The Dental Handoff

What separates a thriving dental practice from one that's simply staying busy?
According to Kelly Fox-Galvagni, CEO of Smile Potential, the answer often isn't clinical skill, it’s leadership, accountability, and the willingness to address difficult conversations before they become expensive problems.
With more than 30 years in dentistry, Kelly has helped practice owners improve profitability, strengthen team performance, and create operational systems that support sustainable growth. In this episode of The Dental Handoff, she introduces the concept of the "Avoidance Tax", the hidden cost practices pay when they delay important decisions, tolerate inconsistency, or avoid conversations that directly impact patient care and business performance.
Through practical examples, including a practice that uncovered more than 1,800 patients who hadn't been contacted since 2019, Kelly explains how overlooked systems can quietly reduce patient retention, team engagement, and long-term profitability.
Whether you're a practice owner, office manager, dentist, or team leader, this conversation offers practical leadership insights you can implement immediately to build a stronger, healthier dental practice.
In this episode, you'll learn:
      What the "Avoidance Tax" really means for dental practices
      Why busy practices often struggle to achieve sustainable growth
      How neglected patient recall systems affect profitability
      The leadership habits that create high-performing dental teams
      Practical strategies to improve accountability and operational consistency
      How small leadership decisions influence the patient experience
Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  New episodes every week.Connect with Kelly Fox-Galvagni
Website: www.smilepotential.comInstagram: @smile_potential
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com

Dr. Joy Void-Holmes, DHSc, RDH, got her start in dentistry at 16, answering phones at her dentist's office through the Marion Barry DC summer youth employment program. She watched how the practice ran, learned the front desk, and eventually went to Howard University for dental hygiene after a conversation with a security guard and a dentist who told her to try hygiene first.
 
She is now the creator of the P3 Hygiene Growth System, Protocols, Performance, and Profitability, a consulting and training platform she built after nearly walking away from the profession. P3 has trained more than 2,000 hygienists since 2022 and expanded into in-office consulting for large group practices and DSOs. The P3 Certified designation launches August 1, 2026.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with her longtime colleague and friend to talk about what hygienists are really asking for right now, why practice owners speak numbers and most hygienists do not, and how learning to speak the same language changes everything about how your career gets treated.
 
This episode is for dental hygienists, practice owners, and dental educators who want to understand the business side of dental hygiene and why the hygienists who learn it are the ones who stop feeling invisible.Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  New episodes every week.
Connect with Dr. Joy Void-Holmes, DHSc, RDH:
Website:  drjoyrdh.com
Email:  info@DrJoyRDH.com
LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/dr-joy-void-holmes-5092222/
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com

Joshua Austin, DDS, MAGD, is a national lecturer, Editorial Director at Dental Economics, and a full-time restorative dentist in San Antonio, Texas. He is also the son of a dentist who passed away in 1990 when Josh was 10, and who he thinks about every single day he walks into his operatory.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Josh to talk about how restorative dentistry has changed in the past 50 years, what his father's 35mm slide cases reveal about how far materials have come, and the practical four-product system he uses today to handle every restoration in his practice with one universal bonding agent, one cement, and two composites.
 
They also cover the iTero simulation workflow that transformed his case acceptance, the Cindy story that shows what a long-term lab relationship actually produces, and a fluoride varnish incident that is the funniest thing to happen in a dental operatory in recent memory.
 
This episode is for dentists, hygienists, and dental team members who want to simplify their restorative systems, understand which materials to use when, and be reminded of why they got into this profession in the first place.Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  New episodes every week.
Connect with Joshua Austin, DDS, MAGD:Email: jaustindds@me.comInstagram: instagram.com/JoshuaAustinDDSPractice: joshuaaustindds.comSeminars and Speaking: austindentalseminars.com  |  (210) 408-7999
 
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

Dr. Syeda Andaleeb Zaidi is a prosthodontist who built a dental marketing agency from a single Facebook post in 2017 and then added an AI layer to it after getting an automated reminder call mid-procedure while her hand was in a patient's mouth.
 
She is the founder of Techie Dentist, a dental marketing agency based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and HASI, an AI-powered patient engagement system that handles booking, recall, voice response, and lead follow-up across multiple channels.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Dr. Andaleeb Zaidi to cover speed to lead (the 32-second booking window most practices never hear about), why ChatGPT and Gemini are now reading your Google reviews before recommending you to patients, why LinkedIn is the most underutilized platform in dentistry, and why the email list is the only marketing asset a dental practice truly owns.
 
This episode is for dentists, practice owners, dental hygienists, and dental educators who want to understand what dental marketing and AI actually look like in practice, not in theory.Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  New episodes every week.
Connect with Dr. Syeda Andaleeb Zaidi:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drandaleeb/Techie Dentist: techiedentist.comEmail:andaleeb.zaidi296@gmail.com 
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

Tammy Reavis, RDH, MPH, has spent her career stuck in what she calls a piston feeling. Chairside in periodontics, she can get gum disease under control, but she cannot touch the diabetes, the high blood pressure, or the chronic inflammation sitting underneath it. So, she went and built the second half of her career around fixing exactly that.
 
Tammy completed a year-long program through the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy and a concurrent year with the Functional Nutrition Alliance, on top of an MPH from Liberty University. She now runs Grace & Grit Functional Health LLC, a fully telehealth coaching practice, alongside her continuing work chairside.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Tammy to talk through the personal crisis that pushed her into this work, including the two weeks she spent reversing her husband's liver damage with juicing and micronutrients, and what she has learned since about gut health, root cause thinking, and the questions every dental provider can start asking today.
 
This episode is for dental hygienists, dentists, and practice owners who want to understand the gut and oral health connection and who are curious what it looks like to build a second career around root cause care.
Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  New episodes every week.
Connect with Tammy Reavis, MPH, RDH, BCFWC:
Website: www.graceandgritfunctionalhealth.com
Email: hello@graceandgritfunctionalhealth.com
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com

Most hygienist career transitions start with burnout and end with uncertainty. Tiffany Bairos, RDH, MPH, took a different path. After 18 years in clinical hygiene, a combination of physical wear, a research certificate, a temp job, a full-time leap, and a master's in public health brought her to a faculty role she had not planned and could not have mapped.
 
She now teaches caries risk assessment to dental students at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston. She is the only person in her department without a doctorate. And she is building a course and coaching program for dental practice owners who want to stop losing the hygienists they spent time and energy hiring.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Tiffany to talk through every stage of that journey, from the front desk job at 18 that started it all to the telehealth caries education model her students now complete as a formal competency.
 
This episode is for dental hygienists considering a move outside clinical practice, dental school educators, and practice owners who want to understand what their hygiene team actually needs to stay.
 
Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. New episodes every week.
Connect with Tiffany Bairos, RDH, MPH:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-bairos/
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

Global dental hygiene is a growing profession recognized in over 30 countries. Germany is not one of them. Anyone can use the title. Anyone can claim it. And a six-hour course can technically qualify an assistant to scale subgingivally.
 
Carmen Lanoway, RDH, BScDH, has practiced inside that system for most of her 38-year career. She is currently Secretary of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists, IFDH, serving the 2024 to 2026 board. She works at the Huerzeler/Zuhr Clinic in Munich, one of Europe's most respected periodontal and implant centers. She has co-published in Quintessence International, lectured across Germany and the UK, and is the person that referring practices call when every other option has failed.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Carmen to talk about what 38 years of practicing in an unregulated system actually teaches you about clinical standards, professional advocacy, self-awareness, and the kind of earned respect that no credential can manufacture.
 
This episode is for dental hygienists, dentists, and practice owners who want to understand what global dental hygiene actually looks like and what building a career on clinical excellence without a system to back you up requires as a human being.
 
Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. New episodes every week.
Connect with Carmen Lanoway, RDH, BScDH:
Instagram: @carmrdhLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-lanoway-8721272b/
https://www.bulbapp.com/CarmenLanowayRDH/portfolio Clinic: Huerzeler/Zuhr Clinic, Munich, Germany
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

Barbara Tritz returns to The Dental Handoff to discuss the powerful connection between hormones and oral health. Women with excellent oral hygiene are developing sensitivity, dry mouth, bleeding gums, tooth decay, and bone loss. Barbara explains why the answer is often not brushing harder but understanding what is happening biologically inside the body.Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcast and Spotify. New episodes every week.Connect with Barbara Tritz: Website: https://queenofdentalhygiene.net LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-tritz-2021 Email: contact@queenofdentalhygiene.net / barbaratritz@gmail.com
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com

There is a version of dental hygiene most hygienists never encounter. No production targets. No same-day schedule pressure. Care measured by how many lives you reach, not how many patients fit in the hour.
 
Jessica L. Woods, MPH, RDH has been living that version for over a decade. A clinician who spent years in public health and alternative practice settings, she was the first hygienist employed by a county health department in the state, and ran one of the largest zero-to-five oral health prevention programs in the country before moving into national speaking and consulting work.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Jessica to talk about what the RDHAP path actually looks like, why salivary diagnostics are shifting the hygiene role toward a true medical model, and what the oral health connection to fertility means for patients and providers who have never heard it discussed. Jessica also opens up about losing her father to suicide and why mental wellness has become part of her speaking platform.
 
This episode is for dental hygienists, dentists, public health professionals, and practice owners who want to understand the full range of what hygiene can be and do.
Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcast and Spotify. New episodes every week.
Connect with Jessica L. Woods, MPH, RDH:
Website: executiverdh.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/executiverdh 
 
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com

In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Dr. Derik J. Sven, DHSc, RDH, CDT. He is a doctoral researcher, 2025 to 2026 VDHA President, ADHA Fellow, and one of the most clear-eyed voices on hygiene workforce policy in the profession today.
 
Dr. Sven's perspective is genuinely rare. He grew up in a dental laboratory, pursued a seminary education, was rejected from one hygiene program and accepted by another, and spent ten years earning advanced degrees while practicing clinically. His doctoral dissertation at The George Washington University mapped scope of practice across all 50 states against four decades of political and regional cultural data. The findings challenge what most hygienists assume about why their scope looks the way it does.
 
The conversation covers the real mechanisms of hygiene burnout, why the dental association's Missouri pilot project doesn't meet basic research standards, how supragingival scaling without full debridement creates oral dysbiosis, and why Dr. Sven believes the most strategic career move for a hygienist who wants to shape policy may not be another master's degree. It may be law school.
 
For RDHs questioning what their license actually allows, dentists who want to understand workforce dynamics, practice owners navigating team culture, and anyone in dentistry who wonders why the same degree produces dramatically different careers depending on where you live.
You'll Learn:
Why regional culture predicts scope of practice more reliably than political party affiliation
What the dental association's Missouri pilot project actually measured. A customer satisfaction survey is not a health outcome study.
How supragingival scaling without full debridement creates oral dysbiosis and patient harm, regardless of who performs it
The way private equity and DSO production tallies are quietly bending clinical decisions toward unnecessary restorative intervention
Why hygienist law school may be the most strategic career move for RDHs who want to shape policy and what the prerequisites actually are
What 1 percent of 220,000 hygienists choosing a JD would mean for antitrust arguments in state legislatures
What practicing with full autonomy in Colorado feels like compared to a supervision-heavy Southern state
Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean. New episodes every week.
Connect with Dr. Derik J. Sven, DHSc, RDH, CDT:
Website: drderikrdh.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/derikjsven
Instagram: instagram.com/drderikrdh
YouTube: youtube.com/@drderikrdh
Facebook: facebook.com/drderikrdh
TikTok: tiktok.com/@dr..derik.rdh
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Mary Govoni, CDA, RDA, RDH OSHA Outreach Trainer, Speaker, Author, a compliance consultant who has spent decades helping dental practices close the gap between what they think they are doing and what their documentation actually shows.
 
Mary walks through what she finds in practice after practice: the workaround mindset that creates liability, the mask habits that never fully corrected after COVID, and the quiet moment when a team member leaves and takes the OSHA binder with them. She also shares one of dentistry’s most urgent public health alerts right now, the return of measles and a phenomenon called immune amnesia that can erase years of accumulated immunity.
 
This episode is for dental hygienists, dentists, dental assistants, and practice owners who want to move from compliance anxiety to a system that actually holds up when it needs to.
You’ll learn:
Why most dental offices are not as compliant as they think, and exactly where the gaps usually hide
The mask-in-the-pocket habit that is still happening in clinical settings and why it matters more than people realize
What immune amnesia is, why measles is back, and how dental teams need to respond right now
The difference between OSHA law and CDC guidance, and why guidance does not mean optional
Why documentation is the first thing OSHA inspectors look for, and what happens when it walks out the door with a departing team member
The new OSHA Hazard Communication Standard changes taking effect in November 2025 and what practices need to update through 2028
The Association for Dental Safety at myADS.org, one of the best resources in dentistry that almost nobody knows about
FX EFFEX at dental.effex.cloud, the centralized compliance platform Mary recommends for practices ready to ditch the binders
Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean. New episodes every week.CONNECT WITH Mary Govoni, CDA, RDA, RDH OSHA Outreach Trainer, Speaker, Author:
Website: https://www.marygovoni.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-govoni-and-associates/
Services: OSHA Compliance and CDS Infection Prevention and Control, HIPAA Compliance and Cybersecurity, Ergonomics and Efficiency, Human Resources Manual Development (powered by Bent Ericksen and Associates)
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

Every clinical role in a dental practice comes with a license, a certification, or an advanced degree. The office manager who coordinates everything those clinicians do? She learns it on the job, alone, and owns the outcome regardless.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Savanah Carlson, MAADOM, Director of U.S. Partners and Learning Programs at MaxAssist, former Director of Member Services at AADOM, and a dental practice management professional who has held every admin role dentistry has. She grew from Patient and Social Media Coordinator to Office Manager at Lund Dental Associates in Stoneham, Massachusetts, earned her Fellowship, Mastership, and Diplomate credentials from AADOM, led member services for the 10,000-plus member national association, and now brings that depth of experience to helping dental teams perform at their best through MaxAssist's AI-powered scheduling and admin tools.
 
The conversation covers what it takes to build a culture that is genuinely healthy rather than performed, how to anchor a team when everything is pulling it apart, and why the patient experience in any practice is owned entirely by the people at the front, not the people at the chair.
 
This episode is for dental office managers, hygienists, dentists, and practice owners who want to close the gap between the care they deliver clinically and the experience patients carry home.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
Why the patient experience begins and ends with the admin team and what that means for how practices should be led
The difference between toxic positivity and a genuinely healthy culture and why most practices cannot tell them apart
What happens when leadership cannot clearly answer why we are seeing these patients
Why communication is an applied science that no dental education pathway actually teaches
How the DISC assessment changes not just how you lead your team but how you talk to patients
The two-question end-of-day habit that costs nothing and builds more trust than most management strategies
What good AI adoption looks like for an admin team and what it looks like when a practice is using it for the wrong reasons
What it means to go after connection first and let everything else build from there
Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean. New episodes every week.Connect with Savanah Carlson, MAADOM:
MaxAssist: https://maxassist.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/savanahmcarlson
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

Lisa Copeland holds the CSP, the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association, one of the most respected credentials in professional speaking. Fewer than 17% of speakers in the world have earned it. She is one of only three registered dental hygienists to ever receive it.
That credential came after thirty years of saying yes. Perio in Scranton. Implantology in Washington, DC. Six years in Singapore. Twenty years in corporate education. Two IRONMAN races. Open water swimming. Snowboarding. A book. And a PACE-approved company she built from scratch to coach dental professionals, consultants, and emerging speakers on how to communicate with influence.
 
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with her longtime colleague and friend to unpack the speaking framework Lisa has refined over decades: why your conclusion matters more than your introduction, how the 10-20-30 rule forces clarity no other constraint can, and why ending a talk on Q&A quietly kills every room.
 
This one is for hygienists, dentists, practice owners, and anyone in the dental profession who wants to communicate with more intention, whether that is in the operatory, in a team meeting, or on a stage in front of hundreds.
You’ll Learn:
Why fewer than 17% of speakers earn the CSP and why one of only 3 RDHs to hold it says structure matters more than stage presence
How to write a presentation by starting with your conclusion and building everything backwards
Why your conclusion is the most important part of any talk and why most people write it last
The 10-20-30 rule: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point font and why 30-point font is the one constraint that forces clarity
Why you should never end your presentation on Q&A and exactly how to control the room so you finish on your terms
How saying yes to things she was not qualified for yet became the only strategy she ever needed
 What flap surgery in a Scranton perio office taught her about preparation and what she still misses on the distal of tooth 14
CONNECT WITH Lisa Copeland, RDH, CSP, CVP:
Website: communicatewithinfluence.org
Email: lisa@communicatewithinfluence.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisagcopeland
Book a Free Discovery Call: bookme.name/LisaCopelandRDH
Workshop: Vivos Institute, June 26 and 27  |  Code LISA200 saves $200  |  AGD PACE CE credit eligible 
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Chris Snyder, founder of 360 Media + Marketing. Since 2016, Chris has built a reputation for helping dental professionals stand out through personal branding, public relations, and advertising with a focus on authentic storytelling and strategic visibility.
 Chris breaks down why most dental marketing misses the mark, why email still converts better than social media, and what the three-legged table of visibility, voice, and networking actually looks like inside a dental practice.
 
This episode is for dentists, dental hygienists, practice owners, and CE-focused clinicians who want to move from transactional to relational marketing and build a brand patients actually remember.
You’ll Learn:
Why visibility is the first leg of a three-legged marketing strategy and why ads alone will not get you there
How to earn the right to make the ask before you ever pitch a sale
Why email still outconverts social media and what to do with that information
The role your website plays in SEO and how to trigger a Google crawl today
What alt text actually does and why automated alt text may be hurting your trust
Why long-form content like podcasts, blogs, and speaking creates trust faster than any ad
How Chris applied the Walgreens neighborhood strategy to dental practice marketing
The three things every practice should build before spending on ads
CONNECT WITH Chris Snyder:https://360mediaandmarketing.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-snyder-360mediamarketing/
 
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Dr. John Heimke, DMD, MPH, President of Facial Designers, Inc., aesthetic dentist, full-arch implant provider, and faculty at the FMR in New York. They cover what it actually takes to build a fulfilling, high-performing dental practice.
 
Dr. Heimke unpacks the Blue Ocean Strategy that reshaped his practice over 15 years ago, explains why 1.8 million Americans are ready for full-arch implants but cannot find a provider, and details how switching to Guided Biofilm Therapy transformed his hygiene department with patients voluntarily asking to come in 3 to 4 times a year.
 
This episode is for dentists, dental hygienists, practice owners, and CE-focused clinicians who want to move beyond single-tooth dentistry and build something that lasts.
You’ll learn:
  Why 1.8 million patients are ready for full-arch implants right now but cannot find a provider
  The Blue Ocean Strategy concept that transformed Dr. Heimke's practice 15 years ago
  How AI smile design with Smile Cloud and a 75-inch screen changes case acceptance
  Why a full-mouth restoration costs less than the average American car and how to say that to patients
  The real flossing compliance data: only 3 feet of floss sold per person per year in the US
  How Guided Biofilm Therapy moved patients from twice a year to 3 to 4 visits voluntarily
  Why patients do not care what material you use; they want to know if you can solve their problem
  The router upgrade under $200 that makes every technology in your office run faster today
Connect with John Heimke, DMD, MPH:https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-heimke-1bbb0810/https://www.everyonelovesmysmile.com/
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
 

What if the biggest thing holding you back in dentistry is trying to be perfect?In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Dr. JoAnn Gurenlian to unpack a challenge many dental professionals face but rarely discuss: perfectionism.
From early training to clinical practice, dentistry often reinforces the pressure to get everything right. But that constant pursuit of perfection can quietly lead to burnout, self- doubt, and stalled growth. This conversation explores how fear of mistakes shapes learning, confidence, and long-term success in dental hygiene and beyond.
Dr. Gurenlian shares a different perspective, one grounded in education, leadership, and real clinical experience. Instead of avoiding failure, she explains why it is essential for developing skills, resilience, and better patient care.
With decades of experience in dental hygiene education, research, and advocacy, Dr. Gurenlian offers practical insight into how shifting your mindset can change the way you practice and lead.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by expectations in dentistry, this episode will help you rethink what progress actually looks like.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why perfectionism is so common in dentistry
How fear of failure impacts clinical performance
Why mistakes are essential for growth and learning
How to build confidence in practice
Ways to shift from perfection to progress
 
Connect with JoAnn Gurenlian, RDH, MS, PhD, AFAAOM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joann-gurenlian-rdh-ms-phd-afaaom-8ab135165/
Where to Find Dr. Kelly:
Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance.
https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min
Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com