The Dental & Mental Podcast

#55: Dental Mission Trips, Mold Recovery, & Practice Growth | Life Update

The Dental App: https://www.thedentalapp.com/thrive [https://www.thedentalapp.com/thrive]   What's really happening behind the scenes of a growing dental practice? In this episode of the Dental & Mental Podcast, Drs. Galen & Davina Detrik share a real-life update on dentistry, practice growth, health challenges, and life outside the operatory. They break down their recent dental mission trip to the Dominican Republic, what they learned from working alongside other high-level dentists, and why experiences like this can reshape your perspective on clinical dentistry and patient care. They also open up about a personal journey through mold exposure, burnout, and recovery, and how it impacted their energy, performance, and daily life as practicing dentists. In this episode, you'll learn: • What it's like to go on a dental mission trip and why it matters • How health and burnout can affect your performance as a dentist • Behind-the-scenes insights into growing a dental practice • Why most practices struggle with systems, software, and operations • How leadership, team growth, and new hires impact practice success They also discuss transitioning to new dental practice management software, simplifying systems, and what's next for their team and business. Whether you're a dental student, associate dentist, or practice owner, this episode gives you a real, unfiltered look at modern dentistry, practice growth, and life as a dentist. ______________________________________________________ 🦷 Want more Dental & Mental Talk?! ▶ PODCAST: https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK [https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK] ▶ WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/3YARSug [https://bit.ly/3YARSug] 🦷 Follow Our Social Media: ▶ INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL [https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL] ▶ FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX [https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX]

#54: How to AVOID a FAILED dental associateship in 2026

Most dental associateships don’t fail because of bad dentists. They fail because of bad systems, unclear expectations, and zero structure. In this episode of the Dental & Mental Podcast, Dr. Galen and Dr. Davina Detrik break down the real reasons associateships fall apart; from poor patient flow and lack of marketing to misaligned incentives and missing mentorship. If you’re a dental associate trying to grow, or a practice owner looking to hire, this episode gives you a clear framework for building an associateship that actually works. _______________________________________________ 🦷 Want more Dental & Mental Talk?! ▶ PODCAST: https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK [https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK] ▶ WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/3YARSug [https://bit.ly/3YARSug] 🦷 Follow Our Social Media: ▶ INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL [https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL] ▶ FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX [https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX]

#53: Give Us 40 Minutes, We’ll Show You How to Build a Profitable Dental Associateship

🎓 Learn the marketing system that helped scale a practice from losing patients to 90 new patients per month: ➡️ https://bit.ly/4seAeJa [https://bit.ly/4seAeJa] 🌎 Explore coaching, courses, and the THRIVE community for dentists: ➡️ https://bit.ly/4bnY91D [https://bit.ly/4bnY91D] ______________________________________________________ Hiring an associate sounds simple. Until it isn’t. Most dental associateships fail; not because of bad dentistry, but because the business wasn’t designed to support another doctor.  In this episode of the Dental & Mental Podcast, Dr. Galen Detrik and Dr. Davina Detrik break down the real conversations most dentists avoid when it comes to bringing on an associate. From P&L transparency to marketing capacity, production expectations, and buy-in negotiations, they explain what actually has to happen behind the scenes to make an associateship work. You’ll hear the real story behind how their practice prepared for a new associate; including the marketing strategy that helped them scale to 90 new patients per month and support high-level production.    If you’re a dentist thinking about becoming an associate or an owner considering hiring one; this episode will change how you approach the decision. Because bringing on a doctor isn’t just hiring. It’s a business marriage. ______________________________________________________ 🦷 Want more Dental & Mental Talk?! ▶ PODCAST: https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK [https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK] ▶ WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/3YARSug [https://bit.ly/3YARSug] 🦷 Follow Our Social Media: ▶ INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL [https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL] ▶ FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX [https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX]

#52: Dentistry Has a Personal Brand Problem

Most dentists believe great clinical skill is enough. It’s not. In this episode of the Dental & Mental Podcast, Drs. Galen and Davina break down why personality, presence, and brand positioning matter more than ever in modern dentistry. From failed associateships to building a $7M FFS practice with 1,200+ five-star reviews, they share how case acceptance isn’t about scripts, it’s about connection. You’ll learn: • Why personality builds trust faster than credentials • How to turn up the “right dial” in patient conversations • The difference between being authentic and being intentional • Why most practices misunderstand branding • How social media fits into modern dental leadership If your production doesn’t reflect your skill, this episode is for you. ______________________________________________________ 🦷 Want more Dental & Mental Talk?! ▶ PODCAST: https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK [https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK] ▶ WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/3YARSug [https://bit.ly/3YARSug] 🦷 Follow Our Social Media: ▶ INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL [https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL] ▶ FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX [https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX]

#51: Hiring an Office Manager Could Save or Sink Your Practice

Thinking about hiring an office manager? This might be the most important hire you make, or the one that creates more chaos. In this episode, we break down when a dental practice is truly ready for an office manager, why promoting your most loyal team member can backfire, and what a high-performing office manager actually needs to own. If your practice is growing, but still feels heavy on your shoulders, this conversation will help you hire with clarity, not emotion. ______________________________________________________ 🦷 Want more Dental & Mental Talk?! ▶ PODCAST: https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK [https://spoti.fi/3UlHTGK] ▶ WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/3YARSug [https://bit.ly/3YARSug] 🦷 Follow Our Social Media: ▶ INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL [https://bit.ly/3YzKjnL] ▶ FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX [https://bit.ly/3C7tNlX]