Dentistry Unmasked: A Roundtable Podcast

This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam sit down with Dr. Rick Huot to talk about something every dentist needs, but too many put off: financial planning with a purpose. Whether you’re a new graduate navigating debt, a mid-career dentist building wealth, a practice owner planning your next move, or thinking seriously about retirement, your financial goals should evolve along with your career. Dr. Huot bre...

What does it really take to lead a dental school and how much influence does a dean have on the future of the profession? This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam sit down with Dr. Gerry Kugel, dean of the University of Nebraska’s dental school, for a candid conversation about leadership, faculty, educational standards, and what it takes to truly prepare students for clinical practice. Dr. Kugel shares his...

LivFresh toothpaste isn't just another toothpaste…it's challenging decades of conventional thinking about biofilm management.This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam take a deep dive into the science behind LivFresh and explore why so many clinicians are talking about it. From its unique chemistry and mechanism of action to the growing evidence surrounding biofilm disruption, oral health, and the patient ...

Few people have had a greater impact on the adoption of silver diamine fluoride in the United States than this week’s guest. On Dentistry Unmasked, Pam and Brian sit down with Dr. Shirtcliff, the man who helped bring SDF to U.S. dentistry, to hear the remarkable story behind its introduction, the testing and approvals required to make it available to American patients, and how its role in dentistry has evolved. ...

Bonus systems are often touted as the secret to motivating a dental team; but do they actually work? This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam sit down with Sharyn Weiss, who challenges the conventional wisdom that bonuses drive better performance. In fact, she believes they can be counterproductive, create unintended problems, and fail to inspire the behaviors practice owners really want. Tune in as Sharyn expla...

Life doesn't stop when you're running a dental practice.  Dentists and dental professionals are often expected to lead their teams, care for patients, manage businesses, and support their families, even while facing some of life's most difficult personal challenges. Divorce is one of those challenges, yet it's rarely discussed openly within our profession. This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Pam sits down with entre...

What if the most exciting chapter of your career hasn't happened yet? Dentists are natural entrepreneurs, innovators, educators, and leaders, and many discover that their greatest opportunities exist outside the four walls of the operatory. This week, Brian and Pam share ideas for expanding your professional horizons through teaching, writing, speaking, consulting, entrepreneurship, and other passion projects that can...

This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam sit down with JoAnne Tanner, practice coach, consultant, and author, to talk about one of the biggest decisions in a dentist’s career: buying a practice. Whether you are dreaming of ownership, actively evaluating an opportunity, or preparing to sell, the process can be exciting—but it can also be overwhelming, expensive, and complicated if you do not know what...

This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Pam and Brian sit down with Dr. Mia Geisinger, past president of the American Academy of Periodontology, for a powerful conversation about the undeniable connection between oral inflammation and systemic health. For too long, “a little bleeding” has been minimized or accepted as normal—but Dr. Geisinger makes it clear: bleeding is a sign of inflammation, and inflammat...

This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam sit down with Dr. Jeff Brucia for a practical, clinically relevant conversation about what it really takes to bond composite predictably. Think you know the difference between an immature bond and a mature bond? This episode may change the way you look at and practice adhesive dentistry. Dr. Brucia breaks down the details that influence bond ...

What does it take to grow a single dental practice into a thriving multi-location organization—and then step back from the day-to-day to pursue an even bigger mission? In this episode of Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam chat with Dr. Chris Lugo, The Dentrepreneur and a pediatric dentist, educator, and mentor who transformed one practice into five while mastering the art of remote leadership. Armed with both cli...

This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Pam and Brian sit down with Stephen Taylor, Marketing Director at Delmain, for a candid conversation about one of the hottest topics in dentistry today: artificial intelligence in dental marketing. Stephen breaks down where AI can truly add value, where it falls short, and how practices can leverage technology without losing the human connection patients still crave. The discussion exp...

Are your restorative materials working with or against your bonding protocol? In this episode of Dentistry Unmasked, we take a deep dive into some of the most exciting developments in restorative dentistry with Dr. Nate Lawson, a leading expert in dental materials science. We explore the growing popularity of dual-cure bulk-fill composite resins, including a critical discussion on their compatibility—or inc...

The conversation with Dr. Kessler last week couldn’t be contained. This week Dr. Pam and Dr. Brian continue last week’s discussion with the past president of the American Dental Association, Dr. Brett Kessler, and things heated up.

The very personal nature of dentistry is full display this week as they discuss the future of organized dentistry, what it means to each of them, and the support p...

How familiar are you with THE American Dental Association? Do you sometimes feel as though it’s hidden behind a veil? In this episode, Dr. Pam and Dr. Brian sit down with Dr. Brett Kessler, past president of the ADA and get to know the dentist (and human) behind the mask. The conversation is vulnerable, but steady, honest, and quietly courageous, moving through themes of personal reinvention, the discomfort of l...

It might feel early—but according to Brian, if you’re not thinking about the holidays now, you’re already behind. This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Pam and Brian tackle a topic most practices put off until it’s too late: end-of-year planning. From team celebrations to scheduling and budgeting, they break down how a lack of preparation can lead to stress, burnout, and missed opportunities to boos...

What if the tooth fairy could do more than just leave a dollar under the pillow?  This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam sit down with Oliver Finel, an animator who’s reimagining the tooth fairy experience for today’s tech-savvy kids—and their dental providers. With the tooth fairy already welcomed into more than 90% of U.S. households, Oliver saw an opportunity to turn a beloved traditi...

Ever wondered what it would actually take to drop insurance participation—but weren’t sure how to make it work?

This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Pam and Brian sit down with Dr. Brian Edwards, a preventive-focused dentist who has successfully transitioned out of network with all insurance plans while continuing to grow a thriving, patient-centered practice.

Dr. Edwards shares h...

This week on Dentistry Unmasked, Brian and Pam continue the conversation on practice transitions—this time through the lens of the buyer.

They’re joined by Brian Hanks, a seasoned buyer’s advocate who pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to purchase a dental practice in today’s market. From timing the decision to buy, to identifying what actually makes a practice a stro...