Academy of General Dentistry

In the May podcast, AGD Podcast host Wes Blakelee, DDS, FAGD, talks with Sarah Humphrey, DDS, about her decision to start a limited practice in dental sleep medicine and TMJ. They discuss the model Dr. Humphrey uses for the practice, how she is helps her balance work and family, and the skills critical to building her business now and in the future. Dr. Humphreys is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and is currently practicing as a Dental Sleep Medicine and TMJ provider outside of Nashville, TN. She recently started her practice and is limiting her services to treating only these procedures. She is passionate about allowing patients to feel heard and respected, while having the opportunity to make informed decisions about their health. Outside of the office, she is a wife to Dustin and a mom to Hannah Cate and Hudson. She loves the work life balance that she is able to create through the practice of dentistry and loves the business management and marketing aspect of her practice. She is also an avid college football fan (Go Georgia Bulldogs!) and enjoys cycling on her Peloton. Her favorite part of dentistry is building relationships with patients, team members, and other providers.

This month AGD Podcaster Wes Blakeslee, DDS, FAGD, talks with one of his patients, Tom Zarra, an oral cancer patient. They discuss how a lesion identified during a routine dental appointment was later confirm to be oral cancer, and other details about this diagnosis and treatment. Tom talks about what keeps him going through challenging medical treatments as well as the importance of his family and faith through the journey. This story highlights the importance the interaction between dentist and their patient has on a patient during oral cancer treatments. Tom Zarra lost his battle with cancer on May 21, 2022. We are grateful to him for sharing his story. Our sympathies to his family and friends.

The February AGD Podcast Series features Timothy Donley DDS MSD, a specialist in private practice in periodontics and implantology from Bowling Green, KY. He joined AGD Podcast Host Dr. Blakeslee to discuss the oral-overall health connection, and emerging evidence about this link. During this podcast, the discussion revolves around the evidence linking oral inflammation and cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Dr. Donley describes the public health toll that these diseases takes on the population suggests that incorporating cardiovascular and diabetic screening in the dental office is not only prudent, it’s our duty as healers. Dr. Donley is the founder of Beyondthemouth.com, uses his knowledge to convey the latest research and packaging it in a way that makes sense to patients and their families. His current emphasis is on developing effective protocols to educate medical and dental providers to co-manage the patients they have in common.

AGD Podcast host Wes Blakeslee, DDS, MAGD, talks with Christopher Phelps, DMD, CMCT, a general dentist, entrepreneur and best-selling author about applying principles of influence and persuasion to use to grow practice review. He talks about the importance of relationships and trust and how he works with dental practices to help them overcome obstacles that are keeping them from building strong dental practices that improve patient outcomes and overall revenue goals.

AGD Podcast host Dr. Wes Blakeslee talks with Jackie Ulasewich Cullen, co-founder of My Dental Agency, a marketing company specializing in dental practice. They discuss the importance of understanding the processes dental practices use for managing online systems to ensure patient referrals don't fall through the cracks. Cullen provides statistics on the need for quick responses and consistent and easy tools that should be used to stay connected.

AGD Podcast host Dr. West Blakeslee talks with Dr. Robert M. Maquire about the DISC personality assessment tool. “DISC” stands for the four main personality types: Dominant, Influencing, Steady, and Compliant. Dr. Maquire explain the different types and how you can adjust maximize the staff personality trains to improve overall effectiveness. Dr. Maguire is a dentist, proven leader, coach, consultant, and communication expert who offers consulting services to dentists and their teams around the country. With over 30 years of experience in his very successful solo fee-for-service private practice, in combination with his communication training, Dr. Maguire understands that practice success involves a mix of technical, managerial, and communication excellence. He calls it “The Hands, The Head, and The Heart Philosophy.”

During this pandemic and especially when you reopen, the telephone is the lifeblood of your practice. Katherine Eitel Belt is Dentistry’s Unscripted Communication Expert and she believes that its more important than ever to be able to connect and communicate at a high level without a script. Katherine will discuss the two telephone skills we need right now during this crisis as well as four simple yet innovative steps to polish your telephone skills and improve your results with new and current patients once your practice reopens. Discover how to create consistency of message without using a script and increase productivity tomorrow with incoming new patient calls. Learn to use a call evaluation process that can make a true, positive difference and accelerate your team training. With conversion rates of new patient calls hovering around 35% before the pandemic and, even worse, 40% of calls going unanswered in the average dental office, the lost revenue and opportunities will be staggering. Whether you are a referral-based practice or market externally, this course will dramatically improve your success in converting more calls to appointments, increasing your marketing ROI, and cementing your reputation as a practice with extraordinary patient service. Throw out those old, tired scripts and join us to learn how you can be amazingly effective and still be YOU!

Great leaders, business owners, practice managers, and team leads have been training for this very moment in time. As offices reopen their doors to an entirely different world than the one we left just a few months ago, practices that emerge victorious will be those with great leadership at the helm. AGD Podcaster Dr. Wes Blakeslee talks with Katherine Eitel Belt, a dental industry consultant and founder/CEO of LionSpeak, will share the three things you team needs from you right now as well as the first three things you should do when you reopen to slingshot your practice into a bright new future.

AGD Podcaster Wes Blakeslee, DMD, FAGD, talks with Brant Herman, founder and CEO of MouthWatch, about teledentistry and the opportunities for general dentists to incorporate technology into their practices. He offers simple steps to get started.

AGD interviewed Paul Edwards, CEO and founder of CEDR Solutions, a provider of on-demand human resources support for U.S. dental practices of all sizes and specialties. In this episode of the AGD Podcast Series, he discusses how to handle employee issues and navigate these details during this complex, ever-changing situation.