The Very Dental Podcast Network

Live from the exhibit floor at the 2026 Bioclear Summit in Scottsdale, Alan sits down with Jeff Metcalf (Zumax) and Spencer Smith (Enova) to demystify high-magnification clinical optics . The conversation explores the advantages of intimate boutique conferences over massive trade shows, why capital equipment like dental operating microscopes requires multiple touchpoints before purchase, and how advancements like Vario-focus lenses and modern LED illumination have flattened the learning curve . They also dive into the explosive rise of ergonomic loupes, discussing how deflection optics are rapidly replacing traditional Galilean telescopes, extending clinical careers, and fundamentally transforming posture in modern operatory workflows . Some links from the show: Enova Illumination ergo loupes Zumax microscopes We're proud to be supported by the folks at Net32! The Very Dental Podcast Network is supported by Garrison Dental Solutions! Garrison isn't just about the gold standard in sectional composite matrix systems—they've got solutions that elevate your entire restorative workflow. From the innovative Loop Curing Light to their incredible lineup of LM instruments, Garrison makes chairside dentistry faster, easier, and a lot more predictable. Go check out everything they have to offer and support the show at garrisondental.com! Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products. CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!

Zach, Kevin and Alan tackle the art of "getting ahead of it" in clinical endodontics—managing patient expectations before a single bur touches tooth structure so clinical realities sound like explanations rather than post-op excuses. The crew breaks down scripts and practical protocols for handling hot teeth, setting realistic expectations around post-op PDL soreness, and managing the paradox of treating asymptomatic necrotic teeth that leave feeling worse than when they walked in. Along the way, the conversation dives into practical clinical pearls—including pre-op Medrol Dosepacks, CBCT-guided canal navigation versus dental operating microscopes, occlusal reduction strategies, Liquidam seals and the pure clinical euphoria of a full pulp extirpation. Some links from the show: Nathan for You You Can See Everything The Legend of Vox Machina Liquid Dam Join the Very Clinical Facebook group!  Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, Paul, Bioclear, Hornbrook, Gary, McWethy, Papa Randy, or Lipscomb!  The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! We're proud to be supported by the folks at Net32! I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products. Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!

Alan examines how authentic storytelling has been hijacked by modern social media algorithms, manipulative "negative hook" advertising, and political spin . Reflecting on Seth Godin's early blogging philosophy and the honest conversations shared among colleagues at dental meetings, Dr. Mead critiques how platforms prioritize engagement and hook rates over truth and human connection . Addressing the psychological toll of digital doomscrolling, he shares his personal experiment with stepping back from social feeds using the upcoming keyboard-equipped Clicks Communicator and makes a passionate case for why long-form podcasting remains one of the last bastions of genuine human storytelling . Some links from the show: All Marketers Are Liars, by Seth Godin Clicks Communicator We're proud to be supported by the folks at Net32! The Very Dental Podcast Network is supported by Garrison Dental Solutions! Garrison isn't just about the gold standard in sectional composite matrix systems—they've got solutions that elevate your entire restorative workflow. From the innovative Loop Curing Light to their incredible lineup of LM instruments, Garrison makes chairside dentistry faster, easier, and a lot more predictable. Go check out everything they have to offer and support the show at garrisondental.com! Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products. CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!

Alan catches up with longtime colleague and Dental Maverick founder Dr. Tuan Pham to explore his transition from clinical practice to the forefront of dental software innovation. Tuan shares the life-first philosophy that led him to retire early to spend formative years with his young children, detailing how Jeff Bezos's "Regret Minimization Framework" inspired his pivot away from the operatory. The conversation dives deep into Tuan's latest venture, Dental Maverick AI. It's an intelligent automation platform designed to tackle the dental industry's most persistent operational bottleneck: insurance verification, automated chart-to-claim narratives, and revenue cycle management. Tuan explains how native integration with Open Dental compresses 50-minute claim-packaging workflows down to under 10 minutes—eliminating tedious back-office friction, preventing costly staff burnout, and reclaiming valuable face-to-face time at the front desk to enhance ethical case acceptance. Some links from the show: Maverick AI Official Website: dentalmaverick.ai — Explore features, Open Dental native integration, and flat-rate pricing for insurance verification, automated narratives, and claim tracking. Dental Maverick Training: dentalmaverick.com — Tuan's foundational soft skills, communication, and business training curriculum for dentists and dental teams. Regret Minimization Framework (Jeff Bezos Interview):  We're proud to be supported by the folks at Net32! The Very Dental Podcast Network is supported by Garrison Dental Solutions! Garrison isn't just about the gold standard in sectional composite matrix systems—they've got solutions that elevate your entire restorative workflow. From the innovative Loop Curing Light to their incredible lineup of LM instruments, Garrison makes chairside dentistry faster, easier, and a lot more predictable. Go check out everything they have to offer and support the show at garrisondental.com! Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products. CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!

In this pre-Halloween clinical roundtable, hosts Zach and Kevin are joined by Alan to tackle the subtle art of "getting ahead of it" in "fixed prosthodontics." After kicking things off with childhood Halloween prank confessions—ranging from flaming bags on doorsteps to near-arson in the storm drains—the trio dives into proactive patient communication for single- and multi-unit crown workflows. They break down essential chairside scripts designed to eliminate post-op callbacks, covering provisional sensitivity expectations, cord-packing and soft-tissue soreness, CEREC milling downtime, anesthetic choices at cementation, bite calibration, and contact adjustments. The consensus: pristine margins only go so far—mastering your chairside exit verbal skills is what actually keeps patients happy and the phones quiet. Join the Very Clinical Facebook group!  Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, Paul, Bioclear, Hornbrook, Gary, McWethy, Papa Randy, or Lipscomb!  The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! We're proud to be supported by the folks at Net32! I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products. Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!