Dentistry is a very physical profession and many dental professionals suffer from chronic pain in their neck, back, wrists, and forearms. The pain can be so severe that it forces us to reduce our workload and can even lead to depression, chemical dependence, and suicide. Unfortunately, most dental professionals were never taught correct ergonomics and posture, and that’s why I wanted to have Kevin McLaughlin, PT, Cert MDT on the show! Kevin specializes in treating mechanical disorders of the spine and extremities, and he and I discuss the following:

• How Kevin got interested in physical therapy and how his approach to treatment has changed over his 28 years in private practice.
• Why dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants frequently suffer from pain related to poor ergonomics and posture.
• What is the McKenzie Method and how does it differ from traditional physical therapy.
• The role of modalities like E-stim/TENS, ultrasound, etc.
• When it’s best to use ice versus heat.
• The difference between intermittent versus continuous pain and how that changes the approach to treatment.
• How to differentiate a mechanical issue from one that is inflammatory.
• The importance of getting to the true mechanical etiology of the pain before initiating treatment.
• Some of the differences between physical therapy and chiropractic.
• The best ergonomics for dental professionals.
• Stretches dental professionals can do to before, during and after work to minimize their risk of injury and chronic pain.
• The importance of not only addressing a patient’s pain, but teaching them how to maintain the improvement.
• Whether you (or a patient) can send a patient directly to the PT or if a referral is needed.
• How pain in the extremities can originate in the neck.
• When and how TMD pain can originate in the neck.
• How PT can help your patients who are suffering from TMD and/or headaches.
• The importance of focusing on what you do well and being comfortable with referring what you haven’t mastered to other professionals.
• And much more!!

LINKS:

-Stretching exercises for dental professionals: https://www.my-exercise-code.com/code/xrxTL?u=BLUQ&c=8GG9SB7

-Kevin’s Website: https://www.mjphysicaltherapyny.com/

-APTA Website: https://www.apta.org/

As you know, my goal with this show is to help you succeed both personally and professionally. In that light, I decided to have Dr. Brett Gilbert on to discuss mental health and wellness. This is a deep and powerful conversation that will help you regardless of where you are in your life/professional journey!

We discuss:

• Why dentists are so prone to stress, anxiety, and burnout.
• How to recognize if you are “out of balance” and what to do about it.
• Why you need to invest in yourself first before you can achieve wellness and fulfillment.
• How and why burnout and fulfillment have changed between generations.
• The step that is absolutely necessary to be your best self.
• The role that prior trauma plays in our current decision-making and how it impacts wellness.
• The importance of creating a vision for who and what you want to be.
• Practices to ground yourself and create joy in your life.
• Why it can be difficult for scientific minds to believe in a higher power or something greater than ourselves.
• How the thoughts we put out to the universe can become a self-fulfilling prophecy (Law of Attraction).
• The importance of recognizing that life is happening FOR YOU, not to you.
• How to view suffering and disappointment as a blessing and a natural part of the human experience.
• The importance of finding your true inner self and purpose, and how to do it.
• The value that Brett found in emotional intelligence training and how it helped him overcome burnout.
• How to keep your failures and disappointments in perspective.
• Strategies to change your mindset from one of stress and anxiety to one of peace and gratitude.
• The blessing and curse of perfectionism.
• What gratitude practice is and how to do it.
• How to reimagine the way you want your professional and personal life to look.
• And much, much more!

LINKS:

-Dr. Brett’s Instagram: @DrBrettGilbert

-Dr. Brett’s Podcast (On The Cusp): https://plinkhq.com/i/1704062186/e/?to=page

-Dr. Brett’s Coaching Platform (Access Endo): https://www.accessendo.org/

-The Truth Behind the Smiles (book by Melissa Methven): https://a.co/d/4fEQOj4

-A Man’s Search for Meaning (by Victor Frankel): https://a.co/d/hKSvXY2

-The Gifts of Imperfection (by Brene Brown): https://a.co/d/hPnqAnK

-Dr. Gilbert’s Breathing Exercises: https://www.youtube.com/@breathewithsandy

-Motivational Monday on Selfishness: https://youtu.be/zq1mcOWFp3M

-Motivational Monday on Perfectionism: https://youtu.be/275xlwkYiQc

Dr. Jeff Rouse is an educator and clinician who has practiced with the likes of Drs. Frank Spear and Gregg Kinzer. He is now a Resident Faculty Member at Spear Education and maintains a private practice in prosthodontics in San Antonio, TX. He has a unique professional journey and understands more about airway and orthodontics than many orthodontists. We discuss that and much more, including:

• How Jeff’s background in restorative dentistry helped him gain a better understanding of how orthodontic treatment, especially treatment involving extraction of permanent teeth, led to the breakdown of the dentition and airway issues later in life.
• Why Jeff started doing orthodontics when he was practicing as a general dentist and how that led to an “ortho first” approach to patient care.
• How Jeff developed and the curriculum for airway dentistry at Spear Education.
• Why GPs and prosthodontists are more open to the impact of airway on malocclusion than most orthodontists.
• Why orthodontists are resistant to incorporating airway-focused treatment into their practice (and it has nothing to do with evidence/literature!).
• Jeff’s message to orthos who are opposed to intervening earlier than 7yo to address anatomy that can lead to airway compromise.
• The primary causes of airway obstruction in young children (HINT: It’s not genetics!)
• Why orthodontic residents are not treating young children during their training.
• What recent studies in the otolaryngological literature say is a “normal” palatal width.
• The flaws with the studies that say Phase I is ineffective and often unnecessary.
• What is within the dentist’s/orthodontist’s scope of practice when it comes to airway.
• The role that anatomy plays in obstruction of nasal breathing.
• Why watchful waiting is supervised neglect.
• What orthodontists would learn if they had to look at all their cases 20 years out of treatment.
• Whether or not extractions cause airway issues.
• How heart rate variability can be used to determine sleep-related breathing issues.
• A new referral pattern for the future to help remove some of these obstacles.
• Jeff’s advice to young orthodontists.

LINKS:

-AAO Website on age to begin orthodontic treatment: https://aaoinfo.org/orthodontics-for-children/

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Helen Jones, a dentist from the UK who spent the early part of her career managing extraction cases until she became discouraged by the treatment results. It started her on a journey to find a better way to manage deficient jaw size and airway problems in younger children. It is now her mission to raise awareness regarding the benefits of beginning orthodontic treatment at a younger age than we are conventionally taught.

Helen and I discuss:

· What a paradigm is and why/how the paradigm in orthodontics is shifting from taking a reactive approach to treatment to taking a more proactive approach.

· How Helen became so dismayed by the traditional reactive approach to orthodontic treatment and how this led her to become so passionate about exploring a more proactive approach.

· How her time practicing in South Africa helped shape her approach to both dentistry and authority.

· The way the National Health Service in the UK controls what dental and orthodontic procedures that can be performed.

· The time she spent with John Mew and her thoughts on his approach to treatment, as well as why John was vilified and deemed “unfit to practice” by the General Dental Council.

· How she broke free from the dogmas imposed by the NHS and started treating preadolescent patients.

· The impact that a lecture by Dr. Brendan Stack had on her life and career.

· The role that working with osteopaths played in Helen’s understanding of the fascia and how it connects the mouth to the rest of the body.

· The importance of looking at the entire child, not just the mouth and teeth.

· The need to move away from looking at the teeth and mouth as a separate entity.

· Whether or not you can get some degree of sutural change throughout life.

· If orthodontists are resistant to a more proactive approach to treatment out of fear.

· The mission of the new interdisciplinary group of medical and dental professionals called The Society for Dentofacial Growth & Function that Helen is putting together.

· How the General Dental Council is targeting people in the UK who promote early orthodontic treatment.

· The politics and siloing of care in the British health system.

· Helen’s advice to parents and clinicians when it comes to early orthodontic treatment.

LINKS:

-Dr. DeLuke’s article in OrthoTown (Part I): https://www.nxtbook.com/farran/orthotown/orthotown-june-2023/index.php?startid=54#/p/54

- Dr. DeLuke’s article in OrthoTown (Part II): https://www.nxtbook.com/farran/orthotown/orthotown-november-2023/index.php?startid=52#/p/52

-Society for Dentofacial Growth and Function - www.ConnectingHeads.com; https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vjnwtuwjh30uhiuyxzc0y/SDGF-Zoom-Meeting-June-13th-2024.mp4?rlkey=bcuyhlmghr53ahoz8jcil0bb0&st=ra5hpp1s&dl=0

-Jane Tarrant’s book Rose Loses Her Nose: https://linkbreathing.samcart.com/products/rose-loses-her-nose-book

Don’t miss this AMAZING conversation with Dr. Marianna Evans! As a dual-trained orthodontist/periodontist and expert in anthropology, she offers a unique perspective on the etiology of malocclusion, the periodontal consequences of the traditional approach to orthodontic treatment, and the numerous benefits of initiating orthodontic treatment in younger children. She is also very knowledgeable about how airway patency impacts craniofacial growth and development and is passionate about the role the orthodontist can and should play in airway management.

Dr. Evans and I discuss:

• Why and how she decided to open her own practice from scratch in 2011, and how it’s going now.
• Her educational background including why she decided to obtain degrees in both orthodontics and periodontics, and how it has helped her be a better orthodontist.
• How she developed an interest in, and eventually a passion for, anthropology by studying the Morton Skull Collection while at UPenn.
• The problem with using transverse norms based on post-industrial skulls.
• Why humans today can no longer accommodate 32 teeth, and why that is a bigger problem than we may realize.
• How diet and obstructed nasal breathing are turning malocclusion into a pandemic.
• The role of the orthodontist’s ego in the prevention of the advancement of our profession.
• Marianna’s advice to residents and young docs regarding questioning what they learn in their orthodontic residency.
• What the research says about providing orthodontic treatment to patients in the primary dentition.
• How the refusal of orthodontists to treat patients at a younger age will lead to the death of our specialty.
• The thinning of the alveolar bone that inevitably occurs during all orthodontic tooth movement.
• Why we should be more focused on developing the jaws in the primary dentition to allow the teeth to erupt into the center of the ridge.
• The need for orthodontists to look at their cases 20 years after treatment, and how that could change their perspective.
• The numerous flaws with the literature stating that early treatment is not effective.
• How to communicate to parents that their young child is in need of orthodontic treatment.
• Why we should be referring to the orthodontic treatment of younger patients as “preventative,” not “early.”
• The story of how she got connected with James Nestor and what it was like to be featured in his bestselling book, Breath.
• And much, much more!!

LINKS:
-VISIT OUR SHOW SPONSOR - Reliance Orthodontic Products (www.RelianceOrthodontics.com)

-Email Dr. Evans: mevans@infinitiorthoperio.com

-Email Dr. Mike: drmike@theorthocoach.com

-Breath by James Nestor: https://a.co/d/1JGxJa8

We all want to retire at some point, right? But how do we save enough money to retire or work because we want to, not because we have to? Mr. John Vento, my CPA, is also a Certified Financial Planner who offers his advice on how to take advantage of tax-favorable strategies to maximize your retirement savings so you can retire sooner than you may have thought!

This is the second part of a 2-part series. Part A was released last week: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retirement-savings-strategies-part-a-john-vento-cpa/id1689703392?i=1000666226231

In this episode, John will discuss:

o Reasons why you should want to set up a retirement plan for your practice and how it can help with employee recruitment and retention.

o The SECURE Act 2.0, including when it was passed into law, when it becomes effective, and how it will impact retirement plan contributions for you and your employees.

o The recent expansion of the ability to make Roth contributions.

o Significant tax credits that are now available for making contributions to your retirement plan and the retirement plan of your employees, including:

§ The Startup Tax Credit which allows you to legally double dip by not only deducting the expenses of training your team about their retirement savings options, but also receiving a tax credit for those same expenses!

§ Employer Contribution Tax Credit which allows you to receive a tax credit to subsidize you for putting money into your employee’s retirement plan! Basically, the government is paying you to contribute to your employee's retirement!

§ The Auto-Enrollment Tax Credit which forces your employees to opt out of contributions to their retirement instead of opting in, which is how it has traditionally been set up.

LINKS:
• Point X Calculator (https://www.ventotaxandwealth.com/resource-center/retirement/saving-for-retirement)
• To purchase John’s Book: https://www.ventotaxandwealth.com/buy-the-book
• You can find more information on John and his firm, Vento Tax and Wealth Management, at www.VentoTaxAndWealth.com

We all want to retire at some point, right? But how do we save enough money to retire or work because we want to, not because we have to? Mr. John Vento, my CPA, is also a Certified Financial Planner who offers his advice on how to take advantage of tax-favorable strategies to maximize your retirement savings so you can retire sooner than you may have thought!
In this episode, John will discuss:
• How to calculate your specific “Point X” (the point at which you reach financial freedom) and can retire using actual data from your individual situation!
• How to use a Traditional IRA to decrease your taxable income and accelerate your wealth accumulation.
• The pros and cons of a Traditional IRA vs. a Roth IRA and how to determine which is better for your circumstances.
• The tremendous advantages of owning your own practice when it comes to your ability to aggressively save for retirement and reach Point X at an earlier age.
• How to use defined benefit and/or cash balance plans to lower your tax burden AND maximize retirement savings for practice owners and independent contractors.
• How to implement different retirement plan strategies based on your particular practice situation ranging from a one-man show to a group practice.
• The tremendous advantages of employing your spouse and children and how to maximize your retirement savings when you do.
• Retirement savings strategies for older docs to accelerate their ability to get to Point X by using a 401k with profit sharing and a defined benefit cash balance plan.
• How avoiding the Medicare tax alone will more than cover the administrative costs of implementing a qualified retirement plan.

LINKS:
• Link to Important Tax Information for Dentists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-EXO-IlQgs&ab_channel=DeLukeOrthodonticCoaching
• Point X Calculator (https://www.ventotaxandwealth.com/resource-center/retirement/saving-for-retirement)
• To purchase John’s Book: https://www.ventotaxandwealth.com/buy-the-book
• You can find more information on John and his firm, Vento Tax and Wealth Management, at www.VentoTaxAndWealth.

I had an awesome conversation with Dr. Kristen Knecht, who owns and runs her own orthodontic practice in Houston, TX. Kristen opens up about her personal and professional journey, including:

• How Kristen went from UConn Ortho to working for a DSO in Texas, to opening her own practice, Knecht Orthodontics in the midst of COVID.
• The pros and cons of working for a DSO.
• The lessons she learned from working for her dad’s industrial construction company.
• How Kristen implemented fiscal responsibility and delayed gratification to put her in a position to start her own practice.
• When she knew that she wanted to start her own practice and how it’s going 4 years in.
• The importance and value of studying your finishes and learning from what went well and what you can improve upon.
• How Kristen financed the finish-out of her new practice and how she used the income from her savings and associateship to help cover the expenses.
• The challenge of finding someone to help with the business decisions associated with starting and running a practice.
• Which FB groups have been a huge help to Kristen in her professional journey.
• How Kristen and I both evolved from a reactive, extraction-based approach to a proactive, expansion-based approach to treatment.
• How early arch development will dramatically decrease the incidence of canine impaction.
• Why our educational institutions aren’t teaching more proactive/early treatment, even though the literature is full of evidence that can be extremely beneficial.
• The influence that Dr. David Alfi (an oral surgeon in Houston, TX) has had on Kristen’s airway journey.
• The analogy between Peter Attia’s Medicine 2.0 vs. 3.0 and orthodontics.
• What Kristen’s colleagues say about her journey to understand the role of airway in malocclusion and provide earlier orthodontic treatment to develop the arches.
• Why female orthos seem more receptive to the idea of early treatment, especially as it pertains to airway, than their male counterparts.
• The numerous benefits of low-dose CBCT imaging and how Kristen has incorporated 3D imaging it into her practice.
• How Kristen utilizes myofunctional therapy to help her patients.

LINKS:

-Dr. Knecht Email: kknecht87@gmail.com

-Dr. Mike Email: drmike@theorthocoach.com

-Shereen Lim’s book (“Breathe, Sleep, Thrive”): https://www.amazon.com/Breathe-Sleep-Thrive-Discover-potential/dp/0645553212

-Audrey Yoon Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-doc-podcast/id1689703392?i=1000664711076

-Audrey Yoon Article: Impact of rapid palatal expansion on the side of the adenoids and tonsils in children; Sleep Med. 2022 April ; 92: 96–102. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2022.02.011. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35390750/]

-Kevin Boyd Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-doc-podcast/id1689703392?i=1000663309000

-David Alfie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.davidalfi?igsh=MTkxd2QweGh4Z296OQ==