The Patient First Podcast with Dr. Bryan Laskin

As our profession continues to evolve, we dentists must be ready to not only learn about changes in dental technology and oral healthcare consumer habits, but also to adopt a mindset that embraces these changes. Melissa Turner is the Chief Hygiene Officer of Cellerant Consulting and an award-winning speaker and strategist who is on the front lines of change in dentistry, helping dental businesses navigate changes in the market. In this interview, we discuss exciting changes happening in dentistry and the changes that clinicians and practice owners will have to make soon to thrive in the era of what I call “Dentistry 3.0.” Some of the mindset changes we discuss just might surprise you… I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin—author, dentist, entrepreneur and fellow visionary of a very near future of truly interconnected oral healthcare. Contact Melissa: MelissaKTurner.com    Follow Melissa on Instagram: @TheToothGirl

The way people seek dental care is changing and as well as the way dentists provide it. DSOs are both leveraging and driving these changes with their platforms, but they need scalable solutions to optimize the efficiencies of their complex and rapidly growing networks.  In the meantime, many vendors in the space who are eager to share their solutions with DSOs often struggle to communicate the value of their products to these companies. This is where Eileen’s team comes in. In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, I interview Eileen Day, President of DSO Vendor Insights Network (DVIN), and we discuss the growing need for a liaison between the developers of the solutions that will elevate dentistry and the organizations that need them. I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin—author, dentist, entrepreneur and advocate for solutions that help oral healthcare providers deliver treatment experiences that put the patient first. For vendors interested in joining Eileen’s network: DSOVIN.com   Learn how to bridge the disconnect between patients and providers: PatientFirstBook.com  Learn how to bridge the disconnect between actors within the dental industry: DentalDisorder.com  

Dentistry is just starting to hit the biggest wave of change the industry has ever seen. Many of the innovations we are only beginning to see in the dental field have already been pioneered by the medical industry, paving the way for dentistry to experience exponential growth. In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, I interview Cissy Mangrum, the VP of Revenue Cycle for Specialty Dental Brands. With years of experience in health technology, Cissy Mangrum was an eyewitness to the innovative transformations that happened in the medical industry and now in the dental space. Cissy shares the insights she’s gained from her perspective as a revenue cycle expert, comments on the exciting developments in dental software and describes the most important area for dental practices and DSO networks to optimize efficiencies. I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin—dentist, author, entrepreneur and data nerd working hard to improve interoperability in dentistry to ensure better care for patients and more efficient operations for providers. Learn more about Specialty Dental Brands: SDB.com Contact Cissy Mangram: cissy(dot)mangram(at)SDBmail(dot)com Discover solutions that support interoperability: Toothapps.com

Once a clear-cut path to financial and professional success, dentistry as a career has become a much more murky prospect to the next generation of oral healthcare professionals. Rapid developments in digital technology and the gold rush of the DSO business model have left younger dentists feeling anxious and uncertain about the next steps to take. Should they focus on building their own independent practices? Or should dentists just get on board with the DSO trend so that they can focus on doing dentistry?  Dentists today have more career paths to success available to them than the dentists of yesteryear. In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, I explain each of those options. I also share the key to succeeding at both the practice and business of dentistry for those who want to run their own practices. I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin—author, entrepreneur, dentist, advocate for gold-standard clinical dentistry and supporter of fellow dentists in achieving their dreams. Get more insights into running a successful practice by requesting a copy of my book The Patient First Manifesto: PatientFirstBook.com      

Digital technology is transforming many industries including healthcare and finance (popularly known as “fintech” today). In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, I interview Chad Widensky, the CRO of Provide and we get to see the magic that happens when technology, finance and oral healthcare collide. Provide is a national fintech company that specializes in helping healthcare providers realize their practice management dreams through a fully digital and personalized experience. I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin—author, entrepreneur, dentist and fellow tech-enthusiast who loves to see how other amazing companies are leveraging digital technology to improve the delivery of dental care for everyone involved. Learn more about Provide: GetProvide.com Say ‘goodbye’ to paper and fully digitize your dental practice or network: Toothapps.com 

All you entrepreneurs out there in the dental space know how hard it is to build an empire in this fast-changing industry. Elijah Desmond, the motivational speaker and Founder of Smiles at Sea who has been innovating dental conferences for more than a decade, knows the struggle all too well. But as Elijah generously explains in this interview, the key to success lies in remaining true to your authentic self. I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin—author, dentist, entrepreneur and innovator who shares with Elijah Desmond a passion for supporting other innovators in dentistry. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Elijah’s insights in this interview and I know other entrepreneurs out there will, too. Get in touch with Elijah: ElijahDesmond.com  Learn about the biggest problem with dentistry today that needs more disruptors talking about it: DentalDisorder.com  

In the busy dental practice—or DSO—time is one of the most valuable assets. More time equals more opportunities to provide better care and generate more revenue. It’s so easy, however, for time to slip away, wasted on inefficient processes. The secret to regaining control over time? That’s cleverly discussed in the book Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell. In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, we get to enjoy my favorite segment on the show, “Books Applied to Dentistry,” and delve into the practical application of the principles discussed in Dan Martell’s book. More specifically, I explain how adopting the right solutions will help dental practices to save time, becoming more efficient and productive. I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin, published author, avid reader, dentist and entrepreneur who is constantly developing solutions that dentistry needs to become more efficient. Request a copy of my latest book: DentalDisorder.com Explore “playbooks” that can help you systematize your processes: UpgradeDental.com Discover the tools that will save your practice loads of time: Toothapps.com

Many small DSOs just starting out are struggling to keep their heads above water. What are the successful ones doing right? In this episode of The Patient First Podcast that no DSO leader should miss, I interview Trevor Lines, DDS of Revolutionary Tribes and pick his brain on how DSOs can get it right.  Dr. Lines shares his journey with candor and good humor, and explains in great detail what dental teams today need to do to build practices---and entire networks---that thrive. I'm Dr. Bryan Laskin, dentist, author, entrepreneur and architect of solutions DSOs need to keep their teams on the same page. I'm also a wholehearted supporter of people like Dr. Lines who are working hard to improve dentistry for patients, providers and the teams that support them. Are you an emerging group practice in need of extra guidance? Contact Dr. Trevor Lines Improve communications on your dental team with enterprise-level solutions for practice management: Toothapps.com

It’s getting easier than ever for malevolent agents to carry out ransomware attacks, and dental practices are prime targets. With ransomware attacks having increased by 75% during 2023, dental practice owners and the CEOs of DSOs need to be on high alert. Have you thought about what you would do in the event your practice or network is victimized by a ransomware attack? Would you be able to keep things running smoothly if you were targeted tomorrow? In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, I share some sobering statistics on the rise of ransomware attacks and explain what steps dental practice owners can take to ensure the security of their data. I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin, an author, a dentist who has experienced ransomware attacks firsthand and the architect of a practice management solution that offers unprecedented peace of mind in the event of a cybersecurity incident. Discover how Toothapps® Connect can help you protect your data and leverage it to provide better care and increase your revenue: Toothapps.com

What if everything you’ve heard about the group practice model in dentistry…is wrong? DSOs (dental service organizations) may seem to be taking over the industry, but that could actually be a very good thing for the standard of care. In this episode of The Patient First Podcast, I describe my experience at the Dental Forum Meeting, the first industry event at which I noticed there were fewer clinicians than business people. What I saw and heard helped convince me that DSOs are not destroying dentistry—they are helping move it into the future.  I’m Dr. Bryan Laskin, an author, entrepreneur, investor in patient-centered dentistry and a dentist who believes in always putting the patient first. Learn how interoperability is solving the biggest problem in dentistry: DentalDisorder.com Invest in the future of dentistry: ReverePartners.vc Get the latest CE and industry insights from the comfort of your home: UpgradeDental.com