When patients don’t accept treatment, most dentists assume it’s about money — but the real breakdown often happens earlier in the process. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee to share the five questions that determine whether a patient will say yes and whether you should take the case.

You’ll learn how to diagnose the real problem, frame expectations, evaluate timing and affordability, and build the kind of trust that prevents conflict in complex dentistry. Listen to Episode 1046 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Case acceptance starts when the dentist clearly understands the problem and has a predictable solution.
• Patients say no when they understand the complaint but don’t understand the real diagnosis or why the proposed solution makes sense.
• Many declined treatment plans are a timing issue in the patient’s life, not a fee issue.
• Affordability often comes down to phasing treatment while clearly explaining the risks, changes, and potential added cost over time.
• Unrealistic expectations — clinical, financial, or both — are a leading cause of difficult cases and post-treatment conflict.
• Trust is built by accurate diagnosis, transparent expectation-setting, and having the clinical skills to manage complex problems.
• You should trust your “spider senses” and be willing to lose the case early rather than getting stuck in treatment you can’t deliver predictably.

Snippets:

00:00 Where the “five keys to case acceptance” came from.

00:05 “Checkers vs. chess” patients and why Julie’s case changed the conversation.

00:07 Why tooth-based solutions fail when the problem is skeletal or joint-based.

00:11 Unrealistic expectations and the hidden mismatch between insurance and “perfect” dentistry.

00:17 Why “too expensive” is often a timing issue, not the real reason patients delay.

00:19 The money question: phasing complex cases without surprising patients later.

00:25 The trust question and why sustaining practices are built on relationships, not volume.

00:30 How to think through failure points before you start treatment.

00:33 Why it’s better to lose up front than disappoint a patient mid-treatment.

00:38 Where to learn more: online training, hands-on workshops, and a Chicago study club.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Dr. Jim McKee is a restorative dentist and educator focused on occlusion, TMD, and restorative diagnosis. He is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.

Guest Resources Mentioned:

• Online program through Phelan Dental Seminars: https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-pds
• Advanced Occlusion Workshop at Spear Education : https://app.speareducation.com/events/workshops/advanced-occlusion

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

When your schedule is packed, it’s easy to assume your practice is healthy—but “busy” can hide low productivity and weak profitability. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in ACT Dental coach Robyn Theisen to explain why volume masks inefficiency longer than any other metric, how “busy” becomes a false proxy for performance, and what to measure instead.

You’ll learn how to compare number of visits with production per visit and production per hour, what inefficient schedules look like, and how to build a strategic schedule that slows down on purpose while producing more. Listen to Episode 1045 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• A full schedule can look healthy while profitability is not there because volume can hide inefficiency.
• “Busy” is a false proxy and has zero value unless you connect it to productivity and profitability.
• Compare number of visits with production per visit (PPV) and production per hour (PPH) to see whether you’re churning through patients or producing efficiently.
• Low PPV and low PPH often show up as lots of short, low-value appointments and reactive treatment planning that keeps the day running long.
• Inefficient volume creates physical fatigue and mental fatigue when the activity doesn’t match what ends up in the bank account.
• A practice that gets it right builds a strategic schedule with the right mix of procedures, not just filled spots, and matches time to clinical complexity and value.
• Start by planning the year (days worked, vacations, holidays, CE, meetings), set an annual production goal, and break it down into a daily target to build the schedule around.

Snippets:

00:00 Why a busy schedule doesn’t automatically mean a profitable schedule.

03:10 Why “busy” is a false proxy and what “time is the new rich” looks like.

04:05 The homework metric: calculate PPV, PPH, and compare them to number of visits.

06:00 What inefficient volume looks like in the schedule and treatment planning.

08:05 What it looks like when a practice gets it right with a strategic schedule.

11:05 The first step: plan your year, set annual goals, and convert them into a daily production target.

12:00 Why write-offs matter and how inaccurate assumptions can hide the real numbers.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.

Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Pro Coaching (ACT Dental): https://www.actdental.com/pro
• To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Dental insurance rules are changing fast, and “dental loss ratio” (DLR) is becoming a key issue dentists can’t ignore. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Shelley DeGroff of PPO Advisors to explain what DLR is, how it works, why states are adopting it, and what it could mean for premiums, access to coverage, and the future of PPO participation.

You’ll learn how DLR is measured, what accountability could improve for patients and practices, and where to watch for state-by-state updates as the market shifts. Listen to Episode 1044 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Dental loss ratio (DLR) is the percentage of dental insurance premium dollars spent on patient care rather than overhead, administration, or profit.
• DLR is state-specific legislation, and states can require carriers to meet a target percentage or refund premium dollars back to patients.
• The current national average DLR discussed is about 64%–67%, which is driving efforts to push DLR targets into the 80% range.
• As DLR expands, dentists may see operational improvements like fewer denials and faster claims processing, depending on how carriers respond.
• One downside risk is that some carriers may raise premiums or exit certain markets, making coverage harder to find or more expensive for employers and patients.
• NCOIL (National Council of Insurance Legislators) has a model DLR framework that states can use as a starting point when drafting legislation.
• Dentists should track DLR activity through their state dental society and stay engaged in the legislative conversation as changes accelerate.

Snippets:

00:00 Why dentists need to understand dental loss ratio (DLR).

04:00 What DLR is and how premium dollars are measured against patient care.

06:00 How state DLR laws can trigger refunds of premium dollars to patients.

09:00 The national average DLR discussed (64%–67%) and the push toward the 80s.

10:00 Why brokers may feel the squeeze first as carriers adjust to DLR pressure.

12:00 How relying on PPO lists can become riskier as networks and rules shift.

13:00 A warning sign: treatment planning based on insurance instead of clinical judgment.

18:00 What NCOIL is and how it influences state DLR bills.

19:00 How DLR could mirror medical loss ratio dynamics, including premium pressure.

24:00 Where to start: practice evaluation and understanding how insurance impacts the business.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, knows dentistry. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, she began working as a dental receptionist in a nearby dental office. After completing her certification as a dental assistant, Shelley transitioned to become a successful office manager. It was in that role that Shelley began noticing the need for PPO negotiations for her employing doctor. This experience began the business model for PPO Advisors, which has now become a nationwide industry leader.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• PPO Advisors website: https://ppoadvisors.com/
• PPO Advisors blog: https://ppoadvisors.com/ppo-insights/blog/
• NCOIL (National Council of Insurance Legislators) model dental loss ratio framework:
• https://ncoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NCOIL-DLR-Model-Health-Cmte-Adopted-1-26-24.pdf

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Do you ever catch yourself thinking, “Why am I even doing this?” When dentistry becomes all noise—production goals, staffing issues, and nonstop mental load—it’s easy to lose your purpose and drift into burnout. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back practice coach Miranda Beeson to explain how reconnecting to service—without sacrificing yourself—restores energy, strengthens leadership, and makes the work meaningful again.

You’ll learn how service applies to patients, your team, your profession, and your community, plus practical ways to re-anchor your mindset through daily habits and better language around numbers. Listen to Episode 1043 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Dentistry is a helping profession, and burnout grows when purpose gets replaced by task-focus, noise, and transactional thinking.
• Service is not self-sacrifice; you have to protect boundaries and run a strong business to serve appropriately.
• When patients become “appointments” or “dollar signs,” fulfillment drops and emotional fatigue increases for both doctors and teams.
• Serving your team means creating an opportunity for financial stability, fulfillment, and development—not just expecting performance.
• Leadership is a mindset, not a title, and anyone can lead by showing up with an others-focused approach.
• Serving the profession and community through mentorship, study clubs, and giving back can restore meaning and re-energize seasoned dentists.
• Re-anchoring daily to purpose and gratitude helps reset mindset, improves team language around metrics, and supports healthier leadership.

Snippets:

00:00 Burnout And The Why

01:23 Meet Coach Miranda

03:02 Dentistry Noise Overload

04:22 Service Fuels Purpose

06:22 Serve Without Sacrifice

09:06 When Service Gets Lost

14:10 Serving Patients Deeply

16:50 Serving Your Team

20:52 Leadership Without Titles

22:21 Serve Dentistry Community

24:15 Community Service Mindset

24:32 Mentorship Stories

25:34 Giving Back Fuels Joy

27:12 Keep the Fire Lit

27:25 Margin and Mindsets

29:07 Practical Reset Tips

30:16 Purpose in Huddles

31:41 Gratitude Over the Gap

33:38 Reframing Numbers as Care

35:03 Accountability and the Right People

37:14 Final Takeaways on Service

41:28 Core Purpose and Resources

42:41 Podcast Farewell

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.

Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/

Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa

Best Practices Resources:https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/

Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/

Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Letting insurance fee schedules become your “real” fees creates bad data, bad decisions, and an unnecessary production treadmill. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt coaches with Robyn Theisen on why every practice — even PPO-heavy practices — must use a master fee schedule, bill full fees, and track adjustments correctly so you can see the true gap between UCR and contracted rates.

You’ll learn how insurance-driven fees distort write-offs, inflate gross production, hide profitability, and anchor patients to allowance instead of clinical value — plus what to do today to start fixing it. Listen to Episode 1042 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• If your practice management system uses insurance fee schedules instead of a master fee schedule, your production, adjustments, and write-offs become inaccurate.
• Without regularly comparing UCR to contracted fees, you can’t see the true adjustment gap or make good plan-by-plan decisions.
• When practices bill contracted fees, gross production may look strong while net production tells a very different story.
• Insurance-driven fees can force doctors to produce more volume to reach the same results, creating scheduling and profitability challenges.
• Billing full fees and categorizing adjustments by insurance plan allows you to identify where discounts are coming from and how large they are.
• Getting granular with adjustment categories can reveal hidden issues, like different doctors operating under different insurance fee schedules.
• Auditing a small sample of EOBs weekly helps you validate whether adjustments and payments match what you think is happening.

Snippets:

00:01 What “the hidden cost of letting insurance set your fees” actually means.

03:00 What it looks like when practices get this wrong: distorted adjustments, write-offs, and inflated gross production.

05:40 Why not using a master fee schedule creates “fake news” everywhere in the practice.

06:30 What it looks like when practices get it right: billing full fees and tracking adjustments by plan.

08:50 How granular write-off categories reveal deeper problems — including huge write-offs and mismatched fee schedules.

11:10 What you can do today: check how adjustments are entered and get more specific by insurance company.

12:20 Why anchoring patients to allowances instead of clinical value hurts your practice long-term.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.

Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/

Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa

Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/

Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

AI is showing up everywhere in dentistry, but how far should you go with it in HR—and where does it create risk? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, HR professional and leader at Bent Ericksen, to unpack practical, low-risk ways to use AI in a private dental practice, where it can backfire, and why compliance and culture still require trained human judgment.

You’ll learn what AI does well today, what it gets wrong, how employees may use it against you, and how to protect your practice while staying efficient. Listen to Episode 1041 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• AI can summarize information confidently even when it is wrong, so you should not use it as a source of HR compliance guidance.
• Employees and patients can use AI tools to research employment and practice issues faster, increasing the need for accurate HR compliance.
• Using AI to write or review policies can miss common real-world scenarios and still requires significant human time to verify and maintain.
• AI’s default “agreeable” responses can be risky in HR decisions like termination because it may not challenge high-risk choices.
• Useful AI applications in HR are generally administrative or creative support, not legal interpretation or employee-relations decision-making.
• Culture and trust remain key differentiators for private practices, especially as larger organizations pursue efficiency through automation.
• The real value of technology should be freeing time for human connection, not compressing more tasks into the day.

Snippets:

00:00 AI is everywhere—would you use it for HR?

01:00 Alan explains what he does and why HR support matters in dentistry.

04:00 Kirk on “this will change everything” predictions and why trust still runs dentistry.

08:00 The five Cs that differentiate humans from AI: communication, compassion, curiosity, creativity, courage.

11:00 Why AI can be dangerous for HR compliance information, with real examples of errors.

14:00 The Workday lawsuit and what it could mean for AI-driven hiring tools.

17:00 What happens when a practice tries to use AI to build policies and procedures.

22:00 How AI’s “agreeable” nature can increase risk in terminations and employee conflict.

25:00 Safer, practical uses of AI: UEP drafting, appreciation ideas, and reducing admin drudgery.

28:00 Five years out: efficiency vs. work intensification, and the hope for more human connection.

32:00 Final cautions: don’t let AI change your vision, and don’t use it for compliance decisions.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Alan Twigg is the president of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.

As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.

Resources mentioned:

https://bentericksen.com/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Turnover is expensive, disruptive, and often blamed on “the staffing market”—but what if the real issue is your internal culture and leadership systems? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with coach Heather Crockett to explain why turnover isn’t a staffing problem—it’s a culture problem—and to walk you through the practical framework that attracts the right people, keeps them, and helps them thrive.

You’ll learn what truly drives turnover, the leadership behaviors that reduce it, and the culture systems that create clarity, consistency, and accountability. Listen to Episode 1040 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Turnover is often a lagging indicator of deeper issues like unclear leadership, inconsistent expectations, weak onboarding, and uneven accountability.
• Strong cultures still attract and retain top talent, even in tight labor markets, because people choose workplaces for leadership and experience—not just pay.
• Clear roles, defined success, and documented expectations reduce guessing and frustration, and help the right people perform in the right seats.
• Consistency in leadership—supported by regular meeting rhythms—eliminates “rule changes” that make accountability feel unfair.
• Systems create predictable, repeatable behaviors and improve training so you don’t rely on memory, mood, or “training by people.”
• Avoiding conflict quietly erodes culture; productive conflict builds trust when leaders use clear frameworks and address issues early.
• Team members stay when they feel clear, valued, and connected to meaningful purpose—not because of perks alone.

Snippets:

00:00 Turnover isn’t a staffing problem—it’s a culture problem.

02:00 Why hiring is hard, and why culture is the real retention advantage.

05:30 Turnover as a lagging indicator of internal leadership and systems issues.

07:00 Why onboarding drives retention and the “3-3-3” framework.

10:00 “Team members come first” and what it changes operationally.

11:00 Clarity: defining roles, success, and expectations for behavior and performance.

13:30 Consistency and the meeting rhythms that remove unfair accountability.

17:00 Systems as the “this is the way” to reduce errors and speed up training.

19:00 Purpose: moving from transactional dentistry to meaningful, relational work.

22:00 Avoiding conflict erodes culture and drives high performers away.

24:00 Clear is kind: why clarity prevents conflict from becoming a crisis.

26:30 Tactical leadership behaviors you can start immediately to reduce turnover.

29:00 Two questions to ask your team to uncover what’s hurting culture.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.

Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.

She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Are you producing at a high level but still feeling tight on cash? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, ACT Dental coach, to explain why strong production doesn’t automatically mean strong cash flow. You’ll learn the two metrics that reveal what’s really happening—collections percentage and AR days—plus the practical steps to tighten your financial systems so the money you’ve earned actually makes it to the bank. Listen to Episode 1039 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Strong production does not guarantee strong cash flow because production does not automatically convert to money in the bank.
• Collections percentage and AR days are two key metrics that reveal why a practice can feel tight on cash even when schedules are full.
• If you are not collecting 100% of net production, profitability is being impacted and the practice is leaving money on the table.
• Over-the-counter collections must be consistent, with confident same-day payment conversations at time of service.
• AR days reflect how long it takes to collect what you’re owed, and the goal is roughly 30 days or less.
• A clear financial policy and an AR management system reduce delays from patient balances and insurance claims.
• Improving collections systems can create a cascading effect, including healthier financial behavior, better compliance, and more consistent processes.

Snippets:

00:00 Producing a lot but still tight on cash—why this happens.

02:20 The two metrics that reveal the story: collections percentage and AR days.

04:40 What “getting it wrong” looks like when cash doesn’t match production.

05:35 Why AR days creep up and how delays compound.

07:40 What “getting it right” looks like inside a healthy practice.

08:35 Why 95% collections is not acceptable in dental practice management.

11:05 Targeting 30 AR days and tightening follow-up systems.

12:00 Moving to deposits and collecting in a more consistent process.

13:10 Action plan: financial policy alignment and AR management systems.

15:00 Where to find BPA resources for financial policies and AR systems.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!

Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.

In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Best Practices Association (BPA) resources and guides:
• https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Building an amazing dental team is hard when everyone is “busy” but daily friction, miscommunication, and inconsistent expectations keep getting in the way. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with coach Jenni Poulos to explain how written team agreements create alignment, reduce conflict, and make accountability easier.

You’ll learn why individual, unwritten expectations create expensive operational friction, how agreements support core values with specific behaviors, and how to build a living document your team actually uses. Listen to Episode 1038 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Alignment reduces daily friction by creating clear, shared expectations for how the team works together.
• Misalignment is expensive because it shows up in tone, handoffs, duplicated work, and ultimately impacts patient experience and profitability.
• The root of conflict is the gap between expectations and reality, summed up as E minus R equals C.
• Team agreements support core values by defining what those values look like in specific, observable behaviors during the workday.
• People resist surprise accountability more than accountability itself, and written agreements reduce that surprise.
• Agreements must be written, modeled by leadership, and used for coaching so accountability feels less personal and more objective.
• Team agreements should be created with the full team and revisited regularly so they stay “living,” not just “laminated.”

Snippets:

00:00 Welcome and Big Question

01:17 Meet Jenny and Why Alignment Matters

03:08 Core Values and Misalignment Costs

05:18 Unwritten Rules Create Friction

07:22 E Minus R Equals Conflict

09:28 Team Agreements Create Clarity

11:22 Written Agreements and Accountability

15:48 Modeling Agreements and Coaching

18:11 How to Build Agreements Together

23:24 Final Takeaways and Next Steps

25:38 Wrap Up and Farewell

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Jenni brings to dental teams a literal lifetime of experience in dentistry. As the daughter and sister of periodontists and a dental hygienist, she has been working in many facets of the dental world since she first held a summer job turning rooms and pouring models at the age of 12. Now, with over 10 years of experience in managing and leading a large periodontal practice, she has a firm grasp on what it takes to run a thriving business. Her passion for organizational health and culture has been a driving force behind her coaching career. She has witnessed firsthand how creating an aligned and engaged team will take a practice to levels of success that they never believed possible!

Guest resources mentioned:

• Best Practices Association: Team Agreements Coaching Guide.
• More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

AI is moving fast, but most dentists still don’t know what to use, what to ignore, or how to avoid wasting time on tools that don’t help the practice. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Travis Wentworth, an AI and cybersecurity expert (with a doctorate in chemical engineering and a background in data modeling), to explain how AI has evolved beyond chatbots into practical “coworker” tools and agent-based workflows that can save time in a dental office.

You’ll learn how to think about AI use cases, how to structure prompts for better outputs, where the real risks are (including hallucinations and overreliance), and how to pick one measurable project to implement without getting overwhelmed—listen to Episode 1037 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• AI has quickly moved beyond basic chatbot use into tools that can work directly with files, folders, and workflows on your computer.
• Agent-based AI can connect services (like calendars and email) to automate multi-step tasks that would normally take manual follow-up.
• Better AI outputs depend on structured, specific inputs, including context like practice values, tone, and desired formats.
• A major risk is trusting AI outputs without reviewing them, especially when the model can hallucinate details or references.
• Another risk is getting distracted by too many possibilities instead of completing one scoped, practical project.
• AI can be used for simple, high-value office tasks like drafting consistent SOP templates and maintenance logs.
• Tools that record and summarize conversations can help improve consistency and completeness of clinical notes when used responsibly.

Snippets:

00:00 AI in Dentistry Intro

01:08 Meet Travis Wentworth

03:18 How Fast AI Is Moving

04:43 Beyond Chatbots to Cowork

06:41 Agents That Automate Work

08:26 Dental Use Cases and Reviews

11:57 Prompting and Better Inputs

16:14 Dental AI Tools and Notes

20:38 Pitfalls and Staying Focused

24:31 Adoption Curves and Urgency

27:51 Final Advice and Resources

30:28 Wrap Up and Next Steps

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Travis Wentworth has been training students in engineering, networking, and cybersecurity for over a decade. He received his PhD in engineering from the University of Kansas in 2015 and completed a Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the University of Chalmers in Gothenburg, Sweden. While there, he was part of the world-renowned research group led by Dr. Louise Olsson and had the privilege to work with the European Union, Swedish Research Council, Volvo, and Chalmers University.

As a researcher, instructor, and consultant, Travis has presented his technical content to far-reaching corners of the globe including China, Germany, and Sweden, to name a few. Returning to the United States in 2017, he narrowed his emphasis to cybersecurity and networking training.

Travis has a diverse background with a proclivity in the acquisition and analysis of public and proprietary data. He is a published author in numerous peer-reviewed journals for computer modeling and catalysis and is well-versed in programming, networking, data acquisition, and cybersecurity.

Resource mentioned:

https://www.plaud.ai/

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