This if the first of several solo study episodes where I will be reviewing certain pediatric dentistry topics as a way to review for board exams, as well as to review new evidence and clinical studies on the subject. Today's study topic is on sealants... how to do sealants that don't suck. Placing a good retentive sealant is one of the most technically challenging procedures to do well, and yet we don't critically evaluate how we place them often enough. There's a high degree of bias with how we evaluate our own sealants. We all know that a lot of the previously placed sealants we see come into our offices look anywhere from rough, to partially retained, to recurrent decay garbage. In this episode I review both the literature and my personal thoughts on the following: - AAPD clinical recommendations for sealants - Sealing over decay - Glass ionomer sealants and why you should consider using them - Air abrasion. The evidence is so strong for it, why does nobody use it? - Should we be bonding our sealants? - Isolite and dry shield vs rubber dam vs cotton roll sealants - Brands of sealant material - Sealing primary molars The purpose of these solo study episodes is to review what we know, what the literature says, and to challenge ourselves as providers to constantly improve our quality of dentistry. For any questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes, email me at cgoetz@troypediatricdentist.com

Dr. Eric teDuits is a pediatric dentist and a private practice owner in Madison, Wisconsin. He has been growing and expanding his practice for nearly 30 years, and he joins us today for a great discussion on how to maximize efficiency and productivity in the hygiene department.  Dr. teDuits discusses how he expanded and structured his business from one pediatric dentist to six partners with three different locations. We discuss how he brings on associates in his practice, structures buyouts, and involves the real estate. We transition into the focus of our conversation to learn more about how Dr. teDuits is able to see 60-70 recall patients in a day, with a focus on providing quality oral hygiene instruction while implementing good systems and a high-performance team to deliver the care.  We wrap up our conversation by getting Dr. teDuit's thoughts on the future of private equity and the influence of DSOs in the pediatric dental space. This was a dense and very fluid conversation, and we touch on a lot of different topics besides just improving practice recare. 

Dr. Ann Bynum is a pediatric dentist and the owner of Holly Tree Pediatric Dentistry in Simpsonville, South Carolina. She has been in private practice pediatric dentistry for over 20 years, and maintains an active roll in the AAPD while also acting as a board examiner for the ABPD. She comes on the podcast to help us answer some long overdue listener questions and answers that have built up over the months. On this version of our Pedo Pearls Power Hour, we answer questions regarding: - What's the best way to warranty restorative work that has failed? - What metrics can you track that lets you know it's time to hire an associate? - How soon in a new pediatric office should you start providing general anesthesia? - How do you control the flow of Medicaid in your practice to keep it at a healthy level? Any future questions, comments, or topics for discussion can be sent to cgoetz@troypediatricdentist.com, or DM me on facebook or instagram Casey Goetz. 

McDonalds knows the cost of a sesame seed on every bun they sell, yet when you ask a dentist what their case acceptance rate/monthly breakeven amount/recall retention rate of their practice is, most have no clue. With 2021 having come to a close, now is a great time to sit down over a cold beer or a stiff whiskey and start making some spreadsheets to understand the numbers in the business you are running.  Dr. Eric Hans is a private practice pediatric dentist with nearly 25 years of business experience. We have a great conversation about important KPIs (key performance indicators) that dentists should be watching in their practice. Dr. Hans really emphasized in our discussion that building a strong relationship with both your team and the patients in your practice is the foundation to why we need KPIs in the first place.  This was a challenging topic to cover because it can be so broad, but we did a nice job touching on most aspects of it. Everybody knows that a practice owner should monitor production, collection, new patient numbers, overhead, A/R, etc. But many KPIs go a lot deeper than these numbers and are critical for keeping a pulse on how things are going in your practice.  Some of the things we talk about in our conversation: - Tracking your hygiene department, daily hygiene numbers, and restorative to hygiene ratios - Breakeven costs and when are you losing money to do dentistry - Production on GA/sedation days vs clinic days - Setting goals and how often to track them - Monitoring new patient flow, age of your patient population, and knowing how to expand your capacity - Watching your P&L, and when is it ok for your overhead to be higher

Dr.  Kathleen Schultz is a dual-specialized pediatric dentist and oral pathologist. She teaches and practices at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. Dr. Schultz and I talk about a grab bag of oral path situations we sometimes encounter as pediatric dentists. Some of the topics we hit on: - Dentigerous cysts in the mixed dentition - Gun to the head, which is worse? Chewing tobacco or cigarettes? - Nutritional deficiencies and the increase in scurvy in food insecure or special needs patients - Magic mouthwash, prescribed topical agents, and geographic tongue - HPV vaccination updates - Primary failure of eruption cases Check at Dr. Schultz on her Instagram @drkathleenschultz where she posts unique and interesting peds-oral path cases. 

Dr. David Bailey is a private practice pediatric dentist in Sheridan, Wyoming. He has been using SDF in his practice for years, and was an early advocate for using it as a caries-arresting medication. While still an important component of his practice, he has since limited SDF to specific patient situations.  Dr. Bailey and I have a discussion about the potential issues with widespread SDF use in our profession, in light of recent issues regarding non-coverage by insurance companies for restorations placed on teeth previously treated with SDF. We discuss the pros and cons of its use, along with how the esthetic drawbacks can be perceived by the public. We go over six different unique patient situations in which SDF may or may not be appropriate compared to more traditional means. This was a great exercise for identifying situations in which SDF would be the perfect first-line treatment option, while in others it may do more harm than good. 

Dr. Christopher Chance is a pediatric dentist and the owner of Oaks Point Pediatric Dentistry in Houston, Texas. He joins the podcast to tell us more about his start-up journey to create a boutique practice in an edgy, modern office in the growing Houston area.  We drink a few cold beers and talk about some of the following start-up topics:  - Using corporate associateships as a practice run for a start-up  - Challenges with securing lending for a large or expensive practice space - Using local resources and professionals in the community to create and design a modern practice space - Marketing using word-of-mouth and social media - Understanding how start-ups have a young patient base that matures over time, and how the demand for dental services evolve Happy Holidays to all listeners and hard working pediatric dentists out there. I hope you all take some much deserved time to relax with your families. Don't forget that any listener questions, concerns, or ideas for future topics can be sent to cgoetz@troypediatricdentist.com.

Are you a well-rounded pediatric dentist? You might not be as much as you think. If I've learned anything about dentists, it's that they are resistant to change and easily get stuck in doing things the way they've always done them. A good dentist recognizes his or her own shortcomings, and isn't afraid to try new procedures and materials, and step beyond the edge of the comfort zone.  Dr. Sean Whalen is a seasoned pediatric dentist and practice owner from Westminster, Colorado. We discuss different techniques, procedures, materials, and ideologies that a well-rounded pediatric dentist should be offering. Dr. Whalen is passionate about providing a full range of services to best serve our patients, including interceptive ortho, oral conscious sedation, oral surgery, posterior zirconia, advanced behavior management and many others. We discuss that if we do not distinguish ourselves with our skill sets as specialists, corporate dentistry may push us out of the marketplace. 

This is the this third and final segment of our giant student loan story-time. Dr. Jared Johnson is a pediatric dentist and the owner of Arctic Dental in Muscatine, Iowa. He started his practice from scratch along with buying the practice building, buying a home, and piling all of these things on top of his large student loan debt. Proudly wearing the badge of "reverse millionaire" we discuss how he has financially and philosophically dealt with digging out this debt hole to have a thriving and profitable career, all while being able to see a high proportion of kids with medicaid in his community.  Our final guest features a great power-couple. Dr. Stephanie Guinn is a pediatric dentist who started a scratch practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her husband, Tony, is an endodontist and a partner at his practice. They come on the show to talk about their combined 1,000,000 dollars in student loan debt, and how they have a plan to finish paying it off. Tony and I get deep into the financial weeds, but it's a great podcast for dual-specializing power-couples in the dental field. 

We are continuing with part 2 of our special on soul-crushing student loans and how to deal with them! Unlike our last episode, the two guests today are pediatric dentists who provide the sole source of income for their families. Dr. Scott Folkman is a pediatric dentist in Layton, Utah. He started his own practice from scratch right out of residency, and has paid off 450K of student loans in 7 years. Dr. Folkman has utilized multiple rounds of refinancing to drop his interest rates. He is a great example of a pediatric dentist who has been successful with his student loans as the sole income provider for his household, while his wife runs the house with his 5 children.  Dr. Kevin Brown is a pediatric dentist in Lehi, Utah. He paid off $285K over 4 years while simultaneously starting a scratch practice. He was able to aggressively pay down debt by associating one week per month at a profitable associateship out-of-state, all while taking advantage of the current federal student loan interest freeze to pay down $8000 per month towards principal.