In this eye-opening episode of the Marketing 32 show, host Brett Allen welcomes Trish Jones, an accomplished dental hygienist turned technical account manager at Ivoclar, who reveals the shocking truth about one of dentistry's most overlooked profit drains: shade selection failures. With her unique perspective spanning clinical hygiene, dental laboratory work, and scanner training, Trish exposes how the industry's communication breakdown between practices and labs creates a lose-lose scenario where neither party charges for remakes, yet both absorb significant costs. Her revelation that 8-10% of males are colorblind highlights just one of many factors contributing to the epidemic of reshades and remakes that silently erode practice profitability. From the critical importance of timing shade selection at appointment start (not after 45 minutes of eye strain) to the transformative power of baseline shade tracking for whitening case acceptance, Trish delivers actionable strategies that bridge the gap between what patients value most—their smile's appearance—and what practices spend the least time on. This conversation transforms shade selection from a rushed afterthought into a strategic profit center and patient experience enhancer.

In this episode...

Trish Jones delivers a masterclass in the hidden economics of shade selection, exposing how this critical aspect of restorative dentistry has become both an overlooked profit drain and a missed patient experience opportunity. Her unique career path from clinical hygienist to dental laboratory trainer to technical account manager provides her with rare 360-degree visibility into the communication breakdowns that plague the industry. The core problem is simple yet profound: when shade selection fails, practices absorb the cost of additional appointments without charging patients, while laboratories remake cases without billing doctors, creating a double loss that neither party tracks systematically. This silent profit killer goes unaddressed because most practices lack awareness of how frequently reshades occur and what those failures truly cost.

The technical insights Trish provides transform shade selection from guesswork into a systematic science. The revelation that 8-10% of males (and some females) have colorblindness or visual deficiencies immediately disqualifies a significant portion of potential shade-takers, yet most practices never screen for this condition. The metamerism phenomenon—where identical shades appear different against varying backgrounds—explains why simply matching a shade tab isn't sufficient without considering the patient's complete aesthetic frame including hair, complexion, eye color, and even lipstick preferences. The timing factor proves equally critical: taking shades after 30-45 minutes of preparation work with magnification loupes guarantees compromised visual acuity, yet this backwards sequence remains standard practice in many offices.

Perhaps most transformative is Trish's hygienist-driven baseline shade tracking system, which converts routine cleanings into whitening case generation opportunities. By documenting shade at each hygiene visit, practices create objective evidence of natural darkening over time, allowing patients to self-identify the problem rather than feeling attacked by suggestions their teeth are yellowing. This approach simultaneously elevates the patient experience (making them feel valued through detailed attention), increases whitening revenue without aggressive sales tactics, and builds the foundational skills teams need for complex restorative shade matching. The paradigm shift from treating shade selection as a rushed afterthought to recognizing it as the aspect patients care about most represents a profound opportunity for practices willing to invest in education and systematic implementation.

In this transformative episode of the Marketing32 show, host Brett Allen sits down with Fred Joyal, the legendary co-founder of 1-800-DENTIST and bestselling author whose marketing insights have shaped an entire industry. From his origins as an advertising copywriter to building a nationwide dental referral empire that processed millions of patient calls, Fred has witnessed the evolution of dental marketing from its foundational principles to today's AI-driven landscape. His bestselling book "Everything is Marketing" emerged from decades of data on what patients truly want from dental experiences, while his upcoming release "Everything is Still Marketing" addresses the seismic changes brought by digital transformation. Beyond marketing mastery, Fred has developed a revolutionary approach to boldness as a learnable life skill, teaching professionals how to overcome the paralysis that prevents them from achieving their dreams. Whether discussing the power of patient video testimonials, the courage required to present comprehensive treatment plans, or his latest venture into oral health breakthrough technology, Fred delivers actionable wisdom that transforms both practices and lives.

In this episode...

Fred Joyal delivers a masterclass in both marketing psychology and personal development, drawing from his extraordinary journey building 1-800-DENTIST into a nationwide phenomenon. His insights stem from processing millions of patient calls and interactions, creating an unprecedented database of patient preferences, fears, and motivations. The "Everything is Marketing" philosophy he developed recognizes that every patient touchpoint - from phone conversations to office ambiance to treatment presentation - either builds or destroys case acceptance and loyalty. This holistic view positions marketing far beyond advertising, encompassing the entire patient experience and challenging dentists to recognize that clinical excellence alone represents only a fraction of what patients value.

The conversation's most powerful insights emerge from Fred's boldness philosophy, which transforms the common misconception that confidence precedes bold action. Instead, he demonstrates how taking bold action in low-stakes situations builds the confidence muscle needed for high-stakes moments. His systematic approach to developing boldness includes daily exercises like smiling at strangers, gradually expanding comfort zones, and embracing failure as a growth mechanism. The dental applications are immediate and profound: asking for video testimonials, presenting comprehensive treatment plans, having difficult team conversations, and pursuing practice growth opportunities that feel intimidating but offer transformational potential.

Fred's latest venture into oral health technology represents another bold leap, partnering with a biochemist who developed a non-pharmaceutical formula that balances oral biomes and prevents calculus buildup. His personal six-month trial resulted in dramatically improved cleanings, validating the science behind the approach. This innovation, available through Daily Dental Cares, extends to pet health where poor oral conditions reduce lifespans by 10-20%. The venture exemplifies Fred's core principle that "the magic you seek is in the things you avoid" - breakthrough solutions often require embracing risks and uncertainties that others find too uncomfortable to pursue.

In this groundbreaking episode of the Marketing32 show, host Brett Allen welcomes Dr. Kathryn Alderman, a dentist-turned-AI innovator who transformed her fear of dental visits into a thriving group practice empire before discovering how artificial intelligence could revolutionize everything. As founder of the Intelligent Care Alliance and author of "The AI Advantage in Dentistry," Dr. Alderman brings over 20 years of experience in dentistry and business leadership to reveal how AI has fundamentally changed both how practices market themselves and how patients search for dental care. Her remarkable journey from emergency patient to practice owner to AI thought leader demonstrates the evolution of dental marketing, culminating in her discovery that AI reduced her marketing team by 60% while dramatically improving results. This episode exposes the seismic shift happening in patient behavior and provides actionable strategies for practices to thrive in the AI-powered future of dental marketing.

In this episode...

Dr. Kathryn Alderman delivers a masterclass in the fundamental shift occurring in dental marketing, drawing from her unique journey from dental-phobic patient to successful group practice owner to AI innovation leader. Her transformation began with an emergency dental visit that inspired her to create a practice specifically designed for people who fear dentists, leading to years of hands-on experience managing the complex challenges of group practice growth. When AI emerged, she immediately recognized its potential to address the time, money, and energy constraints that plague practice owners, ultimately reducing her marketing team by 60% while improving results across all business areas.

The episode's core revelation centers on patient search behavior transformation. Traditional assumptions about dental marketing - that patients use Google to find dentists - are now outdated. Instead, patients rely on Google Maps for local searches, voice assistants like Alexa and Siri for immediate needs, and AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Meta AI for research. Younger generations particularly trust social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram over traditional search engines, fundamentally altering how practices must approach their marketing strategies. This shift requires dentists to abandon the old model of comprehensive website content covering every possible service in favor of deep specialization in specific areas.

The technical aspects Dr. Alderman discusses reveal the critical importance of schema markup - the JSON coding language that AI bots prefer over human-readable content. Unlike traditional SEO that focused on keyword optimization for human readers, AI marketing requires structured data that speaks directly to automated systems. These bots visit websites almost instantly after content publication and completely ignore visual elements like videos and images, focusing solely on text and structured data. Dr. Alderman's endorsement of Marketing32's schema generator tool demonstrates how practices can implement these technical requirements, with results appearing in AI search results within weeks rather than the months typically required for traditional Google rankings.

In this transformative episode of the Marketing32 show, host Brett Allen sits down with Dat Nguyen, a former laser dentist turned mindset coach who made a radical life pivot at age 46 after 15 successful years of practice ownership. As the first laser dentist on the West Coast to treat sleep apnea and the number one sleep apnea provider in the Inland Empire, Dat had achieved what most would consider the pinnacle of dental success. Yet something was missing. After losing his father to pancreatic cancer in 2012 and discovering the five top regrets of dying people, Dat embarked on a personal development journey that led him to legendary mindset mentor Bob Proctor. Now 55 and looking decades younger, Dat helps dentists unlock what he calls the "95% rule" - the idea that mindset controls 95% of results while strategy accounts for only 5%. Through his Freedom Time Coaching, he guides dental professionals to double and triple their income by transforming their internal programming and limiting beliefs formed in childhood.

In this episode...

Dat Nguyen's story represents one of the most dramatic career transformations in dentistry, moving from clinical excellence to consciousness coaching after recognizing that success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure. His dental career was marked by innovation and achievement - pioneering laser dentistry on the West Coast, becoming a sleep apnea treatment leader, and building a thriving practice over 15 years. However, his father's rapid death from cancer triggered a deep existential questioning that led him to personal development work with mentors like Bob Proctor and Tony Robbins, ultimately culminating in a complete career pivot away from dentistry.

The core of Dat's coaching philosophy centers on what he terms the "95% rule" - the principle that mindset and internal programming control 95% of results while strategy accounts for only 5%. This challenges the traditional dental approach of focusing primarily on clinical skills, practice management systems, and marketing strategies while ignoring the mental and emotional foundations that drive behavior. Dat's work involves excavating limiting beliefs formed in early childhood (ages 0-5) that create what he calls "paradigms" - unconscious mental programs that control behavior. His process includes activating imagination, setting "C-goals" that seem impossible based on past performance, and installing new belief systems through spaced repetition.

The transformation results Dat describes are remarkable, including clients who double their income within months simply by changing their thinking patterns. His own physical transformation serves as a testament to his methods - at 55, he appears decades younger and feels more energetic than he did at 20. His coaching extends beyond financial success to encompass what he calls "time freedom" - helping dentists restructure their priorities to serve themselves first, then family, then business. This inside-out approach represents a fundamental shift from the typical outside-in strategy of changing external circumstances while leaving internal programming unchanged.

In this game-changing episode of the Marketing32 show, host Brett Allen welcomes Gary Takacs, the legendary "Podfather" of dental consulting who launched the industry's first dental podcast in 2011. With nearly five decades in dentistry and over 1,800 practices under his guidance, Gary has witnessed the devastating evolution of PPO plans from reasonable partnerships to profit-crushing schemes that trap dentists in a cycle of discounts and burnout. Through a compelling case study, Gary reveals how one solo practitioner collected an extra $300,000 annually by following his proven six-step blueprint for PPO liberation. More than just numbers, this episode tackles the industry's hidden crisis: the widespread lack of work-life balance among dental professionals and Gary's passionate mission to prove that world-class practices and effective life balance are not mutually exclusive.

In this episode...

Gary Takacs delivers a masterclass in practice transformation by exposing the devastating mathematics of PPO participation and providing a clear roadmap to financial freedom. His compelling case study of a solo practitioner who reduced production by $100,000 while increasing collections by $300,000 demonstrates the counterintuitive reality that less can indeed be more when you eliminate the insurance middleman. The six-step blueprint Gary presents isn't theoretical—it's battle-tested across over 400 practices in every conceivable market condition, from urban centers to small rural towns.

The episode's most powerful insights emerge from Gary's historical analysis of dental insurance evolution. What began in 1968 as a reasonable partnership allowing patients to receive 13+ crowns annually has devolved into a system where the same $1,000 annual benefit barely covers one crown today. Meanwhile, insurance executives capture the difference while dentists absorb 45-50% discounts that would be considered outrageous in any other industry. Gary's restaurant analogy crystallizes this absurdity—no successful restaurateur would allow a third party to dictate menu prices while providing questionable customer quality.

Beyond the financial liberation, Gary addresses the profession's deeper crisis: the pervasive lack of work-life balance that has dentists achieving financial success at the expense of family relationships, personal health, and life satisfaction. His personal story about missing his daughter's childhood while trapped in the "someday" mentality resonates as both warning and motivation. The episode concludes with Gary's passionate assertion that world-class practices and effective life balance are not mutually exclusive, offering hope to practitioners who feel forced to choose between professional success and personal fulfillment.

In this dynamic episode of the Marketing32 show, host Brett Allen welcomes four dental industry legends who are transforming how teams learn and grow together. Tija Hunter (44 years in dentistry), Emme Sanders (35+ years as a hygienist), Dana Watson (dental spouse and leadership expert), and Lois Banta (49 years in dental business) have joined forces to create COLLABricon - the industry's first truly collaborative conference experience. As the only four women-owned founders in dentistry consulting, these powerhouses recognized a fundamental flaw in traditional dental education: teams attend conferences, split into breakout sessions, and return to work unable to implement what they've learned because they're not aligned. Their solution? Keep everyone together, learn together, and create action plans together. This episode reveals how their revolutionary approach is generating remarkable results and transforming practice cultures across the country.

In this episode...

This episode showcases how four industry veterans identified and solved a critical problem in dental education through their innovative COLLABricon conference. The founders' combined century of experience revealed that traditional conference formats actually reinforce the silo mentality that plagues dental practices. When hygienists learn about periodontal disease management in one breakout while assistants learn instrument protocols in another, they return to work unable to create the cohesive patient experience that drives success. The Collaboracon model keeps entire teams together throughout the learning process, ensuring shared understanding and unified implementation.

The methodology behind COLLABricon is brilliantly simple yet revolutionary. Rather than predetermined curricula, 40-60% of the content is driven by attendee needs discovered through interactive exercises. The four experts don't just present individually - they collaborate on every presentation, modeling the team behavior they want to instill. Teams sit together at tables while the coaches circulate, providing real-time input and resources as challenges are identified. This approach creates immediate accountability and shared commitment to action items, with built-in follow-up to ensure implementation success.

The results speak volumes about the power of collaborative learning. Practices are reporting unprecedented achievement levels, with one nine-location group creating sophisticated tracking systems that exceeded their own expectations by mid-year. The success has spawned COLLABricoaching for on-site consulting and plans for a future podcast. Most importantly, the approach demonstrates that when teams learn together, they can achieve together - transforming not just individual knowledge but entire practice cultures through unified vision and execution.

In this inspiring episode of the Marketing32 show, host Brett Allen sits down with Joanne Miles, the "Swiss Army Knife of Dentistry" and lead investment grade practice business advisor with Productive Dentist Academy. Joanne's remarkable journey from dental assistant to regional DSO manager to industry leader showcases the limitless potential within dental careers. With decades of nationwide experience, she now helps practices achieve operational excellence through her innovative Clinical Calibration Institute - the first online platform designed to unite entire dental teams under one comprehensive clinical philosophy. From overcoming early career challenges to developing cutting-edge training solutions, Joanne shares invaluable insights on leadership, team development, and creating investment-grade practices.

In this episode...

Joanne Miles delivers a masterclass in dental practice transformation through her unique perspective as someone who has literally worked every role in the dental office. Her journey began in 1986 as a dental assistant during a time when gloves weren't even standard practice, but was quickly accelerated when she was thrust into management after an embezzlement crisis. This baptism by fire taught her the critical importance of systems, leadership, and comprehensive business understanding - lessons that would shape her entire career trajectory.

The centerpiece of this episode is Joanne's introduction of the Clinical Calibration Institute, a revolutionary online learning platform that addresses one of dentistry's most persistent challenges: getting entire teams aligned with the doctor's clinical philosophy and standards of care. Unlike traditional continuing education that focuses primarily on clinical training for dentists, CCI brings together hygienists, assistants, admin staff, and doctors in a cohesive learning environment. The platform features on-demand modules covering everything from comprehensive diagnostics and risk factor conversations to scheduling optimization and financial solutions, all designed to break down the silos that typically exist within dental practices.

What makes Joanne's approach particularly powerful is her understanding that successful practices require more than just clinical excellence - they need investment-grade business systems and strong leadership development. Her work focuses on helping practice owners recognize that leadership begins with self-leadership, and that creating a clear cultural north star is essential for team alignment and sustainable growth. Through monthly virtual masterminds, global peer learning opportunities, and practical implementation tools, the Clinical Calibration Institute represents a new paradigm in dental team development that prioritizes accessibility, affordability, and real-world application over traditional conference-based learning models.

In this power-packed episode of the Marketing32 show, host Brett Allen sits down with Dr. Steven Katz, a practice growth coach with over 35 years of dental practice ownership experience. Dr. Katz, founder of Dental Excellence Advisory, has coached over 160 practices to more than $300 million in revenue growth through his unique approach to diagnosis standardization and treatment acceptance. From his inspiring personal transformation as a competitive rower at age 65+ to his revolutionary "protective diagnosis" philosophy, Dr. Katz shares game-changing strategies that can transform any dental practice overnight.

In this episode...

Dr. Steven Katz delivers a masterclass in practice transformation through his revolutionary approach to dental diagnosis and treatment acceptance. His journey from a successful practice owner to a sought-after coach began with a simple realization at a speaking engagement - he could impact millions of patients by teaching other dentists his proven systems.

The episode's core focuses on Dr. Katz's "protective diagnosis" philosophy, which addresses the common problem of overly conservative treatment planning. He explains how many practices leave significant revenue on the table by being afraid to present comprehensive treatment plans, often leading to the dreaded "bait and switch" scenario where patients feel misled when treatments become more extensive than initially presented. His solution involves standardizing diagnosis criteria across the entire team and planning comprehensively from the start, allowing doctors to become heroes when they can deliver less treatment than planned rather than villains when they need to add more.

Perhaps the most compelling case study shared involves a practice that transformed their approach to diagnosis standardization, resulting in an additional 4-6 crowns per day - translating to over $1 million in additional annual revenue. Dr. Katz emphasizes that this growth comes not from being more aggressive, but from being more consistent and comprehensive in diagnosis, ultimately serving patients better while building stronger practice economics. His approach focuses on raising the standard of care rather than chasing numbers, with the philosophy that when you deliver exceptional value and experiences, growth happens organically.