In this episode, Howard Farran reconnects with longtime friend Dr. Ben Wachter, a Mesa, Arizona native and 2017 graduate of A.T. Still University whose career has been shaped by service, perseverance, and a passion for caring for the underserved. Ben opens up about the mentor who changed his life — the late Dr. Tim Lukowski — who inspired him to leave a path toward medical school, took him on his first mission trips to Mexico, and believed in him through three rounds of dental school applications.

The conversation moves through Ben's remarkable commitment to charitable care, including 10 dental mission trips to Mexico, his work with Arizona Sunshine and the Arizona Mission of Mercy, and his role in helping create clinics that serve those who need it most. He also reflects on training under implant and sedation experts like Dr. Richard Feldhake and Tom Mattern, launching the first special care clinic with Pacific Dental Services in Scottsdale, and building his skills across oral conscious sedation, IV sedation, and general anesthesia for patients with special needs.

Howard and Ben also get candid about the realities facing new graduates — how to read a DSO contract, why the "owner doc" model can be misleading, the importance of looking closely at the numbers before taking a job, and the staffing and hygienist shortages that make rural practice both rewarding and challenging. The episode closes with Ben sharing the story behind his invention, the Nova Flow Adapter — an affordable, autoclavable, Arizona-made alternative to pricey isolation systems — and a shared reflection on why missionary dentistry has a way of resetting a burned-out clinician's soul.

Episode #1710 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard sits down with friend and fellow Arizonan, Dr. Ben Wachter — a Mesa, Arizona native and general dentist whose career has been built on service, grit, and a deep commitment to underserved patients.

From applying to dental school three times, to 10 mission trips to Mexico, to launching a special care clinic and inventing his own affordable dental tool — Ben's story is a reminder of why so many of us got into this profession in the first place.

🎧 An honest, heartfelt conversation about mentorship, mission work, and finding your place in dentistry.

#DentistryUncensored #MissionaryDentistry #DentalCareer #SpecialCareDentistry #GivingBack #DentalCommunity