Kinda Different: Innovation, Connection, and Making Dental Care More Human

11 Hot Takes That Will Change How You Market Your Dental Practice with Nicole Toudouze

Today’s season six finale is packed with unfiltered dental marketing insights. Matt sits down with Nicole Toudouze, CEO and founder of Transcendental, for a rapid round of hot takes on what actually drives practice growth and what quietly kills it. No fluff. No safe answers. Just practical truth from two people who want dental care to feel more human.They cover:• Why new patients are overrated and the real problem is retention• Why most practices cannot explain why a patient should choose them• The difference between internal and external marketing• Why Google reviews matter but cannot replace real brand identity• How to fix attribution and stop guessing where patients come from• What great front desk experiences actually sound like• Why patient experience is your marketing• The ops breakdowns no amount of ad spend can fixThey also talk about how video, storytelling, and real patient experience data can help practices differentiate in a crowded market.A fun, fast, and honest close to the season.

Innovation In Enterprise Dental Orgs: Prevention, Trust, & Human-Centered Care w/ Maulik Kotdawala

This episode of Kinda Different explores how Dr. Maulik Kotdawala, dentist and Director of Operational and Clinical Strategy at Advantage Dental+, drives innovation inside a large organization while keeping patient safety, prevention, and trust at the center.He and Matt talk about what it takes to move a “dental aircraft carrier,” how to align shiny new tech with real strategy, what he learned training in both India and the United States, and why doing the right thing for patients is also good business. Maulik shares how his team uses data, dashboards, and practice visits to reduce caries risk at scale and make dental care more human for patients and providers.

From Chairside to C-Suite: Coaching the Dental Leader with Thomas Passalacqua

What you’ll hear:Why coaching (not consulting) is the quiet superpower for dental leaders. Thomas Passalacqua of Ascend Professional Pathways shares how a teacher’s mindset, sales empathy, and DSO experience shaped his approach to coaching: intense listening, perspective shifts, and future-focused action. We dig into building “reflexes” for better decisions, why data integrity matters only if people can act on it, and how mindful leadership makes tech work for humans instead of the other way around.Highlights▸Coaching vs. therapy vs. consulting: what’s different and why it works▸Building decision “reflexes” in real time (and why debriefs matter)▸Mindfulness at work: slow down to speed up▸Data integrity + human skills = actual outcomes▸Culture lessons from the firehouse “brotherhood”▸Why in-person connection is a career superpower againTimestamps00:00 Welcome and why this matters now02:06 Thomas’ path: teacher → sales → DSO → coaching04:24 Coaching defined: future-focused, client-centered, action-oriented07:07 The “reflex” muscle: scan options, choose better, learn faster11:09 Tech is a tool; the human is the differentiator12:46 What’s exciting in dental innovation right now14:55 Data quality and why adoption stalls without it18:45 Practicing mindfulness at work (not just reading about it)25:31 High support + high expectations for developing leaders27:20 Safe reps, real growth: letting people learn through experience29:39 Culture from the fire service: trust, unity, performance31:56 How to connect with ThomasGuest bioThomas Passalacqua is the founder of Ascend Professional Pathways. A former NYC educator turned dental sales leader and DSO operator, he now coaches clinical and corporate teams to build clarity, confidence, and measurable momentum.LinksLearn more: ascendpropathways.com [ascendpropathways.com]Action stepPick one meeting this week to “pause the game” for 90 seconds. Name the problem, list 3 options, and choose the next best move. Then debrief in two lines: “What worked? What will I change?”

From Silos to Shared Goals: Payment Reform and Medical-Dental Integration with Caroline McLeod

In the newest Kinda Different episode, Matt sits down with Caroline McLeod, Value-Based Solutions Manager at CareQuest Institute and practicing dental hygienist, to unpack what it really takes to move medical-dental integration from idea to execution. They explore tech barriers, incentive design, and what CareQuest has learned running the MORE Care framework in multiple states. Caroline shares a practical view of shared goals, why some pilots stall, and one question every clinician can use to make care more human today.Timestamps00:00 Welcome and why payment reform matters01:34 Caroline’s path and role at CareQuest04:30 What “integration” means in the real world08:07 Tech barriers and why EHRs slow collaboration10:30 The incentive gap between medicine and dentistry12:34 Designing an alternative payment model with shared goals14:48 Pilots, iteration, and learning fast16:10 Community care and bringing services to patients19:11 A future vision for integrated, human healthcare21:46 One question to ask in every visit24:07 Where to connect with Caroline and CareQuestKey takeawaysIntegration is a team sport. Collaboration stalls when tech does not enable simple, secure data sharing.Incentives must match outcomes. Shared goals across medical and dental teams create motion where fee-for-service does not.Pilot design matters. Keep the lift small, measure leading indicators, and commit to iteration.Make it human. Start every visit with “What matters most to you today?” then build the plan together.GuestCaroline McLeodValue-Based Solutions Manager, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Practicing dental hygienist in North Carolina. Leads multi-state pilots on medical-dental integration and payment reform.

Prevention is a Promise: How Apex Rewires Care, Communication, and Trust with Dr. Layla Lohmann

Kinda Different returns with another candid, practical conversation about shifting from “watch and wait” to proactive prevention, using AI and visual tools to make conditions clear, and leading culture change that makes dental care more human for patients and teams.What we cover▸Why “primary care provider of the oral cavity” is more than a tagline▸Moving from restorative-first to prevention-first across caries and perio▸Using AI and dental health scans to replace persuasion with understanding▸Shared decision making and plain-language scripts that raise trust▸Culture change inside a multi-site group: coaching, accountability, and joy at work▸Personal leadership growth that enables team growth▸What “non-branded model” means for patient experience▸Designing empowerment pathways for every role, not just doctorsFive takeaways1. Prevention is a promise. When conditions are explained clearly and early, patients choose healthier paths without pressure.2. Make the invisible visible. AI and health scans turn gray areas into understandable color, improving consent and confidence.3. Language matters. Plain, non-minimizing descriptions plus shared decisions drive trust and raise case acceptance.4. Leaders go first. Personal growth precedes culture change. When leaders model presence and boundaries, teams follow.5. Everyone is a healthcare professional. Flatten the hierarchy, build connectedness, and equip every role to influence outcomes.Connect with Dr. Lohmann at drlohmann@dallasdental.com