Protrusive Dental Podcast

Dental Implant courses for Dentists are a significant pathway in terms of commitment. Have you ever attended a Dental course and not applied the knowledge…and then a few months or years later – you felt it was an absolute waste? For example, I did a laser course last year – I have hardly touched a laser since then – its my own fault and I take ownership of that…but what if the stakes were higher? https://youtu.be/rXYARG13AEQ Is it too soon to start Implants…? Implant courses are not a small investment and I know some Dentists who have invested heavily in implant training…but they never quite got going. Whatever the reason, it’s sad. This is why I recorded with Implant Dentist Dr Hassan Maghaireh who is going to help us over 2 episodes to cover this mammoth topic. In this episode we look at getting started with implants – is it for you? https://youtu.be/dSgGnoTyC1c Should you be placing Implants? Stay tuned for a very clinical Part 2 where we will discuss case selection, implant assessment and Ridge preservation for Dentists. This two-part series aims to help you even if you are not placing or restoring implants, we’re going to cover the fundamentals and scratch in itch we have all had since qualifying from Dental school with limited exposure to Implants! In this Episode, I asked Hassan: As you do not get to place or restore implants at Dental school, how can you know it is the right path for you? I know many young Dentists who dabbled with implants and then stopped placing implants – how can we ensure this does not happen to more dentists? There is a school of thought suggesting that with implants, you should either go all in, or do not touch them. How and where does the GDP fit in to this? Is there a place for ‘dabbling’ in implants? How can we start safely and positively? In this episode we promised you some downloads and resources: The ADI Whitepaper on Bisphosphonates The BAIRD Implant Course starting in October 2021 Wex for Refurbished Photography Equipment If you enjoyed this episode, you will also like Transition to Private Dentistry which changed my life.

This is the very first Group Function and we are tackinling RBBs! I will take questions from the fellow Protruserati – I will use your help to come up with some helpful solutions. TLDR: You can do Dahl RBBs, but it doesn’t always mean you should. A little prep of enamel will not be THAT detrimental for the tooth. https://youtu.be/VtRlzodts8c Thank you Aaron for helping this episode happen as our first question! It is about a technique dear to my heart – Resin Bonded Bridges! Firstly, if you know nothing about the Dahl technique, you totally need to listen to the episodes with Tif Qureshi on Dahl Part 1 and Part 2. It CAN be a good way to place Resin Bonded Bridges in a way to eliminate any preparation for the occlusal surface – in young patients it can be very successful. However, it just seems a shame to prop someone’s bite open on just ONE tooth and allow what naysayers refer to as ‘unpredictable orthodontics’ to work it’s sweet magic. I am totally fine with a little prep – staying in enamel (which is so key!) – every case is unique so treat on it’s merits. In a younger patient, I am more likely to consider that approach. I hope this helps! If you find this useful – send it to a colleague. I cover Dahl RBBs extensively in the Resin Bonded Bridges CPD Online Masterclass as well as Zirconia RBBs.

When Mike Gow first told me that he helped place dental implants on patients WITHOUT local anaesthetic, I thought he was lying. Then I found out they have also done a sinus lift without LA…what?! You read that correctly! Mike Gow has centred his practice around the management of nervous and anxious patients. Don’t you think we can learn so much about management of dental anxiety from someone who has achieved the above? This is exactly why I brought him on as my guest of honour for Episode 50 (50 not out!) and you will love this, gem-packed podcast with valuable ways to help us become better Dentists to anxious patients. https://youtu.be/dkMByGXwI1A Full episode with Dr Mike Gow only on Protrusive and Dentinal Tubules The Protrusive Dental Pearl is to check out Anydesk (it’s free!) to gain remote access to your work computer in a secure way, so you can access X-rays and treatment plans any time, from any where! This has helped me on so many occassions! Also check out the 1 hour free training on Teeth Whitening by Dr Payman Langroudi of Enlighten Smiles. https://youtu.be/jO0bIetHLtY We discuss: How and why he found himself in a situation to hypnotise patients and place implants without LA Mythbusting about Inhalation Sedation Top tips in making patient feels calm and cared for (gold) Gow Gates vs Akinosi – which ID Block alternative is better? How to have a thriving practice centered on anxious patients The powerful secrets of managing dental anxiety https://youtu.be/uqiXh6QUjXw Inhalation Sedation is massively underutilised https://youtu.be/LevjbyjOTIM Hypnosis is powerful! Mike’s resources as promised: ISDAM Website ISDAM Facebook page His practice, the Berkeley Clinic And of course, Mike on the news!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04uduXkYJ0 Dr Mike Gow also runs InterDental TV for the latest in Dentistry. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Dr Libi’s 2 episodes on Paediatric Dentistry!

As our level of Dentistry gets more comprehensive or complex, sometimes it is useful to write a treatment plan letter to your patient. In some practices, this is considered absolutely essential. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sMt7QLaPCk Full episode with great gems from Dr Jorge Cardoso The problem with writing treatment plan letters to your patients is that….it’s not easy! It takes time. It takes thought. You need to come up with solutions to the unique and complex problems for our patients, and be able to present an estimate of fees at the same time. Not only that, but the letter should ideally be easy to understand, visual, detailed enough to be valuable but at the same time concise enough not to complicate it. Oh and by the way…after all that time and effort, the patient may not proceed with treatment. There goes that Saturday afternoon away from family, totally wasted, right? https://youtu.be/bo-fA-o4OC0 I found a solution. Kind of. It’s called MakeMeClear and it generates easy to understand, visual and beautiful treatment plan reports and letters. Once I got slick at using Make Me Clear, I still found it takes time. There is no shortcut/hack to good treatment planning. But there is a shortcut to creating wonderful letters that increase your case acceptance. Thank you, MakeMeClear! Protrusive Dental Pearl – Do the 21 Day Free Trial for MakeMeClear and do not make the same mistakes I did of not taking action! (It will be more clear when you listen to the episode). All of the Protruserati clan get 25% OFF the monthly or Annual plan with the code ‘protrusive‘! If your dental practice subscribes to MakeMeClear then all of the associates and Specialists can use the same membership. Let that sink in! Thank you to Jorge for this awesome deal. https://youtu.be/pfuG8Q08rck Click here to check out a sample report / example treatment plan letter produced using MakeMeClear. I am joined by Dr Jorge Cardoso, founder of MakeMeClear, to discuss: How and When to Write Letters to patients – is it always? What about when there is more than one option – how can you put that in a treatment plan letter without it being confusing? What is the role of digital smile simulation images? What is you give a ‘global fee’ or ‘ballpark figure’ but things turn out more complex than anticipated? So many great themes of challenges with comprehensive Dentistry discussed with Jorge. If you missed his eBook I gave out in the last episode, check out 16 Steps to get More Treatment Plans Accepted Today. If you enjoyed this episode, you will love Think Comprehensive with Zak Kara.

Do you make ‘shotgun’ treatment plans? A shotgun treatment plan is like a shotgun wedding. It is rushed, on-the-spot and poorly consented.. https://youtu.be/mAnXcTUdFuM Shotgun Treatment plan vs being Comprehensive I am back with a Fan favourite – Dr Zak Kara who absolutely bamboozled with his communication gems from episode 10 (must listen if you have not already!) In this mammoth 80 minute episode we dissect how to PRESENT treatment plans to patients. Should we use their chart? Should they get a quote for extensive work at Day 1? Should it be at a second visit or all at their first visit (after all…this what they expect from us, right?) Do we need a separate consultation room (LOL)? https://youtu.be/cFHE2nnCM5E FULL episodes only on the main website and on Dentinal Tubules for CPD/CE Protrusive Dental Pearl 1: ebook Download for 16 Steps to get more Treatment Plans Accepted Today Protrusive Dental Pearl 2: Thank you for Mini Smile Makeover Composite Course and Enlighten Smiles for sponsoring this episode! I talked about my favourite composite instrument I learnt about from attending Mini Smile Makeover – it is called the CASI 3C and it is the perfect non-stick instrument for anterior bonding. Those in the UK can get this from Enlighten Smiles, and those in the USA or Worldwide can get it from their Cosmedent supplier. https://youtu.be/Ob9srJZu3hM The CASI 3C We also discussing about getting comfortable talking finance with patients – what are our limiting beliefs about money and fees? Is that holding us back? It did haunt me for many years… Do we need to give exhaustive documentation afterwards? What is the point of all this? What is the patient and you do not share the same ethos and values? This is the App Dr Zak Kara mentioned he uses: DDS GP only on the App Store What I loved about the episode was learning why Zak DOES give an itemised plan for Phase 1 treatment, but not Phase 2 or 3: https://youtu.be/plIpA6AjtBg If you gained value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share it with a friend! If you enjoyed this, you will of course love Zak’s first episode on Protrusive: Think Comprehensive!

Periodontology has some good studies and evidence base – but what is the current thinking in the role of occlusion/parafunction in the aetiology and progress of periodontal diseases? I am joined by Specialist Periodontist, London-based Dr Richard Horwitz to discuss exactly the correlation and link between occlusion and periodontitis. https://youtu.be/QhZfDxR4SoY Are those with Anterior Open Bites more likely get to get Perio? Full video episode out soon. This episode’s Protrusive Dental Pearl I picked up from Dr Dipesh Parmar on his fantastic Composite course Mini Smile Makeover – it is to use a sectional posterior matrix band (like the B100 from Garrison or Tor VM) in a vertical fashion to create perfect mesial and distal contours for your anterior composite restorations such as Class IVs. Maestro Dipesh Parmar teaching Composites I also revealed that the team at Doctify are offering all listeners to this podcast 50% off for the first 4 months – you just need to tell them you listen to Protrusive Dental Podcast. https://youtu.be/bpBSFyCFrN0 Full video episode with Richard’s cases – only on the website and on Dentinal Tubules I had a really fun chat with Richard which included so much: When and why would you consider occlusal adjustment/equilibration in a periodontally compromised patient, perhaps to reduce occlusal trauma? Can Periodontal splinting help in these parafunctional patients? How can you check for fremitus? What role can appliances have in the stabilised periodontal patient? Listen to how I ruined Richard’s canine guidance! If you enjoyed this episode, you will like my episode with Endodontist Kreena Patel on Cracked Teeth!

We think we know what a tooth looks like….but most of the restorations that we see on a daily basis…how many of them have truly natural or morphologically correct tooth anatomy? I am joined by Dr Jurgita Sybaite who is the undisputed Queen of Tooth Anatomy! (Full video on main website) She works with Dr Basil Mizrahi and is passionate about Restorative Dentistry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70KQXO9CGkY Full Episode only on Protrusive.co.uk The Protrusive Dental Pearl for this episode is to use a Thermacut bur (by Dentsply) to remove the interdental papilla when managing very deep, subgingival caries – an example case was posted on Instagram and Facebook for you to see how this works. https://youtu.be/thz07JOrDts What does Brad Pitt have to do with Tooth Morphology?! The three steps to learning and mastering anatomy: learn, draw, sculpt! What if you cannot draw? What tips would you give to anyone to improve their morphology (anterior and / or posterior) I play devil’s advocate – is knowing anatomy THAT important now with digital wax ups and tooth libraries? Should we really invest our valuable time with Tooth Morphology? Which is the best way to learn, additive or reductive? Wax? Soap bar? Do we need to master tooth anatomy if we are not a ‘cosmetic dentist’? Do check out Jurgita’s Instagram profile to see clips of her producing stunning anatomy! She also is a prominent teacher in this field – check out her website! https://youtu.be/9sTqKOznXpA Do we need to learn Tooth Morphology that well? Now we have Digital Tooth Libraries…? See what Jurgita has to say If you enjoyed this episode, check out Composite vs Ceramic with Dr Chris Orr. As always, hit subscribe on your podcast platform and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

Interproximal reduction (IPR) is a useful way to create space in Orthodontics, but it has to be performed carefully to make sure it looks good and is effective. If you are new to Orthodontics or have never performed IPR before – this episode is for you. I am joined by Dr Devaki Patel, specialist Orthodontist, to discuss IPR techniques and the nitty-gritty details and answer the questions you always wanted to ask about IPR…but never did! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9dAcHtPiCU&ab GDP Orthodontics has boomed in the last 10 years. More and more of us are treating orthodontic cases and often this may be referred to as Short Term Orthodontics (STO), or Anterior Alignment Orthodontics (AAO). Protrusive Dental Pearl: If you view a ClinCheck or a similar 3D simulation, make sure that the initial bite/occlusion is set yup correctly. You will be surprised in how many cases this may be wrong and it has not been picked up! If you are starting out with Ortho cases, IPR may be something that worries you. You may have questions like: Which are the best strips? Are strips better than a bur? How should you hold/orientate your bur? How do you perform IPR when there is crowding? What are the secondary benefits of IPR? Should you place fluoride after, or is that overkill? A really great and helpful guide to IPR ipr-orthodontics-guide-dentistsDownload If you enjoyed this orthodontic episode, you may also enjoy my episode with Dr Almuzian on whether Class I molars are really that important? I appreciate you all listening – do subscribe on your preferred podcast platform so that you do not miss the latest episodes.

I am joined by a young Dentist, James Martin, who started a really cool Facebook group called Dentists Who Invest. Well, if there is a group dedicated to Dentists who own Air fryers, then James’ group definitely has a need! The advice we share on this podcast is aimed at Dentists who have no clue about Investing. Forget dental school, but even in our general education we are not taught personal finance and investments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHpkM-9Vg94 Protrusive Dental Pearl: have you been a victim to ‘lifestyle creep’? This is when your income increases, your lifestyle and expenditure also increases. This is all good and well, but it is so important to watch your savings rate (how much money you save). Here are the 5 topics we cover in this episode aiming to improve your financial literacy: 1) How to get started with Investing?We share our individual journeys. His involves cryptocurrency, and mine involves accidentally stumbling upon Tony Robbins’ book about financial freedom! 2) DIY vs Financial Advisor/Investment Broker. The Pros and Cons of doing it yourself vs picking a portfolio with an investments company 3) What is the best investment? Stocks? Real Estate? Cryptocurrency? Bank accounts? 4) WHEN should you start investing? 5) What other piece of advice do you give for Dentists looking to invest? If you enjoyed this episode, do check out Personal Branding for Dentists with Shaz Memon!

I want to talk about maximising your learning potential from all the courses that you attend, but particularly the online ones. I was inspired from listening to a book called Limitless by Jim Kwik (check it out if you’re in to maximising your potential and the human mind). It had so many gems in there which I thought would be so useful for Dentists to learn when we’re attending courses so they have more impact on us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Qc0BwTGRU More importantly, now that with COVID-19, a lot of the education is going online. You now commonly hear the phrase “I’m webinared out” – we are attending too many webinars and are itching for in-person courses again. Over lockdown it was definitely the case, you could fill your whole day with webinars during lockdown. That just gave us digital fatigue. I want to refresh and recap on what are the ways that you can maximise your learning while you’re on dental courses, but particularly on the online courses, so you don’t feel “webinared out” or “digital fatigue”. We can apply this to any online education – in fact, as a Dentist you probably already subscribe to membership only platforms for dental education. However, like many of us in our busy lives, you may be guilty of not giving these platforms enough time to gain from them. It is so important to make time to actually watch that content and actually immerse yourself in that content. I like to call this ‘protected time’. Time is scarce. This is why when you do find time to watch these videos on the online platforms or actually attend these webinars, your time is so valuable. You really have to maximise what you gain for every single course that you do, and every single video that you watch, and every minute that you invest in them. This is why I want to share the FAST protocol to maximise your learning, inspired by Jim Kwik and Limitless. F = Forget A = Action S = State T = Teach F stands for forget, which sounds crazy. Let’s imagine you’re doing a course on veneers – maybe a webinar or an online course on veneers. The way to maximise how much you learn from that particular course is to forget everything you know about veneers. One of my favourite quotes is from someone called Malcolm Forbes, and it’s “the role of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one”. The A stands for action, and it can also be interpreted as active learning. For me, it’s definitely the case that I learn better when I’m taking notes. One thing that Jim Kwik teaches is that we do not learn from consuming. We learn from creating. When I’m creating notes, or when I’m creating mind maps, and some people like typing manually on their iPads or on their laptops, basically almost transcribing what the lecturer is saying… you gain so much more from that process! So note taking or whatever you need to do (whatever creative way that you learn), it’s so important to have that rather than just consuming blindly or consuming blankly, you need to be able to create and that way you will learn more. The other thing that comes with active learning is that multitasking is an absolute myth. We can’t multitask effectively. For example, have you ever been on a course and maybe you’re sat in the front row with all good intentions…but what happens is that you get a text message from your practice manager or patient emails you and now your attention is completely somewhere else. And now you’re dealing with a staffing issue or a patient issue. Of course then you leave the the course to make a phone call. You’re now dealing with the patient or the staffing issue. You’re absent from the course. It’s basically that you’re trying to juggle a few things at the same time, and it’s just not going to work. You’re not going to maximise your learning potential. You have to focus intensely on that course in front of you and forget everything else. Forget the distractions. As humans, we can’t process a negative. Because we can’t process a negative, if something pops up in your mind or you get an email. You can’t just be like “okay, I’m not gonna think about this..”. The best way to handle that situation is make a note of it somewhere or make a to do list, focusing on that task at hand, and then move on from it. The S is super important for all realms, but particularly online. And the S stands for state. That means your environment, your emotional state, and also physical state (what is your posture like as you read this?). Are you doing an online course or webinar, in your PJs, lying down in bed, sideways? It’s not going to make sense compared to working in a home-office, far away from the kids (as far as you can be!). Your posture is important. If you’re slouching on the laptop, your physiology has an effect on your mind. How about your emotional state? The courses where I have learned the most from have been the ones where I’ve been really excited. So I remember when I saw Jason Smithson’s 2-day course about onlays and veneers – I was so excited about that. I was also really excited for Michael Melker’s course in Stockholm. It is therefore no surprise that those two courses had a massive impact on me in terms of how much I took away. Jim Kwik says that your ability to retain information long term is governed by a formula: Longterm Information Retention = Knowledge x Emotion. The knowledge that you gain that day is multiplied by your emotional state. If you’re actually excited to be somewhere and genuinely excited to learn that content, then you will learn so much more. You must tap into your mind and create a sense of excitement and eagerness and be keen and you will learn so much more, you will retain that information, because of your emotional state is being multiplied by that knowledge for better retention. The last part of the FAST protocol is T, which stands for teach. Now, what I don’t mean is you do one online course or webinar and suddenly you start running your own bespoke courses! That’s not what I mean at all. What I mean is that if you attend a course, or an online course, with the intention of passing on that knowledge that you learned to a colleague, then you will learn so much more because “when you teach, you get to learn it twice”. I’m a firm believer that the best students make the best teachers and vice versa. I think when you when you’re able to teach something and pass on information that you’ve gained from a lecturer on to someone else, or apply it to a clinical case, that will really amplify your learning. So there we have it, some things to consider about how to maximise your learning from attending courses using the FAST protocol. Forget what you know already. Be active, be in the correct state. That’s your environment, that’s your emotional state. Consider teaching someone something you learn because that way you get to learn it twice. If you found this useful, please do share it with a colleague! If you enjoyed this episode, you will also like How to Win at Life and Succeed in Dentistry.