In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, I sit down with Steve Craig—a 25-year veteran in dental sales, national educator on water safety, and someone I proudly call one of the biggest supporters of this show.
Steve has seen dentistry evolve from every angle: vendors, practice operations, the business of dentistry, patient expectations, and the massive changes brought by technology and AI. But despite all the innovation, he believes one of the biggest threats in dentistry is something shockingly simple—and almost never talked about: water.
We go deep into dentistry’s “dirty little secret”: the fact that up to 70% of offices do not test, shock, or treat their dental unit waterlines, leaving patients and team members exposed to harmful bacteria, biofilm, aerosols, and preventable infections.
Steve breaks down:
Why water is the number one instrument used in dentistry
Why contaminated waterlines are a growing liability
What every practice must do to protect patients and their team
How states like Washington and Georgia are already legislating water safety
Why aerosols come from waterlines—not patients
The business, legal, and ethical consequences of ignoring water protocols
But this episode isn’t just about water. We also explore leadership, the changing buyer landscape, team culture, the evolution of dentistry, abundant thinking, and why getting back to fundamentals always wins.
If you’re a dentist, hygienist, assistant, office manager, or coach in dentistry, this episode is a must-listen. It could change how you protect your patients—and yourself.
You’ll learn:
Why water safety is dentistry’s most overlooked compliance issue
How contaminated lines impact patients and team members
Why 70% of practices are unknowingly out of compliance
What we learned from the Anaheim pediatric infection outbreak
The correct order: test → shock → maintain
Why aerosols come from dental unit waterlines, not patients
How ignoring water safety becomes an $80K-per-incident legal risk
Why “playing the long game” matters more than ever
The mindset shift from competition to abundance in dentistry
Why supporting your team is the #1 driver of patient care and community impact
🔗 Join the community & submit anonymous questions:
https://www.therealtalkofdental.com
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https://leadhershipexperience.com/
We talk about:
00:00 Welcome + why Steve is one of the show’s biggest supporters
01:00 The biggest shifts Steve has seen in 25 years of dental sales
04:00 The return to fundamentals in an era of noise, AI, and overwhelm
07:00 Smarter—and more confused—buyers: navigating today’s landscape
09:00 Why team-first leadership always produces better patient care
11:00 Abundance mindset: there’s a dental home for everyone
13:00 The truth about competition: focus on your “own plot of land”
16:00 Why water safety is dentistry’s dirty secret
17:00 70% of offices don’t test, shock, or treat their water
20:00 What happened in the Anaheim pulpotomy outbreak
23:00 Water as dentistry’s #1 instrument—and biggest blind spot
25:00 The real source of aerosols (it’s not the patient)
26:00 Why team members face high rates of eye, ear & respiratory infections
27:00 How Solmetex is building an end-to-end water safety ecosystem
29:00 Prevention is the future: the shift away from “drill and fill”
30:00 Why patients want to die with their teeth—not dentures
31:00 Where practices go wrong: time, shortcuts, and gambling with compliance
34:00 The legal and financial consequences of contaminated water
36:00 What M&A advisors are seeing with waterline liability
38:00 Team members often report offices—they know what’s happening
39:00 Final takeaways + why leadership is always about doing the right thing
Connect with Steve:
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/stevecraig20/
Connect with me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/
https://courageandjoyatwork.com/
https://leadhershipexperience.com/
Phone: 616-682-6222
