Dental Podcasts

Do you guys listen to podcasts? I (like most other people in the country) got into listening to them after the whole “Serial” phenomenon. Surprisingly enough, there have been a ton of new dental podcasts that have emerged in the past year. I’m not really sure why so many dentists and professionals in the dental field have decided to spend their free time producing these recordings. I’m sure part of it is altruistic, just wanting to share their knowledge with the world for the greater good. Another part of it is wanting to advertise their services, which may be consulting, practice management, educational seminars, etc. Regardless of the reasons, I am so happy that these podcasts are around. 

I don’t know about you, but most of the dental journals I get go straight into the recycling bin. I try to read some stuff online, but recently due to time constraints, podcasts are my main source of staying on the pulse of the dental world. I have a bunch downloaded on to my phone and usually listen to three to four per week (more, if I’m traveling and have some extra downtime). I take the subway to work, so I have about 60 minutes per day of podcast-listening time during my work commute. They are also great to listen to when you are driving, stuck in traffic, and bored out of your mind. Now, you may be thinking: What is wrong with this woman? After a full day in the office, the last thing I want to do is listen to dental chatter after work or before my day even begins. Give podcasts a chance. I am even going to tell you which ones to check out first, because there are so many out there, and there are only so many hours in a day. 

‘The Dental Hacks Podcast’

I love these guys. This is the perfect podcast to listen to after work, when all you want to do is complain about all of the random things that happened but you are lacking an audience. They are genuinely hilarious and always have informative guests on their show. My personal favorite is their “Brain Trust” section, which is usually toward the end of the podcast and features a handful of dentists discussing various topics such as favorite continuing education courses and patient stories. In addition, the audio quality is great, which some dental podcasts seem to be missing the boat on. These guys keep it real. Check them out. 

‘The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes’

This podcast is a little more on the serious side. The dentist who produces it, Dr. Mark Costes, has owned and flipped many dental practices, and he has a ton of great business advice to share with you. As someone who knew very little about the business end of things, this podcast has helped me to really understand what it takes to run a successful dental practice and just how many dentists out there are doing things completely the wrong way. This is a good one to listen to before work to get motivated to have a productive day. No nonsense, just great information that all dentists can use to help them improve their business. 

‘Thriving Dentist Podcast Show’

This podcast focuses more on practice management and has been around for quite awhile. The producer, Gary Takacs, is not a dentist, but the owner of a dental practice and a practice management expert with many years of experience. My favorite takeaway from listening to Gary is just the way he talks and communicates with the guests he has on his show. I will be the first to admit that having small talk with patients is not my favorite. I am constantly struggling to figure out ways to have a nice little conversation about things other than the weather during a recall visit, or with finding a friendly and non-pushy way of presenting and discussing a treatment plan. I find listening to this podcast helpful in improving my patient and staff conversation skills. 

Now for the easy part: Go to iTunes and subscribe to these podcasts. If you have an Android phone, there is a podcast app for that as well. Did I also mention that this is totally free? I’ll be the first to admit this is going into serious dental nerd territory, but just having that DMD/DDS designation at the end of your name makes you a nerd already, so just embrace that title!

Have a great weekend! 

Lilya Horowitz, DDS, FAGD