Very Clinical: How to Stop Doing Fillings and Love Practice Ownership

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[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_03] Welcome to the Very Clinical Podcast. In about the time it takes to do an MO on three, we will entertain and amaze you with tips and tricks on regular daily dentistry. Here's Kevin and Zach.

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_04] What is up, Very Clinical listeners, and welcome back to yet another episode of the podcast. New podcast. Finally, we've been on repeats for a while. Kevin, what's going on? I don't even remember who you are. No, it's okay. I'm Zach, by the way, in case you forgot. Nice to meet you. Zach from Kansas City. So, how's Cleveland been treating you, Kevin?

[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_06] This summer's been great. I cannot complain. It's been a great summer, which we will talk about later. That's right. It's been a great summer.

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_04] Kevin, you brought in some high-profile guests. We really had to break Alan's budget to get these guests. Why don't you tell us about these big gets that we got?

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_06] Not only did we break Alan's budget, but I'm pitching in also. Wow. I had to break the piggy bank.

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_04] You said all that AG1 money, AG2 money?

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_06] Oh, I forgot. We're our sponsors.

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah.

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_06] AG2.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah, DraftKings.

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_06] I thought you called it something else. Oh.

[00:02:26] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah.

[00:02:26] [SPEAKER_06] AG2 is one better than AG1.

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_04] It's right. That's right.

[00:02:30] [SPEAKER_06] Just one better. Anyway, our guests are my good friends from 3D Dentists and the TRT class, which we will be convening together in about two weeks or so. We have Miss Emily Wedowitz from Elroy, Wisconsin. Say hi, Emily.

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_00] Hey, everyone.

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_06] And we have Shane Lingler from Lexington, North Carolina. Say hi, Shane.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_02] What's up, everybody?

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_06] And we're going to talk about some stuff here. But first, before we start, we have some catching up to do, Zach.

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_05] We do. Yeah. We do, indeed.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_06] I'm going to be a good host and allow our guests to go first. Okay. So, Emily, what did you do this summer?

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_00] I went to a lot of Little League baseball games. Took a family trip out east.

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_06] Where out east?

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_01] And we went to Maine and Rhode Island.

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_06] Nice.

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. Ate a lot of lobster.

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_06] Yeah.

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_00] And that pretty much sums it up. A lot of baseball.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_06] What did you do in Maine?

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_01] We went up to Acadia National Park and did some camping.

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_06] Oh, that's cool.

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_01] Like real camping? We hit up a Red Sox game. It was real camping in a tent.

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_06] That's awesome. Love it.

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. Went to Boston, went to a Red Sox game. And then we went out to Block Island in Rhode Island and visited a friend. And that was incredible.

[00:04:01] [SPEAKER_04] Love that. That was Fenway. As a baseball fanatic, that's on my baseball bucket list. Give me the Fenway rundown.

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. It was super cool. It was... The shape of the field is really weird. I'm used to go to Miller Park. Yeah. Go Brewers. Yes. They're having a good season too. That's nice. We are.

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_04] I'm pulling for Milwaukee. Yeah.

[00:04:21] [SPEAKER_01] Thank you. We have to get past the Dodgers, but...

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_04] I know. We'll see. We all do.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. It was just really cool. It has that old-timey feel. Kind of like Wrigley. I mean, Wrigley, I hate the Cubs, but it's a great field.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Very cool. I interrupted, though. You were talking about camping. I'm sorry. I just had to throw that in.

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, I camped. We ate lobster. We fished. It was fun.

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_06] Real camping stuff. Not fake camping. Yeah.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_01] I mean, it wasn't like... We were in a tent that a friend provided, but we didn't... It wasn't like roughing it, roughing it. Sometimes we rough it.

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_06] All right. Zach, what'd you do this summer?

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_04] Oh, man. It's been a great summer. This has been one of my favorite summers, I think. We started off with... And you know this from us talking, but I did three of the Mighty Five, Utah's Mighty Five National Parks. That was our summer vacation. We did Arches, Bryce, and Zion. Brilliant. Brilliant trip. I mean, those are some sites. Those are all highly, highly recommended. And Kevin, you and your son gave me some great advice on some places to go, so I really appreciate that.

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_04] So you can message Kevin if you need advice on the Mighty Five. So that was good. And then, as usual, I've gone to a number of Royals games. I went to a World Cup game for the very first time. Oh, did you? The World Cup was in Kansas City. I saw Netherlands versus Algeria. Awesome experience. Those soccer people, very cool to be around. Those Netherlands fans, the big orange. It was awesome. That was very cool to see.

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_04] And spent a ton of time on the boat doing my kneeboarding, wakeboarding, slalom skiing. My son finally got up on slalom skis this year. My oldest, he got to be a slalom skier this year, so that was a big highlight. That's awesome. So, yeah, so, you know, boats, sports, and a little bit of trips in between.

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_06] How many Royals games did you go to?

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_04] I think I've been to about five this year, and I think I got two more sets of tickets. That's low for me, Kevin. Those are low numbers. But the team's been bad this year.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_01] I grew up in Kansas going to Royals games.

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_04] Did you? Where in Kansas did you grow up?

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_01] In Manhattan.

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_04] Okay. All right.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_01] Awesome. Does it still have the fountains in the outfield? Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, I remember that.

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_04] But that stadium's getting axed in four years, though. Four years we're moving it downtown. Yeah. I have a mostly hate, part of a love hate with that. But that's really cool that you've been there, too. That's, like I said, because you're kind of a small market thing, I'm definitely, when the baseball playoffs start, I will definitely be rooting Brewers. No, I don't think you're going to make it, Kevin. I don't think you're going to make it.

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_06] We're not going to do this.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_04] I don't think you're going to make it.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_06] I'm sure we're not. Okay. That's great. Thanks for the update, Zach. It seems like I haven't talked to you forever, even though I talk to you every day.

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_04] I do more or less the same thing every summer, though. I feel like if you listened back three years ago, you'd hear 80% of the same conversation.

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_06] Yeah, you need to get some new hobbies.

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_04] I like my hobbies. I like my hobbies. I'm just kidding. I like boating.

[00:07:32] [SPEAKER_06] So, Shane and Emily, you're going to introduce yourself to us. So, since Shane hasn't said anything yet, Shane, you're up. Tell us all about you, where you went to school, where you practiced, all that good stuff. Pretend like Zach doesn't know you at all.

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_02] Well, he doesn't. So, yeah, I mean, I'm a native born and raised in North Carolina. I grew up in the Northwestern Park, kind of in the foothills, close to the mountains, and went to dental school in Chapel Hill, Carolina. Went to undergrad there, too. So, I'm a double tar hill, true and true. Double tar hill. Both feet. Double tar hill. Yep, both feet. Both heels.

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_02] So, after I graduated dental school in 2018, I moved back home and took an associate job working in a small group with, I think at the time we had four locations. So, I was splitting between two or three. I helped kind of start up one. So, that was fun as a new grad, learning to kind of do that and manage kind of solo. But then, I ended up in my hometown third practice there.

[00:08:45] [SPEAKER_02] I got to work in my hometown for a few years. After about four and a half years there, I decided it was time for me to kind of branch out and do my own thing. That's how I ended up in Lexington. So, I found a practice in Lexington. Bought the practice in 2022. So, we've been there for four years now. Solo owner still. Got two associates. Great practice. We actually currently live in Winston-Salem.

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_02] So, my wife and I are from the same hometown. And she was in medical school in South Carolina. When I was practicing, she finished up. She matched for residency in Winston-Salem. So, she actually moved back to Winston where she went to undergrad at Wake Forest. And we've lived there ever since. That's awesome. And that's pretty much me in a nutshell. Just a good old North Carolina boy.

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_06] That was right. All right, Emily. You're up. Tell us all about you.

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. I went to Marquette Dental and graduated in 2019. I was, I guess, like one of those non-traditional students. I already had one kid. I had a second in dental school. So, that was kind of wild.

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_06] How many kids did you have in dental school, Zach? Did you give birth in dental school?

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_04] No. I graduated when I was 23. I was nowhere near ready for that yet.

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_01] I was at a Marquette Christmas party that they would host at the dental school. She had a baby in one hand chasing a toddler. And one of the staff, I don't remember what she did. I think she was like an assistant in one of the clinics. She came up to me and she was like, oh, what year is your husband in school? And I was like, I don't blame her for saying that because I was the only mom in the whole school. But I was like, well, actually, I'm the dental student. So, yeah, that was a wild ride.

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_01] Graduated in, yeah, 2019. My husband is from a super small town, Elroy, if you didn't gather that yet. And he had been trying to convince me for 10 years to move back there. And I had met and shadowed at the dental practice in town before dental school. So, decided to move back and we bought his family farm. And I worked as an associate there for two years. Or two and a half years. And bought the practice at the same time as Shane in 2022.

[00:11:09] [SPEAKER_01] And the owner doc had another practice. So, he sold me that location and he stayed at the other one. So, I was alone for about a year. Added an associate in 23 and just added my second associate. He's starting in a couple weeks. So, yeah, we've seen a lot of growth. Grew it from a tiny little thing to we're about to hit a remodel. We're adding three ops. Um, and yeah, it's been fun.

[00:11:37] [SPEAKER_06] Excellent. Very cool. Um, so, the thing that the three of us have in common is 3D Dentists and our association or participation with that. So, uh, let's throw it back to Shane. Uh, tell us how you got started with that and what your role is now and how that's affected your career and practice and all that sort of stuff. You have the floor, Shane.

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_02] I think I could talk about this for as long as you wanted to go. But, um, I knew, so I'd followed Sully and T-Bone, all their podcasts and stuff all through dental school and like coming out of dental school and associateship and stuff. And, um, I kind of knew about 3D Dentists through them. And obviously, T-Bone is in Raleigh. So, he's not too far, not too far from me and was offering, you know, CE courses and stuff. So, I always kind of like looked at it and was, you know, maybe I should do it, maybe not. Um, I never did.

[00:12:35] [SPEAKER_02] And then eventually I bought the practice and after running it for, you know, about 6 months or so, um, I was like, I have no clue what I'm doing. I have no clue what's going on. This is chaos. This is crazy. Um, I need help. And I had always kind of toyed with the idea. They have the Mastermind program. And, um, I was with my associate who, by the way, uh, was, we were associates together, um, all through my associateship. For the four years. And now she's my associate.

[00:13:06] [SPEAKER_02] Um, so we have a really great relationship. And I told her, I said, I think I'm going to sign up for this. And, um, just kind of see what it's, see what it's about. See if I can get some, some help. And so that's how I got started with, uh, 3D was in 20, that was in January, 2023. And, um, you know, got to meet the people I was listening to on the podcast and now we're great friends. Um, I love T-Bone and Sully. You can pick up the phone and call them. And, um, it's been about two years now.

[00:13:34] [SPEAKER_02] I told them that I wanted to be able to give back to 3D what they've done for me. And so they graciously let me start mentoring some courses, um, with you guys and teaching the TRT or the implant course. Um, I also teach now with, uh, Rick Sullivan, the sinus grafting, advanced grafting course. Um, and I run the book club, uh, for 3D dentists as well too.

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_02] Um, and just kind of serve as a leader, you know, on the side, I'm sure like Emily and Kevin, you too, as well. Just kind of answering questions across their community that they have and any doctors that we mentor, just staying, just staying available for them. Um, and just kind of carrying on the good, good name for them. But 3D for me personally, I mean, I don't know if I'd really be where I'm at today without some of the guidance that I've gotten from them. But then, but also the people and the other doctors that I've met.

[00:14:26] [SPEAKER_06] Shane, can you be more specific about what the guidance was and maybe, you know, go ahead.

[00:14:33] [SPEAKER_02] Well, well, I mean, through the mastermind program that they lay a lot of foundations for like running the business or running the practice. Um, they, you know, they teach you kind of how to manage your hygiene, which you should be doing for new patients. They, they coach you through talking, how to talk to patients, um, what kind of verbiage to use, what verbiage not to use.

[00:14:56] [SPEAKER_02] Um, you know, they really, the first six months of that program is really kind of about you or the doctor or owner is really kind of finding yourself and getting clarity on like what it is you're trying to build, what kind of practice you're trying to build and, um, just helping you with, with leadership, learning to have, you know, conversations with your team, learning to coach your team, make the time to do that and invest in your people.

[00:15:20] [SPEAKER_02] Um, rather than just staying on the hamster wheel and running the rat race, um, like a lot of people do with, with no direction or no clear goal in mind. Um, so they, you know, they lay the foundation for that and then they have other tiers where you can advance to the mastermind. And I think that's where the magic really starts to happen because you start to kind of find your niche or find your people and kind of making connections.

[00:15:45] [SPEAKER_02] And, um, I mean, you guys know, we talk pretty much daily at this point or every other day, uh, about stuff in the practice or what's going on. And, um, so the community has just been, been great to know, but you're surrounded with a lot of like-minded, um, people because dentistry can be, you know, it can be isolating, uh, if you're a solo owner. So it's nice to have, have that support and have that community.

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[00:16:40] [SPEAKER_06] Great. All right, Emily, over to you. Tell us how you got started. I was there actually, but I'll let you tell the story.

[00:16:51] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. I mean, very similar to Shane. Um, I knew of T-Bone and Solly cause I listened to their podcast, um, as an associate and I think in dental school too, a little bit. Um, so I actually signed up for masterminds like right out of the gate. I knew I was in the process of buying the practice in the fall of 21 and I reached out to Meredith, um, and asked if I could do the January masterminds. So I like signed my papers for my office on January 1st, I think flew there the next week.

[00:17:20] [SPEAKER_01] So, and I think a lot of that was because as an associate, I could see the chaos in the practice. Um, and like Shane said, had no idea like how to, how to fix it. I just knew there was something more out there in dentistry based on what T-Bone and Solly were saying on their podcast. Um, and I just wanted to figure out how to be more like them. Um, so yeah. And same with Shane.

[00:17:45] [SPEAKER_01] I mean, taught me literally every, the way I run my practice now, it would be nothing like it is if I hadn't found 3D dentist. Um, and then right after, or during masterminds, I took a TRT with Kevin in the summer of 2022. And then that's where I like really fell in love with implants.

[00:18:03] [SPEAKER_06] And that was 2022. Yeah, it was.

[00:18:07] [SPEAKER_01] Yes, it was. Yeah. Um, and I mean, that's really, really where things transformed for me in my, uh, like professionally and just placing implants has changed my practice, which has then changed my life. Like the way I can take more time off and see fewer patients. And I owe all of that to 3D. Um, and then, and like Shane's head to just the community of doctors.

[00:18:34] [SPEAKER_01] Like I would have never, ever had the network that I have now to ask questions or like, like Shane said, we talk daily, like bounce cases off each other. And also just, um, it's incredible.

[00:18:50] [SPEAKER_06] Zach, I'm cheating on you a little bit. No. No, no. With these younger folks.

[00:18:55] [SPEAKER_04] No, that's, that's, that's all good, man. All good. You don't want to hear my same tire shtick every, every, every week. You got to get some young perspective on stuff, you know?

[00:19:04] [SPEAKER_06] It's all, it's all a good mix of stuff. I would like to say this after both Emily and Shane gave their, uh, little, um, speeches there. I would like to reiterate that 3D Dennis is not a cult, but if you go back and rewind this for, uh, 10 or 15 minutes, you'll have a hard time believing that it's not. That's all I could think about while you guys are talking.

[00:19:31] [SPEAKER_06] Um, but, um, the truth of the matter is, um, it's definitely changed our, our lives and, um, there's no, there's no denying that. Um, so, um, Emily, what is your, what, what is your practice like now in terms of what procedures you're doing?

[00:19:56] [SPEAKER_06] And how is that, um, what are your associates doing and how does that all kind of flow together?

[00:20:05] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, I'm only doing surgery now in my practice. Um, aside from like the one-off.

[00:20:11] [SPEAKER_06] Did, did you think five years ago that that's all you would be doing?

[00:20:16] [SPEAKER_01] Absolutely not. I mean, I told T-Bone I liked restoring implants, but I wasn't sure I wanted to place them. And then I took the course and obviously that changed everything. Um, I then told him I would never do full arch and now that's essentially all I do. Um, besides some little surgeries here, there. Um, and yeah, it's, it's, it's just doing implants and surgery has allowed me to slow down. It's, I mean, it's a more profitable procedure.

[00:20:46] [SPEAKER_01] So I essentially, I mean, I really only feel like I work on Tuesdays. That's like my big surgery day. And then it, it really just feels like I'm having fun the rest of the week. Like, I don't know. I'm so lucky.

[00:20:59] [SPEAKER_06] Tell us what having fun means.

[00:21:01] [SPEAKER_01] Um, coaching my team. Like Shane said, like really pouring into my team and coaching them. Um, you know, I, I'm the, when you're doing full arch dentistry, the, the patients for the most part are so appreciative. And I, and I always, we have amazing patients. And so it really is like building those connections and relationships with those patients the rest of the week doing, you know, inserting their temporary teeth or their final teeth. It's a fun appointment. You know, they're, they're giving you a hug, they're crying.

[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_01] Um, and I just, I love everything about it. Um, you know, and then doing really good. I'm in a small town, so it's really important to me to have a strong general practice. And so my associates are handling all of the general dentistry, but I still get to do the hygiene checks for like my favorite patients. And so it's fun. You just go in and. You know, diagnose work that you don't even have to do.

[00:21:52] [SPEAKER_06] That's awesome. I love that. Shane, what's it like, uh, down there in Lexington, North Carolina.

[00:22:00] [SPEAKER_02] In your practice. I'm, I mean, I'm pretty much kind of there with, with Emily. I still, I still work on some teeth and save teeth.

[00:22:08] [SPEAKER_06] I saw that today.

[00:22:09] [SPEAKER_02] Um, yeah. So I worked on teeth.

[00:22:12] [SPEAKER_06] Zach, both you and Shane sent me endos today.

[00:22:15] [SPEAKER_04] Okay.

[00:22:16] [SPEAKER_02] Right on. Yeah. Um, so I haven't made the, I haven't made the plunge to just, um, I would say. I, yes, majority of my mix now is surgery, like 95% of it and sedation. Um, I run all, I do IV sedation. So I run that for obviously myself, but also for the associates when I'm not seeing patients and stuff too. So, um, sedation guy.

[00:22:42] [SPEAKER_02] Um, but I do wisdom teeth, um, you know, tissue grafts, full arch singles, um, anything you can think of that's bloody. I'm usually the guy doing it, but I would say also too, I do kind of like some big emotional cases as well. Like we did a whole kind of makeover this morning. Um, you know, it was like 10 units, some top. So I'm still doing some of those, some of those cases, um, as well. My associates can do them.

[00:23:11] [SPEAKER_02] It just depends on, you know, where the patient's coming from, where the, where the practice is at, who's availability and that stuff. I'm not going to turn someone away if we have the spot to get them in, um, quick, just cause I had the spots on my schedule. So right now, but I did make the leap this year to, um, I've been, I don't do single crowns anymore. I don't even really do double crowns anymore. Um, I definitely don't do fillings anymore. So Emily's kind of pushed me a little bit on that this year, kind of talking with her.

[00:23:40] [SPEAKER_02] So, um, made the jump with that. But my associate, I have two associates. I've had two associates for a while now. They handle the bulk of, of everything else in our practice. Um, Lexington's a pretty small town too. Um, so we do a lot with, you know, just in the community referrals, having a good, a strong, like Emily mentioned, a good general practice to service the community, take care of the community. And then I get to deal with a lot of the, um, not so great situations and complex care

[00:24:10] [SPEAKER_02] patients that come, come through our office. So it's almost like we almost have two offices in one building. I have kind of my thing that I run in the back and then we have our general practice throughout the rest of the building, but it is fun to get out of there. And like Emily said, go see some of the patients you haven't seen in a while. I got to do that today and check some hygiene, um, and just actually see some of the work that I've done, you know, two or three years ago. Um, and, and be able to look at it and hear them say, you know, it's holding up great.

[00:24:38] [SPEAKER_02] Love my crowns, like, you know, that type of stuff. So, um, yeah, it's just fun.

[00:24:44] [SPEAKER_04] Would, would either of you, like, if you could, you know, get in the DeLorean and go back a few years, would you have decided to be an oral surgeon just so that you would just have done that? See if you, if you liked the surgery so much and would you, would you have done that at all? Would, would you do that now? If you could travel back or would you stick with what you're doing?

[00:25:06] [SPEAKER_01] No, I love, I love having a general practice. Um, yeah, I don't, um, cause I, I, I think because I love my community so much, I, I love the like generations of families that come into the practice. I just also love that I don't have to work on them anymore. So.

[00:25:26] [SPEAKER_04] It's a lot easier to like people when you don't have to, when you don't have to do the shots and the fillings.

[00:25:32] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah. Um, I mean, it's a, it's a valid question, but I think, I think now with implant training and, um, just the amount of access that general dentists have to good CE, I don't, I think if you want to do surgery, um, I, there, I, I don't know. I just think it would be a way better option to not be an oral surgeon and just be a general dentist that specializes personally.

[00:25:58] [SPEAKER_01] Um, and then I send my oral surgeon the stuff I don't want to do. So like.

[00:26:03] [SPEAKER_04] Which is what? Yeah. What?

[00:26:05] [SPEAKER_01] I don't take, I don't take out wisdom teeth. I don't have time. Um, I thought we had some holes in our schedule when I first added my associate two years ago, three years ago, I actually considered it cause I was like, huh, I can fill this time with, with surgery. I like surgery so much. And then, and then we got busy again. So I never did that. But, um, I think someday if I have holes in my schedule, I would do wisdom teeth. I'd be like kind of, or soft tissue grafts. I thought about doing, uh, doing some training on that.

[00:26:31] [SPEAKER_01] Um, but yeah, I, I guess Shane would say the same.

[00:26:35] [SPEAKER_06] Yeah. Let's hear Shane's answer to that.

[00:26:38] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. I mean, I, I agree. I definitely wouldn't go. Um, I don't know. For me, it's like, I get to do all of it now, not just the surgery part, but I get to put the teeth in someone's face and like see that part. So like, yeah, the surgery is fun for me. Like, I mean, it's like a lot of things going on, taking teeth out, which I like to do and, and getting bloody and stuff. And that's fine. But some of them, some of those days like suck too. Like, it's like, man, that was tough.

[00:27:06] [SPEAKER_02] Um, like why, why am I doing that? But then, but then when you get into the finals, you know, four or five months later, six months later, whatever, and you get to see the kind of reaction of that, then you're like, oh, that's why. Um, and I think with oral surgeons, like you don't really get that. It's more transactional. A lot of times, you know, you do the surgery and you pass it off to the restorative doc, whether that's process or general or whatever. And you might not get, you might not get to see that moment or you get to miss that moment.

[00:27:36] [SPEAKER_02] So for me, I get to control like all of it. Right. I get to see it all, get to control it all. Um, and that's a lot of the questions I get from patients that come in that won't full arch. It's like, well, it's so like, you get to do it all here. You do the surgery here too. You do sedation here. You do the teeth. I'm like, yeah, everything's here. Like we got you. And they're like, oh, that's great. I don't have to go to this place or that place or, um, and do this here, do that there and coordinate.

[00:28:03] [SPEAKER_02] Now, I mean, there are some cases like I don't do, like if it's a zygoma case, like I don't do zygomas or some medically, super medically compromised. Like I still send stuff to my surgeon. So I'm not knocking surgeons or periodontists or anything like that. It's just, I don't really have any regrets of choosing the path that I chose. Um, cause I get to, I get to pick and choose what I want to do.

[00:28:28] [SPEAKER_06] Me? Yeah, I think that one of the lines I usually say in the TRT lecture is that you are now the surgeon and the restoring dentist. So like you get to see the thing go full circle and certainly full arch is a whole different animal that, you know, times on a much bigger scale. But I think there is some, definitely some satisfaction to that, seeing the whole thing through.

[00:28:53] [SPEAKER_06] Um, my question to both of you would be, what do your associates think of this division of labor that occurs in your practice?

[00:29:06] [SPEAKER_00] I think my, I think my associate's pretty happy.

[00:29:08] [SPEAKER_01] I mean, I give him all, um, single implants now if they don't need a sinus bump or anything challenging. Um, and so he's able to learn and grow and have a mentor in the office. I mean, I, you know, I, I think that's like a huge opportunity for him, um, to get more confident in placing implants. And then I starting about six months ago, maybe eight months ago, um, have started giving him all the cosmetic cases too. Cause I, I actually don't like prepping teeth.

[00:29:37] [SPEAKER_01] Like it's, it's so tedious. Um, and so I was like begging for him to take it. I think it was just building up his confidence, um, in getting there. And now he's there, I mean, he's been doing a couple 10 unit cases a month. Um, so that's been, I think been awesome. And then actually when we added our next associate, I asked Axel if he would prefer to stop doing fillings, you know, and just kind of really focus on cosmetics and sedation cases and bigger stuff.

[00:30:06] [SPEAKER_01] And he, he still likes doing fillings. So I don't know. I haven't convinced him yet.

[00:30:12] [SPEAKER_06] He's a, yeah, he's a funny dude. Shane, what's, what's the vibe there at your place with, uh, associates?

[00:30:19] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, I think that's, I mean, it's, it's very similar. Like, um, my associates been with me the longest. She has a passion for cosmetics. Like she loves, um, veneer, no prep, minimal prep, just the rehab stuff. She just did a gorgeous case. Um, I can't wait for her to kind of post the whole story, um, recently. And, um, so she's, she's happy doing those things. I mean, she can take teeth out and grafts. She can play single implants as well too, like green light cases.

[00:30:48] [SPEAKER_02] Like I said, no sinus bumps or anything like that. But so she has a very good skillset in her niche and she's comfortable doing that. Um, where she's at, she can do sedation as well. Um, my other associate, he's kind of our, our workhorse. He does a lot of the bread and butter stuff and that's what he likes doing. Um, he likes doing the bread and butter stuff. And, um, I just mentored him on his first, um, he did a 14 unit case on the lower.

[00:31:17] [SPEAKER_02] So we walked him through that and, you know, managing the bite and all that stuff. And, um, so he got that under his belt. He loved it. Uh, we got him in with like 3d printing and stuff like that too. And he's learning more about that. And, uh, so he's excited, uh, to keep advancing up. He's, he's got his sedation stuff. He can do endos or pushing there a little bit so that I'm not doing root canals anymore. That'd be great.

[00:31:42] [SPEAKER_02] Um, um, but they, they all kind of have their like passion in their niche. And then kind of like Emily said, they have, they have me there if they're wanting to learn something new or different to, to mentor them and kind of help them. Um, so it works, it works really well for the team that we have. Super.

[00:32:04] [SPEAKER_04] Well, Kevin, we're up against it. Yeah. It happened again. Happens every week. It does. Um, all right. Any, uh, take backs, double downs, um, you know, apologies, corrections, Kevin?

[00:32:20] [SPEAKER_06] Double down would be that 3d Dennis is not a cult. Mike.

[00:32:25] [SPEAKER_04] I'm going to double down on that. I'm rooting for the Brewers. I'm going to double down on that. I'm rooting for them in the playoffs.

[00:32:31] [SPEAKER_06] I would root for the, for sure over the Dodgers. Come on. Oh yeah. How could you even live with yourself?

[00:32:38] [SPEAKER_04] For sure. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. We will see. All right. Uh, Hey, we're going to have these two on spoiler alert next week. Um, and continue the conversation where we actually get into some clinical tips and tricks and all that good stuff. So if you want to hear some extraction graft implant life tips, come back next week.

[00:33:00] [SPEAKER_06] Just the tips next week.

[00:33:03] [SPEAKER_04] All right. Thank you guys for listening and we will see you next Tuesday.

[00:33:07] [SPEAKER_06] See ya.