top of page


A Diagnostic Advantage: How Dentists Can Detect Hidden Systemic Health Issues
Many patients arrive in my office because they were referred for something specific—an implant, periodontal treatment or an evaluation for gum disease. Addressing that problem is important, but over time I have come to realize that it is rarely the entire story. What we see in the mouth is often a reflection of larger biological processes happening throughout the body.

Dr. John Bruce
4 min read


Patient Communication and Conversion Strategies
Launching a new dental practice is always exciting, but it comes with challenges—especially in today’s digital age, where online reputation can influence first impressions before patients ever step through your door.

Drs. Nate Jeal and BT Nguyen
4 min read


Know Your Numbers with Wyatt Ferber: Bottom Line Business Planning for a Healthier Practice
Wyatt Ferber wants dentists to see their practice the same way they see a patient: through clear diagnostics, measurable trends, and an honest evaluation of what’s working—and what isn’t. In this episode of the Dental Slang Podcast, he breaks down the financial fundamentals behind a stable, profitable dental business and explains why understanding key metrics isn’t just about revenue—it’s about creating a practice that supports better care, healthier teams, and long‑term sust

Dr. Reza Ardalan
3 min read


Case Continuum: Managing an Extreme Skeletal Cant With Limited Treatment Options
In this case, we explored one of the most challenging cant presentations I’ve seen — a patient with a severe skeletal cant involving not only the maxilla, but the orbit, eyes, and overall facial framework.

Dr. Amanda Seay
3 min read


Mouthguards Matter: Protecting Smiles from Youth Sports to the NFL
When most people think about a dentist’s role in professional sports, they imagine treating a knocked-out tooth during a game. In reality, the role goes far beyond emergency care.

Dr. Chad Kasperowski
4 min read


Artificial Intelligence and the Art of Smile Design
Smile design has traditionally focused on tooth proportions, symmetry and alignment. While these fundamentals remain important, I’ve learned over the years that the impact of a smile extends far beyond aesthetics. A smile shapes how patients see themselves, how they interact socially, and how confidently they move through the world.

Dr. Elaine Halley
4 min read


Handling Same‑Day Appointments Without Dental Insurance Details
It's a common but frustrating situation—patients, whether new or returning, arrive for their appointment without their new or updated insurance details. The most straightforward approach is to have the patient prepay for the visit, assuring them that the claim will be submitted to their insurance and that they’ll be reimbursed for any overpayment once coverage is confirmed. However, not every patient is willing or able to prepay, which puts the practice in a difficult positio

Dr. Travis Campbell
2 min read


AurumTek: From Congenital Absence to Full-Arch Function
At 19, Elan had only two permanent teeth and had lived his whole life with a partial denture. This wasn’t about replacing teeth—it was about creating an entirely new functional reality. Discover how our team approached this complex, full-arch reconstruction for a patient with ectodermal dysplasia—and the lessons every dentist can take from a case where there’s no “normal” baseline.

The Aurum Group
5 min read


Performance Dentistry: Airway, Sleep and the NFL with Dr. Chad Kasperowski
Dr. Chad Kasperowski is reframing dentistry as a driver of whole‑body wellness and human performance. What started as a traditional path took a sharp turn during his residency at the VA in San Antonio, where exposure to complex cases, IV sedation, surgery, and implants revealed a deeper truth: oral health and systemic health are inseparable.

Dr. Reza Ardalan
3 min read


Is Your Dental Practice Leaving Money on the Table?
Running a dental practice is about more than just clinical skill—it’s about building a business that thrives financially. A major pain point for many practice owners is not fully understanding their financial data and feeling disconnected from their financial reality.

The New Dentist
2 min read


Case Continuum: The Art of Camouflaging Cant
I’m excited to share this case because it highlights a thoughtful approach to complex maxillary cant challenges, showing how they can be managed in a predictable and esthetic way. One of the key lessons is that success is not always about perfectly leveling the cant, but about camouflaging it to create a natural, balanced smile.

Dr. Amanda Seay
3 min read


A Biological Approach to Endodontics with Dr. Vi Ho
Dr. Vi Ho is bringing a fresh perspective to modern endodontics, one that blends science, curiosity, and whole‑body awareness. As a certified biological endodontist, she looks beyond traditional techniques to create a more thoughtful, patient‑centered experience. In this episode of the Dental Slang Podcast, she shares how her clinical philosophy has evolved, the tools and technologies that support her approach, and the personal journey that shaped the way she practices today.

Dr. Reza Ardalan
2 min read


What Movie Tickets Can Teach Us About Better Decision-Making
Behavioral economics shows us that gut instinct isn’t always right. While our brains evolved to enable our survival, the very instincts we possess in order to save and protect ourselves may be thwarting our efforts to financially prosper. But if we can recognize these biases in ourselves and our patients, we can make clearer decisions, deliver better care and build healthier practices. Sometimes, the smartest move isn’t to double down on the ticket you’ve already bought—it’s

Jasmin Attia
6 min read


Growing with Heart: How Dr. JP Bastien Builds a Thriving Dental Practice
In this episode, Dr. JP Bastien shares how he grew his practice from early-stage ownership into a thriving multi-doctor model by leading with empathy, recruiting intentionally and embracing technology without losing sight of core values. He reflects on the realities of hiring, leadership development, operational efficiency and the role of AI in modern dentistry, offering practical insights for dentists navigating growth while protecting culture and quality of care.

Dr. Reza Ardalan
2 min read


Dr. Ashley Joves: Turning a Personal Journey Into a Dental Community
Before I can talk about building a community, you need to know a little about me, because my history is what made it possible. I’m Dr. Ashley Joves, a first-generation Filipino-American and an only child, born just outside Columbus, Ohio. Growing up, I often felt out of place, there weren’t many people who looked like me, and being an only child, I created my own worlds, telling stories and imagining siblings just to keep myself company.

Dr. Ashley Joves
4 min read


How to Decide Between Prep Date and Seat Date for Claims Submission
This question has circulated around offices for decades: Do we submit crowns and other multi-visit procedures upon starting or at completion?
The answer is not a simple yes or no. As with most things in life, it’s not that easy, and anyone giving you a straight answer is missing part of the story. So, let’s review the facts and the complete situation so you can decide what to do within your own office:

Dr. Travis Campbell
4 min read


Inside the Mind of Dr. Pete McClellan: Leadership, Discipline and the Future of Relationship-Based Dentistry
Get an inside look at how Dr. Pete McClellan built a thriving multi-location practice without losing sight of relationships, communication and clinical clarity. In this episode, he shares the systems, lessons and leadership principles that helped him scale sustainably, support mid-career dentists, and create practices where doctors can thrive without burning out.

Dr. Reza Ardalan
2 min read


The Science of Agentic AI: From Language to Action
In recent years, “AI in healthcare” has referred to tools that support radiographic diagnosis. Years earlier it referred to scripted chatbots pretending to hold a conversation. None of it fixed the communication gap that actually matters.
But now we’re seeing something new: Agentic AI. This refers to systems that understand language and use it to autonomously perform actions.

Dr. Nate Jeal
3 min read


Blood Testing and Collaboration in Dentistry: A Conversation with Dr. John Bruce
Dr. John Bruce joins host Dr. Reza Ardalan to discuss innovative approaches to dental care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the importance of mentorship in professional growth. From expanding clinical tools to personal stories that reveal his unique journey, this episode offers both practical insights and engaging anecdotes for dental professionals.

Dr. Reza Ardalan
2 min read


The Workforce Has Changed. Has Your Dental Practice Kept Up?
When my 25-year-old niece told me salary wasn’t her top concern in a job search, I realized just how much the workforce has evolved. Purpose now matters as much as pay — and in dentistry, that’s changing everything.

Jenine Toback
4 min read


Five Blood Markers Every Dentist Should Read Before Treatment Planning
Most of your patients had blood work done in the past year. Their doctor ordered it, a phlebotomist drew it, and a printout came back with a few green ticks and a polite note that everything looked “within range.”

Dr. Hugh Coyne
Jul 216 min read


Better Cosmetic Restorative Results, Same Appointment Time, with Dr. Susan McMahon
Ask a room of general dentists which procedure they least enjoy, and a lot of hands go up for the anterior class four. It looks flat when you finish. You catch the fracture line the second the patient stands up. Dr. Susan McMahon, an AACD-accredited cosmetic dentist in Pittsburgh, thinks that dread is a training problem, not a talent problem.

Dr. Reza Ardalan
Jul 155 min read


Mouth Ulcers in General Practice: Assessment, Triggers, and Red Flags
Mouth ulcers are one of the most common oral complaints you’ll see, and also one of the most underestimated. For most patients they are short-lived, painful, and benign. For general dentists they sit at a crossroads between reassurance, prevention, and early detection of systemic disease.

Dr. Lucy Hooper
Jul 85 min read


Why Your Composite Looks Like Plastic
The reason most polished restorations read as artificial isn’t the material. It’s that we polish the surface anatomy away. A five-minute finishing protocol puts it back, and changes outcomes overnight.

Dr. Susan McMahon
Jul 15 min read


How to Build a Multi-Practice Group Without a Bank Loan or Private Equity
Most dentists who want to scale assume they have two options: take on a bank loan, or sell a stake to a dental service organization. Those are the two roads dental media tells you exist. Build a group fast on borrowed money, or build it slower with someone else’s money and a three-to-seven-year clock ticking in the background.

Dr. Mark Skimming
Jun 246 min read


People, Not Pixels. A Human-Centered Approach to AI in Dentistry.
Dentistry is in the middle of a significant technological shift. AI now promises to improve diagnostic accuracy, simplify workflows, and even predict treatment outcomes. The question I keep coming back to is this. How do we use these tools well without losing sight of the part of dentistry that actually matters? The human connection between clinician and patient.

Dr. Elaine Halley
Jun 226 min read


The AI-Integrated Practice: Elevating Diagnosis Across Every Specialty
Artificial intelligence is actively reshaping how clinicians diagnose, plan treatment, and communicate with patients. From periodontics to implant surgery to orthodontics, AI-integrated workflows are enabling more precise, efficient, and patient-centered care across virtually every specialty.

The New Dentist
Jun 192 min read


Inflammation, Lipids, and GLP-1s with Dr. Hugh Coyne
What I learned from Dr. Coyne about the core blood panel worth running chairside, the cardiac markers most physicians never check, and why the patient in my chair is often the first clinician-seen sign of silent systemic disease.

Dr. Reza Ardalan
Jun 195 min read


Six Areas Where Dental Practices Leave Hygiene Performance on the Table
Improving your hygiene department isn't a single problem with a single fix. It's a systems challenge — one that spans clinical care, periodontal diagnosis, scheduling, team communication, morning planning, and financial infrastructure. Most practices have addressed some of these areas. Very few have addressed all of them at once, with the whole team aligned.

The New Dentist
Jun 166 min read


Why Comprehensive Cases Go Wrong Before They Begin
Smile design asks something different of us than the single-tooth dentistry most of us grew up with. Without a system to analyze and diagnose properly, the results are unpredictable. You do your best work and it still is not quite what you intended, or it looks good for a while and then something happens. That unpredictability is exhausting, and for the patient it ends in disappointment. I think it is one of the biggest hidden drivers of stress in our work.

Dr. Elaine Halley
Jun 94 min read
bottom of page
