September 20, 2024 • 25 mins
How did a young boy’s experience with orthodontics inspire a journey that would eventually lead to running one of Las Vegas's premier dental practices? Join us as we sit down with Dr. Richard Racanelli , owner of Stunning Smiles of Las Vegas, to uncover the personal stories and professional experiences that have shaped his career. Dr. Racanelli shares the pivotal moments—from his mentorship in New York to the challenges of establishing and taking over practices—that have led him to provide exceptional dental care in a state-of-the-art environment.
Managing dental insurance can be a labyrinth, but Dr. Racanelli is here to demystify it. We discuss the distinctions between dental and medical insurance, the obstacles in handling accounts, and how he navigates these complexities without compromising patient care. He also introduces us to groundbreaking dental technologies, from lasers to 3D scans, and offers his perspective on alternative business models for uninsured patients. If you're intrigued by the intersection of healthcare and cutting-edge technology, this episode is a treasure trove of insights and inspiration for current and aspiring dental professionals alike.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Paki (00:11):
Welcome to Vegas Circle Podcast with your hosts, paki
and Chris.
We are people who arepassionate about business,
success and culture, and this isour platform to showcase to
people in our city who make ithappen.
On today's podcast, we're goingto be jumping in to the
importance of oral health andthe behind the scenes of
dentistry, and also what ittakes to run a successful
practice.
Welcoming our guest to thecircle owner of Stunning Smiles
(00:32):
of Las Vegas.
We've got Dr Racanelli man man,so my doctor actually.
So put him out there.
Thank you, paki, thank youChris.
Dr. Racanelli (00:38):
Happy to be here.
Paki (00:38):
Yeah, man.
So we want to just kind of jumpright in.
I know you're originally fromthe East Coast, new York City
area.
I've been a patient of yourssince you know, since I've been
in Vegas, but really haveenjoyed your service and really
just how you ran your businessand customer service and the
infrastructure of everythingyou've been able to do.
But what inspired you to jumpinto dentistry?
Dr. Racanelli (00:56):
Oh man, dentistry I decided when I was in high
school.
Actually, I got influenced bymy orthodontist when I was in
braces.
I kind of wanted to be anarchitect when I was a kid.
But then I got influenced inscience and medicine and going
through the transformation ofbraces really influenced me and
that's kind of how I got the bugand decided from there Good
stuff.
Chris (01:12):
Kind of a hard thing.
You know you're, you startedgoing into there and it's it
seems like a pretty intrusiveprocess to think that experience
was good enough to make youwant to go and do it.
Dr. Racanelli (01:19):
It was impressive , Impressive.
Yeah, exactly my wife Janice.
I would consider him a mentorfor sure, and he influenced me
tremendously.
Paki (01:25):
In New York, in New York, yeah, okay, so then you actually
bought into a practice, right?
Dr. Racanelli (01:29):
So really funny.
I mean, you were in thepractice before me, yes, so 2024
is actually my 12th year in thepractice, took over in January
of 13 and got to inherit someamazing patients like you guys.
Yes, I remember Awesome, Boughtit from the previous owner and
have taken it and molded it andgrown it in more what I wanted
to kind of achieve over theyears.
Paki (01:46):
So I mean, that's really what I wanted to talk about is,
like, you know, chris, and I wehave, you know, different people
.
We haven't had anybody on inthe dentistry space.
Dr. Racanelli (01:52):
That's super cool .
Paki (01:53):
And what's interesting is, like eight to five or nine to
five or nine to six, you're adentist right After straight
businessman.
I mean, there's so many hatsyou got to wear from marketing
payroll.
You know, chris, we talk a lotabout like SOPs.
You know the standing operatingprocedures that you have to put
together.
There's so many things behindthe scenes that people don't
(02:14):
know.
You know that a dentist has todo of wearing that hat.
Can you kind of share you knowsome of the things that you kind
of put to place and what youhave to experience?
You kind of behind the eight tofive you know, absolutely, it's
so true.
Dr. Racanelli (02:26):
You you definitely wear a lot of
different hats as a dentist,yeah, you know healthcare
provider, but also a smallbusiness owner and doing all the
different things.
But as far as the practice,I've really focused on, you know
, elevating the quality of thecare and customizing it and
really trying to give people away to get healthy as opposed to
just put out fires and fixproblems.
That's what we've reallyfocused on and brought in more
(02:47):
comprehensive stuff, morecosmetic dentistry, things that
patient people want andhopefully evolving as health
gets better, especially sincethe last couple of years.
Chris (02:55):
Do you think buying into that practice helps alleviate
some of that burden, since youkind of had that pre-established
customer base?
You already have some of theimplemented procedures in place
for the business operating partof it.
Do you think that really playeda big factor in it?
Dr. Racanelli (03:07):
Definitely.
I mean, there's alearn-on-the-fly component.
When you're young, come out ofschool regardless, but having
something stable in place washuge.
I actually started from scratchin New York and I didn't want
to do it again.
Chris (03:16):
For sure, this is your second time being in a practice.
Paki (03:21):
What do you see has been like the difference?
It's got to be night and daydifferent.
Dr. Racanelli (03:24):
In terms of start yeah.
From New York City compared toLas Vegas Super different in a
good way.
Okay, I love it.
It's been amazing.
Yeah, I think in general,patients have gotten more
focused on being healthy, but wereally have a great desire for
it to look good here too, whichis nice, yes, so those things go
hand in hand, for sure, and alot of our patients are really
into that, and I'm luckily ableto evolve my skills and be able
(03:47):
to provide some really highlevel service for that that's
good stuff, yeah, and you'veexpanded, I mean redevelopment.
Paki (03:51):
You've done a lot.
Dr. Racanelli (03:52):
Yes, sir, you've seen it firsthand, your practice
.
Paki (03:53):
Yeah, it's amazing yeah.
Dr. Racanelli (04:05):
So what's your square footage?
Like treatment rooms?
Yeah, and so me, myself andanother dentist now, um, and I'm
focused on larger,comprehensive, reconstructive
type dentistry.
She does more general dentistry, okay, and you've seen it.
I mean it.
We're intentional about lookingdifferent, feeling different,
smelling different, not beingwhat maybe we think about a
dental practice from when wewere kids.
Yeah, we need to evolve andthat's what I'm really focused
on you could tell when you firstwalk in.
Paki (04:22):
I mean it's very state-of-the-art, very modern,
mean it's very, very, very sharp.
I'm not just saying that justbecause you're here, but it's
very sharp.
Thanks for that.
Chris (04:30):
I really appreciate it and as you kind of do develop
and expand right.
You know, it seems like the onething I always try to
understand better aboutdentistry is that or even being
a doctor for that example is, ora medical doctor is a little
bit your ability to grow is kindof limited right, because you
can only handle so many patientsand you only have so much time
to be able to do it.
You know, how do you kind offoresee that growth and
development in that part of it?
(04:50):
It's a good problem to have.
Dr. Racanelli (04:52):
Yeah, very true.
Chris (04:54):
Do people hit that frequently or is it always, you
know, kind of a revolving doorof patients?
Dr. Racanelli (04:59):
It's a great question.
You want to really try toretain as many of the core
patients as possible whilebringing in new people for
whatever services you'reproviding, and so it's a it's
definitely a balance.
Paki (05:08):
I want to kind of change a little bit about like health,
right, so like heart disease,obviously it's like one of the
number one leading causes ofdeaths, obviously in the U S.
But you know I was doing someresearching.
Obviously, you know, with the,you know the piece of oral, it's
all related, right, becausethis is everything, everything
comes through the mouth.
Can you kind of share yourperspective of you know, maybe
(05:29):
the preventative side of it, ofyou got to keep this clean
because of the bacteria?
I mean there's so many layersto it.
I mean I know you know betterthan I do, but can you kind of
share your perspective on that?
Dr. Racanelli (05:37):
Absolutely Great, great question.
Bottom line healthy mouth is astep toward a healthy body.
Yep, oral systemic link is areal thing.
Periodontal disease, or gumdisease, is the leading cause of
tooth loss.
Somewhere between a half totwo-thirds of Americans have
some form of periodontal diseaseand most people don't really
have any idea.
And there's massive links tosystemic health, namely, like
(05:58):
you said, heart problems anddiabetes Basically inflammatory
disease, related to the way Ilook at it, it's like risk
factors, so like if you have gumdisease and you have heart
disease and you have diabetes,those linked together one in one
one is like nine.
So if you, it's not to say thatif you clean your teeth and
you're going to have any medicalproblems, but it's a way to
reduce risk over time.
So people need to be really,really focused, which I think in
(06:21):
general has gotten better sinceCOVID.
People are more focused onhealth, but the mouth's a
massive part of it.
Paki (06:27):
It really, really is.
I'm always telling my kidsbecause everybody's always
putting their hand in the mouthand doing all types of stuff and
you don't realize.
I mean, your hands are dirtyall the time, you know, so it's
really scary to be able to thinkabout how bacteria can form so
fast yeah.
Dr. Racanelli (06:41):
One of the things we started doing actually
implementing right now istesting patients saliva to
figure out the profile of thebacteria and gives an idea of
risk for gum disease andactually how to treat it beyond
the ways that we were taughtconventionally.
Chris (06:54):
So that's, pretty cool.
Dr. Racanelli (06:55):
Bring it into the practice as we speak, actually.
Chris (06:58):
Okay, because it seems like most people that I talked
to have very similar likeregimens when it comes to mouth
care Right, and the same thingsI did when I was a kid I'm doing
now at almost 40.
Exactly, you don't reallychange, like most people haven't
changed in 20, 30, 40 years, onhow they maintain their mouth.
Dr. Racanelli (07:13):
You're right, and it and it should have changed a
little bit.
Yeah, you would think Anelectric toothbrush like a
non-negotiable as far as I'mconcerned, flossing at night,
you know, coming in regularlylike Pocky's a great example.
He's like clockwork with hishygiene.
He comes in like like I knowyou're going to be there every
six months.
If we said, hey, you need anextra cleaning, you would likely
(07:34):
do it as a way to get healthy.
You also align your teeth, putthem in a proper position doing
all the right stuff Like 10years ago yeah sure.
And you did an amazing job withit.
Yeah, so there's little thingsthat we can do and tweak over
time to really keep thingshealthy.
My goal is for people to gethealthy, stay healthy and
minimize time and energy andmoney in the dental chair.
Chris (07:54):
One thing you're seeing too is a lot of people now are
going with the veneers right andtaking this out.
Does that reset your clock in away, or is it like how does,
yeah, how does I do a lot of itand I?
Dr. Racanelli (08:04):
love doing it.
It's like buying an expensivecar you're going to maintain it.
So just because you haveveneers, you still need to do
home care, come in regularly,see the hygienist, maybe even do
an extra hygiene visit, like Ireally stress this when I'm
planning this stuff for patients, yeah, yeah, but veneers are
amazing, but you, you have to.
You have to kind of maintainthe investment.
Got it okay is v Is veneersconsidered implants.
Paki (08:24):
Not at all Something different.
It's completely separate, right, absolutely, because I was
reading about like implants.
It's like, literally, it's likeI think 6% of Americans have
implants or are dealing withimplants, and now it's like
growing, I think, to like 23%over the next couple of years.
Dr. Racanelli (08:37):
Yes, unreal.
The percentage of people withmissing teeth is crazy when you
actually start thinking about it.
Paki (08:42):
See, I was thinking because veneers you're still
installing it in, but implantsis completely separate.
Dr. Racanelli (08:47):
So veneer, you know, a thin shell of porcelain
to change color, change shape,improve a bite, make a smile
look different.
Got it, you know, aesthetic andfunctional changes.
Implant is a way to replace amissing tooth or missing teeth
Completely.
Paki (09:02):
God, I'm sorry.
Yeah, that's the difference.
Chris (09:04):
I get that question all the time.
Do you see people like, just do100% implants, or is it really
only when you're missing one?
Yeah, you want to be missing aslittle as possible.
Dr. Racanelli (09:11):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but there are people who have
nothing and need to get fullimplants with kind of dentures
and bridges built on implants,and that's something that we can
also do no-transcript.
Paki (09:27):
But like the black toothpaste and all the stuff
that you're seeing is popular,the charcoal the charcoal, I'm
sorry, it's a little abrasive.
What do you think?
I mean?
What's your perspective?
Is that healthy?
Dr. Racanelli (09:38):
I don.
Paki (09:48):
Just whitening.
Yeah, I mean, I've been usingother stuff.
I just wanted to try somethingdifferent because I've heard the
good things about it, but Iwasn't sure.
Dr. Racanelli (09:55):
Yes, it's definitely a marketing thing
that we see a lot out there.
Paki (09:57):
That's what I figured.
Dr. Racanelli (09:58):
Charcoal can really be abrasive.
It can do some damage to theenamel, okay.
Chris (10:16):
Way better off just doing some whitening.
Either in your retainers, haveyour more institutional
toothpaste or, and then you see,now it's a big push for all
these organic, you know, naturaltoothpaste.
Is there any benefits to one orthe other?
Come all natural and even usingthe, the colgates and stuff, it
just doesn't feel great anymorebecause I've been using the
natural for so long.
Dr. Racanelli (10:27):
Got it great I'm not a fan of colgate.
Um, I feel like it's got aweird taste.
Chris (10:30):
Personally, yeah, same.
Dr. Racanelli (10:31):
I like Crest better.
Arm Hammer's good too.
Tom's like people who are leeryabout fluoride.
Fluoride kind of gets a bad rapbut it really is good.
It's a good vitamin for theteeth.
If you ingested it it wouldn'tbe good and people worry about
third eye stuff with fluoride.
Yeah, for real, but in general,if you're at all prone to
cavities, fluoride is a reallygood thing to have in your
(10:53):
regimen.
Chris (10:53):
I use Burt's Bees.
Is that any good Burt's Bees?
Is super good.
Paki (10:56):
I'm messed up.
I wanted to try this charcoal,but I'm glad you said that I
think the question.
Dr. Racanelli (11:01):
People ask about toothpaste all the time.
The more important thing isfloss at night.
Brush twice a day, see thehygienist two to three times a
year.
Put all that togetherconsistently over time.
It doesn't really matter whatkind of toothpaste you use as
much.
That's, honestly, my answer.
Paki (11:15):
That's the key I think to everything is just consistency.
I mean we were talking earlier,you know, before Mr Cartwright
had left out, but it's like youknow, chris and I started this
and my wife back in 2018, right,and consistency, I think has
been the savior.
I think has been the savior.
I think to anything.
Your practice, I mean workingout, I mean everything that we
do is just consistency.
So, yeah, I mean it makes senseto have the health.
(11:37):
Your consistency.
Dr. Racanelli (11:37):
Yeah, do the right stuff over time, do it
regularly.
Paki (11:40):
Let's talk a little bit about insurance, right, oh man.
So I know insurance has got tobe tough, right?
What do you guys have in place?
Because I feel like I mean, Idon't know the ins and outs of
it, but like accounts payableobviously got to be a pain in
the butt.
You're filing claims.
You might have insurancecompanies where they get the
claim okay, I didn't receive it,or whatever the scenario is but
what have you guys kind of putin place so you're not chasing
your tail a lot to be able toget paid for the service and
(12:03):
things along those lines, yeah.
Chris (12:11):
Or is it getting easier?
I guess.
Yeah, I heard that too Sure.
Dr. Racanelli (12:12):
People often think that dental insurance and
medical insurance are the samething, and they're really not.
It's completely different,Completely separate, right?
Yeah, that's what I heard.
Dental insurance is like acoupon, basically right.
It's just a reduced rate thatyou pay.
The insurance companiesbasically want to take in
premiums and just not pay outstuff.
they make you wait.
We have to jump through a lotof hoops, I bet, to try to get
(12:33):
have you know, accountsreceivable and payable, kind of
happening, sure, so it's justpart of the name of the game.
The more importantly it's thatwe don't let the insurance
dictate the type, the type oftreatment that we plan and
provide for our patients.
Yeah, we use it as like anadjunct, so we take it, we work
with it, we try not to bebeholden to, you know, two clean
, two cleanings a year.
If someone needs periodontaltreatment and need more than two
cleanings like they're going toget it Find a way to make it
(12:55):
happen for them, because youknow, if we can see patients
regularly we can keep themhealthy and actually minimize
time and money in the dentalchair over time.
And that's kind of my goal Getour patients healthy.
Paki (13:05):
Yeah, that makes sense.
Yeah, help as well, for sure.
Chris (13:07):
Yeah, and what kind of issues are you seeing?
Like you know, I've seen a lotof dentists only accept certain
insurances, certain types ofinsurances.
What is the reasoning behindthat?
Like usually that you see thatrunning come up.
Dr. Racanelli (13:16):
Numbers game.
I mean they make it really hard.
You have to do so much volumewhen you take all kinds of
insurances to actually makemoney to run the business, and
quality of care gets lost in theshuffle.
So we're the total opposite.
We're more time with ourpatients, customized care and
really being able to spend thetime to give them what they need
, and insurance doesn't alwayspay for that, unfortunately.
Chris (13:36):
So you'll find, like insurance, that you know are
willing to work with you or thatthey're looking out for your
client, and then you partner upwith them instead of accepting
somebody, maybe paying, you know, a really limited amount that's
going to reduce services.
Dr. Racanelli (13:46):
Exactly, I mean, I want to be their partner, but
we work with them.
I think we're the patient'spartner and then the insurance
company is the third party.
A lot of times the patientsthink that the insurance company
is their friend, and it's thetotal opposite.
They just want to make money.
If you look at what dentalinsurance company CEOs make $12
million, $15 million a year Imean it's crazy what these guys
are getting paid Like.
What are they actually doing?
Paki (14:12):
Man, I'm all the time.
Dr. Racanelli (14:14):
Like they want to just take in the premiums and
try not to pay out.
Yeah, that's their model.
That's amazing so we'refighting it every day to help
people and it's like aperception thing and it's also
compared to that's it.
The dental is different.
Paki (14:29):
So let me ask you this so like turnaround time, is it like
90 days, is it like 100 to 20days?
It can get rough, it can be youtry to minimize it.
Yeah, yeah, good stuff, okay.
Chris (14:43):
Is there any alternative business models that you're
seeing become more prevalentamongst other dentists that are
subscription-based models, othertype of opportunities?
Dr. Racanelli (14:48):
Yeah, I mean, I think we have a membership plan
for patients who don't havebenefits as an alternative.
Yes, and they can subscribe tous and we have a couple of
doctors.
Paki (14:57):
We're talking about that, yeah.
Dr. Racanelli (14:58):
That's been a great thing, a good like
alternative, um, and in general,just really educating patients
on what it costs to actually dowhat they need to do and be
healthy longterm For sure.
Paki (15:16):
Yeah to do and be healthy long term For sure.
Yeah, yeah.
What do you see?
What happened with technology?
Cause you always having thenewest stuff.
I know you always have seminarsand things like that.
I know it's gotta be expensivetoo to invest in a lot of this
technology, but what are youseeing and what do you?
What have you kind of specialat Stunning Smiles that maybe
another practice doesn't have?
Dr. Racanelli (15:27):
Yeah, technology and dentistry going hand in hand
at this point.
We a lot of interesting stuff.
Yeah, lasers to treatperiodontal disease.
Uh, in office machine it'scalled cad cam, basically a way
to make metal free crowns orbridges in the office.
One visit which used to be anoppression in a lab and a second
visit and getting numb againdoing all this stuff.
Now we can do it in one visitusing the technology, so I can
(15:48):
design and make stuff in theoffice, which has been an
awesome game changer lastprobably about last 10 years for
that, wow, um, ct scans likecone beam, which is basically a
3d x-ray to plan for implants, alook at sinuses, wisdom teeth,
stuff like that.
Um, digital x-rays we've alwayshad those, but that's that's,
you know, one of the firstthings that came out with
technology.
Sure, um, and now and then alsoscanning.
(16:11):
So a lot of the stuff that weused to take impressions for we
actually use 3d scans now.
Paki (16:16):
So there's no.
That's how you guys do.
Everybody hates the word goop,right?
So?
Dr. Racanelli (16:19):
we've eliminated that and it's going even more so
with ai too.
Yeah, being able to helpdiagnose and look at, look at
the x-rays with the help of ai,that's something that's coming
along, yeah yeah, like I couldsay that from like you'll be
sitting in the chair and they'retalking to the AI and it's
recording everything whileyou're in the chair.
Paki (16:36):
It's the coolest thing in the world.
You guys have got that and it'samazing.
Dr. Racanelli (16:40):
It's really the technology is.
It's not a substitute for, youknow, care and relationships and
rapport, but it really doeshelp us be more efficient and, I
think, deliver better product,better service for our patients.
Yeah, that's no joke, that'sinteresting.
Paki (16:51):
Just backing up a little bit, just more of a personal
question too.
Dental floss versus waterpicking right, I was going to
bring that one up.
Chris (16:57):
Okay, good, you're the same line, we're aligned.
Right now that's my brother, sowe're aligned.
That's hilarious.
Paki (17:03):
So I'd have a water pick.
Are you still supposed to flossafterwards, or what like?
No, I mean if you're overdoingit, basically is what I'm
getting at.
Dr. Racanelli (17:12):
No harm to overdoing it, but if you can
actually floss every night,you're good, like that's what I
do personally, okay I don't usea water.
Paki (17:18):
That's why I'm getting that.
I want to know what you'redoing.
Yeah, okay water pick.
Dr. Racanelli (17:20):
I recommend it all the time and I think it's
kind of like plan b.
If someone's like you know what, I'm not going to floss
consistently, I have troubledoing it, I don't love doing it.
Then I'm like get out the water, pick and flush, because you
can't get in between the teethwith the toothbrush.
That's the idea, right.
You need something to go inthere.
Get the plaque out so you don'tget cavities, so your gums
don't get inflamed.
Got it bottom line, got it.
So it's better than doingnothing.
(17:41):
It's way better than for sure,and if you have a lot of
dentistry like crowns or bridges, sometimes the water pick is a
really good thing to have in theregiment, for sure yeah,
awesome man.
Paki (17:50):
Yeah, good to know.
Um, with us being parents,right, all of us parents at the
table.
You know, internships were bigfor me right back in the day,
like we talked about it before,I went, did an internship at
tufts medical for a while and itwas a great experience just to
kind of learn the medical sideof everything and then and then
also realizing, okay, this maybe not for me, right?
Um, what do you think like thefuture of dentistry, you know,
(18:10):
for for kids, right?
Is it maybe going to internshiproute?
Maybe can they go work at aStunning Smiles or could they?
Or do they have to go to UNLVand maybe, you know, learn a
program before they get tocollege to spend the capital?
Dr. Racanelli (18:22):
Anybody who's interested in any field for me
for that matter, but dentistryspecifically.
The sooner you get someexposure, the better off you are
.
So if you could do aninternship, a volunteer, in an
office, I think it's a greatplan.
I actually didn't do anythinglike that, I just kind of rolled
the dice and went with it.
Luckily it worked out.
So I had no experience being inan office other than being a
patient until I got into dentalschool.
(18:43):
But I would really recommendsomeone in high school or early
college to ask their dentistlike hey, can I come shadow, can
I come observe?
I want to see what it's like inthe real world and know if it's
worth, you know, going downthis road because it's it's a
commitment.
Chris (18:58):
Yeah, cause that's, you know, schooling on top of it and
building like it takes a longtime for you to really hit your
rhythm.
So it'd be tough to be figuredout five years into it.
Paki (19:05):
Exactly what I saw.
I remember.
I remember when I was a, when Iwas a tough medical when I was
in high school.
I remember I will never forgetthis lady I want to say her last
name, but her first name wasAlicia and I remember her and
her husband.
Both were in medical school.
Basically, their last year owedlike 300 grand back then both
of them, so they're like$600,000.
Chris (19:27):
And they hated what they were doing before I'm getting
out.
Paki (19:29):
And I'm like there's no way I would want to do it.
Dr. Racanelli (19:31):
That's extremely brutal.
Yes, yeah, extremely brutal.
Yeah.
So earlier information, betteryou know.
Suss it out, make sure it's foryou Because you have to love it
to really, I think, to do welland make it a long career that
you're happy in.
Paki (19:43):
Yeah, sure, yeah, I'm always talking to 100%.
So you know, with us being acircle, right, I know you
mentioned a little bit about youknow when you first got to your
first practice in New York, butwho's been in your circle and
what advice have they given you?
You know over the years hasbeen beneficial.
Dr. Racanelli (20:00):
I mean that's a really good question.
I've recently expanded mycircle a lot in Las Vegas.
I got into a networking groupcalled BNI Business Network
International.
It's been awesome and I met alot of interesting people who
run different businesses, sothat's been a really good
expansion of people that I couldtalk to and learn about.
Prior to that, it was reallyjust people in dentistry that I
would network with and try tolearn from, and you know, some
(20:22):
emulate like what the people whoare really at the top of the
game were doing, so I couldbring it into my practice.
Good stuff.
Chris (20:27):
Yeah, and you see it like you know, this seems to me like
there's a dental office inevery corner, right?
There certainly is.
There's a ton of them.
So it seems like there's agreat network of dentists in the
Valley.
But you know, when it comes tolike a competition standpoint is
there.
Obviously I don't think morepeople should go to the dentist
if they're not.
But do you think there's enoughdentists for the population, or
the population is?
Dr. Racanelli (20:48):
That's a great question.
I don't have any stats.
It seems like it's like yousaid, it's very saturated, but
the truth is there's a lot oflevels.
There's definitely astratification of of what's
going on in dentistry and youcan go to like abc dental that's
like you know volume where yousee a different doctor every
time you wait for three hours.
Or you can come to my officewhere you're getting me with my
expertise and my training andyou know I'm doing a
(21:10):
reconstruction on someone that'slike buying a car.
So there's a massive gap inscale and it really is based on
what's, I guess, money, but alsowhat people want.
There's always going to be thecream rises to the top, so to
speak, and there's always alowest common denominator.
And you see that I think indentistry, quite vividly.
Chris (21:32):
Yeah, I think you're right.
I think I never thought aboutit in that way, but you could
definitely see it and is it likethere's like a significant
number of the population thatjust doesn't go to the dentist,
like 30, 40, 50.
You know I should have lookedat that I don't know.
Paki (21:42):
Yes, the answer is yes, geez it should be a lot lower,
like people should go yeah, yeah, for business advice right,
because you're you're a businessowner, right, running your
setup.
What's a nugget that you wouldshare for somebody?
Maybe they want to start theirown dentistry practice, or maybe
they have another vision,something that they want to
launch.
What would you share with themor what would be some advice for
(22:02):
them that's been a benefit foryou?
Dr. Racanelli (22:06):
Besides your field of specificity, whether
it's medicine or dentistry,learn as much as possible about
business, marketing, management,people skills, communication.
I mean dentistry is really apeople business, more than a
tooth business, and being ableto just like build rapport and
understand and ask questions andhave like really good
conversations has, I think,helped me do well in dentistry
(22:27):
more so that my hands are alsoreally good.
But it's really about can youtalk to someone, can you
interview them, can you find outwhat they want, what's
important to them in anybusiness, not just dentistry.
Paki (22:37):
Yeah, and I gotta I gotta tell you that, just from my own
experience, you've done anexcellent job with that.
I gotta tell you to your facethat you know that you've done
that to have the bedside mannersand be able to be professional
and be able to build thoserelationships.
You guys have done an excellentjob there.
Dr. Racanelli (22:49):
Thanks a lot, puck, you and your wife.
It means a lot, it really does.
Paki (22:51):
Good stuff Got to switch a little bit because I know we
see each other at restaurantsall the time.
Dr. Racanelli (22:55):
Oh yeah, absolutely One of my favorite
things.
Paki (22:58):
Yeah, gave me some recommendations, but we always
ask our guests you know what'syour favorite?
Dr. Racanelli (23:06):
or you and I love going out to eat.
It's one of my things that Ienjoy the most.
Yeah, yeah, um, uh, italian andsushi, kind of my, and some,
you know, thai also.
Yep, um, just discovered areally great sushi place called
Kase sushi and sake.
Okay, on, russell and Jones,okay, going there, it's awesome,
okay.
Um note that Farrell's is great.
(23:33):
They're friends of mine.
We love them.
Yeah, they're awesome.
Farrell's is very good.
Paki (23:35):
I go there a lot and Amari actually in Uncommons I like
that place a lot.
Oh yeah, amari's very good.
Yeah, tiny restaurant, tinyplace Exactly Good stuff.
Become like a neighborhoodplace in the Uncommons.
Yeah, go there.
Dr. Racanelli (23:47):
Which one Setebello for pizza.
Chris (23:49):
Oh Setebello.
Dr. Racanelli (23:49):
Yeah, okay, I'm there all the time.
Oh, we're aligned.
Yeah, we're definitely aligned.
Chris (23:53):
Okay, I'm always looking for good pizza, so definitely
check that out.
Yeah, definitely check that out.
And he knows we're from NewYork, man, yeah.
Paki (23:57):
That's a hot button for you guys, but we're lucky.
We have a lot of great yearsand moved from um, originally
from midwest, but I lived in theeast coast.
But I tell you like vegas isreally becoming this hub of you
know food, you know art, youknow I'll share some stuff
offline that we can talk about,but they're doing some amazing
(24:19):
things.
Dr. Racanelli (24:19):
Enhancements, I mean it's amazing how it's
changed the last oh yeah aboutthe last five, seven years, for
sure, just look at where myoffice is, I mean 100, the ben
uncommons ikea lifetime going up.
I mean just what's going on inthat immediate area of the
Southwest it's awesome.
Paki (24:32):
They've said that that loop is like probably the most
popular area in Vegas as far asreal estate yes, land and that
whole area.
Chris (24:39):
Oh yeah, everything that's been a big impact of
Vegas construction has reallytaken place in that area,
exactly yeah.
Paki (24:45):
So awesome man no-transcript you guys had me on
.
Yeah, I appreciate having youon.
What's uh the social handlespeople can reach out to you guys
so my instagram is uh, at drrack vegas.
Dr. Racanelli (25:07):
okay and awesome.
The office is, uh, lv, stunningsmilesmilescom Right.
Paki (25:10):
Appreciate it.
This guy's great.
I'm just going to tell you thatstraight up, man.
Great, great practice.
They do it right.
So I wanted to have you come onand appreciate hanging out with
us and check us out atthevegancirclecom.
So appreciate your time, man.
Dr. Racanelli (25:22):
Thank you so much I appreciate it.
Paki (25:23):
Good to see you, thank you , you Bye.
Welcome to Vegas Circle Podcast with your hosts, paki
and Chris.
We are people who arepassionate about business,
success and culture, and this isour platform to showcase to
people in our city who make ithappen.
On today's podcast, we're goingto be jumping in to the
importance of oral health andthe behind the scenes of
dentistry, and also what ittakes to run a successful
practice.
Welcoming our guest to thecircle owner of Stunning Smiles
(00:32):
of Las Vegas.
We've got Dr Racanelli man man,so my doctor actually.
So put him out there.
Thank you, paki, thank youChris.
Dr. Racanelli (00:38):
Happy to be here.
Paki (00:38):
Yeah, man.
So we want to just kind of jumpright in.
I know you're originally fromthe East Coast, new York City
area.
I've been a patient of yourssince you know, since I've been
in Vegas, but really haveenjoyed your service and really
just how you ran your businessand customer service and the
infrastructure of everythingyou've been able to do.
But what inspired you to jumpinto dentistry?
Dr. Racanelli (00:56):
Oh man, dentistry I decided when I was in high
school.
Actually, I got influenced bymy orthodontist when I was in
braces.
I kind of wanted to be anarchitect when I was a kid.
But then I got influenced inscience and medicine and going
through the transformation ofbraces really influenced me and
that's kind of how I got the bugand decided from there Good
stuff.
Chris (01:12):
Kind of a hard thing.
You know you're, you startedgoing into there and it's it
seems like a pretty intrusiveprocess to think that experience
was good enough to make youwant to go and do it.
Dr. Racanelli (01:19):
It was impressive , Impressive.
Yeah, exactly my wife Janice.
I would consider him a mentorfor sure, and he influenced me
tremendously.
Paki (01:25):
In New York, in New York, yeah, okay, so then you actually
bought into a practice, right?
Dr. Racanelli (01:29):
So really funny.
I mean, you were in thepractice before me, yes, so 2024
is actually my 12th year in thepractice, took over in January
of 13 and got to inherit someamazing patients like you guys.
Yes, I remember Awesome, Boughtit from the previous owner and
have taken it and molded it andgrown it in more what I wanted
to kind of achieve over theyears.
Paki (01:46):
So I mean, that's really what I wanted to talk about is,
like, you know, chris, and I wehave, you know, different people
.
We haven't had anybody on inthe dentistry space.
Dr. Racanelli (01:52):
That's super cool .
Paki (01:53):
And what's interesting is, like eight to five or nine to
five or nine to six, you're adentist right After straight
businessman.
I mean, there's so many hatsyou got to wear from marketing
payroll.
You know, chris, we talk a lotabout like SOPs.
You know the standing operatingprocedures that you have to put
together.
There's so many things behindthe scenes that people don't
(02:14):
know.
You know that a dentist has todo of wearing that hat.
Can you kind of share you knowsome of the things that you kind
of put to place and what youhave to experience?
You kind of behind the eight tofive you know, absolutely, it's
so true.
Dr. Racanelli (02:26):
You you definitely wear a lot of
different hats as a dentist,yeah, you know healthcare
provider, but also a smallbusiness owner and doing all the
different things.
But as far as the practice,I've really focused on, you know
, elevating the quality of thecare and customizing it and
really trying to give people away to get healthy as opposed to
just put out fires and fixproblems.
That's what we've reallyfocused on and brought in more
(02:47):
comprehensive stuff, morecosmetic dentistry, things that
patient people want andhopefully evolving as health
gets better, especially sincethe last couple of years.
Chris (02:55):
Do you think buying into that practice helps alleviate
some of that burden, since youkind of had that pre-established
customer base?
You already have some of theimplemented procedures in place
for the business operating partof it.
Do you think that really playeda big factor in it?
Dr. Racanelli (03:07):
Definitely.
I mean, there's alearn-on-the-fly component.
When you're young, come out ofschool regardless, but having
something stable in place washuge.
I actually started from scratchin New York and I didn't want
to do it again.
Chris (03:16):
For sure, this is your second time being in a practice.
Paki (03:21):
What do you see has been like the difference?
It's got to be night and daydifferent.
Dr. Racanelli (03:24):
In terms of start yeah.
From New York City compared toLas Vegas Super different in a
good way.
Okay, I love it.
It's been amazing.
Yeah, I think in general,patients have gotten more
focused on being healthy, but wereally have a great desire for
it to look good here too, whichis nice, yes, so those things go
hand in hand, for sure, and alot of our patients are really
into that, and I'm luckily ableto evolve my skills and be able
(03:47):
to provide some really highlevel service for that that's
good stuff, yeah, and you'veexpanded, I mean redevelopment.
Paki (03:51):
You've done a lot.
Dr. Racanelli (03:52):
Yes, sir, you've seen it firsthand, your practice
.
Paki (03:53):
Yeah, it's amazing yeah.
Dr. Racanelli (04:05):
So what's your square footage?
Like treatment rooms?
Yeah, and so me, myself andanother dentist now, um, and I'm
focused on larger,comprehensive, reconstructive
type dentistry.
She does more general dentistry, okay, and you've seen it.
I mean it.
We're intentional about lookingdifferent, feeling different,
smelling different, not beingwhat maybe we think about a
dental practice from when wewere kids.
Yeah, we need to evolve andthat's what I'm really focused
on you could tell when you firstwalk in.
Paki (04:22):
I mean it's very state-of-the-art, very modern,
mean it's very, very, very sharp.
I'm not just saying that justbecause you're here, but it's
very sharp.
Thanks for that.
Chris (04:30):
I really appreciate it and as you kind of do develop
and expand right.
You know, it seems like the onething I always try to
understand better aboutdentistry is that or even being
a doctor for that example is, ora medical doctor is a little
bit your ability to grow is kindof limited right, because you
can only handle so many patientsand you only have so much time
to be able to do it.
You know, how do you kind offoresee that growth and
development in that part of it?
(04:50):
It's a good problem to have.
Dr. Racanelli (04:52):
Yeah, very true.
Chris (04:54):
Do people hit that frequently or is it always, you
know, kind of a revolving doorof patients?
Dr. Racanelli (04:59):
It's a great question.
You want to really try toretain as many of the core
patients as possible whilebringing in new people for
whatever services you'reproviding, and so it's a it's
definitely a balance.
Paki (05:08):
I want to kind of change a little bit about like health,
right, so like heart disease,obviously it's like one of the
number one leading causes ofdeaths, obviously in the U S.
But you know I was doing someresearching.
Obviously, you know, with the,you know the piece of oral, it's
all related, right, becausethis is everything, everything
comes through the mouth.
Can you kind of share yourperspective of you know, maybe
(05:29):
the preventative side of it, ofyou got to keep this clean
because of the bacteria?
I mean there's so many layersto it.
I mean I know you know betterthan I do, but can you kind of
share your perspective on that?
Dr. Racanelli (05:37):
Absolutely Great, great question.
Bottom line healthy mouth is astep toward a healthy body.
Yep, oral systemic link is areal thing.
Periodontal disease, or gumdisease, is the leading cause of
tooth loss.
Somewhere between a half totwo-thirds of Americans have
some form of periodontal diseaseand most people don't really
have any idea.
And there's massive links tosystemic health, namely, like
(05:58):
you said, heart problems anddiabetes Basically inflammatory
disease, related to the way Ilook at it, it's like risk
factors, so like if you have gumdisease and you have heart
disease and you have diabetes,those linked together one in one
one is like nine.
So if you, it's not to say thatif you clean your teeth and
you're going to have any medicalproblems, but it's a way to
reduce risk over time.
So people need to be really,really focused, which I think in
(06:21):
general has gotten better sinceCOVID.
People are more focused onhealth, but the mouth's a
massive part of it.
Paki (06:27):
It really, really is.
I'm always telling my kidsbecause everybody's always
putting their hand in the mouthand doing all types of stuff and
you don't realize.
I mean, your hands are dirtyall the time, you know, so it's
really scary to be able to thinkabout how bacteria can form so
fast yeah.
Dr. Racanelli (06:41):
One of the things we started doing actually
implementing right now istesting patients saliva to
figure out the profile of thebacteria and gives an idea of
risk for gum disease andactually how to treat it beyond
the ways that we were taughtconventionally.
Chris (06:54):
So that's, pretty cool.
Dr. Racanelli (06:55):
Bring it into the practice as we speak, actually.
Chris (06:58):
Okay, because it seems like most people that I talked
to have very similar likeregimens when it comes to mouth
care Right, and the same thingsI did when I was a kid I'm doing
now at almost 40.
Exactly, you don't reallychange, like most people haven't
changed in 20, 30, 40 years, onhow they maintain their mouth.
Dr. Racanelli (07:13):
You're right, and it and it should have changed a
little bit.
Yeah, you would think Anelectric toothbrush like a
non-negotiable as far as I'mconcerned, flossing at night,
you know, coming in regularlylike Pocky's a great example.
He's like clockwork with hishygiene.
He comes in like like I knowyou're going to be there every
six months.
If we said, hey, you need anextra cleaning, you would likely
(07:34):
do it as a way to get healthy.
You also align your teeth, putthem in a proper position doing
all the right stuff Like 10years ago yeah sure.
And you did an amazing job withit.
Yeah, so there's little thingsthat we can do and tweak over
time to really keep thingshealthy.
My goal is for people to gethealthy, stay healthy and
minimize time and energy andmoney in the dental chair.
Chris (07:54):
One thing you're seeing too is a lot of people now are
going with the veneers right andtaking this out.
Does that reset your clock in away, or is it like how does,
yeah, how does I do a lot of itand I?
Dr. Racanelli (08:04):
love doing it.
It's like buying an expensivecar you're going to maintain it.
So just because you haveveneers, you still need to do
home care, come in regularly,see the hygienist, maybe even do
an extra hygiene visit, like Ireally stress this when I'm
planning this stuff for patients, yeah, yeah, but veneers are
amazing, but you, you have to.
You have to kind of maintainthe investment.
Got it okay is v Is veneersconsidered implants.
Paki (08:24):
Not at all Something different.
It's completely separate, right, absolutely, because I was
reading about like implants.
It's like, literally, it's likeI think 6% of Americans have
implants or are dealing withimplants, and now it's like
growing, I think, to like 23%over the next couple of years.
Dr. Racanelli (08:37):
Yes, unreal.
The percentage of people withmissing teeth is crazy when you
actually start thinking about it.
Paki (08:42):
See, I was thinking because veneers you're still
installing it in, but implantsis completely separate.
Dr. Racanelli (08:47):
So veneer, you know, a thin shell of porcelain
to change color, change shape,improve a bite, make a smile
look different.
Got it, you know, aesthetic andfunctional changes.
Implant is a way to replace amissing tooth or missing teeth
Completely.
Paki (09:02):
God, I'm sorry.
Yeah, that's the difference.
Chris (09:04):
I get that question all the time.
Do you see people like, just do100% implants, or is it really
only when you're missing one?
Yeah, you want to be missing aslittle as possible.
Dr. Racanelli (09:11):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but there are people who have
nothing and need to get fullimplants with kind of dentures
and bridges built on implants,and that's something that we can
also do no-transcript.
Paki (09:27):
But like the black toothpaste and all the stuff
that you're seeing is popular,the charcoal the charcoal, I'm
sorry, it's a little abrasive.
What do you think?
I mean?
What's your perspective?
Is that healthy?
Dr. Racanelli (09:38):
I don.
Paki (09:48):
Just whitening.
Yeah, I mean, I've been usingother stuff.
I just wanted to try somethingdifferent because I've heard the
good things about it, but Iwasn't sure.
Dr. Racanelli (09:55):
Yes, it's definitely a marketing thing
that we see a lot out there.
Paki (09:57):
That's what I figured.
Dr. Racanelli (09:58):
Charcoal can really be abrasive.
It can do some damage to theenamel, okay.
Chris (10:16):
Way better off just doing some whitening.
Either in your retainers, haveyour more institutional
toothpaste or, and then you see,now it's a big push for all
these organic, you know, naturaltoothpaste.
Is there any benefits to one orthe other?
Come all natural and even usingthe, the colgates and stuff, it
just doesn't feel great anymorebecause I've been using the
natural for so long.
Dr. Racanelli (10:27):
Got it great I'm not a fan of colgate.
Um, I feel like it's got aweird taste.
Chris (10:30):
Personally, yeah, same.
Dr. Racanelli (10:31):
I like Crest better.
Arm Hammer's good too.
Tom's like people who are leeryabout fluoride.
Fluoride kind of gets a bad rapbut it really is good.
It's a good vitamin for theteeth.
If you ingested it it wouldn'tbe good and people worry about
third eye stuff with fluoride.
Yeah, for real, but in general,if you're at all prone to
cavities, fluoride is a reallygood thing to have in your
(10:53):
regimen.
Chris (10:53):
I use Burt's Bees.
Is that any good Burt's Bees?
Is super good.
Paki (10:56):
I'm messed up.
I wanted to try this charcoal,but I'm glad you said that I
think the question.
Dr. Racanelli (11:01):
People ask about toothpaste all the time.
The more important thing isfloss at night.
Brush twice a day, see thehygienist two to three times a
year.
Put all that togetherconsistently over time.
It doesn't really matter whatkind of toothpaste you use as
much.
That's, honestly, my answer.
Paki (11:15):
That's the key I think to everything is just consistency.
I mean we were talking earlier,you know, before Mr Cartwright
had left out, but it's like youknow, chris and I started this
and my wife back in 2018, right,and consistency, I think has
been the savior.
I think has been the savior.
I think to anything.
Your practice, I mean workingout, I mean everything that we
do is just consistency.
So, yeah, I mean it makes senseto have the health.
(11:37):
Your consistency.
Dr. Racanelli (11:37):
Yeah, do the right stuff over time, do it
regularly.
Paki (11:40):
Let's talk a little bit about insurance, right, oh man.
So I know insurance has got tobe tough, right?
What do you guys have in place?
Because I feel like I mean, Idon't know the ins and outs of
it, but like accounts payableobviously got to be a pain in
the butt.
You're filing claims.
You might have insurancecompanies where they get the
claim okay, I didn't receive it,or whatever the scenario is but
what have you guys kind of putin place so you're not chasing
your tail a lot to be able toget paid for the service and
(12:03):
things along those lines, yeah.
Chris (12:11):
Or is it getting easier?
I guess.
Yeah, I heard that too Sure.
Dr. Racanelli (12:12):
People often think that dental insurance and
medical insurance are the samething, and they're really not.
It's completely different,Completely separate, right?
Yeah, that's what I heard.
Dental insurance is like acoupon, basically right.
It's just a reduced rate thatyou pay.
The insurance companiesbasically want to take in
premiums and just not pay outstuff.
they make you wait.
We have to jump through a lotof hoops, I bet, to try to get
(12:33):
have you know, accountsreceivable and payable, kind of
happening, sure, so it's justpart of the name of the game.
The more importantly it's thatwe don't let the insurance
dictate the type, the type oftreatment that we plan and
provide for our patients.
Yeah, we use it as like anadjunct, so we take it, we work
with it, we try not to bebeholden to, you know, two clean
, two cleanings a year.
If someone needs periodontaltreatment and need more than two
cleanings like they're going toget it Find a way to make it
(12:55):
happen for them, because youknow, if we can see patients
regularly we can keep themhealthy and actually minimize
time and money in the dentalchair over time.
And that's kind of my goal Getour patients healthy.
Paki (13:05):
Yeah, that makes sense.
Yeah, help as well, for sure.
Chris (13:07):
Yeah, and what kind of issues are you seeing?
Like you know, I've seen a lotof dentists only accept certain
insurances, certain types ofinsurances.
What is the reasoning behindthat?
Like usually that you see thatrunning come up.
Dr. Racanelli (13:16):
Numbers game.
I mean they make it really hard.
You have to do so much volumewhen you take all kinds of
insurances to actually makemoney to run the business, and
quality of care gets lost in theshuffle.
So we're the total opposite.
We're more time with ourpatients, customized care and
really being able to spend thetime to give them what they need
, and insurance doesn't alwayspay for that, unfortunately.
Chris (13:36):
So you'll find, like insurance, that you know are
willing to work with you or thatthey're looking out for your
client, and then you partner upwith them instead of accepting
somebody, maybe paying, you know, a really limited amount that's
going to reduce services.
Dr. Racanelli (13:46):
Exactly, I mean, I want to be their partner, but
we work with them.
I think we're the patient'spartner and then the insurance
company is the third party.
A lot of times the patientsthink that the insurance company
is their friend, and it's thetotal opposite.
They just want to make money.
If you look at what dentalinsurance company CEOs make $12
million, $15 million a year Imean it's crazy what these guys
are getting paid Like.
What are they actually doing?
Paki (14:12):
Man, I'm all the time.
Dr. Racanelli (14:14):
Like they want to just take in the premiums and
try not to pay out.
Yeah, that's their model.
That's amazing so we'refighting it every day to help
people and it's like aperception thing and it's also
compared to that's it.
The dental is different.
Paki (14:29):
So let me ask you this so like turnaround time, is it like
90 days, is it like 100 to 20days?
It can get rough, it can be youtry to minimize it.
Yeah, yeah, good stuff, okay.
Chris (14:43):
Is there any alternative business models that you're
seeing become more prevalentamongst other dentists that are
subscription-based models, othertype of opportunities?
Dr. Racanelli (14:48):
Yeah, I mean, I think we have a membership plan
for patients who don't havebenefits as an alternative.
Yes, and they can subscribe tous and we have a couple of
doctors.
Paki (14:57):
We're talking about that, yeah.
Dr. Racanelli (14:58):
That's been a great thing, a good like
alternative, um, and in general,just really educating patients
on what it costs to actually dowhat they need to do and be
healthy longterm For sure.
Paki (15:16):
Yeah to do and be healthy long term For sure.
Yeah, yeah.
What do you see?
What happened with technology?
Cause you always having thenewest stuff.
I know you always have seminarsand things like that.
I know it's gotta be expensivetoo to invest in a lot of this
technology, but what are youseeing and what do you?
What have you kind of specialat Stunning Smiles that maybe
another practice doesn't have?
Dr. Racanelli (15:27):
Yeah, technology and dentistry going hand in hand
at this point.
We a lot of interesting stuff.
Yeah, lasers to treatperiodontal disease.
Uh, in office machine it'scalled cad cam, basically a way
to make metal free crowns orbridges in the office.
One visit which used to be anoppression in a lab and a second
visit and getting numb againdoing all this stuff.
Now we can do it in one visitusing the technology, so I can
(15:48):
design and make stuff in theoffice, which has been an
awesome game changer lastprobably about last 10 years for
that, wow, um, ct scans likecone beam, which is basically a
3d x-ray to plan for implants, alook at sinuses, wisdom teeth,
stuff like that.
Um, digital x-rays we've alwayshad those, but that's that's,
you know, one of the firstthings that came out with
technology.
Sure, um, and now and then alsoscanning.
(16:11):
So a lot of the stuff that weused to take impressions for we
actually use 3d scans now.
Paki (16:16):
So there's no.
That's how you guys do.
Everybody hates the word goop,right?
So?
Dr. Racanelli (16:19):
we've eliminated that and it's going even more so
with ai too.
Yeah, being able to helpdiagnose and look at, look at
the x-rays with the help of ai,that's something that's coming
along, yeah yeah, like I couldsay that from like you'll be
sitting in the chair and they'retalking to the AI and it's
recording everything whileyou're in the chair.
Paki (16:36):
It's the coolest thing in the world.
You guys have got that and it'samazing.
Dr. Racanelli (16:40):
It's really the technology is.
It's not a substitute for, youknow, care and relationships and
rapport, but it really doeshelp us be more efficient and, I
think, deliver better product,better service for our patients.
Yeah, that's no joke, that'sinteresting.
Paki (16:51):
Just backing up a little bit, just more of a personal
question too.
Dental floss versus waterpicking right, I was going to
bring that one up.
Chris (16:57):
Okay, good, you're the same line, we're aligned.
Right now that's my brother, sowe're aligned.
That's hilarious.
Paki (17:03):
So I'd have a water pick.
Are you still supposed to flossafterwards, or what like?
No, I mean if you're overdoingit, basically is what I'm
getting at.
Dr. Racanelli (17:12):
No harm to overdoing it, but if you can
actually floss every night,you're good, like that's what I
do personally, okay I don't usea water.
Paki (17:18):
That's why I'm getting that.
I want to know what you'redoing.
Yeah, okay water pick.
Dr. Racanelli (17:20):
I recommend it all the time and I think it's
kind of like plan b.
If someone's like you know what, I'm not going to floss
consistently, I have troubledoing it, I don't love doing it.
Then I'm like get out the water, pick and flush, because you
can't get in between the teethwith the toothbrush.
That's the idea, right.
You need something to go inthere.
Get the plaque out so you don'tget cavities, so your gums
don't get inflamed.
Got it bottom line, got it.
So it's better than doingnothing.
(17:41):
It's way better than for sure,and if you have a lot of
dentistry like crowns or bridges, sometimes the water pick is a
really good thing to have in theregiment, for sure yeah,
awesome man.
Paki (17:50):
Yeah, good to know.
Um, with us being parents,right, all of us parents at the
table.
You know, internships were bigfor me right back in the day,
like we talked about it before,I went, did an internship at
tufts medical for a while and itwas a great experience just to
kind of learn the medical sideof everything and then and then
also realizing, okay, this maybe not for me, right?
Um, what do you think like thefuture of dentistry, you know,
(18:10):
for for kids, right?
Is it maybe going to internshiproute?
Maybe can they go work at aStunning Smiles or could they?
Or do they have to go to UNLVand maybe, you know, learn a
program before they get tocollege to spend the capital?
Dr. Racanelli (18:22):
Anybody who's interested in any field for me
for that matter, but dentistryspecifically.
The sooner you get someexposure, the better off you are
.
So if you could do aninternship, a volunteer, in an
office, I think it's a greatplan.
I actually didn't do anythinglike that, I just kind of rolled
the dice and went with it.
Luckily it worked out.
So I had no experience being inan office other than being a
patient until I got into dentalschool.
(18:43):
But I would really recommendsomeone in high school or early
college to ask their dentistlike hey, can I come shadow, can
I come observe?
I want to see what it's like inthe real world and know if it's
worth, you know, going downthis road because it's it's a
commitment.
Chris (18:58):
Yeah, cause that's, you know, schooling on top of it and
building like it takes a longtime for you to really hit your
rhythm.
So it'd be tough to be figuredout five years into it.
Paki (19:05):
Exactly what I saw.
I remember.
I remember when I was a, when Iwas a tough medical when I was
in high school.
I remember I will never forgetthis lady I want to say her last
name, but her first name wasAlicia and I remember her and
her husband.
Both were in medical school.
Basically, their last year owedlike 300 grand back then both
of them, so they're like$600,000.
Chris (19:27):
And they hated what they were doing before I'm getting
out.
Paki (19:29):
And I'm like there's no way I would want to do it.
Dr. Racanelli (19:31):
That's extremely brutal.
Yes, yeah, extremely brutal.
Yeah.
So earlier information, betteryou know.
Suss it out, make sure it's foryou Because you have to love it
to really, I think, to do welland make it a long career that
you're happy in.
Paki (19:43):
Yeah, sure, yeah, I'm always talking to 100%.
So you know, with us being acircle, right, I know you
mentioned a little bit about youknow when you first got to your
first practice in New York, butwho's been in your circle and
what advice have they given you?
You know over the years hasbeen beneficial.
Dr. Racanelli (20:00):
I mean that's a really good question.
I've recently expanded mycircle a lot in Las Vegas.
I got into a networking groupcalled BNI Business Network
International.
It's been awesome and I met alot of interesting people who
run different businesses, sothat's been a really good
expansion of people that I couldtalk to and learn about.
Prior to that, it was reallyjust people in dentistry that I
would network with and try tolearn from, and you know, some
(20:22):
emulate like what the people whoare really at the top of the
game were doing, so I couldbring it into my practice.
Good stuff.
Chris (20:27):
Yeah, and you see it like you know, this seems to me like
there's a dental office inevery corner, right?
There certainly is.
There's a ton of them.
So it seems like there's agreat network of dentists in the
Valley.
But you know, when it comes tolike a competition standpoint is
there.
Obviously I don't think morepeople should go to the dentist
if they're not.
But do you think there's enoughdentists for the population, or
the population is?
Dr. Racanelli (20:48):
That's a great question.
I don't have any stats.
It seems like it's like yousaid, it's very saturated, but
the truth is there's a lot oflevels.
There's definitely astratification of of what's
going on in dentistry and youcan go to like abc dental that's
like you know volume where yousee a different doctor every
time you wait for three hours.
Or you can come to my officewhere you're getting me with my
expertise and my training andyou know I'm doing a
(21:10):
reconstruction on someone that'slike buying a car.
So there's a massive gap inscale and it really is based on
what's, I guess, money, but alsowhat people want.
There's always going to be thecream rises to the top, so to
speak, and there's always alowest common denominator.
And you see that I think indentistry, quite vividly.
Chris (21:32):
Yeah, I think you're right.
I think I never thought aboutit in that way, but you could
definitely see it and is it likethere's like a significant
number of the population thatjust doesn't go to the dentist,
like 30, 40, 50.
You know I should have lookedat that I don't know.
Paki (21:42):
Yes, the answer is yes, geez it should be a lot lower,
like people should go yeah, yeah, for business advice right,
because you're you're a businessowner, right, running your
setup.
What's a nugget that you wouldshare for somebody?
Maybe they want to start theirown dentistry practice, or maybe
they have another vision,something that they want to
launch.
What would you share with themor what would be some advice for
(22:02):
them that's been a benefit foryou?
Dr. Racanelli (22:06):
Besides your field of specificity, whether
it's medicine or dentistry,learn as much as possible about
business, marketing, management,people skills, communication.
I mean dentistry is really apeople business, more than a
tooth business, and being ableto just like build rapport and
understand and ask questions andhave like really good
conversations has, I think,helped me do well in dentistry
(22:27):
more so that my hands are alsoreally good.
But it's really about can youtalk to someone, can you
interview them, can you find outwhat they want, what's
important to them in anybusiness, not just dentistry.
Paki (22:37):
Yeah, and I gotta I gotta tell you that, just from my own
experience, you've done anexcellent job with that.
I gotta tell you to your facethat you know that you've done
that to have the bedside mannersand be able to be professional
and be able to build thoserelationships.
You guys have done an excellentjob there.
Dr. Racanelli (22:49):
Thanks a lot, puck, you and your wife.
It means a lot, it really does.
Paki (22:51):
Good stuff Got to switch a little bit because I know we
see each other at restaurantsall the time.
Dr. Racanelli (22:55):
Oh yeah, absolutely One of my favorite
things.
Paki (22:58):
Yeah, gave me some recommendations, but we always
ask our guests you know what'syour favorite?
Dr. Racanelli (23:06):
or you and I love going out to eat.
It's one of my things that Ienjoy the most.
Yeah, yeah, um, uh, italian andsushi, kind of my, and some,
you know, thai also.
Yep, um, just discovered areally great sushi place called
Kase sushi and sake.
Okay, on, russell and Jones,okay, going there, it's awesome,
okay.
Um note that Farrell's is great.
(23:33):
They're friends of mine.
We love them.
Yeah, they're awesome.
Farrell's is very good.
Paki (23:35):
I go there a lot and Amari actually in Uncommons I like
that place a lot.
Oh yeah, amari's very good.
Yeah, tiny restaurant, tinyplace Exactly Good stuff.
Become like a neighborhoodplace in the Uncommons.
Yeah, go there.
Dr. Racanelli (23:47):
Which one Setebello for pizza.
Chris (23:49):
Oh Setebello.
Dr. Racanelli (23:49):
Yeah, okay, I'm there all the time.
Oh, we're aligned.
Yeah, we're definitely aligned.
Chris (23:53):
Okay, I'm always looking for good pizza, so definitely
check that out.
Yeah, definitely check that out.
And he knows we're from NewYork, man, yeah.
Paki (23:57):
That's a hot button for you guys, but we're lucky.
We have a lot of great yearsand moved from um, originally
from midwest, but I lived in theeast coast.
But I tell you like vegas isreally becoming this hub of you
know food, you know art, youknow I'll share some stuff
offline that we can talk about,but they're doing some amazing
(24:19):
things.
Dr. Racanelli (24:19):
Enhancements, I mean it's amazing how it's
changed the last oh yeah aboutthe last five, seven years, for
sure, just look at where myoffice is, I mean 100, the ben
uncommons ikea lifetime going up.
I mean just what's going on inthat immediate area of the
Southwest it's awesome.
Paki (24:32):
They've said that that loop is like probably the most
popular area in Vegas as far asreal estate yes, land and that
whole area.
Chris (24:39):
Oh yeah, everything that's been a big impact of
Vegas construction has reallytaken place in that area,
exactly yeah.
Paki (24:45):
So awesome man no-transcript you guys had me on
.
Yeah, I appreciate having youon.
What's uh the social handlespeople can reach out to you guys
so my instagram is uh, at drrack vegas.
Dr. Racanelli (25:07):
okay and awesome.
The office is, uh, lv, stunningsmilesmilescom Right.
Paki (25:10):
Appreciate it.
This guy's great.
I'm just going to tell you thatstraight up, man.
Great, great practice.
They do it right.
So I wanted to have you come onand appreciate hanging out with
us and check us out atthevegancirclecom.
So appreciate your time, man.
Dr. Racanelli (25:22):
Thank you so much I appreciate it.
Paki (25:23):
Good to see you, thank you , you Bye.
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