The Dental Head Start Podcast

How many of us have our patients fill out a medical questionnaire whilst sitting in the waiting room? And is this sufficient enough to gather a full medical history? In this episode, we are joined by Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen, an oral medicine specialist, who breaks down the red flags in medical history for general dentists. We talk about things we might miss out on if we’re not being thorough enough and asking our patients specific probing questions. We talk about the significance of certain...

The application of lasers in dentistry is so versatile that it can be confusing to get your head around how it works and when to use it. But for those that do, they often remark on how much they love using it in daily practice. In this episode, long-time laser dentist Dr Kurt Dean breaks it down for us. What dental lasers are, what they’re used for, the types of lalers on the market and the pro’s and cons of the technology. The post TIP #85 – Lasers in Dentistry with Dr Kurt Dean appeared...

When we prep a tooth for a crown, we send a lab script away and magically, we get a new tooth back. This step may be overlooked by many, and it’s so important that we meet patients' expectations and obtain the best results for them. This week, Dr James chats with us about how to communicate with the lab and how this fits in with digital scanning and general workflow. Learn what tips and tricks help get the best results and how these useful tips can help you in your daily practice, too. The...

As dentists, we are uniquely positioned to assess and diagnose patients with disorders around the airway, sleep and how it relates to orofacial facial pain. The impact of these conditions on a patient’s life can be chronic and debilitating (severe fatigue, pain) and can impact their general and mental health in a plethora of ways - mood, reflux, parafunction, concentration, blood pressure etc. Frequently it’s the case that the underlying issue for many of these patients - airway and sleep...

Dentistry is rapidly evolving and there are so many concepts which we just take for granted nowadays. It’s hard to imagine a time where composite resin wasn’t the normal, digital dentistry didn’t exist and social media wasn’t as prevalent as it is now. But Dr Derry Rogers has been able witness all of these changes first hand. Having graduated in 1977 and practiced for over 40 odd years, Dr Rogers was there when the adhesive revolution occurred and was one of the founding fathers that helped...

They say the learning never stops, which is where CPD (aka Continued Professional Development) allows us to expand our skillset and learn new perspectives and techniques in treatment. This week I sat down with Dr. James Tran who told me all about his experiences taking CPD, what his experiences have been, and how to go about choosing the right course for yourself. The post TIP #82 – Discovering Your CPD Journey with Dr James Tran appeared first on Dental Head Start.

Being an operative dentist is the obvious career path after dental school, but it’s far from being the only option. In this podcast, Dr Rohan Krishnan explains why dentists are uniquely qualified to work in non-operative roles such as governance, education, non-profit organisations and other professional and regulatory bodies. He challenges us to explore how we can apply ourselves in an alternative capacity; perhaps as an advisor, board member, educator, committee organiser or executive,...

When was the last time you sat back and asked yourself, "What are my dreams, and what kind of person do I want to become? I think as students and new grads, it's so easy to be lost when all our lives, we've always had some sort of curriculum to follow. However, the day we graduate, it's the first time we have to really decide for ourselves what happens next. In this episode, we dive into the importance of dreaming big, how this influences our happiness and career fulfilment, and how to go...

When I see dentists producing amazing work in various specialties, the first thing I want to know is how they were able to build their skills to that point. Knowing the skills Dr. Maria Avis holds, I had the opportunity to unravel her dental journey. In this episode, Maria walks us through her experiences in dental school, and more importantly, how her graduate job positions set her up to become the comprehensive dentist she is now. Maria is a business owner of her private clinic, Akoya...

In an industry where we are almost geared to constantly pursue excellence and success, where we are often isolated in our practice and where the is an expectation to maintain our cool in front of patients, perhaps it’s no surprise that it forms the perfect breeding ground for burnout. But what exactly is burnout, and what can we do to prevent it? In this episode, we’re joined the Dr Kaejenn Tchia who is The Limitless Dentist. Dr Kaejenn runs his own Facebook and Instagram page where he...

Autograft, allograft, xenograft - it all sounds like a foreign language to me, but to Dr Andrew Cheng, it's pretty much his second language. In this episode, we wind it all back to basics with a crash course ‘Grafts for Dummies’ where we talk what a graft is, the fundamental principles and how Dr Andrew uses hard and soft tissue grafts in his day to day practice. The post TIP #78 – Grafts 101: A Crash Course with Dr Andrew Cheng appeared first on Dental Head Start.

Nothing is more frustrating than knowing you’re missing something and not being able to find it, and in the world of Endodontics, it is no different when it comes to hunting down that elusive missing canal. In this episode, Dr Mehdi Rahimi shares his tips, tricks and tools to locating these canals from rubber dam placement to the specific burs he uses and CBCT assessments. The post TIP #77 – Finding that Missing Canal with Dr Mehdi Rahimi appeared first on Dental Head Start.

Ever heard of verti-preps? There was no mention of it in my dental school. But Dr Bez Shokouhi wishes he’d learned about it earlier in his career because it’s a game changer for the way he approaches some heavily damaged teeth. Basically, it’s a type of crown preparation that has NO horizontal margin, meaning you can preserve a lot more tooth structure. This is possible thanks to properties of materials like zirconia that can perform well with a knife edge margin. Verti-preps allow for the...

TIP #74 - Implants: The Common Pitfalls when Getting Started with Dr Andrew Cheng Hosted by Erica Hwin We often get told to not be too hasty when starting up with implants, but what are the common mistakes that new grads encounter, and what should we check off our experience list before getting involved? In this episode, Dr Andrew Cheng reflects on his early experiences and shares his advice for those wanting to get their feet wet. We have a great discussion about the myriad of factors...

Implant dentistry is becoming more popular by the day, how does one choose what course they want to take when learning implantology? Misagh Habibi is one of those clinicians who is taking implantology education to a new level in Australia. This podcast we sit down with Misagh and hear his journey, and how it led him to becoming such a well decorated dentist with so much knowledge. He takes a keen interest in teaching all aspects of implant surgery at all levels through various outlets of...

Every dentist thinks they KNOW how to bond to tooth structure, yet it’s one of the most misunderstood and inconsistently performed procedures among practitioners. In this episode, Dr Bez Shokouhi breaks down the perfect bonding protocol into the details of the multitude of factors that can profoundly affect its success. As a serial CPD attendee and graduate of several university programs involving restorative and implant dentistry, the depth of his knowledge on this subject is...

Fractured instruments, perforations, hypochlorite accidents - you name it, it seems as though there are so many things that can 'go wrong' when we're working on microscopic canals. It's a daunting situation to be in, but it's an inevitable part of practicing endodontics that happens to even the very best of dentists. In this episode, Dr Mehdi Rahimi talks us through a mindset shift on how we should view these misadventures. In particular, we focus on fractured files and his top tips on the...

If there’s anyone who’s really mastered the act of up-skilling rapidly in their early years, then surely it must be Dr Andrew Cheng. From implants, grafts and All-on-X to orthodontics and high level cosmetic dentistry, it seems like he’s done it all for someone who still humbly considers himself a new-grad. This was a really thoughtful conversation where we talk about developing the right attitude and mindset towards our continuous learning and growth. We talk about how to go about...

Nobody likes to be in pain, and as dentists, we have patients walking through the door in pain everyday. And it’s our job to help them out. However, every so often, we encounter the Angry Hot Pulp, which just won’t settle no matter what we do to try anaesthetise it. We are so fortunate to be have Dr Mehdi Rahimi – a specialist Endodontist, Adjunct Associate Professor and president of the Australian Society of Endodontology (NSW Branch) – join us over a three part series, to talk through all...

Taking on the challenge of starting a podcast and delving into a world that you know nothing about is daunting. Putting yourself out there in a close knit community is a brave thing to do, and David has done it flawlessly. David holds an engineering degree, been a dental assistant for a millennia, played semi-pro poker and can now add a successful career as a podcast founder to the mix. There’s not much David can’t do. Erica and Graeme sit down with David as they explore David’s life, talk...