Gary Takacs has been in dental consulting since before most of his clients graduated dental school. He created the first dental podcast in 2011, has visited over 2,200 practices across all 50 states, and has spent decades watching the same pattern play out: practices that struggle with case acceptance are usually struggling with something that comes before it.

That something is connection. This episode gets into what building it actually looks like.

What we cover:

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What does it take to get a patient into the chair when fear has kept them away for years?

In this episode of The Patient Experience Blueprint, host Josh DeVries sits down with Dr. Neal Johnson — a board-certified dental anesthesiologist, founder and CEO of UIS Health, and host of the SMILES & AI podcast. Dr. Johnson has spent his career serving the patients most practices struggle to treat, and he's built the tools, technology, and training to help the rest of dentistry catch up.

What we cover:

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What if the biggest barrier to better patient care wasn't clinical skill – it was the fact that your software can't talk to anyone else's? 

In this episode of The Patient Experience Blueprint, host Josh DeVries sits down with Dr. Bryan Laskin, a Minnesota-based dentist, Co-Founder and CEO Toothapps and Cair, and Chair of the Dental Standards Institute. Dr. Laskin has spent decades building technology and standards that connect dentistry to the broader healthcare ecosystem – and he's just getting started. 

What we cover:

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What if the key to a better practice wasn't seeing more patients, but being more intentional about the ones you do see?

In this episode of The Patient Experience Blueprint, host Josh DeVries sits down with Dr. Todd Snyder, a cosmetic and restorative dentist, lecturer, inventor, and founder of the Legion education platform. Dr. Snyder has been in practice for 32 years and runs two private offices built around one core belief: strategy matters more than volume.

What we cover:

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Trust isn't something you can script. But it is something you can build — deliberately, consistently, and at every single touchpoint.

In this episode, Josh DeVries sits down with Dr. Mark Costes, founder of the Dental Success Institute, co-founder and CEO of the Dental Success Network, and host of the Dentalpreneur Podcast. With 16 practices built or acquired across California and Arizona, an international keynote career spanning 80 cities a year, and a nonprofit — Smile Outreach International — delivering an estimated $2 million in charitable dentistry across seven countries this year, Mark brings hard-won perspective on what it actually takes to build a practice that thrives.

What we cover:

If you're a practice owner, office manager, or clinician who knows the clinical side is solid but something in the patient experience isn't landing, this episode gives you the language, the framework, and the mindset shift to fix it.

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Books Mentioned:

Most dental practices aren't failing because of a lack of patients or marketing. They're failing because complexity got baked in early – and no one stopped to ask why.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Howard Farran, founder of Dentaltown.com, and author of Uncomplicate Business. With nearly 40 years in dentistry and a platform that reaches hundreds of thousands of dental professionals, Howard brings his signature candor to the questions every practice owner should be asking but isn't.

What we cover:

From the danger of confusing busyness with productivity to the case for building a lean, high-margin single-location practice, Howard challenges dentists to stop multiplying chaos and start engineering clarity.

If you're a dentist, practice owner, or operator who suspects your systems are working against you, this episode is the honest gut-check you've been waiting for.

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AI isn't coming to dentistry – it's already here. And waiting to see if it "sticks" might be the costliest mistake your practice makes this year.

In this episode, we sit down with Laura Nelson, VP of AI Training and Development at Mango Voice, founder of Front Office Rocks, and author of Brush Up on AI. With over 20 years of dental industry experience and a track record of training thousands of dental professionals, Laura shares why AI adoption isn't optional anymore – and how practices can stop running behind and start reclaiming time.

What we cover:

• Why AI is moving faster than any technology dentistry has seen before
• The truth about job security: AI won't replace you, but someone who uses AI will
• How to identify where your practice is dropping the ball before implementing AI solutions
• Practical, free tools like ChatGPT that can transform daily workflows right now
• Why plugging AI into broken systems only makes things worse
• HIPAA and privacy concerns every team member needs to understand
• How to use AI for role-playing difficult patient conversations and phone skills training
• Framing AI adoption around patient experience, not just profitability
• What team members really need to hear: "What's in it for me?"
• The future of connected AI across scheduling, phones, scribing, and patient care

From overcoming team resistance to understanding what efficiency actually looks like when you've never had it, this conversation challenges dental professionals to stop crossing their arms and start asking better questions.

If you're a dentist, office manager, or team member navigating the tension between staying efficient and staying human, this episode offers honest, practical guidance from someone who's lived in the front office trenches.

Connect with Laura Nelson:

• Website: LaurenNelsonSpeaks.com
• Front Office Rocks: FrontOfficeRocks.com
• Laura’s books: Brush Up On AI (2025), Step Away From The Drill (2018) 
• Facebook Group: Brush Up on AI
• Mango Voice (Margo AI): MangoVoice.com
• LinkedIn: Laura Nelson

Dentistry isn't just another business – and treating it like one can quietly destroy your culture, patient trust, and long-term success.

In this episode, we sit down with Howard Farran, CEO and Founder of Dentaltown, Farran Media, and the Dentistry Uncensored Podcast. With over 25 years of clinical experience and a track record of building one of the world's largest dental communities, Howard shares why generic business advice often fails dentists – and what practice owners should focus on instead.

What we cover:

• Why dentistry is fundamentally different from most businesses
• How fear – not finances – holds many dentists back from ownership
• The real impact of practice culture and employee turnover on patient experience
• Lessons from building Dentaltown into a global community of 160,000+ dental professionals
• Why mentorship, ownership, and accountability still matter in modern dentistry

From overcoming early-career fear to building teams that actually care, this conversation challenges dentists to stop settling and start leading practices rooted in purpose and heart.

If you're a dentist, associate, or practice owner navigating the tension between patient care and business pressure, this episode offers unfiltered insight from someone who's lived both sides.

Connect with Howard Farran:

• YouTube: Dentaltown's "Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran" podcast
• LinkedIn: Howard Farran
• HowardFarran.com
• Uncomplicate Business – Website | Amazon | Goodreads
• Dentaltown: dentaltown.com
• Twitter/X: @HowardFarran
• Instagram: @dentaltown