The Dr. Phil Klein Dental Podcast Show

So the question is, when a patient presents with a blown out tooth and can't afford to spend a ton of money, can we restore the tooth with a composite filling and will it last? Our guest today, Dr John Gammachia, says yes we can! In fact, a great deal of his practice is based on doing this as he pushes the envelope with today's advanced composite materials utilizing the latest bonding technology, and of course, meticulous clinical technique. Today we'll talk to Dr. Gammichia about how he does this with such a high rate of clinical success and at the same time maintains a very profitable practice. Dr. Gammichia owns a private practice in Orlando, FL, lectures throughout the country and has published articles on how to use composite for severely broken down teeth. He is a courtesy faculty member at the University of Florida in the Department of Operative Dentistry.

Dr. Dominique Fufidio, CEO of Fufidio Consulting Group, discusses dental insurance reimbursement and offers strategies for handling insurance companies. Topics include fee for service, challenges with insurance, strategies for dealing with insurance companies, understanding insurance coverage and claim reimbursement, and the issue of downgrading dental insurance benefits.

Michelle Strange, a registered dental hygienist with over 20 years of dental experience, discusses the benefits of integrating WiFi into autoclaves for dental practices, including remote monitoring and real-time alerts. The importance of infection control protocol and documentation is emphasized, along with the advantages of autoclave WiFi connectivity and T Connect. The future potential of WiFi and IoT technology in sterilization centers is also explored.

The geriatric adult population is expanding rapidly in the United States. How will this effect your dental practice and what do you need to do to prepare for the influx of aging patients. To tell us more about this is a remarkable man and dentist, Dr. Terry Grant. He is changing the lives of many older patients who would otherwise not get the special care he and is staff are providing. Dr. Grant has over 30 years experience as a Cosmetic, General, and Geriatric Dentist. He was awarded “Diplomat in Geriatric Dentistry” by the American Board of Special Care Dentistry and The American Society for Geriatric Dentistry. He was honored by the U.S. Congress for his service as a Geriatric Dentistry Expert.

Have you ever wondered what the life of a dental insurance claim reviewer is like? My guess is, probably not. If you know the answer to this question you're at a great advantage when dealing with insurance companies and getting paid for what you do. To tell us more about this, is our guest Dr. Dominique Fufidio. Dr Fufidio is the CEO, Founder and main coach at Fufidio Consulting Group (fufidioconsultinggroup.com) where she has pioneered a unique coaching offering: one focused on understanding the clinical aspects of the dental insurance claims review process.

Even though millions of patients have successfully been treated with dental implants some of us are still not sure if it's okay to probe an implant and what the proper protocol is for implant maintenance. To help us answer some of these questions is our guest Jessica Woods. Jessica is a RDH with a masters in public health. She has spent the last decade as a clinician, speaker, author, mentor, and public health advocate. She is also a past President of the Nevada Dental Hygienists’ Association (NDHA), recognized as an Oral Health Champion, and the recipient of the Nevada Dental Hygienist of the Year Award for advocacy efforts in expanding opportunities for dental hygienists.

Dental practices rely on the results from CDC recommended spore tests to assess whether their sterilizers are functioning properly. Today we'll talk about the other critical components of quality assurance, which are sterilization indicators and integrators. Our guest is Mary Govoni, a speaker, author and consultant on Infection Prevention Control and regulatory compliance. She assists dental teams in achieving compliance with OSHA standards and CDC guidelines, as well as following appropriate infection control protocols.

OSA is more common than you think. And as dentists, it's so important to identify this insidious condition as early as possible. Not only can it wreak havoc on your patient's teeth and gums, it can also cause serious systemic health issues for the adult, child and even newborn. Today we'll discuss integrative oral medicine and how it relates to conditions like OSA. We'll also discuss the importance of using biologically kind restorative materials that promote systemic health and predictable long-term clinical success. Our guest is Dr. Mark Cannon, a Professor of Otolaryngology, Division of Dentistry at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, and a member of the International Association of Pediatric Dentistry. In addition to maintaining a large private practice in the suburbs of Chicago, he is the Research Coordinator of the residency program at Ann and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Cannon is on the Executive Board, current President (2023) and a Master Fellow of the American Academy for Oral and Systemic Health.

In this episode we will discuss photobiomodulation (PBM) and how it plays a role in reducing inflammation and healing in dentistry. Joining us today is an expert in the field of dental lasers, Dr. Scott Benjamin. He is currently in private practice in upstate NY and has faculty appointments at several universities. He is the Chairman of the ADA Standards Committee Working Group on Dental Lasers and a Past-President of the Academy of Laser Dentistry.

Staying compliant with Infection Control protocol is of utmost importance to the health and safety of our patients. And we all know that every office should have stringent IC protocol in place per CDC guidelines. But in addition to the risk to the patient, the practice itself is also at risk by not being fully compliant. Our guest is Dr. Karson Carpenter, dentist and CEO of Compliance Training Partners. He will tell us about a situation where a disgruntled employee reported an office to the state board and how best to avoid and handle this situation.