September 14, 2025 • 34 mins
The anxiety that keeps us from scheduling dental appointments affects more people than you might think. In this candid conversation, Dr. Alex Semidey, Dr. Sarah Tarte, and Jeremy Wolf unpack the psychological barriers that lead us to "ghost" our dentists and how finding the right dental home can transform this experience.
What makes us vulnerable in the dental chair? The team explores how past trauma, fear of judgment, and even simple "self-care fatigue" contribute to dental avoidance. Dr. Tarte shares her perspective on patient care: "We want you to feel seen and heard," emphasizing how their practice designs experiences around patient comfort. Meanwhile, Jeremy confesses to his own dental appointment procrastination, bringing a relatable patient perspective to the discussion.
The conversation goes into practical solutions for overcoming dental anxiety – from relationship-building first appointments where no dental work occurs, to sedation options for those with severe fears. You'll discover how communication transforms the dental experience, with Dr. Alex explaining his approach to preventing pain before it happens and creating an environment where patients can signal discomfort without embarrassment.
Perhaps most importantly, this episode dismantles the judgment many fear when returning after a long absence. As Dr. Tarte beautifully puts it: "It's not judgment waiting for you. It's a welcome and a 'where do we start from here?'" Whether you're someone who faithfully keeps dental appointments or someone who's been avoiding that call for months (or years), this conversation offers valuable insights into making dental care less stressful and more effective.
Ready to transform your relationship with dental care? Listen now, and don't miss details about the upcoming "Run Your Mouth 5K" supporting the Davie Women's Club – where you can walk, run, or stroll your way to supporting a great cause.
Register now RunYourMouth.org
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Semide Dental Podcast.
We're here to provide youexpert insights on how dentistry
can improve your quality oflife and extend your health span
.
I'm Alex Semide and I'm apracticing dentist, and I'll be
your host, along with JeremyWolf.
Enjoy the show.
Welcome back Tooth Tribe to theSemide Dental Podcast.
(00:22):
I'm Dr Alex and and I am joinedtoday, as always, by my brother
in podcast arms, mr Wolf.
How you doing, jeremy?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh, as always, living the dream, my brother.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Living the dream.
And today we have a veryspecial guest, very, very long
overdue my sister from anothermister, perhaps Dr Sarah Tartt,
how you doing.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Dr Alex has never said that before, so this
podcast-.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's time for everything, baby.
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Hey everybody.
If you have been to thepractice, you've probably met me
.
If you haven't, then time tocome meet me.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Mm-hmm, let's go, time to come meet me, let's go.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So today we have a very, very special, very special
topic, and that's why we ghostthe dentist.
I mean, we're all guilty ofhaving some sort of apprehension
when it comes to our dentalcare.
I really want to start offtoday, jeremy, have have you
(01:27):
ever ghosted the?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
dentist who?
Who me ghost the dentist?
Never, never, I wouldn't eventhink of her.
It's actually funny because Idon't know, maybe a month ago I
had a cleaning schedule and I, Itell you, I wanted to go to the
cleaning.
I really did, but I was underthe weather.
So I decided to do theresponsible thing.
(01:48):
I called your office, muchappreciated, yes, yes, didn't
ghost you entirely.
However, your secretary saidthe magic words would you like
to reschedule?
And at the time I was driving.
So I said, yo, I'll call youwhen I get home.
Fast forward to today and guesswhat, haven't called.
Yeah, I haven't called, andit's been on my mind and I'm
(02:08):
going to use this recordingtoday as an impetus to call your
office after we're done and getback on the calendar.
But, like, let's talk aboutthat, right?
Why is it that we have such ahard time doing the things that
we know we need to do, right?
We know this is something thatis good for us, yet something
goes on emotionally that justmakes us avoid it.
(02:29):
What is going on there, dr Alex?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
You know, there's so many different reasons.
Right, tart that and we get itright.
Life happens and we get wrappedup with things or we have
anxiety about different things,and it's really hard to make a
priority things that you don'treally want to do sometimes,
right, so the purpose of today'spodcast is really to let's talk
(02:56):
about some of those things.
Let's, let's, let's air it outSometimes, when we talk about
things, we kind of demystifythem.
Sometimes, when we talk aboutthings, we kind of demystify
them, right, and we make iteasier to wrap our heads around
it and not feel the same waythat we have been feeling about
it.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, so yeah, just raising awareness.
Yeah, like you said, talkingabout these issues kind of melts
away the emotional chargethat's attached to this.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
It gets you thinking more logically about what you
need to do, right, right, andwith dentistry, like, the number
one thing is that vulnerabilityfactor.
Right, like we are, we are wellaware that when you are
reclined in the chair with yourmouth open, like that
relationship that the patienthas with the dentist is, is it's
very important, right, it's avery, like I said, a very
vulnerable moment for thepatient.
So it's very important.
Right, it's a very, like I said, a very vulnerable moment for
(03:44):
the patient.
So it's very important to be inan environment where you have,
like, absolute trust with that,with that provider, with your
doctor, where that vulnerabilityI mean it's always there but it
gets minimized.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
What do you think, tart?
I think that, just like yousaid, I sometimes I joke with
the patients like we're going toget close real fast, because
laying back in the chair andtrusting someone to just help
you understand your healthbetter is something that you
have to be mentally acceptingduring that moment.
But I feel like at the practicewe, we do a good job to try to
ease into that for a comfortlevel, but once they're back,
(04:30):
they, they, we have their trustand we, we share with them the
education portion and all ofthat.
So sometimes it delays them tomake the appointment because
they're scared of that moment.
Other times, like yourself,jeremy, life happens and you, we
don't not understand that.
You guys are busy outside ofour office.
But prioritizing your oralhealth and your head and neck
(04:53):
health and just your health ingeneral is is huge and I think
that should help motivate themto come and find out where am I
on this healthy range and how doI improve or how do I continue
being healthy?
Because we do our homework athome with our brushing and our
(05:14):
flossing, or maybe we're not,and it's just hopefully.
Hopefully we do, absolutely.
But if you don't, that's stillOK.
We're here to help you learnand a lot of times maybe they
think the dentist is going tojudge.
So you know, for us we come towork every day.
Dr Alex, I'm sure you've beentold many times.
(05:35):
People hate the dentist.
That's not you personally?
Speaker 1 (05:39):
It's not personal.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
It's not personal, but I think I'm told on a weekly
basis about 15 times how muchthey hate the dentist.
But it's not me.
But our goal is to change thatmentality and, you know, be the
dentist we don't hate.
And it starts by breaking thismysterious why do you hate the
(06:03):
dentist?
Why are you not making anappointment or giving giving
your health a priority in yourlife?
Speaker 1 (06:09):
So you know and I I will be the first to admit, I
joke with patients too that I'ma I'm an official card carrying
member of the dental chickenclub.
You know, like, when I'msitting in the chair, like I get
a little anxious too, right,and maybe I know too much.
But there's just somethingabout that, that vulnerability
(06:29):
factor, right.
And just to just to touch onthat, because something that I'm
super proud of that we do atthe practice is we are
incredibly attuned to thefeedback that the patient gives
us.
Right, like, we always tellthem that we're never going to
do anything if they'reuncomfortable, and if anything
is sharp or sensitive to raiseyour right hand, that's our
signal for us to stop.
(06:50):
But, like, the entire team istrained to go way beyond that
and respond to body language,cues and facial expressions that
tell us how the patient's doingwhen they're laying back in the
chair.
Right, and maybe that promptsus to, you know, give the
patient an extra break in themiddle of the procedure or just
kind of constantly ask them youdoing okay, you feeling all?
(07:13):
Right, is there anything thatwe can adjust to make you more
comfortable?
And it's because we are, it'sbecause we're listening, right,
we're listening with our ears,we're listening with our eyes.
We're taking in the informationthat the patient's giving us to
make that experience aspleasant as it possibly can be.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I think it's critical that when they're in these
moments, we we make sure thatthey're they're seen and they're
heard.
So sometimes patients don'tfeel heard.
When they're telling a doctorand we hear it a lot they come
to us and we might be the secondopinion, we might be their
(07:53):
first chance after a terribledental past and or what they've
heard about a dentist.
And you have to listen, theyhave to feel heard and they have
to feel seen and all thetechniques that we use at the
practice.
I, like you said, doc, our teamdoes an amazing job and it's
who they are as people.
Right, we have, we have anamazing team and even, yes,
there's there's our protocolsand our, our expectations of how
(08:16):
we want our patients treated,but the whole team contributes
to that.
They always have ideas of how tomake the patient experience
better.
I always like to say comfortdoesn't cost more here at
Semi-Day Dental.
So if you're uncomfortable, weof how to make the patient
experience better.
I always like to say comfortdoesn't cost more here at
Semiday Dental.
So if you're uncomfortable, weare going to make an adjustment
and it's not an item on yourbill, it is just part of your
experience here at the practiceand we want to be your dental
(08:38):
home.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah, well said Well said.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
So let me chime in here real quickly because I want
to.
I think this could be usefulfor folks out there that have
gone through the same experienceI've had with dentists.
I've been throughout my wholelife somewhat of a dentist
hopper, if you will.
I haven't really found a homeuntil now that I'm.
I'm with you guys at Sema Dayand it's so important to have a
dentist that you feel at homewith, that you feel comfortable
(09:06):
with, because it really makesit's so much easier to ghost the
dentist when you don't feelcomfortable going there in the
first place.
But if you have a place thatyou you know like and trust and
you feel at ease, you just feelalmost there's like an air of
accountability.
I feel right, like I, if I saidif I, if I say I'm going to do
(09:27):
something, I'm going to do itRight.
So that's something that hasworked for me throughout this
process is trying to find areally good dentist that I can
go to, that I feel comfortableand that's going to be different
forever.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
That's a really interesting point, Jeremy.
Like you don't want to, youdon't want to let people down
that you like, right.
You don't want to let peoplethat you like down.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
That's better.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
English there and yeah, that's that's.
That's true.
There is a sort of a sense ofaccountability when you feel
that connection with with theoffice.
Right, whatever office it is,whatever, whatever service
you're receiving, to kind of doyour part in the whole thing.
Right, whatever office it is,whatever service you're
receiving, to kind of do yourpart in the whole thing.
Right, for the whole thing tobe successful and pleasant and
(10:11):
good for everyone.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
And that speaks to the relationship that you build.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
And not just the dentistry right.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
This is like at any professional whether it's
advisor, whatever it is soimportant to build meaningful
relationships with people.
As you develop a furtherrelationship, you start to care
about the people and you'reemotionally invested.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
And it's a loyalty You're talking about.
You hopped until you found thatyou were comfortable.
There's like two types ofdental patients Ones that never
have a dentist of record, thathop from dentist to dentist when
they have a problem and wherethey feel comfortable for that,
that specific reason.
Or I've had my dentist my wholelife, my family uses the same
(10:51):
dentist and I always encouragepeople find like yourself,
jeremy, where you're comfortable, where you feel heard, seen
your dental home right.
You trust, yeah, your dentalhome and if you have that,
fantastic, go to that dentist.
And we're this, at least for me, we're never trying to to steal
people's patients, right?
(11:12):
We're never trying to take youfrom your dental home that
you're happy in.
Yeah Well, I just didn't wantto say it.
But, um, I, when I graduateddental school, one of the main
things I heard all dental school, oh, I'm waiting till you
become a dentist I said, don'twait.
Don't wait four years for me tograduate.
And things to get worse, go seeDr Alex, he's the best, go see
(11:35):
him.
And when I graduate I'm goingto be back there.
So just don't wait four yearsto like.
I'm still waiting on some ofthese people who are waiting on
me, and it's been a few yearssince.
So even when you your loyalty,they're just seeing no dentists
(11:57):
and until you find the dentistyou trust and you make that
first step into the office andyou feel at home and you feel
that dental connection.
It's a lot of talk and we don'tjudge it, but we're here for
when you are ready to make thatnext step.
And as soon as they walk in thedoor and they have their
history, we say you're here now,we're going to start here and
we're going to work forward sothat's one thing that patiently
(12:18):
yourself, jeremy, could, couldkeep in mind on the other side
of the door.
It's not judgment.
At least at 7 Day Dental,there's no judgment waiting for
you.
It's not judgment.
At least a seven-day dental,there's no judgment waiting for
you.
It's a welcome and a.
Where do we start from here?
Speaker 1 (12:30):
yeah, and going off of that on the judgment thing
like that, is that that thataffects a surprisingly high
number of people even if youdon't necessarily admit it, it's
, it's there.
Yeah, some studies show that upto 20, 25% of people carry a
fear of judgment from a dentistor a doctor going back and
(12:56):
starting their journey to gethealthier, and that's so sad.
And actually Tartt is Tart ishuge on this Like she's always
making that point, which I loveit's that it doesn't matter
where you're at now.
Right Like we're here to help.
Right Like maybe the best dayis an old Chinese proverb.
(13:18):
The best time to plant a treewas 10 years ago.
The second best time is rightnow.
The same sort of thing withyour dental care.
Right Like okay, so it wouldhave been great had you done it
10 years ago, but you're herenow.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Let's celebrate that, right, and just continue moving
forward, a true celebrationbecause it's a step for a better
you right?
Yeah, we are, jeremy.
You had mentioned it beforeaccountability.
So when you feel loyal to yourdoctor or you feel loyal to a
relationship, you feel you havea part in it.
(13:51):
That's the whole goal.
We want you to be a part of yourhealth.
We don't want to constantlysolve the problem.
We want to be part ofsupporting you, being healthy
and maintaining your health orgetting you to improve your
health, and a lot of the timesit's misunderstood that the
dentist wants to drill on yourtooth and take your money, and a
lot of the times it's it'smisunderstood that the dentist
wants to drill on your tooth andtake your money.
That's not it.
(14:12):
We want you to be healthy.
We want you to to understandyour health better, understand
how it's a systemic, from headto toe relationship of your
entire body, and move forwardwith how do I stay healthy to
enjoy the life I have.
We want you to live many yearsand, like Dr Alex mentioned, we
(14:34):
need our patients to be on thesame team as us.
If you're against us, we'regoing to be like the visitor
team every time you come in ourpractice and we're trying to
help.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
You know, and I feel like our entire practice culture
is just like we don't have anypatients that that don't get it
right.
We go about things in a veryparticular kind of way, like we
were talking earlier, veryrelationship driven right, like
our patients stay with us for avery, very, very long time,
unless they move away orsomething happens, and that's
(15:06):
because we prioritize thatconnection right, like this is a
team effort, right, we're hereto help and guide and provide
services when that's the rightmove.
But the goal here is to createhealthy habits that will let you
live longer, look better andhave a healthier lifespan.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
So don't boast us, let's get on the same team.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Yes.
So don't boast us, let's get onthe same team.
So everybody has differentreasons for not showing up.
For me, I don't.
I don't feel what we justtalked about with the judgment.
I don't feel that as prevalentwhen I go.
Maybe that's because I takesuch immaculate care of my teeth
, but one of the things for methat has had a severe impact on
(15:50):
my ability to want to go to thedentist has been past pain and
trauma.
I won't get into particularsbut, as you know from our
conversations, I've had somepretty traumatic experiences in
my past sitting in the dentalchair and that has contributed
greatly to my uncomfortability.
What do you say?
Like how do you unpack that?
(16:10):
Right, if you've had somepatient, they're sitting in the
chair, right?
I'm sure you've had this happenwhere you've had a patient come
in, you haven't even touchedhim yet and they're already like
shaking in their boots.
Right, they're already startedcrying and you haven't even done
anything yet.
Like how do you deal with thatwith patients?
Speaker 3 (16:25):
I'll tell you this I am a firm believer that when
someone takes the step to comein the door some appointments,
we talk to them.
We unbag that history at ourfirst appointment to let them
know.
We want to know why youremotions are so heightened right
(16:45):
now and how we can help you forthe best experience.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
And to let you know very clearly that this
experience is going to be verydifferent, absolutely.
And that you've had in the past.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
And they're told that they read about it on reviews
and they walk in the door andit's, it doesn't look the same
way their old dentist may havelooked.
So they it's almost like theyhave this idea that it's going
to be better and as they gothrough the motions, okay, it's
checking out that it's going tobe better.
But being in the chair is justthat every dental chair is a
(17:17):
dental chair.
Ours are comfier, but it's adental chair and they know it.
So it brings back thoseemotions and we take the time to
talk through it.
And, jeremy, to be honest,sometimes we have different ways
to manage patients.
Personality of the dentist is abig one.
I think that that plays a bigrole.
(17:39):
If you feel connected, you canfeel more comfortable.
You can work through some ofthese emotions.
Sometimes personality isn'tenough.
We have to do some medicationand the medication allows us to
do the treatment we need at thecomfort of both the patient and
the team, so that it breaks ourhearts when we see a patient
(18:00):
uncomfortable.
It breaks our heart whenthey're emotionally
uncomfortable or physicallyuncomfortable.
So we have a lot of techniquesthat we use, dr Alex.
I'll let you talk about.
I use the personality techniquethe most to try to gain the
trust and show and prove byexperience that we're a
(18:22):
different practice and give usthe opportunity to change your
mind.
I'm not putting my knee on yourchest like the movies.
We're not the scary cartoons.
Sometimes people are like thelast dentist put their knee on
my chest, I go.
I don't exercise that much, sodon't worry, I'm staying right
here on the floor.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Not flexible enough for that move.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
No, especially no.
But.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Well, yeah, I mean certainly the baggage that we
carry into any new interactionmatters, right, because that's
that's what shapes us and ourexpectations and all of those
things.
But, like dr tart wasmentioning, yeah, frequently for
that severe dental anxietypatient, the first, the first
(19:04):
meeting, right, it's just, it'sjust a consultation, like we, we
won't have any dentalinstruments out, it is just you
sit in one chair, I sit inanother.
Let's get to know each otherand build a relationship so that
we can come up with a planwhere you are comfortable, right
, and that has a bunch ofdifferent facets to it too.
(19:25):
Right, like we always like tolead with education, we have
slideshows that explainprocedures.
We project your imaging, yourpictures or x-rays or the AI
breakdown of your records on aTV and we go through it and we
explain what the situation isand what your options are.
(19:47):
Right, like, the clearereverything is right, whether
it's from a proceduralstandpoint, from a financial
standpoint, which is alsoobviously huge for patients
right, the clearer all of thesethings are, the easier to
understand that we make it, theless intimidating it becomes
(20:09):
Right, and then we can startformulating a game plan for how
we're going to get from A to B,right, and then ideally in
dentistry, if we have to getfrom unhealthy to healthy, from
A to B, and then we hitmaintenance mode, right.
That's what I always tell mypatients.
The goal is to get tomaintenance mode where you can
(20:29):
come in every three or sixmonths, where you're cleaning
and we high five on the way out.
Things look great, right, andwe can make that a reality for
anyone.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Absolutely Right.
But no matter where you'restarting.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (20:44):
It's no matter where they start no matter where
you're starting Right.
You don't have to be, you know,in the middle to get there.
Like Dr Alex said, it's foranybody.
So if you're, if you've neverseen a dentist and you know
there's problems, we'll get youto that maintenance phase.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
And real quick.
You know the relationship andthe trust and all of that is
baseline, right?
Like we can't continue thisrelationship, I have fireworks
behind me.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
That's the baseline.
Our baseline is fireworks.
We're the Disney fireworks andI love Dr Todd.
I love what you said earlierabout being seen and heard and I
love, dr Todd.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
I love what you said earlier about being seen and
heard.
Right, Because when you go inthere with anxiety, if the first
thing they do is put the littlewhat?
Speaker 3 (21:32):
is it?
Speaker 2 (21:32):
called the bib.
But if they come in and againthrough conversation, through
building trust and credibility,right Through all of that,
that's going to diffuse thatemotion and your anxiety is
going to slowly start to slipaway.
And the communication is soparamount in this process.
(21:54):
It really is.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Our team listens too.
So if on the phone someoneshares that they're nervous,
we're told right away so thatthat patient's experience is
tailored.
And then if they if they didn'ttell us and they may have not
put it on paperwork, but theyshow up and they're maybe
they're having a rough day andthey're in that heightened you
know emotional state, our dentalassisting team, they will come
(22:19):
in and inform us like hey,inform us like hey, please come
in half power so they listen tothe patient.
So well, our back team, ourfront team, the whole team want
that patient to feel on that day.
Because again, life happens, wedon't know what outside of life
(22:40):
is bringing in every patientwho sits at the down, don't know
what outside of life isbringing in every patient who
sits it down.
So we we make that a priorityat our practice, to to really
think about that before we startprocedures.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
One thing I do want to mention that Dr Tart kind of
touched on earlier.
You know, for for patients whoneed a lot of treatment right To
get from A to B and who docarry that anxiety, it's great
that we have the baselinerelationship but we do have
sedation options too, right Likethere are ways with medicine to
(23:14):
be able to get all of yourdental work done and not have it
be an anxiety provokingexperience right Like our
patients frequently will snorethrough surgical appointments,
which is a beautiful thing right.
If you can just take a nap andwhen you wake up it's all over.
That helps build trust too.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Yeah, let me just say also about this idea of the
communication right, one of thethings that has been anxiety
inducing for me sitting in thechair is when I'm getting work
done.
It's the fear of like are theygoing to strike a nerve, is
something, am I going to get ashot of pain coming soon?
And just recently I was sittingin the chair with you and you
told me before I had any pain.
(23:56):
You were like let me know ifyou feel anything in a moment
here, and like clockwork, I feltlike a tiny little tinge of
pressure, nothing, no pain, justlike it was touching the
surface.
I was like yeah, yeah, okay,and you gave me a little bit.
You gave me a little bit moremedicine to numb me up and I was
just.
I was like.
In the past that's happened.
I always get the pain first andit's just like ah, I'm like,
(24:25):
but like you knew it was comingand that was I thought it was
fascinating.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
That was excellent.
Thanks, man.
Yeah, Dr Alex is a really gooddentist.
He's my dentist too.
It's really good.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Dr Tartt's pretty great too.
She's my dentist.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I don't have any experience with Dr Tartt?
I'm sorry, Dr Tartt.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
We both like the office that we visit too.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
So another topic that I want to touch upon here today
is that of what's calledself-care fatigue.
Right, and this may not be aconcept that is widely known as
a term, but I think it's widelyfelt as a feeling right.
As a feeling right, and Iwonder, with your case, jeremy,
(25:13):
how much of that plays into themonth that went by without
making that phone call again.
Right, is that we're kind oftired.
Right, we're so bombarded tooby all of these things that we
constantly have to do forourselves and for others, and
this, that and the other.
That it's, it's, it's really,it's like oh man, it was just
one more thing I had to do wasmake my dental appointment and I
(25:35):
just I couldn't.
Right, I hear that too, andlet's be aware that that is a
thing.
Right, that sometimes folks arejust tired.
Right, like our modern, ourlives are so demanding.
We feel like we're gettingpulled apart in like so many
directions, especially parents,right, like if you have kids,
(25:59):
like holy smokes, like it's likeyou have no time for yourself
anymore.
Right, holy smokes, like it'slike you have no time for
yourself anymore.
Right, and prioritizing selfmakes us more capable to provide
for others, right, so if youfeel like you're getting caught
in the whirlwind of others.
(26:19):
Sometimes it's really importantto take a step back and take a
deep breath and okay, what do Ineed to do for me?
Right, to make me as best as Ican be for others?
Speaker 3 (26:30):
and I'll tell you convenience, right?
Because how many times do youcall an office and they don't
call back?
They don't answer, sure?
I'm so happy to work somewherewhere the phone's being answered
.
We have online options toschedule yourself what's
convenient for you, you can go.
We have online options toschedule yourself what's
convenient for you.
You can go to our website.
You could schedule yourself.
You can make a phone call, youcould send a text and our team's
great with the response.
(26:51):
And if you're so busy and youfinally put it as a priority to
to set up that appointment, todo something for yourself and to
be better so that you can livefor your kids and your family to
be better, so that you can livefor your kids and your family,
if you have to jump through fivehurdles to make it a reality,
it's not a good thing, and DrAlex and myself we get lucky to
(27:12):
hear patients change theirmentality of it being a chore to
come see us to.
This is what I look forward to.
Like I'm excited to come to thedentist.
I always tell patients oh,you're here to hang out with me,
right?
So if we change the mindset ofthat the dentist has to be a
chore and that becominghealthier is.
(27:33):
Don't get me wrong.
I know there's a financialaspect of it that we're not
jumping that hurdle with you.
We're here to support it.
We have options.
We have plenty of ways to makeit a reality and help you get to
where you are Absolutely, andbeing a fair private practice is
very rare to find too.
So we're not tossing you aroundeither.
(27:55):
We're trying to make it asconvenient as possible for you
to get all of your needs done ata place you're comfortable with
, and that self-care, you know.
Like you said, if I have tocall 14 offices to accomplish
getting healthier, you're goingto quit at some point and you're
going to.
You're going to restart, andunfortunately, when you restart,
(28:15):
things can be even worse.
So I encourage everyone to, toto take time this week and just
think for 10 minutes.
What have I pushed off?
Jeremy, today your homeworkassignment is to call it.
I'm here till four, so if youdon't, I'll know.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
But also the cool thing about that is that if
you're getting ghosted by yourdentist, you're in the wrong
place.
I know, even if I don't callyou guys back to schedule, I
will inevitably get a call or atext or some something, some
reminder from your office justnudging me along.
That's not going to be likebothersome, right, but just like
hey, friendly reminder alert,and I appreciate that and I
(28:52):
think we all need that sometimesbecause, you know, like you
said, we get caught up in the,you know, in the grind and we've
got a million things to do.
And speaking of like finance,the financial component, that's
a, that's a whole, nothercomponent here.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Yeah, that could be a separate podcast, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Right, like I'm going to go now.
I got to pay, I got to get acrown, I got to pay a whole
bunch of money additionally togo do this experience Right?
Just another thing that comesup that helps you rationalize in
your mind that I'll do it later, I'll do it later.
Just keep kicking the can downthe road, and that's when you
start having real problems.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Yeah, and dentistry, like most medicine, but
dentistry very, very, veryparticularly it is ounce of
prevention is worth a pound ofcure.
My favorite saying I meanpreventive dentistry is very
easy, very affordable, right,Like.
The further along we get thatyou know road of damage, it's
(29:46):
just the more uncomfortable andthe more expensive things become
.
Right, there's just no, gettingaround.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
What's that?
We lose our options and, yes,yeah, our goal is to be the most
conservative we can.
We want to be conservative andwe that's why we use education
as a tool here at our practice,because we want you to
understand where we're at andwhere we can lead to.
And, like you said, preventionis definitely the the least
(30:16):
expensive option of it.
But, jeremy, like like manythings, the financial scare can
be maybe our halloween episodewe'll we'll get that one
together, but ghosting a dentistis it's that we take personal.
You could tell me you hate me,just don't ghost me yeah,
(30:40):
absolutely well, we'll make thatholiday.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Uh, that Halloween episode, the not-so-spooky
financial episode.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
We'll have to bring in Kathleen for that one.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
We're going to get some costumes for that one for
sure.
Oh, that'd be fun.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
Well, I welcome all of you to come in the future
Halloween time to see ourpumpkin contest and our costumes
.
So it's worth it, I promise, ifyou vote for me.
I mean, I didn't, I never winthe pumpkin contest.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
So a lot of good stuff upcoming.
Right, you got the pumpkin.
You guys are all about these,these office activities.
You got the pumpkin contestupcoming and then we got a cool
event coming up in January.
Right, Alex, that's right,that's right.
We tell everyone, let's spreadthe message far and wide.
I think this is a wonderfulthing you got going on here Go
ahead.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
We've been running our mouths enough here, right?
So we are super excited tointroduce the first annual Run
your Mouth 5K and it is going tobe this year benefiting the
(31:51):
Davie Women's Club that we'revery, very excited about.
So this will be an eventbrought to you by the Davie
Cooper City Chamber of Commerceand presented by yours truly
Semide Dental.
There are corporatesponsorships available.
So if you're interested, hit usup.
There are corporatesponsorships available.
So if you're interested, hit usup.
And the it's a very excitingrace because it's going to start
in Davie and end in Cooper City.
You know, very significantlykind of tying our two
(32:17):
communities together.
That we're very excited about.
And every year we're going tohave a different local landmark
that will benefit from from therace.
So you can get all theinformation at runyourmouthorg.
You can register, registerearly for a discount, and we're
going to have all sorts ofevents at the race music, food
trucks, there's going to be allsorts of swag, medals, really
(32:38):
great shirts, and you can run,walk or stroll.
You can do it virtually.
So check it out,runyourmouthorg, and the link
will be in the show notes below.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
And let me just say it here now for the first time
on this podcast I am going toget a personal best at this 5K.
I don't know about you, I'mgoing low right.
We've been doing a lot ofrunning over the last couple of
years.
This is going to be my momentto shine on the run your mouth
platform.
We're going to go?
I don't know what it's going tobe.
Yet we're going to, we're goingto go.
(33:12):
Maybe what sub 27 minute 5k wecould do, I think we can.
I think that's a reasonable,reasonable goal, hopefully well,
the other part of the spectrum.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
If you would like to make a pr?
Um best at the slowest race,I'm glad to use a stroller and
you can join me in the back end.
We'll let the the quick ones goahead.
But this race is for everyoneand, uh, I told dr alex earlier
today, um, maybe we shouldchange it to don't run from us,
run with us.
So come, run your mouth, have,have some fun.
(33:44):
Bring your family register.
I count the registrations andit makes me really happy to see
those numbers.
So I'm signed up, my family'ssigned up, and we'll see you in
January.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Very cool.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Hope to see everyone then.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
All right, so let's leave it at that.
Everyone thanks so much forjoining us on this journey.
If you've enjoyed this content,if you found this useful, don't
forget to like subscribe, andif you've had your own personal
experiences good or bad at thedentist, let us know about it in
the comments.
We're always interested to hearyour feedback and, again, we
appreciate you joining us.
Everyone, take care, stayhealthy out there and keep
(34:18):
smiling.
We'll catch you next time.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Seminary
Dental Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
Don't forget to subscribe,leave a review and follow us on
social media for the latestepisodes.
You can find us at SeminaryDental.
If you have any questions, feelfree to reach out.
We're always happy to help.
Until then, keep smiling andstay curious.
Welcome to the Semide Dental Podcast.
We're here to provide youexpert insights on how dentistry
can improve your quality oflife and extend your health span
.
I'm Alex Semide and I'm apracticing dentist, and I'll be
your host, along with JeremyWolf.
Enjoy the show.
Welcome back Tooth Tribe to theSemide Dental Podcast.
(00:22):
I'm Dr Alex and and I am joinedtoday, as always, by my brother
in podcast arms, mr Wolf.
How you doing, jeremy?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh, as always, living the dream, my brother.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Living the dream.
And today we have a veryspecial guest, very, very long
overdue my sister from anothermister, perhaps Dr Sarah Tartt,
how you doing.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Dr Alex has never said that before, so this
podcast-.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's time for everything, baby.
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Hey everybody.
If you have been to thepractice, you've probably met me
.
If you haven't, then time tocome meet me.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Mm-hmm, let's go, time to come meet me, let's go.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So today we have a very, very special, very special
topic, and that's why we ghostthe dentist.
I mean, we're all guilty ofhaving some sort of apprehension
when it comes to our dentalcare.
I really want to start offtoday, jeremy, have have you
(01:27):
ever ghosted the?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
dentist who?
Who me ghost the dentist?
Never, never, I wouldn't eventhink of her.
It's actually funny because Idon't know, maybe a month ago I
had a cleaning schedule and I, Itell you, I wanted to go to the
cleaning.
I really did, but I was underthe weather.
So I decided to do theresponsible thing.
(01:48):
I called your office, muchappreciated, yes, yes, didn't
ghost you entirely.
However, your secretary saidthe magic words would you like
to reschedule?
And at the time I was driving.
So I said, yo, I'll call youwhen I get home.
Fast forward to today and guesswhat, haven't called.
Yeah, I haven't called, andit's been on my mind and I'm
(02:08):
going to use this recordingtoday as an impetus to call your
office after we're done and getback on the calendar.
But, like, let's talk aboutthat, right?
Why is it that we have such ahard time doing the things that
we know we need to do, right?
We know this is something thatis good for us, yet something
goes on emotionally that justmakes us avoid it.
(02:29):
What is going on there, dr Alex?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
You know, there's so many different reasons.
Right, tart that and we get itright.
Life happens and we get wrappedup with things or we have
anxiety about different things,and it's really hard to make a
priority things that you don'treally want to do sometimes,
right, so the purpose of today'spodcast is really to let's talk
(02:56):
about some of those things.
Let's, let's, let's air it outSometimes, when we talk about
things, we kind of demystifythem.
Sometimes, when we talk aboutthings, we kind of demystify
them, right, and we make iteasier to wrap our heads around
it and not feel the same waythat we have been feeling about
it.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, so yeah, just raising awareness.
Yeah, like you said, talkingabout these issues kind of melts
away the emotional chargethat's attached to this.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
It gets you thinking more logically about what you
need to do, right, right, andwith dentistry, like, the number
one thing is that vulnerabilityfactor.
Right, like we are, we are wellaware that when you are
reclined in the chair with yourmouth open, like that
relationship that the patienthas with the dentist is, is it's
very important, right, it's avery, like I said, a very
vulnerable moment for thepatient.
So it's very important.
Right, it's a very, like I said, a very vulnerable moment for
(03:44):
the patient.
So it's very important to be inan environment where you have,
like, absolute trust with that,with that provider, with your
doctor, where that vulnerabilityI mean it's always there but it
gets minimized.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
What do you think, tart?
I think that, just like yousaid, I sometimes I joke with
the patients like we're going toget close real fast, because
laying back in the chair andtrusting someone to just help
you understand your healthbetter is something that you
have to be mentally acceptingduring that moment.
But I feel like at the practicewe, we do a good job to try to
ease into that for a comfortlevel, but once they're back,
(04:30):
they, they, we have their trustand we, we share with them the
education portion and all ofthat.
So sometimes it delays them tomake the appointment because
they're scared of that moment.
Other times, like yourself,jeremy, life happens and you, we
don't not understand that.
You guys are busy outside ofour office.
But prioritizing your oralhealth and your head and neck
(04:53):
health and just your health ingeneral is is huge and I think
that should help motivate themto come and find out where am I
on this healthy range and how doI improve or how do I continue
being healthy?
Because we do our homework athome with our brushing and our
(05:14):
flossing, or maybe we're not,and it's just hopefully.
Hopefully we do, absolutely.
But if you don't, that's stillOK.
We're here to help you learnand a lot of times maybe they
think the dentist is going tojudge.
So you know, for us we come towork every day.
Dr Alex, I'm sure you've beentold many times.
(05:35):
People hate the dentist.
That's not you personally?
Speaker 1 (05:39):
It's not personal.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
It's not personal, but I think I'm told on a weekly
basis about 15 times how muchthey hate the dentist.
But it's not me.
But our goal is to change thatmentality and, you know, be the
dentist we don't hate.
And it starts by breaking thismysterious why do you hate the
(06:03):
dentist?
Why are you not making anappointment or giving giving
your health a priority in yourlife?
Speaker 1 (06:09):
So you know and I I will be the first to admit, I
joke with patients too that I'ma I'm an official card carrying
member of the dental chickenclub.
You know, like, when I'msitting in the chair, like I get
a little anxious too, right,and maybe I know too much.
But there's just somethingabout that, that vulnerability
(06:29):
factor, right.
And just to just to touch onthat, because something that I'm
super proud of that we do atthe practice is we are
incredibly attuned to thefeedback that the patient gives
us.
Right, like, we always tellthem that we're never going to
do anything if they'reuncomfortable, and if anything
is sharp or sensitive to raiseyour right hand, that's our
signal for us to stop.
(06:50):
But, like, the entire team istrained to go way beyond that
and respond to body language,cues and facial expressions that
tell us how the patient's doingwhen they're laying back in the
chair.
Right, and maybe that promptsus to, you know, give the
patient an extra break in themiddle of the procedure or just
kind of constantly ask them youdoing okay, you feeling all?
(07:13):
Right, is there anything thatwe can adjust to make you more
comfortable?
And it's because we are, it'sbecause we're listening, right,
we're listening with our ears,we're listening with our eyes.
We're taking in the informationthat the patient's giving us to
make that experience aspleasant as it possibly can be.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I think it's critical that when they're in these
moments, we we make sure thatthey're they're seen and they're
heard.
So sometimes patients don'tfeel heard.
When they're telling a doctorand we hear it a lot they come
to us and we might be the secondopinion, we might be their
(07:53):
first chance after a terribledental past and or what they've
heard about a dentist.
And you have to listen, theyhave to feel heard and they have
to feel seen and all thetechniques that we use at the
practice.
I, like you said, doc, our teamdoes an amazing job and it's
who they are as people.
Right, we have, we have anamazing team and even, yes,
there's there's our protocolsand our, our expectations of how
(08:16):
we want our patients treated,but the whole team contributes
to that.
They always have ideas of how tomake the patient experience
better.
I always like to say comfortdoesn't cost more here at
Semi-Day Dental.
So if you're uncomfortable, weof how to make the patient
experience better.
I always like to say comfortdoesn't cost more here at
Semiday Dental.
So if you're uncomfortable, weare going to make an adjustment
and it's not an item on yourbill, it is just part of your
experience here at the practiceand we want to be your dental
(08:38):
home.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah, well said Well said.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
So let me chime in here real quickly because I want
to.
I think this could be usefulfor folks out there that have
gone through the same experienceI've had with dentists.
I've been throughout my wholelife somewhat of a dentist
hopper, if you will.
I haven't really found a homeuntil now that I'm.
I'm with you guys at Sema Dayand it's so important to have a
dentist that you feel at homewith, that you feel comfortable
(09:06):
with, because it really makesit's so much easier to ghost the
dentist when you don't feelcomfortable going there in the
first place.
But if you have a place thatyou you know like and trust and
you feel at ease, you just feelalmost there's like an air of
accountability.
I feel right, like I, if I saidif I, if I say I'm going to do
(09:27):
something, I'm going to do itRight.
So that's something that hasworked for me throughout this
process is trying to find areally good dentist that I can
go to, that I feel comfortableand that's going to be different
forever.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
That's a really interesting point, Jeremy.
Like you don't want to, youdon't want to let people down
that you like, right.
You don't want to let peoplethat you like down.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
That's better.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
English there and yeah, that's that's.
That's true.
There is a sort of a sense ofaccountability when you feel
that connection with with theoffice.
Right, whatever office it is,whatever, whatever service
you're receiving, to kind of doyour part in the whole thing.
Right, whatever office it is,whatever service you're
receiving, to kind of do yourpart in the whole thing.
Right, for the whole thing tobe successful and pleasant and
(10:11):
good for everyone.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
And that speaks to the relationship that you build.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
And not just the dentistry right.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
This is like at any professional whether it's
advisor, whatever it is soimportant to build meaningful
relationships with people.
As you develop a furtherrelationship, you start to care
about the people and you'reemotionally invested.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
And it's a loyalty You're talking about.
You hopped until you found thatyou were comfortable.
There's like two types ofdental patients Ones that never
have a dentist of record, thathop from dentist to dentist when
they have a problem and wherethey feel comfortable for that,
that specific reason.
Or I've had my dentist my wholelife, my family uses the same
(10:51):
dentist and I always encouragepeople find like yourself,
jeremy, where you're comfortable, where you feel heard, seen
your dental home right.
You trust, yeah, your dentalhome and if you have that,
fantastic, go to that dentist.
And we're this, at least for me, we're never trying to to steal
people's patients, right?
(11:12):
We're never trying to take youfrom your dental home that
you're happy in.
Yeah Well, I just didn't wantto say it.
But, um, I, when I graduateddental school, one of the main
things I heard all dental school, oh, I'm waiting till you
become a dentist I said, don'twait.
Don't wait four years for me tograduate.
And things to get worse, go seeDr Alex, he's the best, go see
(11:35):
him.
And when I graduate I'm goingto be back there.
So just don't wait four yearsto like.
I'm still waiting on some ofthese people who are waiting on
me, and it's been a few yearssince.
So even when you your loyalty,they're just seeing no dentists
(11:57):
and until you find the dentistyou trust and you make that
first step into the office andyou feel at home and you feel
that dental connection.
It's a lot of talk and we don'tjudge it, but we're here for
when you are ready to make thatnext step.
And as soon as they walk in thedoor and they have their
history, we say you're here now,we're going to start here and
we're going to work forward sothat's one thing that patiently
(12:18):
yourself, jeremy, could, couldkeep in mind on the other side
of the door.
It's not judgment.
At least at 7 Day Dental,there's no judgment waiting for
you.
It's not judgment.
At least a seven-day dental,there's no judgment waiting for
you.
It's a welcome and a.
Where do we start from here?
Speaker 1 (12:30):
yeah, and going off of that on the judgment thing
like that, is that that thataffects a surprisingly high
number of people even if youdon't necessarily admit it, it's
, it's there.
Yeah, some studies show that upto 20, 25% of people carry a
fear of judgment from a dentistor a doctor going back and
(12:56):
starting their journey to gethealthier, and that's so sad.
And actually Tartt is Tart ishuge on this Like she's always
making that point, which I loveit's that it doesn't matter
where you're at now.
Right Like we're here to help.
Right Like maybe the best dayis an old Chinese proverb.
(13:18):
The best time to plant a treewas 10 years ago.
The second best time is rightnow.
The same sort of thing withyour dental care.
Right Like okay, so it wouldhave been great had you done it
10 years ago, but you're herenow.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Let's celebrate that, right, and just continue moving
forward, a true celebrationbecause it's a step for a better
you right?
Yeah, we are, jeremy.
You had mentioned it beforeaccountability.
So when you feel loyal to yourdoctor or you feel loyal to a
relationship, you feel you havea part in it.
(13:51):
That's the whole goal.
We want you to be a part of yourhealth.
We don't want to constantlysolve the problem.
We want to be part ofsupporting you, being healthy
and maintaining your health orgetting you to improve your
health, and a lot of the timesit's misunderstood that the
dentist wants to drill on yourtooth and take your money, and a
lot of the times it's it'smisunderstood that the dentist
wants to drill on your tooth andtake your money.
That's not it.
(14:12):
We want you to be healthy.
We want you to to understandyour health better, understand
how it's a systemic, from headto toe relationship of your
entire body, and move forwardwith how do I stay healthy to
enjoy the life I have.
We want you to live many yearsand, like Dr Alex mentioned, we
(14:34):
need our patients to be on thesame team as us.
If you're against us, we'regoing to be like the visitor
team every time you come in ourpractice and we're trying to
help.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
You know, and I feel like our entire practice culture
is just like we don't have anypatients that that don't get it
right.
We go about things in a veryparticular kind of way, like we
were talking earlier, veryrelationship driven right, like
our patients stay with us for avery, very, very long time,
unless they move away orsomething happens, and that's
(15:06):
because we prioritize thatconnection right, like this is a
team effort, right, we're hereto help and guide and provide
services when that's the rightmove.
But the goal here is to createhealthy habits that will let you
live longer, look better andhave a healthier lifespan.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
So don't boast us, let's get on the same team.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Yes.
So don't boast us, let's get onthe same team.
So everybody has differentreasons for not showing up.
For me, I don't.
I don't feel what we justtalked about with the judgment.
I don't feel that as prevalentwhen I go.
Maybe that's because I takesuch immaculate care of my teeth
, but one of the things for methat has had a severe impact on
(15:50):
my ability to want to go to thedentist has been past pain and
trauma.
I won't get into particularsbut, as you know from our
conversations, I've had somepretty traumatic experiences in
my past sitting in the dentalchair and that has contributed
greatly to my uncomfortability.
What do you say?
Like how do you unpack that?
(16:10):
Right, if you've had somepatient, they're sitting in the
chair, right?
I'm sure you've had this happenwhere you've had a patient come
in, you haven't even touchedhim yet and they're already like
shaking in their boots.
Right, they're already startedcrying and you haven't even done
anything yet.
Like how do you deal with thatwith patients?
Speaker 3 (16:25):
I'll tell you this I am a firm believer that when
someone takes the step to comein the door some appointments,
we talk to them.
We unbag that history at ourfirst appointment to let them
know.
We want to know why youremotions are so heightened right
(16:45):
now and how we can help you forthe best experience.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
And to let you know very clearly that this
experience is going to be verydifferent, absolutely.
And that you've had in the past.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
And they're told that they read about it on reviews
and they walk in the door andit's, it doesn't look the same
way their old dentist may havelooked.
So they it's almost like theyhave this idea that it's going
to be better and as they gothrough the motions, okay, it's
checking out that it's going tobe better.
But being in the chair is justthat every dental chair is a
(17:17):
dental chair.
Ours are comfier, but it's adental chair and they know it.
So it brings back thoseemotions and we take the time to
talk through it.
And, jeremy, to be honest,sometimes we have different ways
to manage patients.
Personality of the dentist is abig one.
I think that that plays a bigrole.
(17:39):
If you feel connected, you canfeel more comfortable.
You can work through some ofthese emotions.
Sometimes personality isn'tenough.
We have to do some medicationand the medication allows us to
do the treatment we need at thecomfort of both the patient and
the team, so that it breaks ourhearts when we see a patient
(18:00):
uncomfortable.
It breaks our heart whenthey're emotionally
uncomfortable or physicallyuncomfortable.
So we have a lot of techniquesthat we use, dr Alex.
I'll let you talk about.
I use the personality techniquethe most to try to gain the
trust and show and prove byexperience that we're a
(18:22):
different practice and give usthe opportunity to change your
mind.
I'm not putting my knee on yourchest like the movies.
We're not the scary cartoons.
Sometimes people are like thelast dentist put their knee on
my chest, I go.
I don't exercise that much, sodon't worry, I'm staying right
here on the floor.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Not flexible enough for that move.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
No, especially no.
But.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Well, yeah, I mean certainly the baggage that we
carry into any new interactionmatters, right, because that's
that's what shapes us and ourexpectations and all of those
things.
But, like dr tart wasmentioning, yeah, frequently for
that severe dental anxietypatient, the first, the first
(19:04):
meeting, right, it's just, it'sjust a consultation, like we, we
won't have any dentalinstruments out, it is just you
sit in one chair, I sit inanother.
Let's get to know each otherand build a relationship so that
we can come up with a planwhere you are comfortable, right
, and that has a bunch ofdifferent facets to it too.
(19:25):
Right, like we always like tolead with education, we have
slideshows that explainprocedures.
We project your imaging, yourpictures or x-rays or the AI
breakdown of your records on aTV and we go through it and we
explain what the situation isand what your options are.
(19:47):
Right, like, the clearereverything is right, whether
it's from a proceduralstandpoint, from a financial
standpoint, which is alsoobviously huge for patients
right, the clearer all of thesethings are, the easier to
understand that we make it, theless intimidating it becomes
(20:09):
Right, and then we can startformulating a game plan for how
we're going to get from A to B,right, and then ideally in
dentistry, if we have to getfrom unhealthy to healthy, from
A to B, and then we hitmaintenance mode, right.
That's what I always tell mypatients.
The goal is to get tomaintenance mode where you can
(20:29):
come in every three or sixmonths, where you're cleaning
and we high five on the way out.
Things look great, right, andwe can make that a reality for
anyone.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Absolutely Right.
But no matter where you'restarting.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (20:44):
It's no matter where they start no matter where
you're starting Right.
You don't have to be, you know,in the middle to get there.
Like Dr Alex said, it's foranybody.
So if you're, if you've neverseen a dentist and you know
there's problems, we'll get youto that maintenance phase.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
And real quick.
You know the relationship andthe trust and all of that is
baseline, right?
Like we can't continue thisrelationship, I have fireworks
behind me.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
That's the baseline.
Our baseline is fireworks.
We're the Disney fireworks andI love Dr Todd.
I love what you said earlierabout being seen and heard and I
love, dr Todd.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
I love what you said earlier about being seen and
heard.
Right, Because when you go inthere with anxiety, if the first
thing they do is put the littlewhat?
Speaker 3 (21:32):
is it?
Speaker 2 (21:32):
called the bib.
But if they come in and againthrough conversation, through
building trust and credibility,right Through all of that,
that's going to diffuse thatemotion and your anxiety is
going to slowly start to slipaway.
And the communication is soparamount in this process.
(21:54):
It really is.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Our team listens too.
So if on the phone someoneshares that they're nervous,
we're told right away so thatthat patient's experience is
tailored.
And then if they if they didn'ttell us and they may have not
put it on paperwork, but theyshow up and they're maybe
they're having a rough day andthey're in that heightened you
know emotional state, our dentalassisting team, they will come
(22:19):
in and inform us like hey,inform us like hey, please come
in half power so they listen tothe patient.
So well, our back team, ourfront team, the whole team want
that patient to feel on that day.
Because again, life happens, wedon't know what outside of life
(22:40):
is bringing in every patientwho sits at the down, don't know
what outside of life isbringing in every patient who
sits it down.
So we we make that a priorityat our practice, to to really
think about that before we startprocedures.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
One thing I do want to mention that Dr Tart kind of
touched on earlier.
You know, for for patients whoneed a lot of treatment right To
get from A to B and who docarry that anxiety, it's great
that we have the baselinerelationship but we do have
sedation options too, right Likethere are ways with medicine to
(23:14):
be able to get all of yourdental work done and not have it
be an anxiety provokingexperience right Like our
patients frequently will snorethrough surgical appointments,
which is a beautiful thing right.
If you can just take a nap andwhen you wake up it's all over.
That helps build trust too.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Yeah, let me just say also about this idea of the
communication right, one of thethings that has been anxiety
inducing for me sitting in thechair is when I'm getting work
done.
It's the fear of like are theygoing to strike a nerve, is
something, am I going to get ashot of pain coming soon?
And just recently I was sittingin the chair with you and you
told me before I had any pain.
(23:56):
You were like let me know ifyou feel anything in a moment
here, and like clockwork, I feltlike a tiny little tinge of
pressure, nothing, no pain, justlike it was touching the
surface.
I was like yeah, yeah, okay,and you gave me a little bit.
You gave me a little bit moremedicine to numb me up and I was
just.
I was like.
In the past that's happened.
I always get the pain first andit's just like ah, I'm like,
(24:25):
but like you knew it was comingand that was I thought it was
fascinating.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
That was excellent.
Thanks, man.
Yeah, Dr Alex is a really gooddentist.
He's my dentist too.
It's really good.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Dr Tartt's pretty great too.
She's my dentist.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I don't have any experience with Dr Tartt?
I'm sorry, Dr Tartt.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
We both like the office that we visit too.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
So another topic that I want to touch upon here today
is that of what's calledself-care fatigue.
Right, and this may not be aconcept that is widely known as
a term, but I think it's widelyfelt as a feeling right.
As a feeling right, and Iwonder, with your case, jeremy,
(25:13):
how much of that plays into themonth that went by without
making that phone call again.
Right, is that we're kind oftired.
Right, we're so bombarded tooby all of these things that we
constantly have to do forourselves and for others, and
this, that and the other.
That it's, it's, it's really,it's like oh man, it was just
one more thing I had to do wasmake my dental appointment and I
(25:35):
just I couldn't.
Right, I hear that too, andlet's be aware that that is a
thing.
Right, that sometimes folks arejust tired.
Right, like our modern, ourlives are so demanding.
We feel like we're gettingpulled apart in like so many
directions, especially parents,right, like if you have kids,
(25:59):
like holy smokes, like it's likeyou have no time for yourself
anymore.
Right, holy smokes, like it'slike you have no time for
yourself anymore.
Right, and prioritizing selfmakes us more capable to provide
for others, right, so if youfeel like you're getting caught
in the whirlwind of others.
(26:19):
Sometimes it's really importantto take a step back and take a
deep breath and okay, what do Ineed to do for me?
Right, to make me as best as Ican be for others?
Speaker 3 (26:30):
and I'll tell you convenience, right?
Because how many times do youcall an office and they don't
call back?
They don't answer, sure?
I'm so happy to work somewherewhere the phone's being answered
.
We have online options toschedule yourself what's
convenient for you, you can go.
We have online options toschedule yourself what's
convenient for you.
You can go to our website.
You could schedule yourself.
You can make a phone call, youcould send a text and our team's
great with the response.
(26:51):
And if you're so busy and youfinally put it as a priority to
to set up that appointment, todo something for yourself and to
be better so that you can livefor your kids and your family to
be better, so that you can livefor your kids and your family,
if you have to jump through fivehurdles to make it a reality,
it's not a good thing, and DrAlex and myself we get lucky to
(27:12):
hear patients change theirmentality of it being a chore to
come see us to.
This is what I look forward to.
Like I'm excited to come to thedentist.
I always tell patients oh,you're here to hang out with me,
right?
So if we change the mindset ofthat the dentist has to be a
chore and that becominghealthier is.
(27:33):
Don't get me wrong.
I know there's a financialaspect of it that we're not
jumping that hurdle with you.
We're here to support it.
We have options.
We have plenty of ways to makeit a reality and help you get to
where you are Absolutely, andbeing a fair private practice is
very rare to find too.
So we're not tossing you aroundeither.
(27:55):
We're trying to make it asconvenient as possible for you
to get all of your needs done ata place you're comfortable with
, and that self-care, you know.
Like you said, if I have tocall 14 offices to accomplish
getting healthier, you're goingto quit at some point and you're
going to.
You're going to restart, andunfortunately, when you restart,
(28:15):
things can be even worse.
So I encourage everyone to, toto take time this week and just
think for 10 minutes.
What have I pushed off?
Jeremy, today your homeworkassignment is to call it.
I'm here till four, so if youdon't, I'll know.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
But also the cool thing about that is that if
you're getting ghosted by yourdentist, you're in the wrong
place.
I know, even if I don't callyou guys back to schedule, I
will inevitably get a call or atext or some something, some
reminder from your office justnudging me along.
That's not going to be likebothersome, right, but just like
hey, friendly reminder alert,and I appreciate that and I
(28:52):
think we all need that sometimesbecause, you know, like you
said, we get caught up in the,you know, in the grind and we've
got a million things to do.
And speaking of like finance,the financial component, that's
a, that's a whole, nothercomponent here.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Yeah, that could be a separate podcast, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Right, like I'm going to go now.
I got to pay, I got to get acrown, I got to pay a whole
bunch of money additionally togo do this experience Right?
Just another thing that comesup that helps you rationalize in
your mind that I'll do it later, I'll do it later.
Just keep kicking the can downthe road, and that's when you
start having real problems.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Yeah, and dentistry, like most medicine, but
dentistry very, very, veryparticularly it is ounce of
prevention is worth a pound ofcure.
My favorite saying I meanpreventive dentistry is very
easy, very affordable, right,Like.
The further along we get thatyou know road of damage, it's
(29:46):
just the more uncomfortable andthe more expensive things become
.
Right, there's just no, gettingaround.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
What's that?
We lose our options and, yes,yeah, our goal is to be the most
conservative we can.
We want to be conservative andwe that's why we use education
as a tool here at our practice,because we want you to
understand where we're at andwhere we can lead to.
And, like you said, preventionis definitely the the least
(30:16):
expensive option of it.
But, jeremy, like like manythings, the financial scare can
be maybe our halloween episodewe'll we'll get that one
together, but ghosting a dentistis it's that we take personal.
You could tell me you hate me,just don't ghost me yeah,
(30:40):
absolutely well, we'll make thatholiday.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Uh, that Halloween episode, the not-so-spooky
financial episode.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
We'll have to bring in Kathleen for that one.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
We're going to get some costumes for that one for
sure.
Oh, that'd be fun.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
Well, I welcome all of you to come in the future
Halloween time to see ourpumpkin contest and our costumes
.
So it's worth it, I promise, ifyou vote for me.
I mean, I didn't, I never winthe pumpkin contest.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
So a lot of good stuff upcoming.
Right, you got the pumpkin.
You guys are all about these,these office activities.
You got the pumpkin contestupcoming and then we got a cool
event coming up in January.
Right, Alex, that's right,that's right.
We tell everyone, let's spreadthe message far and wide.
I think this is a wonderfulthing you got going on here Go
ahead.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
We've been running our mouths enough here, right?
So we are super excited tointroduce the first annual Run
your Mouth 5K and it is going tobe this year benefiting the
(31:51):
Davie Women's Club that we'revery, very excited about.
So this will be an eventbrought to you by the Davie
Cooper City Chamber of Commerceand presented by yours truly
Semide Dental.
There are corporatesponsorships available.
So if you're interested, hit usup.
There are corporatesponsorships available.
So if you're interested, hit usup.
And the it's a very excitingrace because it's going to start
in Davie and end in Cooper City.
You know, very significantlykind of tying our two
(32:17):
communities together.
That we're very excited about.
And every year we're going tohave a different local landmark
that will benefit from from therace.
So you can get all theinformation at runyourmouthorg.
You can register, registerearly for a discount, and we're
going to have all sorts ofevents at the race music, food
trucks, there's going to be allsorts of swag, medals, really
(32:38):
great shirts, and you can run,walk or stroll.
You can do it virtually.
So check it out,runyourmouthorg, and the link
will be in the show notes below.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
And let me just say it here now for the first time
on this podcast I am going toget a personal best at this 5K.
I don't know about you, I'mgoing low right.
We've been doing a lot ofrunning over the last couple of
years.
This is going to be my momentto shine on the run your mouth
platform.
We're going to go?
I don't know what it's going tobe.
Yet we're going to, we're goingto go.
(33:12):
Maybe what sub 27 minute 5k wecould do, I think we can.
I think that's a reasonable,reasonable goal, hopefully well,
the other part of the spectrum.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
If you would like to make a pr?
Um best at the slowest race,I'm glad to use a stroller and
you can join me in the back end.
We'll let the the quick ones goahead.
But this race is for everyoneand, uh, I told dr alex earlier
today, um, maybe we shouldchange it to don't run from us,
run with us.
So come, run your mouth, have,have some fun.
(33:44):
Bring your family register.
I count the registrations andit makes me really happy to see
those numbers.
So I'm signed up, my family'ssigned up, and we'll see you in
January.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Very cool.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Hope to see everyone then.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
All right, so let's leave it at that.
Everyone thanks so much forjoining us on this journey.
If you've enjoyed this content,if you found this useful, don't
forget to like subscribe, andif you've had your own personal
experiences good or bad at thedentist, let us know about it in
the comments.
We're always interested to hearyour feedback and, again, we
appreciate you joining us.
Everyone, take care, stayhealthy out there and keep
(34:18):
smiling.
We'll catch you next time.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Seminary
Dental Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
Don't forget to subscribe,leave a review and follow us on
social media for the latestepisodes.
You can find us at SeminaryDental.
If you have any questions, feelfree to reach out.
We're always happy to help.
Until then, keep smiling andstay curious.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.