159: Executive Sessions: AI & The Dental Practice

What does AI actually mean for your dental practice right now? In this executive session, host Wes sits down with Michael Anderson from Wonderist Agency, one of the nation's largest dental marketing firms, and Dr. Megan Shelton of Shelton Solutions to cut through the hype and talk about what's really changing.

They cover the dramatic shift in patient search behavior (ChatGPT now accounts for 20% of all searches and is growing), why the fundamentals of digital marketing still drive AI search results, how AI-informed patients are showing up differently at the front desk, and why the human connection at the center of your practice is more valuable than ever.

Wes also shares a powerful framework from Lawrence Ford's book The Difference Between Knowledge, Intelligence, and Wisdom and explains exactly how Practice CFO is approaching AI adoption, client investment strategy, and the future of financial advisory.

• Why 20% of patients are now searching for a dentist via ChatGPT — and what that means for your marketing
• The "unsatisfying but true" answer to ranking in AI search: go back to the basics
• Why AI-generated content is not penalized — but lazy AI content is a dead end
• How the AI-prepped patient is changing chair-side conversations and silently eroding trust
• The knowledge → intelligence → wisdom framework and why wisdom is AI-proof
• Why documenting your SOPs is the mandatory first step before any AI automation
• What Practice CFO is doing with client investment strategy in an AI-dominated market