In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher sits down with Dr. Julia L. Jackson — better known as "Extraction Jackson" — for a powerful, deeply human conversation about passion, purpose, grit, and what it truly means to love the work you do.

As a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, educator, and founder of the International Implant Institute, Dr. Jackson shares her journey of becoming one of the few female African-American OMS surgeons in the profession, navigating resistance, redefining success, and choosing clinical excellence over distraction.

This episode goes far beyond extractions. It explores:

• Why loving the procedure matters

• How education, mindset, and faith fuel growth

• The evolution from clinician to teacher and leader

• Patient experience through empathy and connection

• Finding your own path — without shortcuts

If you've ever questioned your next step, your purpose, or how to grow without losing yourself, this conversation will resonate.

• Passion as the foundation of clinical excellence

• Being a female OMS and breaking industry barriers

• Grit, determination, and staying focused on the goal

• Teaching atraumatic extractions as the gateway to implants

• The evolution from clinician to educator

• Business of dentistry vs. ownership

• Patient-centered thinking: "remember the tooth is attached to a person"

• Faith, persistence, and stepping into your calling

✔ Passion fuels mastery ✔ There are many paths to success in dentistry ✔ Clinical excellence and empathy go hand-in-hand ✔ Education empowers confidence ✔ Growth is an evolution — not a pivot

Dr. Julia L. Jackson ("Extraction Jackson") is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, educator, and founder of the International Implant Institute. With nearly two decades of clinical experience, she is known for her passion for extractions, implant education, and empowering clinicians through hands-on and online learning.

She also provides concierge chairside surgical services and international education programs focused on clinical excellence and professional growth.

🔗 Websites: http://intlimplantinstitute.com/

http://extractionjackson.com/

📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @socket_grafting_girl

Greg Essenmacher is the founder of GnA Consult and host of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, where he explores the leadership, business, and human side of dentistry—helping practices improve patient experience, case acceptance, and long-term sustainability.

In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher sits down with Dicky Ball, co-founder of Summit Handpiece Express, for a refreshingly real conversation about dentistry's most overlooked "tool"—and why systems, maintenance, and team communication matter more than most practices realize.

What starts as a discussion about dental handpiece repair quickly evolves into a deeper conversation about SOPs, handoff and hand-up communication, team accountability, and how small breakdowns behind the scenes can quietly destroy efficiency, profitability, and patient experience.

Dicky shares how Summit Handpiece Express was built on speed, transparency, and education—not just repairs—and why their goal is actually to see fewer handpieces, not more. From common maintenance mistakes to real-world examples of how one missing protocol can cost practices thousands, this episode draws powerful parallels between operational discipline and long-term success.

If you care about patient experience, profitability, and protecting your investments, this episode is a must-listen.

• Dicky Ball's path from construction to dental entrepreneurship

• Why traditional handpiece repair turnaround times fail practices

• The real cost of poor maintenance and missing SOPs

• Autoclaving, lubrication, and why handpieces fail prematurely

• How staff turnover and poor handoffs destroy equipment (and margins)

• Educating teams to protect investments—not just fix problems

• The connection between tools, systems, and patient experience

• Preventing chairside failures before they happen

✔ Speed and transparency change the customer experience ✔ SOPs only work when they're shared, followed, and revisited ✔ Maintenance is cheaper than constant repair ✔ Team handoffs protect profitability ✔ Great vendors educate—they don't just invoice

Dicky Ball is the co-founder of Summit Handpiece Express, a dental handpiece repair company known for fast turnaround times, quality parts, and a white-glove customer experience. Factory-trained and certified, Dicky and his team focus on helping practices extend the life of their equipment through education, proper maintenance, and clear communication.

Summit Handpiece Express repairs high-speed, low-speed, surgical, endo, perio, air-driven, and electric handpieces—without the long waits and inflated costs common in the industry.

🔗 Website: summithandpieceexpress.com

Greg Essenmacher is the founder of GnA Consult and host of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, where he explores the systems, leadership, and human behaviors that drive case acceptance, patient experience, and sustainable growth in dentistry. Greg helps practices capture, convert, and close more complex cases through clarity, structure, and intentional communication.

In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher sits down with Dicky Ball, co-founder of Summit Handpiece Express, for a refreshingly real conversation about dentistry's most overlooked "tool"—and why systems, maintenance, and team communication matter more than most practices realize.

What starts as a discussion about dental handpiece repair quickly evolves into a deeper conversation about SOPs, handoff and hand-up communication, team accountability, and how small breakdowns behind the scenes can quietly destroy efficiency, profitability, and patient experience.

Dicky shares how Summit Handpiece Express was built on speed, transparency, and education—not just repairs—and why their goal is actually to see fewer handpieces, not more. From common maintenance mistakes to real-world examples of how one missing protocol can cost practices thousands, this episode draws powerful parallels between operational discipline and long-term success.

If you care about patient experience, profitability, and protecting your investments, this episode is a must-listen.

• Dicky Ball's path from construction to dental entrepreneurship

• Why traditional handpiece repair turnaround times fail practices

• The real cost of poor maintenance and missing SOPs

• Autoclaving, lubrication, and why handpieces fail prematurely

• How staff turnover and poor handoffs destroy equipment (and margins)

• Educating teams to protect investments—not just fix problems

• The connection between tools, systems, and patient experience

• Preventing chairside failures before they happen

✔ Speed and transparency change the customer experience ✔ SOPs only work when they're shared, followed, and revisited ✔ Maintenance is cheaper than constant repair ✔ Team handoffs protect profitability ✔ Great vendors educate—they don't just invoice

Dicky Ball is the co-founder of Summit Handpiece Express, a dental handpiece repair company known for fast turnaround times, quality parts, and a white-glove customer experience. Factory-trained and certified, Dicky and his team focus on helping practices extend the life of their equipment through education, proper maintenance, and clear communication.

Summit Handpiece Express repairs high-speed, low-speed, surgical, endo, perio, air-driven, and electric handpieces—without the long waits and inflated costs common in the industry.

🔗 Website: summithandpieceexpress.com

Greg Essenmacher is the founder of GnA Consult and host of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, where he explores the systems, leadership, and human behaviors that drive case acceptance, patient experience, and sustainable growth in dentistry. Greg helps practices capture, convert, and close more complex cases through clarity, structure, and intentional communication.

In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher sits down with entrepreneur, hygienist-turned-broker, and co-CEO of Dental Pitch Brokerage, Elijah Desmond, for a candid conversation about business, failure, partnerships, and preparing dental practices—especially implant and full-arch practices—for successful exits.

From Elijah's early days in dentistry to building (and failing) multiple businesses, this episode explores the real lessons behind entrepreneurship and what it actually takes to scale with intention. Elijah also shares practical insights into today's M&A landscape, including what buyers are looking for, how owners should prepare years in advance, and why systems, hygiene, and diversification dramatically impact valuation.

The conversation closes with Elijah's powerful "why"—using business success as a platform to save kids' lives through youth motivational work around the world.

This is a must-listen for practice owners who want to grow smart, lead well, and build something that lasts.

• Transitioning from clinical dentistry into entrepreneurship

• Lessons learned from building—and failing—multiple businesses

• Why friends-and-family money can complicate startups

• Choosing the right business partners (and avoiding the wrong ones)

• Preparing implant and full-arch practices for sale

• Why hygiene increases buyer demand—even in implant-focused practices

• Avoiding single-provider risk and building scalable systems

• Realistic expectations for today's M&A market and exit structures

• Turning success into impact beyond dentistry

✔ Failure is tuition, not defeat ✔ Partners should complement—not duplicate—your skill set ✔ Exit planning starts years before the sale ✔ Systems and hygiene create leverage ✔ Purpose-driven leadership changes everything

Elijah Desmond is the co-CEO of Dental Pitch Brokerage, a sell-side advisory firm helping dental professionals maximize practice value and negotiate ideal exit terms. A former dental hygienist and lifelong entrepreneur, Elijah has built, scaled, and exited multiple businesses and is the founder of Backstage Mastermind.

Beyond dentistry, Elijah is a motivational speaker dedicated to saving kids' lives through youth outreach and nonprofit work.

🔗 Website: dentalpitchbrokerage.com 📧 Email: [email protected]

Greg Essenmacher is the founder of GnA Consult and host of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, where he explores the business, leadership, and human side of dentistry—helping practices grow with intention, alignment, and sustainability.

In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher welcomes back Dr. Martin Mendelson for a powerful second conversation—one that dives deep into mindset, leadership, and the thoughts that quietly shape our lives and practices.

Dr. Mendelson, a dentist-turned-coach and author of One Move Makes All the Difference, breaks down why happiness leads to success (not the other way around), how the space between stimulus and response determines our outcomes, and why teams thrive when psychological safety and accountability coexist.

This episode blends neuroscience, emotional intelligence, real-world leadership tools, and humor—offering practical frameworks clinicians and teams can apply immediately.

If you've ever felt stuck reacting instead of responding, or sensed your team could be healthier, calmer, and more aligned—this conversation is for you.

• Why happiness is the driver of success—not the reward

• The TEAM framework: Thoughts → Emotions → Actions → Results

• Responding vs. reacting under stress

• The power of the pause between stimulus and response

• Creating psychological safety and accountability within teams

• Preventing "jumping to catastrophe" in leadership and communication

• Why mindset work is essential for sustainable growth in dentistry

• Insights from Martin's new book One Move Makes All the Difference

✔ Mindset always precedes outcomes ✔ Small pauses can create massive change ✔ Strong cultures are built intentionally, not accidentally ✔ Leadership begins between your ears

Dr. Martin Mendelson is a speaker, certified coach, and author of One Move Makes All the Difference: How to Find Your Power and Transform Your Life. With experience spanning clinical dentistry, education, emotional intelligence, and happiness studies, Martin helps individuals and teams get out of their own way and lead with clarity, intention, and purpose.

🔗 Website: martinmendelson.com 📘 Book: One Move Makes All the Difference (available wherever books are sold)

Greg Essenmacher is the founder of GnA Consult and host of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, where he explores the business, leadership, and human side of dentistry—helping teams improve patient experience, case acceptance, and long-term sustainability.

In this powerful episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher sits down with cosmetic dentist and educator Dr. Farokh Jiveh for a deeply honest conversation about personal transformation, leadership, and what truly drives patient connection and case acceptance.

Dr. J shares his journey from outward success and inner burnout to alignment, clarity, and purpose—and how that shift changed everything from how he leads his team to how patients experience care.

This episode goes far beyond techniques and procedures. It's about presence, energy, listening, and why dentistry is ultimately a human experience before it's ever a clinical one.

If you've ever felt successful on paper but disconnected in practice—or wondered why some teams and doctors thrive while others struggle—this conversation will resonate.

• The hidden cost of comfort and "success on paper"

• Why leadership always starts with self-leadership

• How inner chaos shows up in your practice and your team

• The difference between fixing patients and truly listening to them

• Why patients will tell you their treatment plan—if you're present

• Alignment, energy, and their impact on case acceptance

• Letting go of ego, control, and attachment to outcomes

• Dentistry as a feeling-based, human-centered experience

✔ You can't lead others until you learn to lead yourself ✔ Case acceptance improves when patients feel heard, not sold ✔ Alignment creates trust—for teams and patients alike ✔ Dentistry isn't just about what you do; it's about how you show up

Dr. Farokh Jiveh is a cosmetic dentist, educator, and founder of Palm Beach Dental Academy. Known for his immersive, one-on-one mentoring approach, Dr. J teaches dentists how to master cosmetic dentistry while emphasizing presence, leadership, and authentic patient connection.

His teaching philosophy focuses on helping clinicians shorten their learning curve—not just clinically, but personally—so they can practice with confidence, clarity, and alignment.

🔗 Learn more: PalmBeachDentalAcademy.com

In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher sits down with Gabriel Hofmann, CEO of ConsultHaus and longtime leader in the dental and health services industries, for a deep conversation on human capital, culture, and the mindset required to build organizations that truly last.

Gabriel brings more than 20 years of experience leading high-performance teams, and in this episode, he breaks down why people—not products, not processes—are the true engine of growth. From hiring and retention to leadership habits and organizational alignment, Gabriel shares the real frameworks he uses to help companies scale with intention.

Inside this episode:

• Why human capital is the most overlooked competitive advantage • The habits strong leaders build—and the ones struggling leaders avoid • How clarity, communication, and culture anchor organizational growth • Hiring philosophies that actually create long-term retention • Why accountability and empathy must coexist inside every team • The shifts companies must make to stay competitive in a changing workforce • How Gabriel helps organizations operationalize strategy through people, systems, and leadership development

Gabriel also opens up about the lessons he's learned coaching executives, the impact of trust on team performance, and why investing in people is the smartest strategy any business can make.

🎧 TTS-144 Human Capital – w/ Gabriel Hofmann Listen to learn how human-centered leadership, intentional hiring, and clear communication can transform the future of your organization.

Connect with Gabriel: consult.haus | LinkedIn: Gabriel Hofmann

#ToothSleuth #DentalLeadership #HumanCapital #OrganizationalDevelopment #PeopleFirstLeadership #PracticeGrowth #TeamCulture #GnAConsult

In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher sits down with Leah Roling, culture strategist, leadership coach, and founder of The Habit Hackers, for a conversation that goes deep into the mindset, clarity, and intentional habits that shape high-performing teams.

They unpack the real drivers of culture—beyond slogans, beyond surface-level motivation—and explore how self-leadership, emotional awareness, and aligned decision-making create workplaces where people can thrive. Leah brings a grounded, practical perspective on what it takes to lead well in a fast-paced, ever-shifting dental landscape.

Inside this episode: • Why culture is not what you say—it's what you consistently do • How habits, patterns, and emotional triggers shape team performance • The difference between managing chaos and leading with clarity • Strategies for building trust, accountability, and alignment across the practice • Why leaders must learn to "audit themselves" before auditing their teams • How simple frameworks can replace overwhelm with intentional action

Leah also shares how she helps teams break unproductive cycles, create environments of psychological safety, and build cultures rooted in ownership, clarity, and purpose.

🎧 Listen to TTS-143 — Culture Strategist Leah Roling to discover how intentional leadership and habit-driven culture can transform not just your team, but the way you show up every day.

Connect with Leah: leahroling.com | LinkedIn: Leah Roling

#ToothSleuth #DentalLeadership #PracticeCulture #HabitHacking #LeadershipDevelopment #GrowthMindset #GnAConsult

In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg sits down with Ian Miller—entrepreneur, apparel expert, and GTM operator—to explore the unexpected overlap between men's fashion and building a market strategy that actually works. What starts as a conversation about fit, fabric, and confidence quickly shifts into a masterclass on positioning, clarity, and the discipline behind a clean go-to-market motion.

They open with a story about Ian's early days in apparel—learning the difference between style and identity—and move into a candid discussion on momentum, leadership, and why most GTM problems are really communication problems.

Together, Greg and Ian unpack:

From Apparel to GTM: How understanding fit, form, and function in clothing gave Ian the foundation to build customer-centric strategies that scale.

Building a Repeatable Motion: Ian's framework for removing noise, simplifying decisions, and creating a go-to-market engine teams can actually execute on.

Confidence as a Business Tool: The psychology of dressing well and how presence, clarity, and intention translate directly into sales, leadership, and patient experience.

When to Pivot (and When to Double Down): Lessons from apparel manufacturing that taught Ian how to manage risk, read early signals, and course-correct before it's expensive.

Ian's story blends creativity with operational insight, showing how the same principles that define a great wardrobe—fit, coherence, and consistency—are the ones behind every successful GTM strategy. Through his journey across fashion, entrepreneurship, and systems thinking, he demonstrates that style isn't superficial; it's a strategic lens that shapes how teams move, sell, and lead.

👉 Tune in now to learn how to sharpen your GTM motion, build trust through clarity, and use presence as a competitive advantage.

#ToothSleuth #GTMStrategy #PatientExperience #GnAConsult #Leadership #BrandAlignment #BusinessGrowth

In this episode of The Tooth Sleuth Podcast, Greg Essenmacher sits down with Addison Freeman, founder of Incisive. We explore how Inicisive helps dental practices modernize in a way that truly improves workflows, team efficiency, and patient outcomes.

🎧 Listen to TTS-141 Dentistry from Diapers – Addison Freeman to hear how purpose, mentorship, and early engagement can shape a stronger future for the dental profession.

Connect with Addison: | Website: Incisive.com | LinkedIn: Addison Freeman

#ToothSleuth #FutureOfDentistry #DentalMentorship #CareerPathways #DentalCommunity #LeadershipInDentistry #GnAConsult