Everyday Oral Surgery

Dr. Andy Baber, a Northwest Arkansas oral and maxillofacial surgeon, explores his office-based sevoflurane and LMA anesthesia technique. He covers induction, airway management, costs, safety and malignant hyperthermia preparedness, patient selection, and surgical workflow. He also shares thoughts on endurance sports, parenting, resilience, and making time for meaningful experiences.

Dr. Brian Kinard, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and UAB associate professor, shares practical perspectives on advancing jaw surgery. He discusses meticulous preparation, the low-and-short BSSO technique, TXA for blood-loss management, repeatable workflows, virtual planning, and choosing stock versus custom fixation. He also reflects on mentorship, surgical excellence, running, parenting, and True Detective.

Dr. Roger Levin, dentist, business consultant, and founder of Levin Group, returns to explore the art of building implant value. He discusses training the ideal treatment coordinator, using empathy and open questions to uncover patient motivations, and focusing on life-changing benefits over technical details. The conversation also covers addressing cost, pain, and timing concerns, explaining treatment clearly, and creating a seamless doctor handoff.

Matt Dreyer, a Silicon Valley software engineer, entrepreneur, and ToothNote.ai founder, explores AI’s practical role in oral surgery. They discuss automating documentation, consultations, patient communication, marketing, insurance appeals, and repetitive administrative work. The conversation also covers chatbots versus AI agents, privacy, consent, data protection, and preserving human connection while adopting rapidly evolving tools.

Dr. Jake Stucki, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon specializing in anesthesia and sedation, joins Grant Stucki for a focused look at fentanyl. They cover its rapid action, patient comfort, dosing, cough suppression, contraindications, drug interactions, respiratory depression, and airway rescue. The discussion also explores postoperative nausea, nitrous oxide concerns, controlled-drug responsibilities, and cost.

Andrew Jenzer, a Duke oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and Damian Findlay, a St. Louis trauma specialist, explore the toughest facial injuries surgeons face. They discuss panfacial fracture planning, multidisciplinary stabilization, reconstruction sequencing, virtual surgical tools, and when staged operations beat “hero surgery.” They also examine ballistic wounds, cavitation, contamination, tissue viability, and the challenges of rebuilding after gunshot injuries.

Dr. Roger Levin, dentist, healthcare consultant, and CEO of Levin Group, returns to explore what makes an exceptional implant treatment coordinator. They discuss the ITC’s five essential competencies, 19 responsibilities, patient motivation, treatment presentations, financial conversations, follow-up, clinical education, and referring-doctor relationships. A practical look at the role’s impact on patient experience and implant-focused practice growth.

Dan Powell, managing partner at Minc Law, specializes in internet defamation and online reputation protection for healthcare professionals. He explores when a negative review crosses into actionable false claims, how privacy rules shape responses, and the risks of legal threats. They also discuss refund demands, public exposure, anonymous posters, monitoring, and building a rapid-response plan for complaints.

Dr. Joshua Austin is a restorative dentist, lecturer, and advocate for clinicians’ mental health. He discusses why dental professionals face heightened risks of burnout, depression, anxiety, and addiction. The conversation explores warning signs, boundaries, delegation, therapy, trauma, and when to seek help. It also touches on sedation challenges involving marijuana and antidepressants, plus practical ways surgeons can start finding support.

Dr. Rick Akin, a Louisiana oral and maxillofacial surgeon, returns to explore “unreasonable hospitality” in oral surgery. They discuss the difference between service and hospitality, personalizing care for anxious patients, empowering teams, and using small gestures to build trust. They also rethink practice success through connection, smiles, and stronger culture rather than financial metrics alone.