica of the shelf, telling me, “Look, it’s a little mini shelf that’s just like yours!” And then there’s Tyler, our youngest, who is three years old. He has a head start playing with the older kids, and that boy’s going to be brilliant.
Dr. Glenn Vo: How do you balance work and family life?
Dr. Ron Nguyen:There’s something about balancing work and family life that COVID-19 really made clear to me. Before the pandemic turned the world upside down, I was traveling 50 times a year. Every single week I was going to do something for one of the businesses that we have. When COVID-19 hit and I couldn’t travel as much anymore, I started to see the kids grow up and realize I had been missing a big part of their lives. You can make all this money, but it has no meaning if you don’t have family behind it. They give you a reason to be making the money. I started to think, if I caught COVID and died the next day, what would I leave behind? It’s family that really counts—that’s what we’re working for—and family moments are the moments that matter more than anything else.
Dr. Glenn Vo: What is your advice to budding dental entrepreneurs?
Dr. Ron Nguyen: Look for the innovative new waves of products that exist out there. Specifically, keep an eye out for things that bug you in your dental office and push yourself to see if you could think of a better idea. Also, collaborate with people on these ideas. A lot of budding
entrepreneurs have great ideas about stuff like this, but they keep it a secret and literally never tell anybody. If you go and share it with someone that you trust, then you can actually get off the ground. But if you just
sometime around this year, probably around Q4.
Dr. Glenn Vo: What are your feelings about the current state of Dentistry? And are you Optimistic or Pessimistic?
Dr. Ron Nguyen: Depending on where you’re at in the
keep it to yourself, it will never go anywhere and it’ll stay just an idea.
Dr. Glenn Vo: What new Ultralight products are you excited about?
Dr. Ron Nguyen: This year was a huge year full of innovation because we were starting to design and develop and research during COVID since we had so much downtime. Now, those concepts are all being finished up. There are about four different products that we’re going to release
spectrum, I think it’s optimistic across the board—dentistry is a great field to be in. My wife is a dentist, and we have a dental practice that just rocks. We’re having a good time. I love coming in there and just testing all the different products, hearing about my wife’s day, and so on. She doesn’t have to practice, but she does because she’s passionate about it—she loves doing it.
A few days ago, I went down to my local Staples store to quickly pick up an ink cartridge for my printer. I had not been to Staples in a while, but I noticed a few interesting things. The workers seemed more cheerful. The store was brighter and cleaner than I had remembered. And the team members there were wearing T-shirts that read “Ask me what’s possible”
Whoever thought to use that slogan as a mantra for Staples was a genius of the highest order. In a cold, digitizing, and depersonalizing world where despair and mental illness are occupying headlines day after day, opening your eyes to what’s possible is one of the most critical missing pieces in our pursuit of happiness! To see this phrase in a retail store was a breath of fresh air. And, perhaps, it was the reason why morale at the store appeared to have improved dramatically!
So I asked the young man stocking the shelves I was perusing if I could take a photo of that shirt. He smiled and said, “Sure!” and agreed with me when I told him how great that slogan was. And then, in typical Alan fashion, I told him how kind he was to let me take that photo. I also reminded him to “remember to ask yourself what’s possible for you.” He smiled, said he would, thanked me, and we went on with our day.
Let’s put our collective heads together— where can we use this phrase in ALL aspects of our life? I’ll start.
If we can encourage our patients to ask us what’s possible for their dental and systemic health, what do you think their reaction would be? Maybe it would open some people’s eyes to the possibilities that good oral health could offer them. Maybe some would take a cynical view of it, but does that really matter? If one person a week could have their interest in good health and good dentistry renewed, everyone wins! My dear friend, mentor, and co-learner, Mary Osborne, runs a total health practice seminar every year. We plan strategies to open patients’ eyes to improving their health with us, either as clinicians or guides to proper help.
If we can encourage our teams to ask us what’s possible for their happiness in our offices, would that not go a long way to retaining them and attracting more high-quality candidates for our offices? Don’t tell me there aren’t great people out there looking for work that’s meaningful and fulfilling. Let’s have those discussions in team meetings and see if we can learn how to help the people who help us the most improve their lives while at work.
If we can encourage our children to ask us what’s possible for them in their growing and developing lives, then we, as parents, could be exponentially more successful in the most important job we have.
If we can stimulate a discussion with our spouses or life partners about what’s possible for our enhanced happiness, a deeper and more fulfilling relationship that’s guided by the pursuit of that happiness—THE one meaningful goal in life—would become easily attainable.
Finally, if we simply ask ourselves what’s possible to further unlock our potential for a great life and create goals and benchmarks that reflect our unique core values and direct us towards a meaningful and prosperous life, we will move in a direction that cannot fail. Ever. Ask me how I know that one!
And I wonder if we can add a similar phrase (we don’t want to violate any copyright laws) to our websites, business cards, and even uniforms! What do you think?
Life is about possibilities!
The world, in general, and dentistry, in particular, are changing at a faster pace than most of us can keep up with. We cannot control that. But what we CAN control is our reaction to it.
Staples knows very well that big-box retailing is changing in the growing world of online shopping. Their workers could be facing the loss of their jobs, and their stakeholders or shareholders may be scared, as well. But that T-Shirt tells everyone to ask what is possible! More and more, it seems like our patients and we are pawns in a power struggle between corporations and insurance companies. That struggle will go on for a very long time, and we cannot stop that. The other side of that coin is that some people in Dentistry—patients and workers alike—are content with that life, and, in a world with more than one right answer, that’s OK. But I believe that there are possibilities for those of us who want more.
So I ask you….
What do you want? How can Dentistry allow you to make a good living while feeling content and fulfilled? Ask me what’s possible, and I’ll be glad to talk it over with you over Zoom or in person. I’m excited to explore possibilities in my own life as well as in yours!
No doubt about it, Dr. Lou Chmura is one of the superstars in orthodontics—but he’s also a superstar in life. Lou isn’t just a good person, he’s also someone with so much knowledge who is always willing to share his expertise.
As the founder of Egghead Ortho, Dr. Chmura has over 35 years of knowledge in the world of orthodontics. But he’s also committed to improving the quality of your life through retreats, life coaching, practice consulting, and free resources. He’s focused on helping folks like us find a balanced, healthier, purposeful life in and out of the dental office.
Right now, he is entering a new stage in life that many of us are striving to get to, and I feel so honored to be a part of this exciting chapter. After moving from Michigan to Florida and selling his home and a dental practice, Dr. Chmura is onto bigger and better things.
But before we talk about the amazing things that Dr. Chmura is doing right now, let’s take a stroll in the past. I want to tell you a little bit about how he has evolved into the superstar that he is today.
Taking a stroll in the past with Dr. Lou Chmura.
Dr. Chmura has started three
practices from scratch. The first one he launched was in 1988, when interest rates were approaching as high as 20%. He’s bought some, closed some, dabbled with the DSO industry, and everything in between. With all of this life experience, it isn’t surprising that he is currently working on a book.
In 2006, a friend of Dr. Chmura’s got a laser, claiming that he picked it up because he could perform better treatment with it. When this friend came to him to teach him about it, Dr. Chmura soon realized his friend’s method of training was entirely inadequate—he basically just told him “Here’s the ‘on’ button, go for it!” So, naturally, he started doing his own research and started trying to figure out how to utilize this newfound technology safely.
However, it didn’t take long for Dr. Chmura to realize that no one was teaching dentists how to use lasers safely. He then decided to take initiative and put together a course. That course then resulted in somebody asking Dr. Chmura to write a chapter in their textbook. That textbook chapter then led to an opportunity to speak about it. Those speaking opportunities then led to him being invited by companies to serve as a Key Opinion Leader. There was a domino effect of success after success, and things were really blossoming for Dr. Chmura.
Ever since embarking on this educational route, he hasn’t looked back.
Dr. Lou Chmura is excited to launch his debut “Breathe Easy” retreat this October.
Dr. Lou Chmura didn’t moved to Florida to golf, play tennis, and fish all day. Instead, he’s basically graduated into another stage in his life. Dr. Chmura is now empowering people such as myself (general dentists) and orthodontists to “Breathe Easy.” When he told me he was hosting “Breathe Easy” retreats, I asked him whether this slogan of breathing easy was meant in a literal or figurative sense. His response? “Both.”
Dr. Chmura’s first small retreat is going to be on October 5th in beautiful Costa Rica. They’re going to talk about orthodontic strategies revolving around OSA (i.e. sleep apnea and the prevention of sleep apnea). He is someone who goes to a lot of GP, ortho, and medical courses on sleep apnea, and his retreats are going to be transformational.
You’ll be able to learn about tons of great content and discuss it with some amazing brains. But instead of being with 50 people, clustered together and not able to talk to everyone, you’ll be in a more intimate environment with only eight people. And thanks to being in
a small group of people, you’ll have better access to Dr. Chmura himself.
How can “Breathe Easy” retreats influence your practice?
In this day and age, competition is fierce. You’re competing with DSOs, corporate dentistry, and a growing population of dentists who are opening up private practices. That’s why you need to have something that you do that’s different than what the other guys are doing. Simple clichés like “we’re friendly” or “we go the extra mile” just won’t cut it— they’re platitudes that won’t make a big enough difference in standing out.
And it’s not just good for business; when that mom throws her arms around you and thanks you for helping her son, because he needed a CPAP before you, it feels good. And, for many of us, feeling good about changing lives is the reason we got into this business.
Unlock the Secret to Restful Sleep! Scan the QR code now and discover how Sleep Apnea Retreat can transform your nights for the better.
Medidenta’s Sean Ryan, C Level Executive, discusses the company’s past, present, and future.
Q: What are some of the biggest moments in Medidenta History?
A: While most of you are reading this won’t remember the Giromatic released in 1963, the first contra angle for the mechanical preparation of root canals, or in 1984 the release of the Sonic MM1500, some are familiar with the last breakthrough with our Air Free 90° high-speed handpiece, the worlds first rear venting 90° High-Speed Handpiece. For over 80 years, Medidenta has been serving the dental profession with innovation, direct pricing, and unparalleled customer service, which remains true today but with much greater reach.
Q: How has Medidenta grown in today’s business climate?
A: We’ve been busy the last pre, during, and post-pandemic. Medidenta has made some strategic acquisitions like the additions of Prophy Magic Hygiene, Whiter Image Dental, Ultradent’s Genius Proflex Endo System, and in-house contract manufacturing emphasizing its expansions in today’s business climate. We have been able to transform from a catalog/tradeshow company to a successful e-commerce force in the dental industry. Medidenta executives recognized the importance of online visibility and made efforts to expand Medidenta’s online presence through our own e-commerce sites, social media, and partnerships with external selling platforms. We have prioritized education and hands-on training for dental professionals through their Medidenta Education program. Overall, we have taken a proactive approach to growth,
positioning ourselves well for continued success in the future. We’ve realized if you’re the smartest person in a room, you need to find another room, and that is a big part of our growth. For more information about Medidenta, go to www.medidenta.com and see our ad.
Product Showcase
NLR (no lube required): The NLR is Medidenta’s two-piece hygiene handpiece featuring a removable nose cone. No need to waste contaminating a low or high speed for a simple alteration and a simple IPR. Just remove the E-type nose cone provided and add a contra-angle or alike. This handpiece was recently showcased as one of the best for being lightweight, coming in at 2.5 ounces, its 5000-rpm power, and its versatility. Medidenta’s Lube Free NLR Hygiene handpiece is highly rated and considered the go-to for thousands of hygiene operations throughout the U.S. Engineered and made in Japan, you can count on the highest level of calibration and precision craftmanship on every handpiece delivered to your office for daily hygiene in even the highest volume practices. Medidenta’s acquisition of Prophy Magic ensures the continuation of the most popular bulk deals, where you get free handpieces with the purchase of CR Rated Prophy Angles.
TT2200 NSK & KAVO Turbo Torque High Speed: Medidenta’s high-end high-speed duo will not only power up your office but cut your costs down at the same. Offered in the industry standard, Kavo & NSK type connections with added swivel over-the-hole options makes these a must-have. With the right coupler, both the NSK & KAVO style TT2200 will provide up to 25,000 LUX and a whopping 20 watts of power. The innovative design and the highest quality parts, including ceramic bearings and titanium coating, give us the ability to back this handpiece with a 2-year warranty, giving you added peace of mind. The unique chuck design can hold up to 10 lbs (over 40N), eliminating the risk of bur slippage and ensuring patient and doctor safety. The patented impeller design allows the air to be guided by a special asymmetrical impeller and grooved back cap to speed up the exhaust airflow and reduce vibration.
The Freestyle Pro boasts an extraordinary performance dual-mode control system offering variable or fixed 6-speed settings. The dual-mode control provides maximum ergonomics with its quick-touch button along with the anywhere convenience of the included Bluetooth-powered foot pedal. Hygiene rooms love the options only allowed with the Freestyle Pro has to offer. While other handpieces only work with specific prophy angles, this unit offers complete universal compatibility allowing you to use your favorite DPAs. Once fully charged, your Freestyle Pro will last through a whole day’s worth of procedures, and at the end of the day, simply place it back on the charger, and it’ll be ready for the next day’s work. Medidenta put together a great package, again with the clinicians in mind. The dual mode is one thing, but including three autoclavable sheaths at no additional charge in every kit was to make sure you are ahead of the game with autoclaving.
The Freestyle Pro was made with the Clinician in mind. Its cordless design eliminates drag and pulling and increases mobility for working professionals. Its ultralight construction comes in at 20% lighter than industry-leading low-speed handpieces in the cordless category.
After graduating from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2010 and spending a decade in New York City practicing in community health dentistry and education — and a few years in private practice — I co-founded my dental studio, Brooklyn Mint Dental.
At Brooklyn Mint, I practice mindful, modern, whole-health, and patient-centered dentistry with a passion and commitment to clinical excellence and social and environmental consciousness. Our studio delivers on my vision, which is to challenge the expectations of traditional dentistry using advanced technology, creativity, and integrity in a vibrant and refined atmosphere.
We run a number of social consciousness initiatives at Brooklyn Mint, and spearheading this work truly motivates me every day by giving me a medium beyond dentistry to use in supporting our community. For example, we’re currently offering small businesses a discounted membership plan — called Mint Condition Membership — so they can affordably offer dental benefits to their staff. We also have several co-marketing collaborations with neighborhood businesses and prioritize working with small enterprises
with a hyperlocal focus. Additionally, we support artists in the community through residencies and commission-free use of our space for art and community projects. And as a way of continuing to pay it forward, 10% of the proceeds for our Mint Condition Memberships go to a rotating list of non-profits whose missions tackle the same issues we feel passionate about — like protecting our environment, improving access to care, and opposing racial injustice and inequality. Last but not least, we offer smile sponsorships/scholarships so that people or nonprofits can gift a makeover to someone in need.
In the longer term, I’d like to create a dental assistant training program for single parents, allowing participants to get paid while learning the skills to become a DA. Because we are fully digital, those skills would also include being taught CAD/ CAM and smile design. The idea is to cross-train, so additional areas of learning would encompass concierge-level service and various aspects of business management (insurance navigation, etc.). This would allow trainees to create an income stream that works for them and their families. The program design stems from my experience working in community health: I treated so many parents, many of them single heads of household who were grinding away at multiple jobs and gigs, and unable to have financial or logistical breathing room to do things they loved, like spending time with their kids. I’m hoping that this program, once built, could give them access to stable employment with benefits.
I’d say that similarly, my vision for my life and my dental
practice are both influenced by my lived experience in the world. That experience was completely transformed when I finally started living life out loud as my authentic self.
Alice’s experience working at Callen-Lorde—the global leader of LGBTQ health—was life-changing.
When I finally came out in dental school, my life changed. It’s challenging to explain how something as small as opening up about yourself to the people immediately around you can change every aspect of how you experience your world. They say coming out isn’t a singular event — it’s an act you repeat every time you tell someone, and it gets easier over time.
After I came out, I decided to move to New York, knowing that living in a gay mecca would speed up my journey to living a truly authentic and free life. After finishing my GPR at Montefiore Medical Center, I worked at Callen-Lorde—the global leader in LGBTQ health.
While living in New York helped me to feel more comfortable wearing my colors, I credit my decade-long career at Callen-Lorde for helping me embrace gay pride not as a day or a month but as a lifestyle. There, I was given the tools to discover and welcome my authentic self and the opportunity to connect with other LGBTQ people just trying to make it through. Most importantly, while there, I realized that I belong to a true community. All in all, it was an incredibly rewarding experience in self-discovery while also letting me help those in my community who were disenfranchised and marginalized, giving them access to the quality care they deserved.
The importance of inclusion in dentistry.
Inclusion requires the involvement of other people, and involving others invites opportunities to empower others. People gain a sense of dignity, security, self-worth, and respect through inclusion: inclusion is such a simple concept that its importance — and the subtle ways it is denied to people — are easily overlooked. The simple act of silence as a gesture of neutrality is enough to express exclusion.
People are at their best when they are true to themselves. To be one’s authentic self, one must feel included. When people feel included, they’re better able to contribute to wider groups and society at large without fear of being ostracized. They can freely bring ideas forward from their diverse and differing perspectives and backgrounds while feeling safe.
But that’s the thing: that very space of authenticity and safety is more easily described than created. To foster new perspectives and create environments where people of different backgrounds can contribute, people must take the step to be authentic to who they are while also being empowered and welcome to do so.
Frame a new perspective: Always welcome change.
All that said, I strongly believe that principles of inclusivity are easy to understand for those who want to learn and practice them. I was required to take courses on these topics during my onboarding at Callen-Lorde. I remember telling a friend about it, and they were surprised, assuming that I’d already synthesized these perspectives because I’m gay. But I had to
learn as anyone else might. I don’t know what I don’t know, and I’m not scared to learn more about it. If you’re a dentist interested in learning and expanding your perspective, what’s stopping you?
I’ve also learned that inclusive practice is fundamentally rooted in the people who comprise it, which is why our staff happens to be extremely diverse and incredibly compassionate, consummate professionals. (As a side note, we’re also half LGBTQ).
We try to ground this in other ways too. From a visual and environmental standpoint, we designed it as a neutral but inviting open space where everyone feels welcome and safe. Our goal was for the experience to feel less like healthcare and more life self-care while also offering whole-health, patient-centered dentistry. We hoped to set the tone of inclusion and representation the moment you enter our studio, where people enter Brooklyn Mint and think: “This is not what I thought a dentist visit would be like at all.”
What ripple do you want to create?
What does success look like to you? What do you want to be remembered for when you die? What do you want others to think, say, or feel about you when you are gone? What do you want to leave behind? What do you want to be your legacy?
From this exercise, you learn who you are, what you stand for, what you want to be, and how you want to represent these values. Use this to ground you when you meet adversity because you will.
If you’re reading this, I encourage you to try this out. What we all know from the last few years is that tomorrow isn’t promised. What you do today is a choice. Even if you start small—you can start today.
When you look at the dental industry, it’s easy to see that it’s full of so many different people of varying backgrounds. I don’t just know this from being in the dental field for decades, either. Being the son of immigrant parents from Vietnam, I’m a firsthand example of diversity in dentistry.
However, when attending dental conferences and events in the past, I used to leave feeling a bit disappointed—everyone just seemed very similar to one another. It always made me think about how that’s a bad representation of how our industry is, because we have so many unique and interesting folks with such different life stories to tell.
That’s why I’m such a big fan of what Chris “Love” Williams and Karese Laguerre are doing with their Dental Culture Con—and I’m so excited to play a part in it. Chris and Karese launched the Dental Culture Con because they were feeling the same way I had about dental conferences and events.
The lineup of speakers that Chris and Karese have assembled for the Dental Culture Con blows me away with how impressive it is, and I’m so honored to be one of them. These are top-of-the-line speakers stemming from a multitude of different backgrounds and
belonging to a wide spectrum of different cultures.
Before I really dive into the Dental Culture Con, though, first thing’s first: Let’s take a step back and learn a little bit about the two masterminds behind this masterpiece.
Chris’s journey to becoming a “Prophy King.”
Chris is a United States Air Force veteran turned dental hygienist, entrepreneur, speaker, and life coach. With a passion for helping others, Chris has dedicated his life to empowering individuals to lead fulfilling lives with a personal mission to impact 1,000,000 people. As an accomplished professional and motivational speaker, Chris inspires audiences with his unique perspective and infectious enthusiasm.
Chris has a YouTube channel, and he didn’t typically talk about his experience being the not-so-typical dental hygienist until relatively recently. Since then, however, support has been pouring in from fellow men who feel empowered by him to pursue the path of dental hygiene. He only made these videos to share his story and be his authentic self—he didn’t expect to get the following that he did. But the support he received launched him on a different path and has influenced his life immensely, helping
him to venture into speaking, coaching, and so on.
Karese started as a dental hygienist, but now she’s more interested in myofunctional therapy.
Meanwhile, Karese is also a registered dental hygienist, but she doesn’t practice anymore. Instead, she has pivoted to becoming a myofunctional therapist. In addition to being the co-founder of the Dental Culture Con, Karese founded The Myo Spot, a practice aimed at amplifying oral wellness to whole body wellness. Through tele-therapy she helps clients of all ages overcome tongue ties, TMJ disorders, sleep apnea, grinding, anxiety, and various breathing and orofacial dysfunction. Passionate about education and self-help, she published Accomplished: How to Sleep Better, Eliminate Burnout and Execute Goals.
Karese has heard a lot of fellow dental professionals telling her to “stick in her lane” and just stick with doing hygiene. Karese’s decision to venture into the airway territory actually came from her children (when not working with clients globally she spends time with her husband and four kids). As parents, we all like to share the highlight reels. When someone asks how your kids are doing, you’ll tell them that your daughter is in dance or your
son is in basketball—everything awesome going on in their lives. Karese feels like there’s an underbelly where we don’t talk about those less appealing yet common aspects of their lives like asthma, chronic congestion, and so on.
Chris and Karese don’t consider the Dental Culture Con to be a conference—”It’s an experience.”
The Dental Culture Con is unique in so many senses. You’re not going to go there to sit in a cold room, stuffed full of people, with long days spent getting overloaded with information. While it’s going to be held virtually, you’ll have the opportunity to interact much more than you would in your typical Zoom meeting.
The Dental Culture Con will take place from June 15th to June 17th, and it’s super easy to sign up. Just register at www. dentalculturecon.com. There, you can also learn about what Chris and Karese will be doing, what speakers you’ll get the chance to listen to, and what workshops will be available to you. Representation matters at the Dental Culture Con—it’s a safe space where everyone will be seen, heard, and represented.
Chris Williams and Karese Laguerre are Bringing the “Heart and Soul” Back to Dentistry.Culture Life
Scan here to reach out to Gary
Looking to grow your presence on social media? Start by getting more honest about what really lights you up inside.
Here’s what I mean.
I do dental marketing for a living. So when I decided to grow my social media audience to help promote my business, my first instinct was to put up a lot of content about how dental practices can generate more new patients.
I was proud of this content. “This is gonna help so many people!” I told myself.
Err, not quite. Turns out that even dentists get bored after watching too many videos about dental marketing. Especially when the person making those videos wants to sell them something.
Still, I needed to put my company in front of more people. So I started experimenting with chasing the crowd. I’d post on trending topics, hoping to catch the zeitgeist.
But soon, I felt burned out. Yeah, I got a few views but the price was giving my energy to things I didn’t actually care about. Then I started making videos about coffee.
I LOVE coffee. Each morning, I find joy in the ritual of brewing a perfect cup.
Whenever I travel, I can’t wait to explore local coffee shops and find the one that really blows me away.
And once I began sharing all this with my audience, my likes and views started to shoot upwards.
Now, why should you care about my coffee posts? Because if you’re looking to grow your own audience for yourself and your personal brand, the lesson here is really simple:
Stop selling and start sharing about what matters to you.
It doesn’t have to be coffee, of course. Behind-the-scenes looks at your practice, meditations on work-life balance, blooper reels of your pets— most anything is fair game.
Share about the stuff that makes you get out of bed in the morning. Share about that one thing that you can’t stop telling all your friends about.
And if you’re willing, share about your struggles, too. You’ll help others see that the seemingly polished doctor in front of them is actually a vulnerable human being—just like they are.
Do this and your content will jump off the screen because you’ll be speaking from the heart. You’ll begin to build a
genuine bond with your audience. It won’t happen overnight. Any social media strategy is a long play. But over time, you’ll develop a sense of how to hit the balance between personal passion and audience appeal. And opportunities will start to appear.
For me, coffee posts have helped me meet folks who I’ve gone on to collaborate with professionally or interview on my podcasts. You might find yourself connecting with potential new hires (or job opportunities), growth partners, or even new offices to buy!
If you’re willing to put yourself out there, good things happen.
Gary Bird is the founder of SMC National, a company that delivers new dental patients and helps practices grow. Say hi on LinkedIn or learn more at smcnational.com.
by Nifty Thrifty Dentist Members
DR. STEPHANIE BURROUGHS (Rochester, NY)
KATRINA KLEIN , RDH
Avon Dental
• Tom Wahls
• NY Beer Project
• Next Door
MORRIS MUGO, RDH
Safari and Smiles (Washington DC)
• Swahili Village
• Le Diplomate
• Blue Duck Tavern
SEAN RYAN Medidenta (Chicago, IL)
• Gene Georgetti Steak House
• Uno Pizzeria (The Orginal)
• The Rosebud (Taylor Street)
DR. LAURA BRENNER STUDHOLME Lolabee’s Career Coaching (Denver, CO)
• Izakaya Den
• Linger
• Patzcuaro’s
Ergo Fit Life (Sacramento, CA)
• Scott’s Seafood
• McClard's Bar-B-Q
• The Ohio Club
• Mr. Whisker’s
DR. DANNICA BRENNAN
Flossologie (Tampa, FL)
• Miguelitos
• Bellas (Italian food)
• Bern's Steak house
CHRIS WILLIAMS, RDH
Prophy Kings and Dental Culture Con (Atlanta, GA)
• El Taco
• Fox Bros. BBQ
• PH’East
DR. AARON JEZIORSKI
Arizona Biltmore Dentistry (Mesa, AZ)
• Toca Madera
• Maple n Ash
• Steak 44
DR. GAYLINA REACHI
ABQ Dentists (Albuquerque, NM)
• Campo at Los Pablanos
• Savoy Bar & Grill
• Vernon's Speakeasy
DR. DANTON BRADSHAW
Snowy River Dental (Bellevue, ID)
• Smoky Mountain Pizzeria & Grill
• The Pioneer Saloon
• Snowbunny Drive-In
DR. AMANDA SHEEHAN
Oakland Family Dental (Detroit, MI)
• HopCat
• Selden Standard
• Andiamo
DR. MIKE TRAN
Floss Dental (Houston, TX)
• Potente
• Crawfish Cafe
• Trendy Dumpling
DR. GLENN VO
Dental Lifestyles Magazine
Nifty Thrifty Dentists (Dallas, TX)
• Hutchins BBQ
• Mia’s Tex Mex
• Perry’s Steakhouse
DR. BEN SUTTER
Digital Occlusion Semiars (Eugene, OR)
• Tacovore
• Tuckeys
• Lani Moku Grill
DR. MELISSA NAIDYHORSKI
Tranquility Dental (Minneapolis, MN)
• BLVD
• Murrays
DR. RON NGUYEN
Ultralight Optics (Costa Mesa, CA)
• Garlic and Chives
Perry’s SteakhouseElijah Desmond is somebody I’ve grown close to over the years.
We have a lot in common. For one, we both enjoy connecting and helping dental professionals all across the country. We both believe in the “Abundance Mindset” mentality. And we’re both two of the most charming men in Dentistry (well, at least that’s what our wives tell us). All kidding aside, what really draws people to Elijah is that he truly believes EVERYONE has something significant to give to dentistry if given the opportunity.
And its with that spirit that I introduce you to the Elijah Desmond I know and all the amazing things he does for our industry.
There’s a reason this man is all the hype.
Elijah has been in the dental industry since 2009, practicing as a hygienist. After graduating from Ohio State University, he moved to Hawaii for a few years, then Vegas, and now Florida.
Three years ago, Elijah had the idea to get trained to become a professional DJ. In December of this last year, he graduated from Scratch Academy. During school, he was DJing at events and even took seven months to go on tour on a 46-foot tour bus, stopping at dental conferences to MC or DJ. Since then, he’s had once-in-a-lifetimes experiences DJing on the Nile River in Egypt, Cancun, Jamaica, Cabo, the Bahamas, and more than 25 U.S. states.
Elijah has found that DJing is a great way to help fellow speakers with introducing themselves to a crowd. Instead of reading a list of speakers from a podium in a boring way, Elijah gives them a fun walk-on song that brings about an explosion of energy. Folks have directly told Elijah that these walk on songs have brought about the best intro they’ve ever had, which provides Elijah with an even greater sense of purpose.
For Elijah, there’s no better feedback than being invited back for the next event. To work with amazing people as well as high level organizations and receive such positive responses means a lot to Elijah—it’s one of the best sources of validations and best compliments he can get—not to mention that he finds a lot of fulfillment providing those experiences. And as someone who has seen Elijah up close when he’s DJing, I’d be the first to say that he truly brings a whole different level of energy.
How’d this legend get into hosting CE events?
Authenticity is important to Elijah, and he had long been feeling that the dental conferences he was attending were full of people who just weren’t showing up as their authentic selves.
Everyone is wearing a shirt and tie, acting formal and professional, and never taking off their “masks.”
So, being the entrepreneur that he is, Elijah made a mission to humanize dental conferences and make it so everyone is in the same playing field. He wanted the type of event where you might go in to see one speaker that you enjoy only to come out with five new favorites—all for the price of one ticket.
That’s how the Dental Festival was born. Thanks to the Dental Festival, Elijah has multiple different dental conferences all under the same venue (the next event is going to take place from August 24th through the 26th). There’s something for everyone whether you’re a front desk team member, a cosmetic dentist, an orthodontist, or even someone who ventures in the territories of real estate, crypto, and so on. Over 200 dental celebrities show up, and they’re always willing to talk to you—it doesn’t matter if they have a million followers or are the CEO of a massive company. Where else would you find a Forensic Dentistry conference at the same venue as a Business of Dentistry Conference?
Elijah’s goal is to put everyone together on an equal playing field, announcing on the stage that this is a place where everyone is free to be themselves—to dance, sing, go to the pool, or do whatever makes them happy—that no one is better than you, and to embrace human connection instead of worrying about impressions.
Elijah doesn’t just host CE events, though—he also hosts retreats.
Typically, Elijah is more interested in hosting massive events like the Dental Festival, where almost 1,000 people showed up, or Smiles at Sea cruises where hundreds of people say “Bon voyage.”
However, there’s now an upcoming event you can participate in if you’re an entrepreneur. This event is called “Destination Unknown,” where 20 entrepreneurs of all levels will gather. It doesn’t matter if you just have a vision for a business, are an established business owner, or are just a dentist who is looking to surround themselves with fellow growth-minded people.
The tagline for Destination
Unknown is “You never went so far not knowing where you’re going.” The idea is that you’ll be going somewhere around the world, but you have no idea where until you actually arrive at the airport. It’s a bucket list item—meaning it’s a once-in-alifetime trip—and you’ll need
your passport as it is international.
Elijah pays for the plane tickets, hotels, and excursions, and he’s not taking the “affordable” route—this is a luxury vacation. You won’t only get some respite and relaxation, but you’ll also come out of there with a 12-month business plan and, most importantly, an accountability partner. You won’t have anything to do with one another’s business, but they’ll hold you accountable to your goals and you’ll do the same for them.
Destination Unknown boasts a mastermind setting, and what’s really interesting is that you’ll be paired up with two to four people who like the same music as you—at the same volume levels—and you’ll all go into a war room together for an hour at a time to reach peak creativity. Afterward, you’ll bring your business ideas to the full group of 20 and they’ll serve as a sounding board and help you organize your business plan. Elijah bases this session on a German philosophy term, “Gestalt,” which basically means that you can only share something if you’ve had experience.
The truth is, Elijah and I have been accountability partners since way back. Not only that, but I take my team to his events all the time. My team is obsessed with the Smiles at Sea cruise, always asking me when I’ll take them on it next. They talk about how they miss Elijah
and his team, not to mention how much fun they have cruising through the tropics.
Elijah has some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Elijah thinks any aspiring entrepreneur ought to join a mastermind after utilizing these brainstorming groups for at least six years now. You’re going to surround yourself with people who have years of experience that they can bestow upon you with minutes or hours. When you find yourself stranded in the desert and you don’t know which way to go, they’ll be the ones to lead you to the water they’ve already been to. They’ll share their knowledge, offer their resources, and get you there way faster than you would on your lonesome.
I always like to say that if you’re the smartest person in the room, then chances are you should go to another room. If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur or a person, you can’t be complacent—you need to keep pushing and surround yourself with people who are even brighter.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to Elijah.
A lot of entrepreneurs or “big shots” pride themselves on not being accessible—being too busy to make the time of day— using gatekeepers for people to communicate with them. But, no matter how big Elijah gets,
he always makes a point to remain accessible. He doesn’t want to just be accessible for people on the top, he wants to be someone anyone can confide in—whether they’re just starting their entrepreneurial journey or are well-established.
If you want to talk to Elijah about anything, it’s very easy. Just scan the QR code and schedule a time to talk. It doesn’t matter if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, DJ, or what. You won’t have to pay for his time, either—he’s willing to just lend a helping hand.
As a company, one of our main goals is to make things simple (not to mention affordable) for dentists when it comes to building top-of-the-line websites and implementing effective marketing.
www.docsites.com
1-888-980-4949
As fellow business owners, we know all about the grind. We can speak firsthand about how growing a business—let alone a dental practice—isn’t easy at all, which is why we’re so passionate about making life easier for dentists. We reduce headaches from the sales, to the sign up, to the on boarding, all the way to the monthly updates, marketing, and more.
We pride ourselves on never locking our clients into a long term contract. You can cancel anytime by providing us a 30 day notice to discontinue our services. We’re all about being transparent with no pushy sales or aggressive commission-based tactics. We know the truth is that if we can do good work, offer 5-star customer service, and provide great pricing, then our clients are bound to stay with us—there’s no need to hide a trick up our sleeves (unlike the other guys).
It’s truly a privilege to be of service to the dental community. Helping dentists achieve their individual goals and working with such a diverse group of hard-working people teaches us so many invaluable lessons and brings a great deal of joy to each and every one of us at The Doc Sites.
If you’re interested in working with us, the easiest way to do so is to give us a call at 1-888-980-4949 and we will walk you through the sign up and set up process. You can learn more about how it works by using the QR code below.
I couldn't be happier. I have tried a few different sites to publish and host my dental practice website and this one has been the best! They are very professional and responsive - I get a response the same day. Very happy!
We have been using The Doc Sites since October 2022. We are really happy with their services. Kayvan is our representative, and he is very professional and helpful. He even gave us a QR code that we can hand directly to our patients for a review while they are waiting in the chair.
I definitely recommend the services of The Doc Sites if you are not happy with your current provider or if you want to improve your online presence.”
Dr. Benjamin Clove
Is a three-time American Ninja Warrior competitor and reigning Powerlifting World Champion with three world records in the squat event. Alongside her athletic pursuits, she is a successful dentist and owner of Lumber River Dental, a practice she built from the ground up over a decade ago. Dr. Walker also provides fitness and nutrition coaching for women through her website, www.femmestrongfit.com, and on Instagram at @femmestrongfit, inspiring others to live their healthiest and strongest lives both physically and mentally.
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Set aside time: Time will not magically appear down from the sky and say, "Hi there, this is your dedicated workout and training time. You will have no interruptions or distractions." You have to create this intentionally. Whether it be in the am ( which is my favorite time because I feel the best and no daily to-do’s can get in my way), noon, or pm, make sure that it is planned and time is scheduled for it. If not then, most likely, it won't happen. 2
Be consistent: Once you nail your schedule and you have to do it, dammit. Over and over again. Working out and daily movement is not meant to be done only to reach a goal but for life. And if you are trying to reach a goal - it takes time. Progress is often slow when it comes to our bodies, especially as we age. It's the best medicine we have to fight aging and disease, coupled with nutrition. It is a consistent lifelong process. 3
Plan: It takes a lot of brain energy to plan on the spot what you want or need to do for your workout. Whether that plan is to go to a certain yoga or boot camp class or a home HIIT session—make sure you have one—ahead of time. It is more efficient and makes it much easier to stick to a routine if you know what you are doing. You can either plan your own workouts or have a coach/trainer design a program that is best for your goals and lifestyle. 4
Dial in your nutrition: Even if you have the best program and are slaying it like a champ, results and health will be subpar if you're eating badly. Meals, like workouts, need to be planned. Your plate of nutrient-rich veggies, healthy carbs, and adequate protein, all in the proper portions, is not going to appear on your plate magically. You will have to make it happen. I'm a big fan of meal prep and on Sundays I make all my lunches for the week—and plan out my breakfasts and dinners. I make sure all veggies are cut and protein (I'm a big fan of salmon ) is all ready to throw into the air fryer when I get home. No trying to figure anything out because it's so easy to grab what's easy—which is usually the unhealthiest for us, especially when we have had a long day at the office.
5Enjoy it!: You have to pick an activity and ways to move your body that you actually like to do. Even if you had the best-designed workout program but hated to do it then, eventually, you would stop. Exercise can't be viewed as torture (work, yes, but not torture). Do you hate going to the gym? Then workout at home. Do you find that going to the gym actually motivates you and you feel more alive with human interaction? Then go to the gym. Do you hate running but love rebounding on the mini-tramp while listening to your favorite podcasts? Then jump and listen. If you have a trainer or coach then let them know this so your program can be something you look forward to and not all drudgery. When it comes to fitness, a little fun will get you farther than you think.
In order to show up within what Leah calls the “A-Line” model, we need to think and feel differently than we did before. Otherwise, we feel like we’re on Groundhog’s Day. We’ll have 40,000 to 50,000 thoughts a day, and 95% of them are from our unconscious programming.
When conducting an interview with Leah Roling to write this article, I immediately loved how she was ready to dive into her authentic self. For most of us, wearing a mask—especially during an interview—might be the norm. But for Leah, there was no planning—she wanted to just go “free for all.”
Her mentality is something rare in dentistry. So many of us dentists out there just have everything planned out. We go into undergrad knowing that we’ll major in sciences and, next, dive into dental school.
And, when we’re in dental school, we know exactly what we’re doing once we graduate. We plan on opening a practice in some certain location and get our business running. But, when we get to that point, we always wonder: Okay, what’s next? Worse, unlike those previous stages in our dental career, there’s no blueprint—there’s no mentor with tips.
And that’s why I’m so excited to have interviewed Leah Roling. She’s one of the top performance coaches out there and—honestly—she might be the biggest, best-kept secret in dentistry. But not anymore.
For Leah, there’s no doubt that we all have the ability to create habits we can cultivate in order to get to that next level—but it all begins in our mindsets.
So many times, we think we need to make this dollar amount, meet this level of production, or pursue this level of growth. But sometimes we forget about why we’re doing the things we’re doing. We forget that we have relationships outside of our business that we want to provide for.
We’re conditioned to do; we’re not conditioned to be.
We dentists often lack patience, unfortunately. If we’re not in a frenzy, if we’re not checking off boxes, then we’re left in our thoughts and our feelings. And, for many of us, that’s uncomfortable.
Why? Well, in dental school, we don’t have “thought” or “feeling” school. We’ve really not been taught how to think, and we’ve not been taught how to feel, and so we just put all of our energy—exhaustingly—into the hopes that this practice we own will make us happy.
But the truth is, this practice
won’t ever make us happy—it’s our thoughts about our practice that’ll make us happy.
Mothers always know best.
At first, Leah was a weight-loss coach. Then she was a marathon-coach, athlete coach, Ironman coach—the list goes on. And, all that time, she didn’t want to leave corporate. She was scared as a mom of three boys—the breadwinner of the family, the one with the insurance, the one that had the retirement, etc.
One day, Leah’s mom asked her something: “When are you gonna stop with that story? That you’re ‘good’ at what you do, and it ‘enables you to do what love,’ but you don’t feel ‘great’’? Why don’t you just do what you love?”
Two months later, Leah’s mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer. For two years, Leah’s mom fought hard. Leah stayed in corporate so that she could take care of what she loved— which was her mom, at that time. When Leah’s mother passed, she quit corporate and began borrowing that same belief her mom had relayed onto her: “Do what you love.”
That might sound wild enough by itself, but get this: that means that if we don’t hijack those thoughts and become really intentional about what it is that we’re thinking about, our very familiar paths will become our very predictable future. Worse, we think it’s something outside of us that’s getting in the way of the results we want. We decide it’s all about taking more action. Then we rely on willpower which is not sustainable. Willpower by definition, is doing something you don’t FEEL like doing. We must feel and think bigger and better than who we are at this moment in time.
Frustration has many culprits.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that it’s our practice that frustrates us—that the people the patients, the team members, etc. are to blame— and that’s not the truth. Leah believes that what frustrates us is our thoughts about them. And, in that sense, your mind becomes a pathway to peace. Your mind is your super power should you choose.
Let Leah become your pathway to High Performance. Scan this QR code to visit her website where you can check out who she is, get some free resources, dive into her podcast, jump on a (free) strategy call, and more.
“It’s possible.”
This article originally appeared in the Dental Product Shopper and is being reprinted with permission.
Two easy-to-apply, fast-setting bite registration materials are firm, yet easily trimmable, and provide an exceptionally accurate occlusal record for crowns, bridges, and other indirect restorations.
Consistency is the name of the game, but it can be an elusive goal in dentistry. Especially when it comes to crown and bridge, where one size never fits all, clinicians grapple with a variety of factors that can all affect patient outcomes. The usual suspects include patients’ co-morbidities and the quality of at-home oral care, both of which tend to be inconsistent. But material selection is the rare factor that can be consistent, and a reliable product, particularly if it’s bite registration material, can pave the way toward a successful restoration.
Kettenbach Dental’s Futar
Easy and Futar Easy Fast bite registration are easy-to-use, fast-setting materials that provide clinicians with an accurate record of the spatial relationship between mandible and maxilla, an occlusal relationship that plays a critical role in predictable and reliable restorative treatments.
“Our practice goal is to streamline our armamentarium and our materials list,” explained Michael J. Melkers, DDS, MAGD, FICOI, FACD, in Hanover, NH.
“That isn’t always possible, and in the past, I’ve had to use a variety of bite registration materials, depending on my needs. When Futar Easy came along, I was excited that it had the
material handling that I was looking for. I wanted a rigid material that would give me accurate, firm, and stable bite registrations, yet I also needed the material to trim easily without breaking. That is a tricky combination that I have not really found in other bite registration materials,” he shared. Based on A-silicone and made in Germany, Futar Easy and Futar Easy Fast are the latest bite registration materials to join the Futar product family. Both offer a high final hardness of Shore-A90 for minimal compression when mounting models in the lab, while also offering a material that’s flexible to process and easily trimmable with a scalpel. Highly thixotropic, Futar Easy and Futar Easy Fast won’t flow away from inter-dental spaces and will remain stable on the tooth.
“In addition to bite registrations, I use Futar Easy and Futar Easy Fast for protrusive and facebow registrations, and anything else that requires a bite registration, because these two
materials fit the bill,” explained Dr. Melkers. Economical and safe, clinicians can apply Futar Easy and Futar Easy Fast immediately, without any discarding or waste. For convenience, both materials are color-coded, featuring a cartridge cap and shield that correspond with the mixing tip by color.
“When I first used Futar Easy, I found it a comfortable and relaxed material that I could take my time with—I didn’t have to rush, but it also didn’t have me waiting too long. But if you’re looking for efficiency without trading off any of the values and characteristics of working time, stability, firmness, and carvability, then Futar Easy Fast is an exceptional material. It’s great to work with because it’s easy to trim, and my lab technician enjoys working with the material and never questions the accuracy or stability of the mountings,” Dr. Melkers added.
Shorter Processing Time
Futar Easy features a 30-second working time and a 90-second intraoral setting time for a total setting time of about two minutes, while Futar Easy Fast features a working time of 15 seconds and an intraoral setting time of 45 seconds, for a total setting time of one minute. The shorter processing time means Futar Easy Fast can be particularly useful for smaller applications,
although Dr. Melkers has made it his “go-to” for most of his restorative workflow. “After I was introduced to Futar Easy Fast, I really felt like I had found the material that is almost a onestop shop for me,” Dr. Melkers shared. “It has a faster setting time, along with the rigidity, while also providing flexibility, accuracy, and stability.”
True to the “easy” part of their product names, both materials feature stress-free, convenient handling and are easy to extrude, due to a low dispensing force.
“It’s easy to extrude or dispense both of these bite registration materials,” Dr. Melkers shared.
“One of the challenges with traditional firm registration materials is that they can be extremely hard to extrude from the impression gun. A common challenge with some assistants is that they can get fatigue or carpal tunnel-like symptoms, and this is comfortable on their hands and wrists.”
“Overall, both Futar Easy and Futar Easy Fast are less brittle than similar materials and are resilient with excellent handling—it flows but does not run,” Dr. Melkers added. “There’s a nice balance between flexibility and firmness, and its clinical accuracy is exceptional.”
Directions for the Phở infused rye:
Ingredients:
-Old Man Que Huong Pho Bac Spice
-Seasoning (#IYKYK)
-Rye Whiskey (I like Old Overholt when I'm feeling #niftythrifty and Rittenhouse otherwise)
Special Equipment:
-Mortar and pestle (or spice grinder)
-Coffee filter
-Silicone ice cube trays for large cubes or spheres
This cocktail is an homage to my Vietnamese roots and the “original" cocktail, the Old Fashioned. For optional added fun, use a lime ice cube to create a transitional cocktail: A cocktail which changes flavor as the ice cube melts. It's mostly passive effort resulting in a cocktail which has yet to not enthusiastically impress any one
-Separate the star anise and cinnamon sticks from the spice mix for later use. -Crush spices in a mortar and pestle or grind them in a spice grinder. You want coarse, large pieces and not a fine grind.
-Place crushed spices in the bag that comes with the spice mix and cinch inside a sealable glass jar (like a mason jar) and pour rye on top. Seal the jar and shake well. Let this mixture steep for 4 days, shaking daily. On day 5, break up the cinnamon stick and crush the star anise and add it to the mixture. After 12 days total steeping, remove the spice bag to decant into your final bottle or jar. Optional: strain again through a coffee filter into your final bottle or jar.
Directions for the transitional lime ice cubes:
Ingredients:
-Fresh lime juice
-Water
Pour a 1:4 ratio of fresh lime juice and water into an ice cube tray of your preference (I prefer the big cube or the sphere) and freeze. If you want that extra touch, you can put a star anise into each compartment of the ice cube tray.
The Old Phoshioned cocktail:
-Add the sugar and bitters into a mixing glass, then add the water, and stir until the sugar is nearly dissolved*
-Fill the mixing glass with ice, add the infused rye, and stir until well-chilled.
-Add the sugar and bitters into a mixing glass, then add the water, and stir until the sugar is nearly dissolved.
-Fill the mixing glass with ice, add the infused, and stir until well-chilled.
-Strain into a rocks glass over one large lime ice cube.
-Express the oil of an orange twist over the glass, then drop into the glass to garnish. Float a star anise on the lime ice cube (unless included in the ice cube). *When I'm feeling lazy I use demerara simple syrup or agave syrup
Mix:
-1 cup of oatmeal
-1/2 cup of coffee
-3 tbsp mable syrup
-1 tbsp chia seeds
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup of almond milk
-Pinch of salt
-1 tsp of cocoa powder
Next day: top it off with plain yogurt sweetened with honey then add cocoa powder dust on top.
Dr. Vi Ho Cypress Endodontics
I love this recipe because it’s a creative way to get everyone eat more oatmeal and also a very convenient on the go meal. I make this at least once per week.
