"Instagram is dentistry and Facebook is where friends and family are... Instagram is like meth, I can't get off it." — Alan Mead
Alan sits down with a powerhouse trio—Dr. Russell Schafer, Dr. Mitch Hopkins, and Dr. Matt Standridge—live from Voices of Dentistry 2026. They bridge the gap between "Instagram Dentistry" and the daily grind of running a productive practice, covering everything from why 2D photography still beats 3D face scanning to the hard truths about dental school debt and clinical mastery.
The Guest List:
-
Dr. Russell Schafer: The man who helped name the "Group Function" and a recurring voice on the network.
-
Dr. Mitch Hopkins: A first-time guest and longtime listener, sharing his journey into implant training and full-mouth rehabs.
-
Dr. Matt Standridge: The "Tom Hanks of the Very Dental Podcast," returning to discuss the discipline of dental photography.
Key Conversations: The Gateway to Comprehensive Care: Photography
The group discusses Matt's presentation on photography. While high-end DSLRs create "dental porn" for Instagram, the real value lies in using photography as a diagnostic tool for every new patient.
-
The "Dummy" Solution: Discussion on the ShoFu camera as a simpler alternative to complex DSLR setups.
-
The IG Satire: A hilarious pitch for "Garbage Mouth Instagram"—high-end photography of the most neglected cases to stick it to the "AACD" types.
3D Scanning vs. The "Uncanny Valley"
Despite the push for $10,000 3D face scanners, the consensus remains: 2D photos are more useful for lab design. * 3D renderings often fall into the "uncanny valley"—looking almost human but just "off" enough to be distracting.
Advice for the "Mid-Career" and New Dentists
The conversation turns to the crushing debt and clinical gaps facing new grads.
-
The All-on-4 Trap: Why jumping straight into full-arch implants because of debt can be a recipe for malpractice.
-
The Power of Bread and Butter: A defense of molar endo, quadrant fillings, and the "Lean and Mean" model of dentistry.
-
The PVS Skillset: Why learning analog impressions (and packing cord!) is still a vital skill in a digital world.
Leveling Up Your Clinical Skills
The episode wraps with a "lightning round" of advice for improving your work tomorrow:
-
Design Your Own Crowns: Use software to marginate your own preps. It's the fastest way to realize where your technique is failing.
-
Magnification & Lighting: Whether it's jumping from 2.5x to 4.5x loops or investing in high-quality surgical headlamps, if you can't see it, you can't treat it.
Some links from the show:
- Clinical Mastery Series (Mitch teaches here)
- Russell's denture ce
- Matt's "Clear Aligner Boot Camp"
- Matt's "Self Ligating Band and Bracket" Course
- Matt at 3D Dentists
- Shofu Eyespecial camera
Join the Very Dental Facebook Group using one of these passwords: Timmerman, Paul, Bioclear, Hornbrook, Gary, McWethy, Papa Randy, or Lipscomb!
The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us!
I'm a big fan of the Bioclear Method! I think you should give it a try and I've got a great offer to help you get on board! Use the exclusive Very Dental Podcast code VERYDENTAL8TON for 15% OFF your total Bioclear purchase, including Core Anterior and Posterior Four day courses, Black Triangle Certification, and all Bioclear products.
Are you a practice owner who feels like the bottleneck in your own business? If you're tired of being the hardest-working person in your office, I've got something you need to hear. Dr. Paul Etchison, is hosting a virtual event that is a total game-changer. Paul is honestly one of the most brilliant minds in dental leadership today, and he's hosting the 3-Day Freedom Practice Workshop from February 19th through the 21st. He's going to show you exactly how to break through that two-million-dollar revenue ceiling while actually compressing your clinical week. It's about building a leadership team that takes ownership so you can finally step into the CEO role you deserve. Head over to DentalPracticeHeroes.com/freedom to grab your spot. And do me a favor—mention the Very Dental podcast when you sign up. It's 100% guaranteed, so you've got nothing to lose but the stress.
Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code "VERYSHIP" you'll get free shipping on your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time!
The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist!
Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products!
CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!
