We randomly saw Brett Kessler like our Facebook page… so naturally Eric slid into his DMs.

Turns out he wasn’t just some dentist from Colorado.

He was the former President of the ADA.

In this episode we talk about:

• What it’s actually like running for ADA president (yes, it’s basically a political campaign)

We also get into Olympic athletes, burnout, startup struggles, and what it really means to lead when everyone has an opinion.

Brett’s story goes from addiction recovery… to the White House… to shaping national policy around fluoride and oral health.

Big thanks to our sponsors who help keep this thing going:

Darkhorse Tech

👉 https://www.darkhorsetech.com

And

nadapayments

👉 https://www.nadapayments.com

If you want to support the podcast, check them out.

Jay Glazer from Crazy Dental Prices joins Eric and Alex to pull back the curtain on how dental supplies are priced, why “house brands” can be surprisingly legit, and what “export packaging” and gray market actually mean.

We get into why the same product can be wildly different prices depending on where you buy it, how private label products are made, and why dentists get trained to trust certain brands before they ever graduate. 

In this episode:

Why supply pricing feels random, and why it’s not

How house brand and private label products really get made

The truth about “export packaging” and gray market supplies

Why the “big distributor = safest” assumption isn’t always true

When generics make sense

Why dentists are picky, and why that’s not always a bad thing

The real reason reps and manufacturers hate gray market

Simple ways to test cheaper options without blowing up your workflow

Darkhorse Tech

If your office IT situation is basically “call someone when it explodes,” you should at least talk to them. Listeners get their first month of service free. www.darkhorsetech.com

nadapayments

We’ve saved real money using them, and it’s one of those expenses that adds up way more than people realize. If you haven’t looked at your processing fees in a while, this is probably worth five minutes of your time. www.nadapayments.com

Everyone talks about the multiple.

In this episode with Deren Flesher, we break down what life actually looks like after you sell to a DSO:

• Minority ownership and what that really means

If you’re thinking about selling at some point, make sure to listen!

Darkhorse Tech

Darkhorse monitors your practice 24/7 — not just 9–5.

Mention Just a Couple of Dentists and get your first month free.

👉 darkhorsetech.com

NADA Payments

Listeners get an exclusive deal:

If you’re still paying traditional merchant rates, you’re just lighting money on fire.

👉 nadapayments.com

There are certain posts that blow up in dental Facebook groups.

In this episode, we talk about the stuff most dentists won’t comment publicly but definitely talk about offline.

We bounce around a few topics, including:

The hygiene pay debate and why it feels broken

Non-competes and why people freak out about them

Why so many dentists keep looking for a way “out”

Why celebrating staff birthdays doesn't REALLY improve culture

Darkhorse Tech

https://darkhorsetech.com

Nadapayments

Listener offer:

https://nadapayments.com

Merchant fees are one of the most ignored line items in a dental practice. In this episode, Eric and Alex bring on Roman and Steven from nadapayments to break down how credit card surcharging actually works, what’s legal, what’s sketchy, and how practices can eliminate most processing fees without upsetting patients or risking compliance issues. They walk through real numbers, common fears dentists have, and the exact front-desk scripting that makes this a non-issue in real life. No matter if you're doing $500k a year or $5 million, this is one of the simplest changes you can make to improve cash flow in your practice.

Sponsor shoutout

Also sponsored by Darkhorse Tech — the dental IT team that helps protect practices from hacks, downtime, and security headaches.

Dentists get pitched a lot of “can’t-miss” investment opportunities.

Real estate. Private funds. Side deals. “Exclusive” opportunities that somehow always land in your inbox.

In this episode, we sit down with Jason Covert, an attorney who previously prosecuted fraud cases, to break down how bad deals actually work and what to look for before you wire money.

We talk through:

Why dentists are prime targets for alternative investments

The biggest red flags hidden inside private placement memorandums (PPMs)

Why the use of funds section really matters

How salespeople (not owners) often pitch investments

What questions you should always ask a sponsor

When it makes sense to hire a lawyer and when it probably doesn’t

How influencers and promoters end up getting sued

The difference between being named in a lawsuit and actually being liable

Darkhorse Tech

They help practices with:

IT support

Network setup

Security (without scare tactics)

Making sure your systems actually work the way they’re supposed to

And they explain things in plain English, not IT jargon.

👉 First month of service is free

NADA Payments

The practice pays:

$25/month

1.5% + $0.25 per debit transaction

No other fees

That’s it.

If your merchant statement looks like it was designed to confuse you, this is worth a look.

🔗 https://nadapayments.com

In this episode of Just a Couple of Dentists, we sit down with Dr. Chris Green to break down one of the biggest silent killers in dental practices right now: hygiene no-shows.

A lot of offices brag about high reappointment rates but that doesn’t matter if patients don’t actually show up. Chris walks through the exact system his practice uses to consistently run a 90%+ hygiene show rate, even in a world where patients cancel last minute, ignore calls, and treat appointments like optional calendar holds.

We get into:

The difference between reappointment rate vs. show rate (and why most practices track the wrong thing)

Why unconfirmed appointments should come off the schedule

The 48-hour cancellation policy that actually works

The confirmation cadence that prevents last-minute no-shows

Why a simple “see you in 2 hours” text makes a real difference

How assigning ONE owner to a system changes execution

What to do when patients cancel anyway and how to try to save the appointment

How to fill hygiene holes when cancellations happen

Darkhorse Tech

Darkhorse actually owns your tech — cybersecurity, backups, compliance, and support — so it doesn’t fall through the cracks.

NADA Payments

NADA flips the model so patients cover the credit card fee instead of the practice — without sketchy contracts or junk fees.

Our listener offer:

$25/month

1.5% + $0.25 on debit only

No other fees

🔗 https://nadapayments.com

What actually happens when dentists get divorced?

We brought on Sarah Engelbert, a family law attorney in California, to walk through what divorce looks like when you’re a dentist — especially when there’s a practice, real income, and real exposure involved.

We talk about things most dentists don’t think about until it’s too late:

How divorce actually works in community property states like California

What’s considered separate vs shared — and how people accidentally blur that line

What happens to a dental practice in a divorce

Why courts don’t care about gender, only income

When emotions help (rarely) and when they hurt

Why most dentist divorces end in settlement after a lot of money is already gone

What movies like Marriage Story get right — and very wrong

So if you're a dentist looking to get divorced 😂, make sure to check out this episode!

Nadapayments

Darkhorse Tech

About 32% of phone calls go unanswered in the average dental office.

On this episode, we talk through why the front desk model most offices still use just can’t keep up anymore, what COVID permanently changed, and why missing calls isn’t about a lack of effort...it’s about the system.

We’re joined by Cory Pinegar, whose company Reach hires and trains virtual assistants for dental offices, and Deren Flesher, founder of Airo Dental, an AI receptionist platform. Together, we debate what still needs a human, what doesn’t, and how practices are combining VAs and AI to realistically get to a 100% call answer rate.

A Big Thank You to our Sponsors!

Darkhorse Tech — The Dental IT company we've used in our practices for years and trust.

Nadapayments — simple, transparent payment processing. They've saved us over $20,000 in the first year.

How buyers value a dental practice is very different from how most owners think.

In this episode, Eric and Alex are joined by John Wloderek, the dental broker who sold their practices, to explain how buyers actually evaluate deals. They break down which numbers matter, which upgrades don’t move the needle, and why maintaining predictability and clean financials often matters more than last-minute improvements.

The conversation covers staffing, supplies, labs, expansions, marketing, rent, collections, and timing — along with how buyer expectations have changed since 2021–2022. John also shares what the current market looks like and why many sellers are waiting for what could be a busier 2026. This episode is about understanding the buyer’s mindset before you spend money you won’t get back.

Quick thanks to the sponsors that support the show:

Sponsors:

Nadapayments — straightforward pricing that helps reduce credit card processing costs.