In this episode, Howard Farran sits down with Dr. Arthur Volker, a graduate of the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery who went on to complete a Master's degree in Prosthodontics and New Technologies from the University of Siena. In addition to his private practice in Sunnyside, New York, Dr. Volker owns DigiDent Laboratory — giving him a valuable dual perspective from both the operatory and the lab bench. He has published multiple articles and textbook chapters and lectures nationally and internationally on cosmetic dentistry, minimally invasive dentistry, dental materials, and digital dentistry.

The conversation centers on one of the most underrated fundamentals in clinical dentistry: isolation. Dr. Volker walks through practical isolation tactics and the specific advantages of the Isolite system, explaining how proper isolation affects everything downstream — bonding, material performance, patient comfort, and long-term restorative success. From there, he and Howard range across restorative, esthetic, and digital topics, drawing on Dr. Volker's expertise in materials science and his hands-on experience running a digital dental laboratory.

Episode #1735 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard sits down with Dr. Arthur Volker — Columbia-trained clinician, owner of DigiDent Laboratory, and an internationally recognized lecturer on cosmetic, minimally invasive, and digital dentistry.

From isolation tactics and the real advantages of Isolite, to dental materials and digital workflows, Dr. Volker brings a rare combination of clinical depth and lab-side perspective to the conversation.

🎧 A practical, technique-driven episode for any dentist who wants better isolation, better materials decisions, and better restorative outcomes.

#DentistryUncensored #DigitalDentistry #MinimallyInvasive #CosmeticDentistry #DentalMaterials #Isolation

In this episode, Howard Farran sits down with Dr. George Hariri, entrepreneur, educator, and co-founder of Shared Practices — one of dentistry's leading coaching and consulting organizations. After acquiring and scaling his own practices, George built a reputation for a candid, systems-driven approach to ownership and a willingness to challenge the conventional wisdom that leaves too many dentists overworked and underpaid. The conversation arrives at a milestone moment: the Shared Practices Podcast turns ten this year, and George reflects on what has changed across a decade of coaching aspiring and current practice owners, the growth of the coaching program, and the release of his books Dental Moneyball and a new title aimed at pre-owners.

At the heart of the discussion is a claim George is happy to argue: the industry insists 10%+ same-store growth is impossible, and he believes that's simply wrong — pointing to clients posting 37 to 39% growth year after year. He walks through the four levers behind that performance — patient retention, case acceptance, consistency in the team, and efficiency — and how that framework came together. Along the way, George shares how Howard's own work in practice management shaped his thinking about growth, and makes the case for building a practice that's both genuinely profitable and sustainable, without sacrificing your life to get there.

Episode #1734 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard sits down with Dr. George Hariri — entrepreneur, educator, and co-founder of Shared Practices — as the Shared Practices Podcast celebrates 10 years.

The industry says 10%+ same-store growth is impossible. George flatly disagrees — and his clients are posting 37–39% growth year after year. He breaks down the four levers behind it: patient retention, case acceptance, team consistency, and efficiency.

🎧 A candid, systems-driven conversation on growth, burnout, and building a practice that doesn't cost you your life.

#DentistryUncensored #SharedPractices #PracticeGrowth #DentalBusiness #PracticeOwnership #DentalCoaching

In this episode, Howard Farran sits down with Anthony "Tony" Gedge, who has spent 24 years in dentistry focused on the one thing most systems overlook: trust. His route into the profession was anything but conventional — he moved from running nightclubs into dentistry, where he built a pain-free movement around anxious patients and the fear of the injection, founded the Pain-Free Dentistry Institute, and co-founded Dental Mavericks, a charity that has now helped more than 180,000 children. He also took John Lennon's tooth and Elvis Presley's crown on tour to raise mouth cancer awareness — a campaign with fresh urgency given that UK deaths have climbed from roughly seven a day when he started to closer to ten today, with cases up nearly 50% over the past decade.

The conversation then turns to Tony's current work with Dental Group Signal, an evidence-led benchmarking platform studying how dental groups actually show up to patients, clinicians, investors, and the wider market. He walks through the twelve public signals the platform measures — from leadership and recruitment to patient trust, telephone access, review response, pricing visibility, digital journey, brand coherence, governance, and seller and investor signals — and shares findings from the May 2026 US DSO CEO Visibility benchmark, where only one of twenty leaders scored as a meaningful visibility leader and fifteen were rated underdeveloped. Howard and Tony explore what the US DSO market can learn from public-evidence benchmarking, why CEO and recruitment visibility have become commercial signals rather than marketing activity, and the crucial difference between simply being a large dental group and being a trusted, visible, coherent one.

Episode #1733 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard sits down with Anthony "Tony" Gedge — a genuine dental maverick whose path ran from nightclubs to needles to benchmarking the entire industry.

Over 24 years, Tony founded the Pain-Free Dentistry Institute, co-founded Dental Mavericks (which has helped 180,000+ children), toured John Lennon's tooth and Elvis Presley's crown to raise mouth cancer awareness, and now leads Dental Group Signal, measuring the public trust signals behind dental group growth.

🎧 A wild, thought-provoking conversation about fear, trust, and why dentistry should measure trust as seriously as it measures EBITDA.

#DentistryUncensored #PainFreeDentistry #DentalMavericks #DSO #MouthCancerAwareness #DentalLeadership

In this episode, Howard Farran sits down with Philippe Salah, a PhD-trained scientist with a lifelong passion for innovation in orthodontics. Philippe co-founded Harmony, a pioneering lingual orthodontics company, in 2007, before founding DentalMonitoring in 2013 — a company he still leads as CEO and which has become a driving force in AI-powered, remote patient care.

The conversation explores how DentalMonitoring supports the full patient journey, from initial observation through active treatment and all the way to retention, and what continuous remote monitoring changes about the way orthodontists practice. Philippe and Howard also dig into a question weighing on many clinicians today: how orthodontists should position themselves in an increasingly challenging and competitive market, and what role AI and remote care will play in defining who thrives.

Episode #1732 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard sits down with Philippe Salah — PhD-trained scientist, co-founder of lingual orthodontics pioneer Harmony, and founder & CEO of DentalMonitoring.

From AI-powered remote monitoring to managing the patient journey end-to-end — from first observation all the way through retention — Philippe shares how technology is reshaping orthodontic care and what it means for practices competing in an increasingly crowded market.

🎧 A forward-looking conversation on AI, remote care, and the future of orthodontics.

#DentistryUncensored #DentalMonitoring #Orthodontics #DentalAI #RemoteMonitoring #DigitalDentistry

In this episode, Howard Farran sits down with Dr. Erin Sheffield, a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon who has built a career breaking barriers in one of medicine's most male-dominated specialties. Beyond the operating room, she is an international speaker, educator, content creator, and advocate — the founder of The Doctor Is ALL In, a retreat helping high-achieving women doctors reconnect with their purpose and reclaim their well-being, and the host of The Resting Stitch Face podcast, where she leads candid conversations about identity, leadership, and the cost of fitting in.

The conversation moves fluidly between the clinical and the personal. On the surgical side, Dr. Sheffield digs into difficult third molars and coronectomy, bone grafting, and antibiotic stewardship — practical topics every general dentist and surgeon wrestles with. On the human side, she speaks openly about navigating discrimination and harassment in her own career, and what resilience, integrity, and reclaiming your voice actually look like in practice. Howard and Dr. Sheffield also explore trauma-informed care for dentists, the role of social media in modern practice, and the intertwined challenges of imposter syndrome, authenticity, and burnout. Her central message cuts across specialties and generations: real success isn't about perfection or approval — it's about showing up fully as yourself and making room for others to do the same.

Check out Dr. Sheffield's website for more info: www.Doctorisallin.com

Episode #1731 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard sits down with Dr. Erin Sheffield — board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, international speaker, educator, and founder of The Doctor Is ALL In, a retreat for women doctors.

From difficult third molars, coronectomy, and bone grafting to antibiotic stewardship, trauma-informed care, and the honest realities of burnout and imposter syndrome — Dr. Sheffield brings both surgical precision and rare human insight.

🎧 A candid conversation about clinical excellence, authenticity, and building space for others in rooms that weren't built for everyone.

#DentistryUncensored #OralSurgery #WomenInDentistry #WomenInSurgery #DentalBurnout #Authenticity @drerinsheffield @restingstitchfacepodcast @thedoctorisallin

In this episode, Howard Farran podcasts live from Guatemala with Dr. Tommy Murph — the Myrtle Beach–area general dentist and Dentaltown legend behind more than 50,000 posts and the longest-running threads in the community's history. Speaking from the clinic floor between patients, Tommy walks through the scale of the operation: 46 dentists from four countries, roughly 250–300 patients a day, twelve-hour days, and nearly 1,000 teeth extracted in a single day, with about 45% of them wisdom teeth. Four times a year, he and Dr. Fletcher run these trips as a hybrid of charity dentistry and hands-on continuing education, delivering 54 hours of participation credit through WeTeachExtractions.com — training dentists who graduated without ever performing an extraction to confidently handle full bony horizontal impactions.

The conversation ranges well beyond Guatemala. Tommy shares his philosophy that any general dentist should be able to remove a visible tooth in ten minutes or less, and that success comes from a few well-understood instruments and proper luxation technique rather than a drawer full of forceps. He makes a blunt case for same-day emergency treatment, explains the cash-pay, out-of-network model he's run since 1999, and argues that most dentists could thrive without insurance participation. He also talks about running a lean practice with a staff of two, keeping overhead under 25%, why new grads should work for someone else for a year or two before ownership, and why extraction skill should come before implant training. Throughout, Howard and Tommy return to what makes these trips meaningful — patients who arrive at 4 a.m. and hug you afterward, Tommy's 81-year-old mother handing out toothbrushes and toys, and the way stepping into someone else's world can reset a stressed-out dentist's perspective entirely.

Episode #1730 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard Farran catches up with Dentaltown legend Dr. Tommy Murph — 50,000+ posts and counting — literally on the clinic floor in Guatemala, mid-mission, with 300 patients waiting outside.

46 dentists from 4 countries. Nearly 1,000 teeth extracted in a single day. Hands-on CE where dentists who never touched an extraction in school leave doing full bony impactions.

🎧 Charity dentistry, low overhead, straight talk, and one of the most unfiltered voices in the profession.

#DentistryUncensored #CharitableDentistry #Extractions #DentalMissions #Guatemala #Dentaltown

In this episode, Howard Farran sits down with Dr. Peeyush Ranjan, a board-certified pediatric dentist in both the United States and Canada and the owner of Tooth Pals in Airdrie, Alberta. Dr. Ranjan began his career in general dentistry in 2009 before discovering his passion for treating children, which led him to complete his pediatric residency at Nova Southeastern University and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident. His master's research explored using picture-guided techniques to improve oral hygiene in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder — work that continues to shape how he cares for kids today.

The conversation spans Dr. Ranjan's unique cross-border journey — training in the U.S., practicing in rural Washington, and building a practice in Canada — and what it taught him about the profession in both countries. He makes a compelling case that rural America is dramatically underserved and full of opportunity most young dentists overlook, and shares why he remains a strong believer in independent ownership even in an age of consolidation and DSOs. Howard and Dr. Ranjan also dig into the role of culture and team (he runs his practice alongside his wife and treats his staff like family), how technology like the Solea laser and dental-specific VR transforms a child's experience in the chair, and his collaborative approach to infant tongue-tie treatment. The episode closes on the community work at the heart of his practice — from the Switch Witch candy buyback to toy drives and free screening camps — and the most important lessons he'd pass on to any young dentist starting out today.

Episode #1729 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard sits down with Dr. Peeyush Ranjan — board-certified pediatric dentist in both the U.S. and Canada, and owner of Tooth Pals in Airdrie, Alberta.

From training in the U.S. and practicing in rural Washington to owning a practice in Canada, Dr. Ranjan brings a rare cross-border perspective — plus a passion for technology, community giving, and making sure no child grows up fearing the dentist.

🎧 A heartfelt, insightful conversation on pediatric care, independent ownership, and the opportunity most young dentists overlook.

#DentistryUncensored #PediatricDentistry #IndependentPractice #RuralDentistry #KidsDentist #PracticeOwnership

In this episode, Howard Farran sits down with JoAnne Tanner, founder of Tanner Management, a dental practice consulting firm specializing in acquisitions, financial due diligence, and operational systems. With more than 20 years of experience, JoAnne has guided countless dentists through the process of buying a practice — helping them avoid costly mistakes and build strong business foundations from day one. She's also the author of The Smart Dentist's Guide to Buying a Dental Practice, and is known for a clear, no-nonsense approach that makes complex transactions understandable.

The conversation focuses on what dentists need to know before signing on the dotted line. JoAnne breaks down the biggest mistakes buyers make and how to avoid them, why financials alone don't tell the full story of a practice, and the critical reports every buyer should review before closing. She and Howard dig into how to spot hidden risks in hygiene, scheduling, and accounts receivable, why treatment philosophy differences between buyer and seller can make or break a transition, and how insurance participation — including Delta Dental — can shape future income. The episode closes on the most important question of all: how to tell whether a practice is genuinely sustainable or quietly declining.

Episode #1728 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard sits down with JoAnne Tanner — founder of Tanner Management and author of The Smart Dentist's Guide to Buying a Dental Practice — for a no-nonsense look at what it really takes to buy the right practice.

From the biggest mistakes buyers make, to why the financials never tell the whole story, to the hidden risks lurking in hygiene, scheduling, and AR — JoAnne breaks down how to buy with clarity and confidence.

🎧 Essential listening for any dentist thinking about ownership.

#DentistryUncensored #PracticeAcquisition #DentalOwnership #DueDiligence #DentalBusiness #BuyingAPractice