Everyday Oral Surgery

Referrals can be the lifeblood of your practice. Today we welcome ‘The Implant Doctor’ Mulokozi Lugakingira onto the show to learn both about his practice and about his effective referral marketing strategy. After chatting about Mulokozi’s personal and professional history, we dive into the top lessons that he’s learned from running his practice. We discuss the business skills that you need, along with the challenges that come with taking over an existing practice. Mulokozi then unpacks what he does to earn doctor referrals, touching on the benefits of hosting ‘lunch and learns’ and covering your bases by advertising on most dominant media channels. A key insight, he talks about the importance of targeting a specific group of patients before telling listeners what they should look for when hiring a marketing company. Later, we explore Molukozi’s surgery process, why you should know your limits as a doctor, and the advantages of being personable. We wrap up the episode by asking Molukozi our final fast five questions. Tune in to hear more about getting referrals and building your practice from the successful Dr. Mulokozi Lugakingira.Key Points From This Episode:Dr. Mulokozi Lugakingira shares details about his training and professional history. Hear about Mulokozi’s practice and specialties. The top lessons that Mulokozi has learned from starting his practice.Reflecting on the early challenges taking over a practice. What Mulokozi does to land doctor referrals and get his name out there. Exploring the value of diversifying your referral marketing strategy.What to look for when hiring a marketing company.The secret sauce for referrals; knowing your limit and doing right by your patients.Molukozi unpacks his pre and post-implant surgery process.Advice for new oral surgeons looking for direction. Why transparency and being personable lead to a stable revenue stream.Find out Molukozi’s answers to our five rapid-fire questions. Whether doctors should tell patients what to do or leave their decision up to them.Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dr. Mulokozi LugakingiraFort Wayne Oral Maxillofacial Surgery & Implant CenterUniversity of Dar es SalaamUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Today we speak with Dr. Jay Lee, a maxillofacial surgeon with a knack for orthognathics. In this special episode, Jay shares his experiences in the field, as well as the shiny pearls he’s picked up during his years of practice. To open our conversation, we hear Jay’s professional and academic history, before touching on how he forged a path into orthognathics. Following this, Jay shares some of the challenges he and his contemporaries have faced, as he reminds listeners there’s no simple solution to adversity — it’s just about putting in the work to create a good reputation. As our conversation develops, we talk to Jay about how he approaches surgery, find out why he feels it’s best to have two surgeons in theatre and his reasons for performing his surgeries at separate hospitals. In the latter half of the show, we explore some of Jay’s favorite pearls which include finding strong mentors and programs to get involved in, patient selection, and virtual surgical planning. To wrap up, we ask Jay our series of rapid-fire questions. Join us today!Key Points From This Episode:We welcome today’s guest, Dr. Jay Lee.Jay fills listeners in on his academic and professional history.Find out why Jay enjoys orthognathic surgery.How Jay and his group of surgeons have coped with the challenges that come with moving into orthognatics.Jay shares how he has evolved since graduating.We ask Jay to describe how he approaches orthognathic surgery.Jay details his best pearls after working in private practice for several years.Hear what makes orthognathic surgery so unique to maxillofacial surgeons.We give Jay our series of rapid-fire questions.Stay tuned for some banter with Jay.Jay’s parting advice for listeners faced with deciding their path in life, post-residency.Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Kaiser PermanenteUCLAParkland Hospital Cedasr Sinai HospitalNorthridge HospitalA Promised Land on AmazonSchool of Rock

Delivering an efficient and high-end service sounds like a challenging task, but Matthew Weber is here to tell you that it can be done. As today’s guest, we speak with Matthew about his experiences as a maxillofacial surgeon, what it takes to start your own practice from the ground up, and the virtues of taking digital impressions. To kick off our episode, we get to know Matthew by hearing more about his practice, as he touches on why starting from scratch is oftentimes better than buying a business. Following this, we dive into Matthew’s implant program and discover why this element of his practice has become so popular. He uncovers a range of detail, including his scanning process, torque checks, and impressions. Later in the show, we look at Matthew’s practice more closely and find out how he approaches patients who need cover-screws, where he fits into the communication chain with labs and dentists, and what types of equipment you might find in his surgery room. Wrapping up the show we ask Matthew some rapid-fire questions. We find out about the influential books he’s read this past year, his habits for success, and what his favorite tattoo-able is. Join us today! Key Points From This Episode:Introducing today’s guest, Matthew Weber.Matthew shares his professional history with listeners, as well as his current setup.Why Matthew decided to build a practice from the ground up.Some challenges Matthew has faced in setting up his practice.Hear what makes Matthew’s implant program dynamic and popular.How Matt deals with patients who have flat cover-screws.The benefits of taking digital impressions.Matt walks us through the scanning process.We discuss the second-stage visit and how Matthew approaches them.The biggest problems Matthew ran into when he started offering digital impressions.Matthew shares some of the equipment and tech he uses in his practice.How Matthew tackles full arch cases in his patients.Stay tuned for our rapid-fire questions.Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Matthew Weber on LinkedInPrinciples on AmazonDiscipline Equals Freedom on Amazon 

Performing a sinus lift through the maxillary molar site is an intricate process. Today we sit with Dr. Michael Olabadu to talk about his techniques and the finesse required to perform a sinus lift. We open our discussion by finding out about Michael’s professional history, training, and current setup. After learning about his journey in maxillofacial surgery so far, Michael then opens up about some of the most valuable lessons he’s learned. He touches on providing comfort and knowledge to his patients in order to create the smoothest and calmest experience for them as possible. Michael also shares why he pays specific attention to referrals and communicating to ensure that no information is lost or misinterpreted. Later in the show, Michael informs listeners on how his sinus lift technique has changed. He adds further detail by describing the process behind his new technique. To become the successful and sought-after surgeon that he is today, Michael has relied on his life experiences. He mentions his own experiences as a young patient needing a tooth extraction, as well as learning the hard lesson that one tooth can kill. Concluding today’s show we ask Michael our rapid-fire questions. Join us today and find out which books are among his most influential, how he improves his practice, and who has influenced him the most.Key Points From This Episode:Introducing today’s guest, Dr. Michael Oladubu.Michael shares a quick breakdown of his professional history, training, and current setup.Some of Michael’s recent and most valuable lessons that he’s learned.How Michael has seen growth in his oral surgery practice.Michael touches on the intricacies involved in sinus lifts.How Michael performs his sinus lifts.Types of bone grafts used by Michael.Michael tells us his own tooth extraction experiences as a young boy.How Michael’s experience with a patient's death altered his approach forever.Hear about Micahel’s experiences becoming an American citizen.How Michael’s struggles ultimately led to fulfillment.We conclude the show with our series of rapid-fire questions.Tweetables:“Engaging patients in an informative way is something that has helped put patients at ease and helped them understand that they have a professional that is working with them.” — Dr. Michael Oladubu [0:04:11]“For patients who might otherwise need an external sinus lift, by getting some lift at the time of the extraction, you may find that you don’t need much when you come back to place the implants later.” — Dr. Michael Oladubu [0:11:40]“What I have found is that you should still have a four-wall defect. You want to make sure you have the integrity of the buckle and-or palatal walls.” — Dr. Michael Oladubu [0:15:59]“People talk about pain from a toothache. If we have never experienced it, we can empathize somewhat, but to experience is to know. It is to know the amount of suffering that that patient in the chair is experiencing.” — Dr. Michael Oladubu [0:22:07]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Howard UniversityUCLAJohns HopkinsGrit on Amazon

Today we sit down with long-time friend and mentor, Dr. William Flick, to talk about the balance between working in private practice and part-time academics. To kick things off, Bill shares a brief summary of his training and current practice setup. After hearing about his stints at the University of Illinois and in the US Airforce, Bill sheds light on how to teach residents in a surgical setting. On this topic, he tells us why it is so important to allow students to learn with their hands, and why it can be difficult to not let them make crucial errors on patients. As our conversation develops, we ask Bill to share a little bit of information on giving back to the profession of oral surgery. He tells us about the importance of jumping at whatever opportunity comes your way, as well as the need to stick to it. Later in the show, we find out from Bill why private practice professionals are so useful to the academic setting. To conclude the show, we give Bill our rapid-fire questions where we find out about the best book he’s read in the past year, which forceps he uses to extract tooth number five, who has influenced his surgery career most, and much more!Key Points From This Episode:Introducing today’s guest and our host’s long-time mentor, Dr. Bill Flick.Bill gives a brief summary of his training and current practice setup.How to teach residents in a surgical setting.The importance of letting students learn with their hands.What Bill says to those who want to give back to the profession, but might not be equipped to do so.How one can stay in academics despite red tape and poor compensation.How to achieve a balance between private practice and academics.Ways Bill has changed his practice over the years.Finding ways to communicate on a patient’s level.We conclude the show with our rapid-fire questions!Tweetables:“It’s a lot more challenging teaching students in a surgical setting as opposed to a classroom. There is this tendency to want to jump in and demonstrate but the resident only really learns if it’s their hands doing the work.” — Dr. William Flick [0:02:44]“You have to jump at whatever opportunities are available to you. And then you have to be persistent and you have to stick with it.” — Dr. William Flick [0:04:41]“For full-time academics, it’s all about accomplishing the procedure the way it should be done. In the real world, it’s doing what the patient wants to have done and how to compromise what you can do to make both ends meet.” — Dr. William Flick [0:09:17]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dr. William FlickUniversity of Illinois

Despite decades of progress, diagnosing and treating nerve injuries remains a challenge for many oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Today we take a deep dive into the subject as we speak with experienced nerve microsurgeon, Dr. John Zuniga. After chatting about his professional background, we ask John how he developed his expertise in treating nerve injuries. In answering, he shares a roadmap to success that all upcoming surgeons should follow. While unpacking details about his practice, we touch on the improvements that John has seen in the field, including innovations such as nerve allografts. We then discuss the checklist that John uses when determining if a patient requires surgery. Reflecting on the difficulties surrounding nerve injuries, we talk about treatment and diagnostic limitations. Later, we focus our conversation on how John performs nerve damage surgery, with John providing added details on caring for patients with trigeminal neuralgia. We wrap up our discussion as John shares some final pearls of wisdom related to treating nerve pain, as well as dealing with damage caused by past surgeries. Tune in to benefit from his insights.Key Points From This Episode:Hear about Dr. John Zuniga’s practice and extensive experience in medicine.How John developed his interest in nerve injuries.John shares advice for upcoming oral and maxillofacial surgeons.Exploring the diagnostic improvements that John has seen over the years.  Why John is excited about the future of nerve treatment.The game-changing innovations to nerve allografts and neurotrophic factors. We unpack John’s checklist when deciding if a patient needs surgery. The factors that make neuropathic pain surgery so unique and difficult. What nerve surgery looks like for John.The type of information that can inform how well John can do his job.How John treats patients with trigeminal neuralgia.John shares his words of wisdom for treating nerve pain.Tips on being a top researcher. Dealing with medical insurers when treating nerve damage.How to handle nerve damage that has been caused by past surgeons.Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dr. John ZunigaUT Southwestern Medical Center Parkland Hospital Tufts University School of Dental Medicine University of Rochester University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Developing your mental strength is critical in landing and progressing through your residency. Today we speak with Dr. Chisohlm Emeka Chukwu, a resident at Case Western whose inspiring story reveals the power of resilience and mental fortitude. Early in our conversation, Emeka shares details about his background which include leaving Nigeria at 15 and working in northern Cyprus, Turkey, Latvia, and Poland before he settled in the U.S. After discussing his upbringing in a rural town, Emeka chats about what he most appreciates about American life. We then dive into the role that resilience and discipline have played in helping Emeka excel in dental school. He discusses ways that students can stand out from their peers as well as what he did to prepare himself for residency. Later, we explore the challenges faced by residents, with Emeka providing clear advice on how to overcome them. Linked to this, Emeka highlights the need to humble yourself and put in the extra time and work to correct your weaknesses. We wrap up our conversation by asking Emeka our final rapid-fire questions. Listeners will benefit from hearing about the impactful book that he recently read, as well as how valuable his relationship to God has been for his career. Tune in to hear more about why building your mental strength is so critical to your residency progress.Key Points From This Episode:Introducing today’s guest, Dr. Chisohlm Emeka Chukwu.Emeka discusses the globe-trotting journey that led him to the U.S.How Emeka got his start in dentistry.Hear about the biggest things that Emeka did in dental school to land his residency.The importance of resilience and constantly seeking to improve yourself.Emeka shares his top advice on interviewing for a residency.Why Emeka accepted a residency position at Case Western. How Emeka overcame his residency challenges.Insights into how Emeka handles racist patients.The benefits that come from humbling yourself.Why you should put in the extra to strengthen your weaknesses.We ask Emeka our final rapid-fire questions.Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dr. Emeka Chukwu on InstagramArizona School of Dentistry & Oral HealthCase Western Reserve UniversityEpisode with Dr. Thomas SchlieveParkland HospitalSan Antonio Regional HospitalUAB MedicineUconn HealthDr. Petra OlivieriDr. Jake StuckiMichael JordanThings Fall Apart on AmazonThe 5 Love Languages on Amazon

On paper, becoming a world-class maxillofacial surgeon should be simple. The reality can be far different. Today we speak to Dr. Kevin Haddle who has found the perfect balance between work and play. We open the show by hearing from Kevin about his professional history. We learn that his entry into maxillofacial surgery was less than conventional, yet it was a friend and mentor that ultimately helped him find his vocation in life. As our conversation develops, Kevin delivers parcels of wisdom for surgeons. He touches on eliminating the fear of change, why one should try not to create outcomes, and why it isn’t worth overanalyzing things. Following this, Kevin tells us what he has learned from being his own boss and why it is important to assess what makes you happy. He tells us that he has curated his workweek in such a way that he is fed both professionally and personally. Getting in the particulars of his practice, we ask Kevin to tell us how he established his practice as “the new kid on the block.” He elaborates on the importance of interpersonal skills, sincere gifting, and the power of positivity on social media business pages. Toward the end of the show, Kevin walks us through his experiences as a mentor and teacher and shares advice with young surgeons who might be thinking of entering cosmetics. To conclude the show Kevin answers our series of rapid-fire questions. Key Points From This Episode:Introducing today’s guest, Dr. Kevin Haddle.Kevin breaks down his professional history.Hear about Kevin’s goal to help people through plastic surgery.The reasons doctors turned Kevin away from medical school.How Kevin achieved autonomy as his own boss.Why we should let our paths unfold before us, without forcing our futures.Some of the lessons Kevin learned from being his own boss.How Kevin built up his practice.Kevin’s involvement with teaching and what he has learned himself as a teacher.Kevin shares advice for those looking to get into cosmetics.Some of Kevin’s latest clinical revelations.Hear Kevin’s thoughts on various therapies like cryo and red light therapy.Kevin’s advice for young surgeons wanting to get into cosmetics.Kevin answers some final rapid-fire questionsLinks Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dr. Kevin HaddleDr. Bill EvansGalderma

Dr. Michael Han is Program Director at the University of Illinois. Although he never had his sights set on teaching, he found fulfillment in the act and enjoys helping residents refine their skills to become the leading oral maxillofacial surgeons of the future. We kick off the show by hearing from Michael on his academic and professional history. After learning how he entered the world of academia and ultimately teaching, Michael shares what he enjoys about sharing knowledge with young hopefuls. He touches on how it has made him reflect on himself as a surgeon and the ways in which it has been a synergistic journey. We then ask Michael to tell us more about how he has refined his teaching techniques. He explains the importance of not making assumptions and encouraging your students to ask questions, especially as there are many solutions to one problem. Later, Michael shares a number of clinical pearls with us and expands on attractions and molts, and the reasons why he doesn’t allow his residents to deviate from routine. To conclude the show, Michael talks about which gadgets he enjoys as well as his one rule for using them. For a handful of clinical pearls, be sure to join us today!Key Points From This Episode:Introducing today’s guest, Dr. Michael Han.Michael shares his academic and professional history.How Michael made his decision to pursue academia.What Michael enjoys about teaching.Michael’s experiences letting his residents work on his real-life patients.How Michael has refined his teaching method.Michael’s teaching style and how it has changed recently.Michael talks about implant systems and which ones work for him.Get your fill on 3D printers and implants.Hear how Michael’s I&D technique has evolved over the years.Michael touches on his role as Program Director.Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dr. Michael HanUniversity of IllinoisUniversity of CaliforniaUniversity of SeattleUICNobel BiocareStraumannAutodesk Meshmixer

They don’t call him “Triple D” for nothing. Dr. Thomas Shlieve is an expert in the field of osteonecrosis and has earned his nickname as the Deadbone Doctor of Dallas. Yet the reality is that osteonecrosis is a serious condition that can greatly impact the quality of life of a patient suffering from it. Thomas knows this all too well, which is why he is hugely passionate about helping patients with dead jawbone. In this episode, we explore a number of different types of osteonecrosis, how medication can affect the healing of jawbones and what methods of solution are available to doctors and sufferers. Thomas shares what to look out for and how you should discuss your findings with the patient. He touches on explanations of drugs and their uses as well as when surgery becomes an absolute necessity. Given the many nuances of dead jawbone, Thomas takes time to detail how different patients can experience the condition. Following this, Thomas shares additional information on his approach to assisting patients who are on bisphosphonate medications and talks about how literature and white papers contrast with reality. In the latter stages of the show, Thomas talks about what options are available to patients who simply won’t heal and which surgical approaches he might use as intervention. To conclude, Thomas shares parting thoughts on when surgery is and isn’t required, as well as the cautions one should take with dead jawbone. Key Points From This Episode:Introducing today’s guest, Dr. Thomas Shlieve.Why Thomas’ nickname is “Triple D”. Hear in simple terms, what MRONJ is.Thomas lists some of the high-risk drugs that can cause MRONJ.What sort of things to look out for and what you should be discussing with your patient.How different patients can be affected by dead jawbones.What Thomas does differently for patients who are on bisphosphonate medications.What options you have when your patient is not healing.Tips for moving toward a surgical approach.How Thomas makes his incisions on patients.Thomas shares the intricacies involved in primary closures.Hear Thomas’ parting thoughts.Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dr. Thomas ShlieveDr. Thomas Shlieve on LinkedInComplications in Neck Dissection on Amazon