Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran

Recorded live at Townie Meeting 2019. Dr. Sonny Spera- former Syracuse Orangeman point guard, graduate of University of Buffalo dental school was an associate dentist for 2 years then ventured off to purchase a practice from a retiring/injured dentist. He has grown that small rural office into 5 offices, 6 Doctors and 60 dental team members. They have their own dental lab onsite that does all Crown and bridge, dentures, orthodontic appliances etc… the offices are located mostly in the 607 area code of Upstate NY. The practice is called Progressive Dental and is a fee for service practice that provides all ranges of care from orthodontics to pediatrics to endodontics to implants. The tag line – “it’s personal” fits their definition of how we want to practice, high technology but highly personal touch. They have been blessed to provide care for over 28 years to the people of the Southern Tier of New York and Northeastern PA.

Recorded live at Townie Meeting 2019. Dr. Michael J. Hoffmann received his dental degree in 1988 from The University of Texas Health and Science Center at San Antonio. He completed residencies in Hospital Dentistry and Dental Anesthesiology and is currently the only St. Louis area general dentist certified in Deep Sedation and General Anesthesiology by the Missouri Dental Board. He is a diplomate of both the American and National Dental Boards of Anesthesiology. Dr. Hoffmann is very active in organized dentistry. He is a Past President of the Greater St. Louis Dental Society and a member and chairman of various committees at the state and national level. He is a member of the faculty at Forest Park Community College and is on staff at Mercy Medical Center where he lectures to residents on anesthesia protocol. He also continues to educate his colleagues and their dental teams on safe oral sedation in their own private practice. In 1991, Dr. Hoffmann opened a state of the art dental facility that enabled him to provide dental services accompanied with Deep Sedation and General Anesthesia. He is dedicated to serving individuals with dental phobias; gag reflexes, the inability to become numb, medical, mental or physical disabilities, as well as young children unable to cooperate.   Dr. Thoms was born and raised in northern Illinois. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2008, his Master’s degree (M.S.) in Biomedical Science from Barry University in 2009, and his Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in 2013. After graduation from dental school, he attended a three-year Dental Anesthesiology residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) which certifies him to provide deep sedation and general anesthesia for dental procedures by the Missouri Dental Board. He is a Diplomate of both the American and National Dental Boards of Anesthesiology and holds faculty positions at the University of Pittsburgh and Saint Louis University. Dr. Thoms has a primary focus in treating children and patients with special healthcare needs such as autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Joseph (Joe) Jordan is the founder of JPA Dental Transitions. After establishing practice as a dental specific attorney, Joe saw that his skills in the legal profession could easily and valuably translate to the world of Dental Transitions. Now helping dental professionals through their practice transitions is one of the great joys of his job. Law remains one of his first loves and he continues to work and own Jordan Law Group to serve the dental community. Joe also greatly enjoys his time speaking to dental schools, round robins, and on national dental circuits around the United States. He is a proud husband and dad of two kids.

Mr. Bracken Killpack has been the Executive Director of WSDA since January 2015. Prior to that, he ran WSDA’s Government Affairs program.  Bracken has an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business and a BA in Politics from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.  Bracken and his wife, Kate, were volunteers with the United States Peace Corps in Panama from 2009-11. Dennis received his dental training at Loma Linda University, graduating in 1986. He returned to Tri-Cities and joined his father Robert in their Pasco dental office where they worked together till early 2010. Dennis and his wife Traci have two grown children and love being together with family for holidays. Dr. Bradshaw enjoys keeping up to date with the ever changing and advancing field of dentistry. This commitment puts him in advanced classes many days each year, which helps him provide his patients what really works and is worthy of incorporating into his dental practice. Dennis also enjoys being involved in organized dentistry and has served the Washington State Dental Association on numerous different committees. He is also a member of the International Seattle Study Clubs local chapter. Dr. Irwin is a Pacific NW native. After attending college at University of Utah for undergraduate studies and University of Louisville Dental School in Kentucky, he returned to Washington State to be closer to family and friends. Dr. Irwin is passionate about dentistry and is known to use vacation time to further in dental education by either taking courses or reading dental material. Dr. Irwin and his wife have five children. When he isn't working he enjoys playing golf, basketball, cycling, spending time with his family and friends and traveling.    

As Director of Strategic Relations for The Dentists Supply Company, Michael creates and implements strategies designed to grow and improve the TDSC.com business as a benefit to members of organized dentistry. He deploys the TDSC experts and resources needed to empower dentists to gain more control of the costs of instruments and supplies, and practice dentistry on their own terms. Michael has spent more than a decade in the dental industry, including owning a dental consulting company. His professional experience includes working as a Regional Development Manager at Align Technology, as well as serving on its leadership council, and working as a Specialty Regional Director for Pacific Dental Services. In addition, Michael has both pharmaceutical and medical device industry expertise and has served on two national advisory panels. 

Before graduating, in 1996, from Southern Illinois School of Dental Medicine, Rich Bailey had already become an entrepreneur selling his wildly successful Billy-Bob Teeth, which he invented while sitting in denture class. These novelty chompers brought laughter to millions and spawned a new global market. Rich has also enjoyed serving as a small town dentist in North Idaho. It was during this time that he recognized the incredible and largely unmet dental needs of senior citizens in long-term care facilities.  He developed a unique approach to meeting the needs of this community and Onsite Dental Services was born. Their mission: “Enhancing Quality of Life by Improving Oral Health.”

Les completed a BSc (Hon) & DDS at Western followed by a GPR at the London Health Sciences Centre. He maintained a full-time solo private practice with an emphasis on digital dentistry, prosthodontics and medical device research while continuing hospital privileges at Strathroy-Middlesex General. His research was supported by the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Fund and the National Research Council. In 2011, Kalman transitioned to full-time academics as an assistant professor and outreach coordinator. Kalman’s research focuses on medical devices & technologies relevant to clinical dentistry. He has authored close to 40 articles, holds two patents and has translated two technologies. Kalman maintains his position as the founder and President of Research Driven. He is an active member of the Academy of Osseointegration, the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, the Standards Council of Canada and serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association and the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry. He has been recognized as an Academic Associate Fellow (AAID), Fellow, Master and Diplomate (ICOI), has been awarded the Schulich Alumni of Distinction Award and most recently the Merck Patients First award.

Dr. James McAnally is the founder of Big Case Marketing / Dental - Trust, a specialty dental advertising and sales consulting agency focusing on the advertising and sales of full arch implant / complex dental cases. Client members treat 1-2 full arch cases every week and are located throughout the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Big Case’s Full Arch® Program constitutes the largest network of independent implant practices advertising and focusing on one day treatment modalities for the full arch implant patient..   Big Case’s Medicare Money Programtm is the largest advertising, billing/coding, and reimbursement network of implantologists.  He and his consulting team have been helping generalists, implantologoists, and specialists with advanced surgery and restorative skills find and gain case acceptance on major implant cases for more than a decade. He’s personally been involved with clinical dentistry for 29 years, named a global leader in dental consulting for 10 consecutive years, and authored multiple books on advertising and sales processes in dentistry for complex case dental patients.    His eLetter reaches more than 150,000 dentists worldwide every month.

Dr. Black owned his own dental practice for over 30 years. Once he built a high-level of productivity in his dental practice, he was able to sell to a group practice, and the rest of his career as a dental practice owner is history. In 2015, Dr. Black decided to share his knowledge to help other dentists duplicate his level of success and started his own dental consulting company. His niche was treatment planning and case presentation. Dr. Black is currently an associate coach and consultant, for Dental Practice Solutions, one of the leading consulting firms for nearly twenty years. By adding the perspective of a seasoned practitioner, Dr. Black adds to the proven hygiene profitability coaching that Dental Practice is well-known for providing to dental practices on a global level. Dr. Black’s expertise as an EQ and DISC trainer, makes him the best person to help more patients to say “YES!” to your patient care, as well as, enjoy working together as a team and love what you do for your patients!

Dr. Stephen Hsu, a tenured professor of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences at the Dental College of Georgia, is a world-renowned expert in green tea polyphenol research and inventor of green tea technology-derived products and medications, which treat dry mouth, dandruff, hair loss, cold sores, and viral infections with natural ingredients.  Dr. Hsu was awarded a number of patents on novel technologies targeting autoimmune diseases, herpes simplex virus, virus-induced infections, and salivary dysfunction (xerostomia or dry mouth).  Dr. Hsu has been selected as a TED speaker in 2014.  Dr. Hsu received the International Association for Dental Research (IADR)/GSK Innovation in Oral Care Award in 2011.   In 2015, he received the Georgia Bio Innovation Award for his unique inventions. Also in 2015, Dr. Hsu received the Oral Discoveries & Inventions Award from Georgia Dental Association (GDA).  Dr. Hsu has been invited to appear on numerous TV and radio/podcast programs, and frequently invited to international conferences as a keynote speaker.    Dr. Hsu earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Wuhan University after a six-year forced labor experience in a rural farm in China.  After moving to the United States, he received a Master of Arts degree in molecular biology from Montclair State University in New Jersey and a Ph.D. in cell biology and anatomy from the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine.  He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City before a career change to television.  During the four years as a television commentator and sports anchor for ESPN International, Dr. Hsu taught at the National University of Singapore as a Lecturer.  In 1998, Dr. Hsu received the Ruth L. Kirstein Research Service Award from the National Cancer Institute, and conducted cancer research at New York University School of Medicine.  Dr. Hsu joined the Augusta University, formerly the Medical College of Georgia, in 1999 and serves as Course Director for Nutrition and Course Director for Biochemistry in the Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences.  Dr. Hsu has joint appointments in the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics and the Graduate School.  He is a former President of the Georgia chapter of the American Association for Dental Research and a member of the American Association for Cancer Research and the International Association for Dental Research.  He has published more than seventy research articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, eight books or book chapters, and has presented his research findings at scientific meetings worldwide, as well as lectured for CE courses to dentists, dental hygienists, and pharmacists.  He has served as reviewer of grant applications for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the National University of Singapore, and for numerous scientific journals.  Dr. Hsu’s research has been funded by the NIH and the U.S. Department of Defense, IADR, Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), among other organizations. Dr. Hsu has collaborated with researchers representing the fields of oral biology/maxillofacial pathology, dermatology, virology, and molecular biology from Universities in the US, China, and Japan. He and his wife, Tracy, live in Evans, Georgia with their sons, Alexander and Andrew.