The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

People want a longer lifespan. But it’s also important to focus on health span. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, to share four keys to longevity that will help you live better, not just longer. To learn how you can sync up your health span to your lifespan, listen to Episode 966 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Odiatu:

Do too many of your patients owe you money? It’s a symptom of an even bigger problem! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to break down overdue accounts and share a four-step solution to eliminate it from your practice. To learn how to collect from patients before day 30, listen to Episode 965 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Robyn:

Every healthy practice needs new patients. But you don't want to just have “more”. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down new patient count and new patient growth, how to calculate actual patient growth, and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn how to keep a consistent active patient count that's right for your practice, listen to Episode 964 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

Do your hygiene visits feel too routine? Do your patients devalue appointments? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with four ways to reinvent your hygiene op so you can take it from being transactional to transformational for your patients. To help patients feel educated, motivated, and to value hygiene, listen to Episode 963 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Carlie:

How do you build a general practice that can pay the bills? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. John Cranham, co-founder of Cranham Culp Digital Dental, to share his tips for balancing bread-and-butter dentistry with your niche so you can have a fulfilling and profitable career. To learn how to build a healthy general practice that you enjoy, listen to Episode 962 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Cranham:

How good is your team at capturing opportunities over the phone? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down new patient call conversion percentage, how it impacts your practice, and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn how to help your team with their phone skills and save thousands on marketing, listen to Episode 961 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

Airway dentistry isn't just a fad — it’s here to stay! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Meggie Graham and Dr. Liz Turner, founders of the Untethered Airway Health Center, to talk about the growing field, what airway health really means, and why it’s important to integrate it into your practice. To learn how you can impact your patients’ health no matter their age, listen to Episode 960 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Graham & Dr. Turner:

959: The Secret Behind Selling Dentistry Without Selling – Dr. Tom Hedge

How do you sell dentistry without selling? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tom Hedge, founder of The Houston Dentists Tanglewood, to review a recent presentation he gave at Smile Source Exchange and share his secret to selling dentistry without actually selling. To learn how to get patients to buy without feeling like they're sold to, listen to Episode 959 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Hedge:

958: Metric Mondays: New Patient Re-Appointed to Hygiene Percentage - Miranda Beson

Are your new patients one-and-done, or do they stay with you long term? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down new patient re-appointed to hygiene percentage, how it affects your practice, and ways to improve your numbers. To learn how to create long-term patient relationships by re-appointing to hygiene, listen to Episode 958 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

957: Beat Burnout With Better Systems – Miranda Beeson

When you're burned out, it leads to chaos. Luckily, there's a cure! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share five steps to create a solid system that will keep your practice running smooth and stress-free. To learn how better systems can bring joy back into your practice, listen to Episode 957 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

956: 5 Reasons Your Team Feels Overwhelmed – Michelle Wakeman

Do you and your team constantly feel overwhelmed? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain five reasons why and what you can do to reduce burnout and overwhelm. Feeling overwhelmed is normal — and it’s fixable! To learn how to be less stressed and more productive so you can take better care of your patients, listen to Episode 956 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Michelle:

955: Metric Mondays: Unscheduled Active Patients – Miranda Beeson

You might have 1,500 active patients. But how many don't have their next appointments scheduled? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down unscheduled active patients, how it impacts your practice, and ways to improve your numbers so your days get better at work. To learn how to keep patients tethered to your practice, listen to Episode 955 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

954: Big Changes With Insurances You Need to Know About – Shelley DeGroff

Working with PPOs is more confusing than ever — and it’s by design! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, to help decode the complexity around upcoming changes and help you be an active player in the game of insurance. To stay up to date with the new changes and become less insurance dependent, listen to Episode 954 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Shelley:

953: The Importance of Muscle Health for Dentists – Dr. Uche Odiatu

Whether you're prepping a crown or driving to your practice, it all requires muscle. But how well are you taking care of them? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, to demystify muscle health and help you get fit so you can be a better dentist. Your body is the best pharmacy — so give it what it needs! To learn the best way to develop and maintain muscle health, listen to Episode 953 of The Best Practi...

952: Metric Mondays: Fluoride Percentage – Miranda Beeson

Fluoride is a big deal — for your patients and your practice! But it’s common for this percentage to be lower than it should. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down fluoride percentage, how it impacts your practice, and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn how to successfully recommend fluoride so you can improve patient health and production, listen to Episode 952 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

951: 7 Toxic Habits Hurting Practice Culture – Adriana Booth

Do you ever feel like your practice culture is toxic? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to list the seven toxic habits that you might be doing, how they're affecting your culture, and what you can do to create a happier, more committed team. Great culture doesn't happen by accident! To learn how you might be sabotaging your team and what you can do to fix it, listen to Episode 951 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Adriana:

950: How to Turn a Full Schedule into Full Potential – Miranda Beeson

A full schedule is a great thing. But is it stressing out your team? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to help you reframe your team’s mindset around having and managing a full schedule. To learn how to fill your schedule the right way and celebrate when it’s full, listen to Episode 950 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

949: Metric Mondays: Perio Visit Percentage – Miranda Beeson

Maybe it’s uncomfortable, or maybe you're short on time — but are you ignoring the perio conversation with your patients? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down perio visit percentage, the impact it has on your practice, and what to do to improve your numbers. Are you underdiagnosing or defaulting to prophy? To find out if you are and to learn how to fix it, listen to Episode 949 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

948: 1 Bold Move to Outshine Your Competitors – Adriana Booth

How do you outshine your competition without the ads and billboards? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share one way to make your practice stand out from the crowd. To learn how to find your unique value proposition to get patients through your doors, listen to Episode 948 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Adriana:

947: How to Handle Difficult Conversations with Underperforming Employees – Alan Twigg

You and your team deserve a positive, rewarding work environment. A key piece of that is to optimize the people you currently have. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, president of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to share how to address underperformance, ways to fix it, and what to do when nothing seems to work. To learn how to navigate these difficult conversations, listen to Episode 947 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Alan:

946: Metric Mondays: Perio Diagnostic Percentage and Perio Acceptance Percentage – Miranda Beeson

How do you know if you're serving your patients well? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share two metrics that will help both your patients and your practice get healthy. To learn more about perio diagnostic percentage, perio acceptance percentage, and how to improve these numbers, listen to Episode 946 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

945: The Cybersecurity Checklist Every Dentist Needs – Travis Wentworth

Most days, we are online. But how often do we think about cybersecurity? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Travis Wentworth, cybersecurity expert from Intelligence Quest, to share the safeguards to put in place to reduce your risks and protect your patients and practice from common cybersecurity threats. Don't take cybersecurity for granted! To learn the best practices to stay ahead of cyberattacks, listen to Episode 945 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Travis:

944: From Burger King to Dental School: Dr. Louis Kaufman’s Unconventional Path to Success – Dr. Louis Kaufman

Dentistry is a difficult and demanding profession. But with the right people and the right resources, you can make it rewarding and worthwhile. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Louis Kaufman from Smile Source Chicago to share his journey from his time at Burger King to becoming a successful practice owner. To hear about his incredible path and the lessons he’s learned, listen to Episode 944 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Kaufman:

Do your patients value and trust what you're providing? There's an easy way for you to find out! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share a metric that shows how many patients are truly connected to your practice and what to do if your numbers are dwindling. To learn the low-cost way to boost your active patient and active hygiene patient count, listen to Episode 943 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

Retaining patients is important — but it’s not enough for long-term success! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share a framework and system for rethinking retention and creating loyal patients who advocate for your practice. To learn how to create lasting relationships with the ultimate patient experience, listen to Episode 942 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

Are you feeling exhausted, unfulfilled, and unhappy? It doesn't have to stay that way! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Groth, a long-time ACT client, to share his journey from rock-bottom to success and the steps you can take to find fulfillment and happiness. To learn how to reframe adversity and make your life better, listen to Episode 941 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Groth:

You will always need new patients. But you also need to keep your current patients active — especially through hygiene! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down why hygiene re-appointment matters and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn the easiest way to increase revenue without chasing production, listen to Episode 940 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

Do you want more control over your life? Then it’s time to invest in yourself and your practice! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Lenny Hess, senior clinical director at The Dawson Academy, to talk about the best investment you can make: your education. He shares how the upcoming seven-course curriculum will transform your thinking and lead you to a more fulfilling career and balanced life. To learn more about Dawson’s Core Curriculum and what it can offer, listen to Episode 939 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Hess:

You're good at planning your vacations. But how about planning for your business? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Siegel, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to break down how to strategically plan for your future and build a thriving practice. When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail! To learn how to make a great plan for a great future, listen to Episode 938 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Ariel:

Over 50% of practices are either thinking about or starting to move out of network. It’s a trend that's not slowing down! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, founder and CEO of Kleer, to share the shocking data behind going out of network and why you’ll wish you had done it sooner. To learn all the benefits of going out of network for you and your patients, listen to Episode 937 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dave:

Establishing core values is the most important thing you will do for your practice. But core values aren’t just words on the wall! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share how to keep your core values alive and prevent them from becoming stale over time. To learn how to make core values the heartbeat of your practice, listen to Episode 936 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Heather:

Are you unhappy with your practice and feeling stuck? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Pamela Maragliano, chief editor of Dental Economics, to inspire you with her journey to pursue excellence with confidence. Stop compromising your values to make others happy! To learn how to build your ideal vision, team, and practice, listen to Episode 935 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Maragliano:

Uninsured patients are afraid of the dentist. But it’s not the pain they're scared of! They don't have coverage, and they're anxious about the cost. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, founder and CEO of Kleer, to share how to remove this barrier and grow your collections by 182%. To learn the easier way to get patients through the door and accept treatment, listen to Episode 934 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dave:

Do you ever wish you had a second set of eyes — without the headache of opinions and emotions? Well, now it’s possible! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Mike Buckner, executive vice president of revenue at Pearl, to showcase the impact of using AI to provide better care for your patients. To learn how AI will help you detect problems earlier, more accurately, and even more quickly, listen to Episode 933 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Mike:

You don't need to work harder, and you don't need to produce more. You just need to collect what you're owed! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to show you how much money you're leaving on the table and how to tighten your collection gap. To learn how to start collecting 100%, listen to Episode 932 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Robyn:

You want to fill your practice with cash-paying patients. But being uninsured doesn't mean more loyalty and more treatment! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, founder and CEO of Kleer, to share some shocking data on cash-paying patients and why you need to invest in a membership plan for your practice. To learn how to increase the number of ideal, cash-paying patients, listen to Episode 931 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dave:

Time is the one thing you can't buy back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Mike Buckner, executive vice president of revenue at Pearl, to talk about AI and how it can help you and your team be more efficient in your practice. To learn how to free up time for the things that matter most, listen to Episode 930 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Mike:

Without clear communication, even the best teams can fall apart. So, how do you clearly communicate expectations as a leader to your team? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share a framework for when and how to give feedback — and how to receive it! To learn how to create a stronger team through clear communication, listen to Episode 929 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

How long does it take to collect what you're owed? The longer you wait, the less likely you are to collect it! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to break down accounts receivable percentage, where your numbers should be, and what to do if they're not in the ideal ranges. To learn how to collect what you're owed as quickly as possible, listen to Episode 928 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Ariel:

About 70% of dentists will be embezzled during their careers. In fact, it may be happening to you now! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back David Harris, embezzlement expert and CEO of Prosperident, to continue with part two of how to stop embezzlement from happening in your practice. To learn the best monitoring framework to stop future thieves in their tracks, listen to Episode 927 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About David: