Dr. Lee Boyd is a pediatric dentist and practice owner from Allen, Kentucky, a town of just 700 people. He joins us today to talk about how even in a rural practice, he is able to generate massive revenues from the incorporation of orthodontics and Invisalign.  We discuss how pediatric dentists are the oral-facial growth experts and that we should be doing our part to not only diagnose, but also to treat malocclusions and orthodontic problems for our patients. Dr. Boyd is an advocate for using iTero scanners to offer patients Invisalign (he starts over 100 cases a year), as well as using this technology to show parents different treatment outcomes during the mixed dentition phase. We talk about differences in treatment for both permanent as well as mixed-dentition cases, including how you can use clear aligners for expansion as well as impacted teeth in 90+ percent of cases.  Dr. Boyd is passionate about education on this topic, and you can hear him speak at AAPD in Orlando at the annual session in May. 

Dr. Reza Ardalan is a pediatric dentist from Port St. Lucie, Florida and the owner of Ardalan Pediatric Dentistry. He joins us on the podcast today to tell us about his practice story and his journey to become a well-known personality on TikTok as a pediatric dentist. Some of the things we discuss in this episode: - How Dr. Reza managed his $470k in student loan debt - The importance of CE and expanding your skillset - Growth of a pediatric office and when it's time to buy real estate, build, and bring on an associate. - The benefits of owning your physical office as a pediatric dentist - Why more pediatric dentists should take advantage of the power of social media Dr. Reza is optimistic about the future of our profession, and he encourages any listeners to contact him via any of his social media platforms. 

Dr. Debra Cohen is a pediatric dentist from New Jersey. She practices at Riverfront Pediatric Dentistry with Dr. Eyal Simchi. After seeing some of the recent cases on iPedo that Dr. Cohen had posted showing impressive before and after radiographs using LSTR, margin elevation, and Hall crowns, I decided it would be an interesting episode to have her on the show to discuss these techniques. Dr. Cohen talks about how at their practice, they try to use focus on positive patient experiences and avoiding sedation by using sedative fillings with glass ionomer to assess the health of the pulp. They are able to treat and save a lot of teeth without local anesthetic, complete caries removal, or the use of general anesthesia. This was a great conversation and it was interesting to learn more about treatment philosophies that deviate from what we were trained in residency, but may very well be mainstream and supported by literature in the future.  

Dr. Richard Marn is a dual board-certified physician in anesthesiology and pediatric anesthesiology. He trained at NYU and Johns Hopkins Hospital, and was on Mt. Sinai Hospital faculty as one of their pediatric anesthesiologists for 11 years. He works in New York providing pediatric in-office sedations for pediatric dentists and oral surgeons through his company New York Medical Anesthesia. Dr. Marn is also unique because his wife Dr. Jessica Marn is a fellow pediatric dentist!  Drs. Richard and Jessica Marn recognized that medical education for dentists and oral surgeons is fragmented and incomplete. They co-founded an education company, Blue Pacific Medical Simulation, that teaches dental offices how to properly respond to medical emergencies in their office. In this episode, we review why pediatric dentists and their teams often aren't well trained or equipped to handle in-office anesthesia emergencies when things go wrong. We discuss common problems, review a recent pediatric dental anesthesia death in the news, and talk about how Dr. Marn's company runs simulations to train dentists on how to be better prepared. More info on Dr. Marn and his services can be found at the website below.   www.bpmedsim.com www.nymedicalanesthesia.com

Dr. Jon Lindblom is a pediatric dentist and practice owner from Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He's been a practice owner for 10+ years in his small hometown in Oklahoma, and enjoys the benefits of practicing in a busy and uncompetitive environment that a small town has to offer. He's a firm believer in reinvesting and becoming involved in your local community (he donated $50,000 to sponsor and build a disk golf course for his practice). We discuss what his practice is like, and also how he uses oral sedations with chloral hydrate to overcome the access barriers to traditional GA in a small town. Dr. Lindblom tells us about why he decided to sell his practice to MB2. For those that aren't aware, MB2 is a dental partnership company that purchases equity and buys out dental practices. In some ways it's similar to a DSO, but in many ways different. Dr. Lindblom really did his due diligence, and he tells us about the benefits of his partnership and why it was a good choice for him and his practice. 

Dr. Gerardo Martinez is a pediatric dentist who practices out of Milford, Delaware. After spending time in California, Florida, and Texas, Dr. Martinez decided to start a practice in rural Delaware. We discuss a whole range of topics on this podcast, including the differences in patient populations he has treated throughout the country. He believes the future of pediatric dentistry is bright, and he discusses how much need still exists in the more remote areas like Delaware. Dr. Martinez has a unique practice philosophy. We talk about how he is okay with tougher/crying appointments and being aggressive with extractions while at the same time using SDF, Hall crowns, and glass ionomer products to manage decay.  I had heard that Dr. Martinez invested in and uses a scanner to take digital impressions for his space maintenance. I hate fitting bands and taking impressions, so we took a dive into the costs and benefits of purchasing and using an intra-oral scanner in a pediatric office. It definitely changed my perspective and is likely something I will purchase in the near future. 

Dr. Johnny Johnson is a pediatric dentist from Florida who joins us on the podcast today. Dr. Johnson practiced full time as a pediatric dentist until a bicycle accident in 2002. Over the next 6-7 years he continued to practice while undergoing multiple surgeries on his wrist. He eventually hung up the handpiece when his wrist needed to be totally fused. We spend some time talking about disability insurance and what that journey looked like for Dr. Johnson. Dr. Johnson now spends his time advocating for public water fluoridation. He is a leader in the American Fluoridation Society and fights every day all around the country and world to promote the benefits of community water fluoridation. I try to challenge Dr. Johnson with the current evidence of fluoride, and some of the conspiracy theories and claims that anti-fluoride parents present to us. Dr. Johnson gives us the evidence and rebuttals to counter these claims.  He encourages any listener to reach out to him at drjohnnyjohnson@gmail.com for personal help in advocating for community water fluoridation in their own community, as he is very passionate about his work. 

Let’s be honest, 99% of our patient encounters are awesome and end with happy kids and happy parents. But then there’s that 1% of the time when things don’t go as planned and you end up with angry parents. We've all gotten those unwarranted one-star reviews, so now it’s time to share them to remind each other that you just can’t make everybody happy. This episode took a lot of time to put together, so thank you to all the anonymous pediatric dentists who took the time to share their stories!

Dr. Aaron Bumann is a pediatric dentist practicing in the Kansas City, Missouri area. He's is an active member of the Missouri Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and has been the leading voice advocating for improvements to our state Medicaid to provide better access to dental care for kids. Dr. Bumann and I talk about his background and what his practice is like in the Kansas City area. We talk about the benefits of being an associate dentist, and how you can create a healthy professional work environment when you find the right office and surround yourself with good team members. The focus of our conversation deals with the recent Medicaid fee increases that have been approved in Missouri. The governor recently approved a budget increase that will nearly double the current fees for dental services. To give context, a typical pediatric recall appointment that historically reimbursed around $90 will increase to around $180. This historic increase will allow more kids to have access to quality dental care in our state. Dr. Bumann discusses his role in making these fee increases happen, and gives some insight on what actions providers can do to advocate for changes in their own states. 

Even with a broad interest in practice ownership, giant student debt is negatively influencing future practice ownership. This was the summarized conclusion from a recent cross-sectional study in the AAPD journal evaluating practice ownership intentions and educational debt. On today's solo episode, I wanted to do a quick review of this article and share my thoughts. I receive inquiries several times a week from young pediatric dentists who express interest in starting a practice. I can tell you first hand that there is a lot of interest in the subject. Some dentists commit and make it happen right away, and for others it takes more time due to additional barriers. Even with the stresses of running a business, I still encourage practice ownership and I think this article does a great job shedding some light on restrictions that come with it. Shoutout to Dr. William Alexander, Dr. Joel Berg, Dr. JoAnna Scott, Dr. Roger Sanger, and Dr. Zheng Xu on publishing this study. The study is title, "Practice Ownership Intentions of Pediatric Dentistry Residents and the Influence of Educational Debt." Pediatric Dentistry V 44, No 1. Jan/Feb 2022.