159 - Taking Over a Dental Practice and Other Things Not Taught in School | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene

A follower left a comment asking if their 30 years of experience mean something. Sure, it means a lot...but it doesn't automatically mean you're current. I've been an RDH for 20 years. I know what it looks like when experience is the real thing, and I know what it looks like when someone has done the same thing on repeat for two decades and called it tenure. Both exist. Dentistry is full of both. In this episode, we dig into a real question from an experienced hygienist starting over at a new office, and we don't let either side off the hook. Because there are two very different versions of this story. Version one: you've kept up, you've grown, and you're walking into an office that's behind where you are. Version two: you've been doing the same thing for 30 years and calling it experience. In this episode: ▪️ How to tell the difference between expertise and habit ▪️ Why the interview isn't the time to pitch improvements, regardless of how right you are ▪️ How intentional questions help you vet a workplace before you're committed to it ▪️ What a team's response to new ideas tells you about the culture ▪️ Why trust has to come before change, even when the change is obvious ▪️ The question worth asking every time: "Is there anything here that would prevent me from growing?" The framework: Problem. Understand the consequences. Offer a solution. Experience is only an asset if it's actually current.

I might get "speaker" cancelled for this, but I believe it would be a worthy cause and perhaps the right hill to die on for our profession. Trying to register for a continuing education course shouldn't feel like repeatedly hitting a brick wall. But for many hygienists, it does. Many have given up on fighting for it, sadly.

Dental peeps, this one is super personal… what happens when oral care is overlooked in cancer patients? We see these patients in our ops, but what happens when that patient is your Dad? My dad... My patient In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, I share the story of my father’s battle with cancer and the parts of care that too often get missed. It began with the kind of phone call no one is ever ready for: “Your dad is coughing blood.” While I'm elbow deep in a 6mm pocket during an SRP. From that moment on, life changed quickly. Emergency visits. Hospital admissions. A diagnosis that had likely been developing quietly for some time. The truth is, many lung cancers are not found until they are already advanced. But this episode is about more than the diagnosis and the outcome being tragic. It is also about something rarely talked about enough: oral health during cancer treatment. What I learned, what we created and how I shared it with the folks at the Cancer Center. If you want the same download, you can grab it here: Oral Cancer Products Digital Download from Toothlife.ca

Dentistry in NYC is changing, and in Tribeca, there's a little hidden gem. I sat down with Cody Levine, and honestly, this conversation felt like stepping into what dentistry could be when it’s done differently. We talked about the kind of journey that doesn’t look linear. From doing dentistry under a cellphone light on mission trips to building one of the most intentional, beautifully designed practices in Tribeca, NYC. The story shared is a vision that materialized and is making a change in how patients see dentistry. And I’ll be honest… if I didn’t live in Toronto, I’d be in New York. And if I were in New York, I’d probably be picking up a shift or two at Smile House. That’s how aligned this philosophy feels with how we also practice at Toothlife Studio. What Cody and his team are building is a complete shift in how we think about care, moving away from quick fixes and toward something comprehensive, collaborative, interdisciplinary and way rooted in the connection between oral and systemic health. This episode shows you what can happen when you stop treating teeth in isolation and start treating people as a whole. Sign it with me..."Head, shoulders, knees and toes." In this episode, we yap about: ▪️ The journey from mobile dental units to creating a modern, tech-driven dental practice in New York ▪️ Why dentistry is shifting toward a mouth-body connection instead of isolated treatments ▪️ The four pillars of care: esthetics, structure, function, and biology—and how they change patient assessment ▪️ How advanced diagnostics and collaboration between specialists improve patient outcomes ▪️ Real patient cases involving TMJ, airway issues, sleep improvement, and recovery from past dental experiences ▪️ How to educate patients who come in expecting “just a cleaning” and shift their understanding of oral health ▪️ The challenges of running a modern dental practice and continuously improving both clinically and as a leader. Connect with the Smile House Squad: https://www.smilehouse.co/ https://www.instagram.com/smilehousetribeca/ https://www.instagram.com/codymarclevine/

RDH's...Are you taking BP at every visit? In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, Irene and Victoria break down one of the most common questions in dental hygiene: “Is taking blood pressure at every visit mandatory?”