Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran

Howard sat down with fellow graduates of UMKC Dental School to reflect and give advice to dental students and new grads. This episode took place in St. Joseph Missouri with Dr. Tom Moore, Dr. Dennis Myers, Dr. Stephanie Van Dyne, Dr. Lisa Gonzales, and Dr. George Ruwwe.

Robert B. Goldenberg, D.D.S. is recognized for helping dentists become more successful, faster, easier and more profitably than they might be able to do on their own.   He understands from his own personal experience the difficulties in treating patients while managing a dental business at the same time . “Robbie”, as he prefers to be called, hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan and fled the frigid Midwest, landing in Arizona in the spring of 2005.   He has over 45 years of active clinical practice in all phases in the field of general dentistry. He also has broad based business experience as the managing partner for a large group dental practice as well as going it alone in his own practice start-up.   From a practice start-up, to marketing, to practice sales and transition he can be those extra set of eyes and ears than can help you cut right to the core of the issues and make your dental practice run more smoothly.   He has personally been “thru the fire” and learned the hard way what it takes to turn a common dental practice into a successful dental business. His solo general practice was among the nations upper 1% and featured a low volume; high fee “no stress” environment.   Robbie attended the University of Michigan, majoring in philosophy, and earned his D.D.S. there in 1969.

Imtiaz Manji is the chairman of Spear, providing the strategic vision and corporate leadership behind the industry's premiere destination education center and digital learning platform, which he uses - along with his numerous speaking engagements, published articles and popular blog - to reach thousands of dentists every year. Mr. Manji's unique gift is inspiring others to action. For the last 30 years, dentistry has benefited from his powerful speaking and writing, his tireless leadership in an ever-changing field, and his practical, actionable strategies for a successful life in dentistry. Widely considered one of the greatest assets to dentistry today, he is a visionary and a coach at heart. His unique vision and razor-sharp point of view about the dental profession has been sought out by thousands of practitioners, many of dentistry’s highest profile clinicians, and executives at leading companies serving the dental market.   Mr. Manji has an unparalleled understanding of what makes a business work. His ability to grow companies – and to teach others to grow their businesses – in the context of a meaningful vision and strategic plan has led to partnerships with some of dentistry’s finest clinicians and thought leaders. Despite the scope of his influence, Mr. Manji's true passion remains always for the dentist, the practice, its patients and team. Having studied thousands of practices, he knows that no two are exactly alike and yet many face the same challenges. Giving practitioners the confidence to navigate these challenges, and the knowledge and tools they need to do so, is where his true passion lies.   Mr. Manji has been the founder and/or chief executive of four successful dental-related businesses. Today as chairman of Spear, he works company-wide to support new business strategies, the business model, and client success through innovative services and programs. In addition, he serves as a strategic business advisor to executives and sales teams at a number of national and international dental companies. He is also a board member for Futuredontics (1-800-DENTIST), lends his skills and passion to the Open Wide Foundation, whose mission is to bring quality dental care to impoverished communities around the world, and extends his personal support to a variety of charitable efforts outside dentistry.   www.SpearEducation.com www.CERECdoctors.com 

Mark J. Fleming, D.D.S. is a 1978 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. Dr. Fleming has spoken to several international groups on CEREC technology and has served on the Board of an international academy which furthered the understanding and use of computerized technologies and machinable restorative materials in dentistry. He serves as a consultant to a variety of dental manufacturers helping in product evaluation and design. Dr. Fleming has been a CEREC user since 2001, a beta tester for the CEREC software since 2004. He is a Faculty Member in the CAD/CAM Dentistry Department at Spear. Dr. Fleming also serves as Faculty on cerecdoctors.com, the largest online CEREC training in the world. He is a Basic and Advanced Trainer for Patterson Dental for CEREC technology and editor for cerecdoctors.com the Magazine.   www.SpearEducation.com

Dr. Sameer Puri is the director of CAD/CAM at Spear and the founder of www.cerecdoctors.com, a website dedicated to CEREC online education.   The website has become the standard of CEREC training and is the largest online CEREC resource in the world.   Having trained more CEREC owners than any other individual in the world, Dr. Puri splits his time between his educational duties at Spear, managing the cerecdoctors.com website, organizing the cerecdoctors.com magazine and treating patients at the Spear faculty practice.   Dr. Puri's maintains numerous professional relationships and is an advisor to many major dental corporations and works with different manufacturers to help develop and test new products. He has served as a beta tester for the CEREC software since 2005 and is deeply involved in helping to test new software versions   Dr. Puri is a graduate of the University of Southern California, School of Dentistry and the Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency from the University of Tennessee.   www.CERECdoctors.com

Kristin Goodfellow obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies from West Virginia University. Due to a high interest in the dental field, Kristin decided to continue her education and enrolled in Allegany College of Maryland ‘s Dental Hygiene program, there she completed her Associate’s of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene. At graduation, for her outstanding chairside education, Kristin was chosen by instructors to receive Proctor & Gamble’s Excellence in Patient Communication Award. This recognized her unique combination of skills, and inspired her further herself in her field, utilizing her ability to help patients understand treatment and total body health.   Kristin is still practicing dental hygiene in the state of West Virginia. She believes that successful treatment outcomes begin with accurate assessment, which leads to a co-diagnosis between the patient and the dental team. Dedicated to “Raising the Standard of Care,” and with enthusiasm about the dental profession, Kristin seeks out challenging opportunities where she is able to utilize her skills in both communication and dentistry for the success of the organization. She receives training and education from top-notch programs, such as Hygiene Mastery, which she attributes her beliefs of comprehensive and quality dental care to.   www.OraCareProducts.com

Dr. Sandra Reyes is a sole practitioner in Mesa, Arizona. Originally from Southern California, she moved to Gilbert when she graduated from UCSF in 2002. Out of dental school, she practiced one year as sole provider for a corporate-owned dental office, and then spend 9 months building the property she currently practices in. She’s been at this location for 12 years and continues to practice solo. Dr. Reyes is a Member of the AGD and ADA, and in 2014 danced for charity at the first Dance for Dental event which benefits the Arizona Community Dental Clinic.   She’s been married 18 years and is a mother of three little girls, ages 11, 9 and 5. In addition to running her own dental practice, she serves her church community in significant ways. She served as President of a non-profit corporation where she lead the production of a full-length documentary that is now undergoing international theatrical distribution, prior to being distributed on Netflix and other social media outlets. She presently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of another nonprofit, all the while planning international excursions or pilgrimages for adults ages 18 - 35.   www.ReyesDental.com

Dr Jesse Green is a dentist, entrepreneur, coach and thought leader who specializes in working with established high-performing dentists and industry young guns hungry for success. In an increasingly over-competitive market, he has made an art of helping his elite clients play bigger, better and smarter. He is the founder of Practice Max, a program that offers the latest in entrepreneurial thinking tools and cutting-edge ideas from the dental and non-dental worlds. Jesse hosts a popular weekly marketing show the ‘Savvy Dentist’, where great dentistry meets great business.  Drawing on nearly two decades of experience, Jesse is the undisputed authority on practice management for highly motivated and enterprising dentists – a combination he describes as a ‘dentalpreneur’. He is the author of Amazon number 1 best seller RETENTION! How to Plug the #1 Profit Leak in Your Dental Practice. www.DrJesseGreen.com

Dr. Stevens is a 2007 grad of Temple University School of Dentistry. He works for Willamette dental group (a large capitation group in the northwest) as a GP and manager. Now he runs a clinic of six group with full time endo, ortho, part time perio, and part time oral surgery. He’s been married 14 years and is a father of two. His spare time is spent playing tennis, canyoneering in southern Utah, and reading dentaltown.

Chris Pallotto was born, raised, and educated in Chicago. After graduating with a DDS from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1986, he went to private practice for a short period. In 1988 he joined Nobel Pharma (now Nobel biocare) as their first American hired dentist. Dr. Pallotto managed Nobel Biocare’s business in Southern California until 1997, moving back to Chicago in that year. He then was sales director of Biora, a periodontal regeneration company. Biora was acquired by Straumann in 2003. Straumann appointed Dr. Pallotto its Senior VP of sales that same year. Dr. Pallotto left the dental industry in 2006 when he returned to private practice near Chicago. Dr. Pallotto is married to his wife Teri and has twin sons, Nicholas and Andrew.   www.OakDentalAssociates.com