The Real Talk of Dental

Dental virtual assistants are remote team members who work inside your practice’s systems to handle scheduling, insurance verification, and patient calls. If the phrase makes you picture the frustrating offshore call center from your last credit card dispute, you are not alone. Cory Pinegar pictured the same thing. Meanwhile, your front desk is stretched thin, labor costs keep rising, and AI changes the game every six months. The real question is not whether to use remote talent and technology. It is how to use them without turning your practice into a commodity.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year de...

Dental embezzlement is the theft of money, product, or time by someone inside your own practice, and nearly half of dental offices report being stolen from. If you think digital payments, AI tools, or an office manager who feels like family make you immune, this is your wake up call. The person closest to the money is often the one taking it. The losses add up quietly through payroll bumps, stolen insurance checks, padded overtime, and extra PTO until it is death by a thousand paper cuts.

On The Real Talk of Dental, host Brandi Marzolino, a 20...

Dentist burnout is not always caused by dentistry itself. More often, it happens when everything outside the practice gets neglected: your marriage, your kids, your health, and your own personal growth. If you are hitting your numbers but feel like you are failing at home, or thriving at home while the business drifts, nothing is wrong with you. You are running your life on autopilot, and the highlight reel you see from everyone else in the industry is making it worse.

On this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, host Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry...

Dental practice financials are the numbers that show whether your practice is truly healthy: your collections, your AR, your hygiene production, your overhead, and your profit. If you avoid them, you are not alone. Plenty of practice owners know what they collect each month and that the bills get paid. But they have no idea what their AR looks like, whether they overpay for supplies, or how to plan for that next big equipment purchase. Dental school never taught you the business side, so it is easy to decide you are bad with numbers when you were simply never...

Dental insurance fee negotiation is how your practice gets carriers like Delta Dental to raise what they pay you, and most offices are not doing it nearly enough. If you haven't touched your fee schedules in six, eight, or even ten years, you are leaving money on the table every single day. Staffing costs aren't going down. Supply costs aren't going down. As more practices weigh dropping PPO networks in 2026, knowing how in-network reimbursement really works has never mattered more.

On The Real Talk of Dental, host Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach...

A dental sabbatical is what happens when a dentist steps fully away from clinical practice, not for a two week vacation, but for a real, intentional reset. If you've ever quietly wondered whether you could walk away from the chair for a year and come back different, this episode is proof it's possible. Dr. Matt Allen did exactly that, and it didn't just change his schedule, it changed the direction of his entire career. He talks with Brandi about the fear that keeps dentists white knuckling control, the moment he realized the four lane highway to success wasn't for...

How do you scale a DSO without creating a collection of practices that operate like completely different businesses?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi Marzolino sits down with Eric Pastan, who built a 45-practice DSO and sold it to private equity, to explore what sustainable growth actually requires.

Eric explains the difference between scaling and stacking, what private equity buyers value beyond EBITDA, and why repeatable systems, realistic projections, strong culture, and operational alignment make a dental group more valuable.

You’ll also hear why Eric walked away from hi...

Dental office cybersecurity training is the one investment most practices skip, and it is exactly why hackers keep getting in. You can spend thousands locking down your network, but if your office manager clicks one bad link, all of that protection means nothing.

Cyberattacks against dental practices and DSOs have surged through 2026, from major distributors to small single location offices, and most teams still have no idea what a real phishing attempt looks like.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Tom Terronez, CEO of Medix Dental IT, to...

Dental practice HR compliance is the difference between protecting your business and handing an employee's attorney exactly what they need to win a case against you.

If your employee handbook has not been updated in years, or your office manager is fielding tricky HR questions with a quick Google search, your practice is more exposed than you think. Employment laws do not wait for January 1st to change, and the wrong answer to one employee question today can turn into a wrongful termination claim years down the road.

In this episode of The Real Talk...

Servant leadership in dental DSOs starts with a simple question: do your employees dread seeing you walk in, or are they excited when you do?

If your organization is more focused on KPIs and metrics than the people earning them, this episode makes the case for why that approach eventually costs you both your culture and your bottom line.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Brandi Carter, a DSO and dental group executive known throughout the industry for building cultures so strong that team members have moved states...

Why dental assistants are leaving the profession comes down to something simple: they don't feel valued, and the data backs it up, with nearly half considering a job change in the next two years. If you've ever wondered why your best assistant seems checked out, or you're an assistant who feels invisible on your own team, this episode reframes the whole conversation using an unlikely lens: sports.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20+ year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Kevin Henry, a sports journalist turned 20-plus year dental industry advocate and host of Dental Assistant Nation...

Nervous system regulation for dental teams starts with recognizing who on your team is quietly carrying everyone else's weight. If you've ever been the person everyone comes to, the fixer, the calm one, this episode names that pattern and explains why it eventually leads to burnout even for the most capable people in the room.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Lorie Streeter, a certified therapeutic coach with 37 years in dentistry who spent over a decade as a dental office manager before being transitioned out of AADOM and reinventing her...

Project management in dentistry is rarely talked about, but it's the missing piece between a visionary's big idea and a team that actually gets it done.

If you've ever watched a great initiative stall out inside your DSO or practice, or felt like you're constantly saying "get this done" without a clear plan behind it, this episode explains exactly why that keeps happening.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Abbigail Hogan, known as Abby, a former director of project management at a DSO who now runs her own...

A DSO alternative for dentists exists, and it's built to make sure the company can never sell itself to private equity. If you have ever felt like your only two options are staying solo forever or eventually selling to a DSO, this episode breaks down why that's not actually true, and what the real numbers look like right now in 2025 compared to the frothy days of 2022.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Mike Baird, CEO of Accelerate Dental and former CEO of Henry Schein One, to unpack why he built...

Oral preventive assistant controversy is exactly what turned former ADA president Dr. Brett Kessler into one of dentistry's most polarizing figures online.

If you've seen the online pile-on, the accusations of being a DSO sellout, or the anger over an OPA policy letter, you already know how fast dental industry misinformation spreads. Brandi Marzolino sits down with Kessler to unpack the real story behind the backlash, the misquotes, and the sound bites stripped of context that turned one signed letter into a viral controversy.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, hosts...

Starting a dental consulting business looks like freedom from the outside, but the reality is a nine to five that turns into a twenty four seven you never fully clock out of.

If you have ever thought about leaving your day job in dentistry to coach, consult, or build something of your own, this episode is the honest version nobody posts on social media. You will hear what it actually feels like when a scarcity mindset takes over, when clients start walking, and when you have to decide if the dream is still worth it.

...

Employee benefits compliance for dental practices is no longer optional paperwork, it's a legal responsibility every practice owner and DSO leader now carries under federal law. If your team has ten people or ten thousand, you are the fiduciary on that plan, and that means real liability if your broker compensation isn't documented and your benefits process isn't transparent.

Brandi Marzolino, 20 year dental veteran and leadership coach, sits down with employee benefits advisor Emily Stellflug to break down the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), the 2021 law reshaping how dental practices and DSOs manage healthcare costs, broker pay, and...

Dental Entrepreneur Woman is the support community Anne Duffy built after one phone call ten years ago, when a friend in the dental industry was reduced to tears over a comment about her smile.

If you have ever walked into a room full of dental professionals and felt like you did not belong, Dental Entrepreneur Woman is proof that feeling does not have to be permanent.

On this episode, Anne Duffy, founder of Dental Entrepreneur Woman, joins host Brandi Marzolino to mark two milestones at once: ten years of Dental Entrepreneur Woman and the 50th...

Dental assistant digital workflow training is the missing piece between the technology your practice already paid for and the results you're still waiting on. Practices across the country are dropping six figures on intraoral scanners, 3D printers, and CAD/CAM systems, then handing the keys to team members who were never properly trained on any of it. The technology sits. The ROI doesn't come. And the dental assistant, who could be running that entire workflow, is still being treated like the lowest rung on the ladder.

Brandi Marzolino, 20-year dental industry vet and leadership coach, sits down...

A dental practice emergency exit plan is the document that protects everything you built if the unthinkable happens. And most dentists don't have one. Whether it's an unexpected death, a contentious divorce, a disability, or a personal decision you'll deeply regret, the cracks that destroy practices usually don't come from outside. They come from you.

In this episode, Brandi Marzolino, 20-year dental industry veteran and host of The Real Talk of Dental, sits down with Mary Fisher-Day, CEO of The Dental Business and decades-long expert in dental practice transitions and valuations.

Mary has been called...

What actually makes someone a great leader?

It's not charisma. It's not confidence. And it's definitely not having all the answers.

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with Ralf Tomandl, COO of HR for Health, to explore the leadership lessons that only come from real life experience.

From surviving cancer and supporting a special needs child through life-threatening health challenges, to helping dental leaders navigate growth, culture, hiring, and team development, Ralf shares the experiences that shaped his perspective on leadership, resilience, and authenticity.

Together...

Think AI is helping you make smarter HR decisions?

It might actually be creating evidence against you.

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with HR compliance expert Kara Kelley for a candid conversation about the growing risks of using AI for hiring, firing, employee relations, and workplace compliance.

From AI-generated employee handbooks and employment law advice to the legal implications of what practice owners type into ChatGPT, Kara breaks down where AI can help, where it absolutely cannot, and why relying on it for HR decisions could...

What happens when influence becomes more important than integrity?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with Beverly Wilburn, longtime dental leader, practice owner, and former ADOM Office Manager of the Year, for a brutally honest conversation about authenticity, scarcity, and the “pick me” culture taking over dentistry.

From speakers and consultants chasing visibility, to social media performativity and AI-generated content that all sounds the same, Beverly shares why trust, reciprocity, and genuine connection matter more than ever in today’s dental industry.

This conversation dives deep into leader...

AI is not replacing dentistry. It’s exposing where dentistry has been overwhelmed all along.

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with Danny Bessonov, founder of Avora, the voice AI platform helping dental practices automate documentation, improve patient communication, and create more human-centered experiences inside the operatory.

But this conversation is about much more than technology.

Danny shares how growing up in Silicon Valley, teaching himself to code as a child, and building viral apps as a teenager eventually led him into healthcare, where he realized one ma...

Most hygienists aren’t underpaid because they lack skill. They’re underpaid because they don’t understand the numbers.

And once you see it… you can’t unsee it.

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Sade Morel shares how she went from working inside corporate dentistry to building a multi-provider hygiene business that generates tens of thousands per month, on her terms.

This is not just a conversation about money. It’s about autonomy, ownership, and what happens when you stop waiting for permission and start understanding your value.

Because he...

Dentist burnout is real, and many high performers don’t see it until it’s already affecting their health, relationships, and work.

If you’ve been feeling constant pressure, anxiety, or exhaustion in your career, this episode will hit close to home.

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Dr. Eric Recker shares what burnout actually looks like behind the scenes of a successful career. After more than 20 years in dentistry, he found himself dealing with panic attacks, chronic stress, and the weight of always needing to be “on.”

We talk about the...

What if the “hygiene shortage”… isn’t a shortage at all?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, we pull back the curtain on one of the most talked-about issues in dentistry right now, and challenge everything you think you know about hiring, retention, and what’s really happening inside dental practices.

Jennifer Steadman brings a rare, full-spectrum perspective, former hygienist, operator, and VP of Ops, to unpack the truth behind why hygienists are stepping away, what practices are getting wrong, and how leadership, culture, and compensation are all colliding in real time.

This...

What if the biggest risk inside your dental practice… isn’t what you can see?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, we dive into a topic that isn’t flashy, but could change everything, dental waterline safety.

Landon Hilliard from Dentist Safe breaks down the hidden dangers inside dental unit waterlines, why over 80% of practices aren’t testing them, and how contaminated water can impact both patients and staff.

From real outbreak cases to the science of biofilm and bacteria growth, this conversation reveals the gap between what we assume is safe…...

What if the biggest financial mistake in your dental career… has nothing to do with dentistry?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with Kyle Wheeler, a commercial real estate expert who exclusively represents buyers and tenants in dentistry, to unpack the hidden risks, missed opportunities, and costly misconceptions that happen every day in practice acquisitions, leases, and startups.

From new grads walking into deals without leverage… to seasoned practice owners unknowingly leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table, this conversation exposes the side of dentistry no one teac...

What happens when the systems meant to protect patients and providers… aren’t actually being followed?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with infection control expert and educator Sherrie Busby to unpack one of the most overlooked risks in dentistry, the gap between what’s taught, what’s required, and what’s actually happening inside practices.

Sherrie shares the story that started it all, a real exposure to hepatitis early in her career, before PPE was standard, and how that moment shaped her path into infection control education. From there, the...

What happens when two dentists give you two completely different diagnoses, just months apart?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with Wardah Inam, CEO and founder of Overjet, to unpack the real reason AI is entering dentistry, and what it actually means for clinicians, patients, and the future of care.

Wardah shares the personal moment that sparked the creation of Overjet, and how that experience exposed a deeper issue across the industry, inconsistency in diagnosis and treatment planning. From there, she built one of the first FDA-cleared AI platforms...

Dental events are getting more expensive. More crowded. And for many vendors, less effective than ever.

What happens when the traditional conference model stops delivering real results?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with Michael Scott of Smile Together to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes at dental events, and why a new model is starting to take over.

After years in tech, sales, and events, Michael entered the dental space with a fresh perspective and quickly noticed a disconnect. Vendors are spending tens of th...

Dentistry is facing a growing tension no one wants to talk about.

New dentists entering the profession often expect six-figure incomes, shorter work weeks, and rapid success. Meanwhile, practice owners are carrying the financial risk, team leadership, and operational pressure behind the scenes.

So where is the disconnect?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with Dr. Anushka Gaglani, a dentist who practiced clinically for 14 years before helping build a growing multi-practice dental group with her husband. What started as a single practice has grown into an organization...

Is there really a dental hygiene shortage… or are hygienists simply refusing to tolerate toxic environments?

In Episode 34 of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with Kendra Flowers to unpack one of the most controversial conversations happening in dentistry right now. From the so called hygiene shortage to the growing tension between dentists and hygienists, this episode goes straight to the core of what is breaking inside the profession.

Kendra’s career spans assistant, hygienist, clinical operations, and now public health advocacy at Harmony Health Foundation. Her perspective is layered, battle tested, and deep...

What happens when you realize, three years into your dental career, that chairside dentistry is not for you… and you feel completely trapped?

In Episode 33 of The Real Talk of Dental, Dr. Laura Brenner shares her unfiltered journey of leaving clinical dentistry after a decade of practicing. What started as quiet dissatisfaction turned into years of chronic low-grade depression, identity conflict, and the pressure to stay in a profession she had invested everything into.

Laura opens up about the culture of dentistry that tells us we are “lifers,” the shame that comes with questioning your career...

What happens when you are the strong one in dentistry, the leader, the provider, the one everyone depends on, and you are quietly carrying grief no one sees?

In Episode 32 of The Real Talk of Dental, Dr. Parul Dua Makkar opens up about losing her younger brother to oral cancer at 34, followed by the sudden loss of her father just three years later. As a sole practitioner, mother, and healthcare provider, she found herself navigating profound personal loss while still showing up for patients, staff, and family.

From finishing her brother’s unfinished manuscript after hi...

What happens when you step into one of the most powerful leadership roles in dentistry just as the profession finds itself at the center of political controversy, anti-science narratives, and national scrutiny?

In Episode 31 of The Real Talk of Dental, Dr. Brett Kessler reflects on his term as President of the American Dental Association and the unexpected intensity of leading dentistry through one of its most publicly challenged years.

From national advocacy efforts to the fluoride debate, from legislative battles to anti-science narratives, Brett shares what it felt like to carry the weight of representing...

Burnout in dentistry doesn’t always look like exhaustion or breakdown. Sometimes it looks like tight shoulders, shallow breathing, emotional numbness, or the constant feeling of being “on” for everyone else while slowly disappearing from yourself.

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, I sit down with Lori Bulloch, registered dental hygienist, certified yoga instructor, natural health educator, and founder of Breathe With Lori, to talk about the quiet, cumulative toll dentistry takes on the nervous system and what actually helps.

This conversation centers on wellness in its most honest form. Not productivity hacks...

After 42 years in dentistry, Dr. Alan Stern found himself financially stretched, emotionally exhausted, and questioning the meaning of a career he once believed would bring fulfillment.

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Dr. Stern shares his honest journey through burnout, comparison, financial stress, and the pursuit of significance, and how hitting rock bottom led him to redefine success. From living paycheck to paycheck and hiring the wrong advisors to therapy, grief, and discovering his “why,” this conversation is a powerful reminder that burnout isn’t about dentistry, it’s about alignment.

If you’ve e...

In this deeply moving and necessary episode of The Real Talk of Dental, I sit down with Linda Kane—RCM expert, billing master, author, podcast host, and unapologetic advocate for mental health in dentistry.

Linda has been in the dental industry since 1999, but her mission was forever changed after losing a doctor she worked closely with to suicide. What followed was three months of holding a practice together through grief, chaos, and community support—while witnessing firsthand how broken systems, financial stress, and isolation silently crush dental professionals.

This conversation goes far beyond insurance and oper...