S2 EP9: Ask Us Anything

Transcript

Ioannidou: [00:00:00] We get to ask a lot of questions on this show, but now the tables have turned and we're the ones in the hot seats. I'm Dr. Effie Ioannidou. 

Wright: [00:00:09] And I'm Dr. ArNelle Wright. In this last episode of season two, we are answering your questions.   

Announcer: [00:00:17] From the American Dental Association, this is Dental Sound Bites. Created for dentists by dentists. Ready? Let's dive right into real talk on dentistry's daily wins and sticky situations.

Wright: [00:00:33] Hello. Hello. So we wanted to hear from our listeners and we put out a call for your questions about dentistry, the show. Nothing's off the table. 

Ioannidou: [00:00:43] That's right. Some of you sent in your questions. We did our research and we are ready to go. But first, can you believe this is the last episode of season two?I mean, I cannot believe it went so fast. 

Wright: [00:00:56] It did. Oh my gosh. I'm super excited that we've covered so much territory on the podcast. I think we've had a lot of great guests and I'm really happy that we get the opportunity to share a little bit more about our personalities, like who we are as co-hosts, and just let everybody just see who we are.

Ioannidou: [00:01:14] I honestly have to say I was so happy to meet the team, but I was really happy to meet you, ArNelle. I mean, there is hope for dentistry when there are dentists like you, right? 

Wright: [00:01:25] I hope so. 

Ioannidou: [00:01:26] Yes, for sure. For sure. 

Wright: [00:01:28] Yeah. Well, thank you so much for that, Dr. Effie. Why don't we go ahead and get into our first question. We received this question from Jade Hernández, from Punta Gorda, Florida, and she asked, “How can pre-dental students be a strong applicant for a dental school?”

And so I think this is a good question for you to start us off with Dr. Effie, since you're a faculty at a dental school. So tell everybody what you think about that. 

Ioannidou: [00:01:50] Disclaimer, first of all. Mm-hmm. I don't serve in any admissions committee in any dental school. 

Wright: [00:01:55] It's good to put it out there. Yeah. 

Ioannidou: [00:01:56] I have to put out there and, and I have to say that, you know, being a member of an admissions committee, really, I do appreciate the work that these people in any dental school and in any school.

It's really one of the hardest working committee members, if you will, in academics. So as a faculty in the dental school and being in the higher education for quite some time, I would say that if you ask an admissions officer, they will say that we are looking for the well-rounded. Right? 

Wright: [00:02:24] Yep.

Ioannidou: [00:02:25] Student.

Wright: [00:02:25] Yep. Holistic. 

Ioannidou: [00:02:26] Holistic approach. I think the way that the selection takes place is not based on solid undergrad GPA, or a solid standardized DAT scoring. 

Wright: [00:02:36] Right. 

Ioannidou: [00:02:37] Who knows how long the DAT will be with us, right?

Wright: [00:02:39] Yeah.

Ioannidou: [00:02:40] I mean, higher education is moving away from standardized testing, so I think this holistic approach is really important. We want to see people that are, you know, they, they have community service, they have shadowing.  They have showed that they really, really, they're interested in what, this type of career, right? 

Wright: [00:02:56] Mm-hmm. Yep. 

Ioannidou: [00:02:58] And, and I think that in the past it was actually even more traditional approach. Schools would, used to look at pre-dental, bio major students. We had a lot of students at Duke in the last years with that major in english, that major in humanities. So I think that the way that the selection takes place nowadays is really a whole holistic approach. ArNelle, you are more recent than me. What was your experience through this process?

Wright: [00:03:27] So that's exactly what it was. It's very holistic. Everybody knows, you know, I always plug the University of Florida College of Dentistry. That's where I went. But I am not an admissions committee member. I do have past experience being on an admissions committee for dental school, and it's exactly what you said.

We really want to see people who have had an array of experiences. Not only, we definitely wanna see dentistry, of course, because that's the reason why you're applying to these programs altogether. But, we wanna see that you have been involved in other things and that your grades have not been the only thing that you've been focused on for the whole entire time that you've been in your undergraduate career preparing for dental school.

Of course, you know DATs, they do matter. But the thing about it is, is if you can go into an interview, if you can communicate and articulate very well, and this is just my personal opinion, this is not the opinions of any institution, just, you know, disclaimer.

Ioannidou: [00:04:24] Disclaimer. 

Wright: [00:04:26] As well. You know, we gotta protect ourselves and just make it real clear. But, like, if you can just get into an interview and articulate very well why it should be you that's selected. I think having just a good conversation with the people who are on the admissions committee, although they're interviewing you, but just showing that humanity, showing that person that you're gonna be, in the dental office and in the student clinics down the line, thinking really futuristically, I think that that is really the thing that takes the cake for every candidate that I've seen come through.

Ioannidou: [00:04:57] A hundred percent. You're so right. And I think another thing that I would, uh, if say that I was a member of admissions committee, which I'm not, but you know…

Wright: [00:05:06] We're gonna be disclaiming all episode long. 

Ioannidou: [00:05:08] Oh yeah, that's right. I think that you really want, exactly what you said, the way that the candidate articulates their goals. And also the way that they portray their intellectual curiosity, you know,

Wright: [00:05:21] It's very true. Oh my god.

Ioannidou: [00:05:21] And also the way that they, they, they research the school they apply to, right? 

Wright: [00:05:26] Yes. Yes. 

Ioannidou: [00:05:27] Every school is different than the other. So there are schools that are intense in the clinical education. There are other schools that have more developed research portfolio. So the, the candidates need to be aware of those differences and if indeed they want to take one or the other track, they need to articulate their goals and they need to show that they're in alignment with the priorities of the school.

Wright: [00:05:49] Yes. And you know what, I'm gonna take it a step further. It takes really knowing yourself. So, we are gonna talk a little bit about mentorship at some point in the episode, I'm sure. And one of the things that I tell my mentees, which I learned a lot from them, about how to help them be better candidates based off of some of our conversations.

But I feel like one of the things that I've, I've really taught some of my mentees is really get to know who you are so that you can, like you said, articulate that in an interview and on paper. Of course, you have to do it very well and in a captivating manner on paper so that you get the interview. Of course, you know, with all of the other requirements that you have to meet… 

Ioannidou: [00:06:26] Of course. 

Wright: [00:06:27] For dental school. But I think like the, the best candidates are those who just know themselves so well. They know their strengths. They are okay with articulating their weaknesses. They are not, you know, ashamed of certain weaknesses. We all have weaknesses, but whatever it is that they have to display or share during an interview, they handled them in a very mature tone and in a mature manner.

All of those things, whenever I interview candidates, it just blows me away. Like you said, with their intellectual curiosity, those things like scientific research and just having interest in a variety of fields. Yeah. Jade, I think you might, got your question answered.

Ioannidou: [00:07:04] I, I know, and you're right. I mean, it's not shameful and it's not perceived as a weakness if candidates saw some vulnerability.

You know, there are people that may have some interruption in their professional career. 

Wright: [00:07:16] Oh I love that you said that. 

Ioannidou: [00:07:17] They may have for personal or professional reasons, financial reasons. 

Wright: [00:07:21] That was me.

Ioannidou: [00:07:23] Right? Candidates need to be comfortable to discuss and articulate and justify this. So I don't think that this is a weakness and definitely I believe that most admissions committee would appreciate the transparency.

Wright: [00:07:36] Yeah, definitely admirable. 

Ioannidou: [00:07:37] What do you wish you could have done differently in your preparation for dental school? 

Wright: [00:07:43] This is gonna be a different answer than what everybody is expecting. And you, Dr. Effie unknowingly, you just touched on it just like a couple of seconds ago. It was one word, which is vulnerabilities.

Now that I'm out of dental school, I am like so big into wellness, and I didn't realize how much I loved the whole personal growth and development stage, right? So vulnerability, in the perspective of not thinking or believing that the people and the faculty members were out to get me. So there's this belief that once you get into dental school, like this faculty member is trying to fail you, or you know, you don't show your weaknesses, you don't really show your hands in the things that you are not really confident in.

So for me, there were some fundamentals in science that I just had not connected certain dots. And when we first start as a D1, you need those fundamentals. So whenever I'm mentoring students, I always talk about it's really, really important. Like I know that we need to check the box to get these courses done in order to apply and to be a great strong candidate.

But in, in dentistry, everything is compounding. All of the information, it compounds. So to answer your question directly, I really just wish that I was a little bit more vulnerable with my faculty members to say, “Hey, you know what? I didn't actually understand that concept,” or “I actually need to see it demonstrated in front of me,” or to maybe, “Let's talk through the science and then the application part of it from clinical perspective.”

Like I feel like if I were more open-minded and not so afraid that somebody was out to get me in the big institution, that I would've just been a little more comfortable as like a D1 in the institution. 

Ioannidou: [00:09:23] Yeah, I completely get this. I remember when I came to the US as a first year resident. I was not comfortable at all with the language. Obviously there was a language barrier. I spoke english, I was reading and writing very well, but the speaking was kind of weird. 

So I remember, I was so afraid. Exactly what you said, but from different, perspective. I was so afraid to ask questions. Because I thought that I would mess up the question. Like, I'm, like, I, I was not sure if I could articulate and express myself correctly so I can get the right answer. So I remember that I was spending oh, and hours with, uh, dictionary translating whole textbooks and papers and it was, it was tough.

Wright: [00:10:12] Isn't it amazing how we like just stand in our own way in so many, like in, in, in all facets of, like, life professionalism? Sure. We kind of get in our own heads. Like, just back to the vulnerability piece. I can remember times, and I've told this story before go back to season and listen to the episode “Sticky situations”.

When I was in dental school there was a faculty member who, like, I got one answer wrong on a quiz and I was like, gonna fight to the death about this one thing. And I was like, I know you're out to get me. And I actually said this and like one of my faculty members called me in the office and was just like, okay, listen, like, It's too soon for this. Like you have to not think like this. And so they kind of reeled me in.

That's just one thing, like I just felt like I got in my own way and then there would be times when I'm in lecture when I wouldn't ask the question that I really knew that not only I didn't have an answer to like my neighbors, we would whisper amongst each other and we would just kind of try and piecemeal things together as opposed to just being vulnerable and being unashamed of the fact that we didn't have the answer, and just being willing to like show that we probably all need this question asked and answered.

Those are some things that I wish I would've done. 

Ioannidou: [00:11:23] So the conclusion is that we need to enter higher education or graduate education being comfortable in our skin. Right? 

Wright: [00:11:30] Yes, absolutely. 

Ioannidou: [00:11:32] And therefore the ride and for the learning process and no judgment. 

Wright: [00:11:36] My husband always says, there's always gonna be someone smarter than you or further ahead, and then you're always gonna be further ahead than someone else.

So it's like a mixed bag of us all. We're all going in the same direction. Yes. There are other people who understand things better and they can articulate things better, and then you can articulate and understand certain things better as well. So I kind of just wish that, like you said, I was just more comfortable in my skin for sure.

Oh, that was good. Oh my gosh, yes. 

Well, so one of the questions that we hear a lot from dental students is how did you find your first job? So Dr. Effie, how did you find your first job? We're just gonna kind of transition a little bit here.

Ioannidou: [00:12:14] I think that the way that I found my first job compared to the resources that exist today to help you find the first job, it's day and night, right?

I mean, I was out of residency in 1999, you know those times? Yes, yes. That there was barely Google. So I don't even think that we were able to search for classifieds, or, I don't think we did this. It was word of mouth or you know, print classifieds and ads in professional meetings. Right? 

As we discussed in previous episodes, my career path was very unconventional. So, when I started, obviously my career as a private practitioner in Greece, completely solo, so there was no search for job. Like I found a practice and I took over. Right, right. But when I moved to the US, the position at the University of Connecticut 22 years ago came to me, actually landed as a word of mouth job.

And this is how everything started. And I do still think, although that there are a lot of resources through the ADA and other professional specialist organizations. Right, right. I do still think that the word of mouth plays a, we're still in a human society and I think this kind of direct referral or connection with people that you know, or you might know or they know others that they know. And this still helps and in practice, I think, and in academics too. 

Wright: [00:13:41] Yeah. I'm six years out and what I've noticed is with all of my organized dentistry involvement now, I feel like if I had tapped into relationships a little bit, Sooner. I probably would be on a different career path and looking at my quiz answers from the https://www.ada.org/publications/dental-sound-bites I'm very collaborative, but I didn't realize that until like, it's like you don't know what you don't know, right?

But I have noticed that just hearing and having relationships with people in leadership within organized dentistry, just having that. Open dialogue about what you're looking for and then pitching it or just at least mentioning it to someone who may also be looking for the same, You end up meeting in the middle. And although this was not my direct experience with finding a job or entering in my career path, I've noticed.

In conversation that this is the way that the vast majority of people find their dream, like partnerships, connections as it relates to their career and their journey within clinical dentistry. 

Ioannidou: [00:14:47] Absolutely true. And in clinical dentistry and academic dentistry, It's exactly what you said. How you network. Yes. Right? Yes. How significant it is to network, to meet people. But also to enjoy this. Yes. I think sometimes people miss this little point. People think many times, especially young professionals think that, you know, they become like a super stressed for networking and, you know, keeping all these cards on files and making sure that you don't miss, I see networking as an opportunity to learn from people. I agree. You know too. Me too. You don't develop those relationships because you expect the return. You develop these relationships. You go to these rides just for the ride, just because you enjoy meeting people, learning from other people, and then eventually, It may lead to something at the right moment, the right timing, yes.

But just relax and enjoy wisdom. This is how I see.

Wright: [00:15:46] Yes, that's exactly how I am. So I love having conversation with people who are more seasoned than I. if you see what I did there. Yes, I like this. So I love to like, I just feel like I can just garner so much information and then I don't believe that you have to experience everything in order to avoid certain pitfalls.

I am of the belief that I can talk to you, Dr. Effie, and you can say, mm, okay, ArNelle, I don't know. You know, and I'll be like, all right, that's enough for me. Like, I don't need to fall in the pit in order to say, all right, I survived. I don't need to go through that. Yeah. and you know, I, I love one thing that you did say about networking is, you know, the age old saying that your net worth is your net worth.

So for everybody out there, make sure that you're utilizing those. Relationships you are like just capitalizing on them, connecting with people and just using your network and growing, you know.

Ioannidou: [00:16:38] And that's why the professional meetings are important. That's why going, this is true to the ADA meeting or the professional specialist meetings.

This is important not only because you learn from the lectures. But really you get to meet people..

Wright: [00:16:53]It's the people, It's relational. Yeah. Dentistry is so relational and, I, I feel like the more I practice, the more I realize if there's one area that I need to be strongest, it's relational management and just like interpersonal, like not, not only like colleague to colleague, but clinician to patient, me as a leader to my team and all of those facets.

But as it relates to this episode, just making sure that I'm keeping open lines of communication with my colleagues is a really deep value of mine. 

Ioannidou: [00:17:22] And, you know, it's important to, to, to say, to point out that, again, going back to what I said about 1999, the resources at the time were very limited. 

Now with, as you said, the career path quiz that you can take if you are in search for alternative options, right. It's not only clinical dentistry, there are so many paths. And as we discussed other episodes, the type of clinical dentistry. Right. And you know, the type of practices. Yeah. So, and then, you know, all these other resources through the ADA, the ADA practice transition, and so many things that, you know, the organization supports new graduates in the search for the right job for them.

Wright: This is so good. 

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Wright: [00:18:38] We got another question from Dr. Patel from Houston. She asks, how do you find a mentor? As a new dentist, I want someone willing to teach. 

Mentorship is like one of my favorite topics, like mentorship and leadership. I feel like I'm just, I always go down that bunny trail no matter how hard I try to avoid it. I'm always there.

I feel like it's a simple thing. Just ask for one. You have to survey the people who you are around, in my opinion. Listen to those people and see if they have a teacher's heart. Oh, that's good. Yeah. I used to be a teacher before I was a dentist, and so no matter what I do, I always find myself teaching someone or like kind of elevating and bringing someone up to speed.

And so I just feel like if those people who have those natural characteristics, those are the people that you then, you know, take the next step and you ask them if they will take you under their wing, if they will mentor you, if they will allow you to come into the practice. Now you have to be willing to take a couple days off of your office or you know, miss a couple days of work or not go on that weekend trip or whatever it is to make sure that you honor their time.

But I think just surveying the people who are in your sphere of influence, is the way that I call it. Then asking them to take you under their wing is a way that I do it. 

Ioannidou: [00:19:57] You said something really important. You said that the mentor needs to have the teacher's heart. This is very, very deep. Yes.

Wright: [00:20:06] I'm such a deep thinker. 

Ioannidou: [00:20:07] This, I'm, I'm gonna borrow this for life right now. I'm gonna use it.

Wright: [00:20:11] Yes. Oh, you got it. Yes. 

Ioannidou: [00:20:13] This is really important. I express it differently, but basically both of us say the same thing. I always say that a good mentor is someone that is done with themselves and they're altruistic, they're ready to give back. Right? 

And you said to the teacher's heart, which is important because I think you bring up the skills of communication, how a mentor should be. The mentor is not supposed to put down the mentee. There is supposed to be an alignment of expectations. You know, there, there should be some type of an agreement of how this relationship will grow because it grows for both.

You learn from your mentee and mentee learns from you. It's the hardest thing in practice. It's the hardest thing in life. It's the hardest thing in academia. It's really, and I think academia discovered the significance of mentoring really, not recently, but within the last few decades, which is kind of weird.

You would think that in academic life there would be some kind of a magical developed system where everybody, you know, the senior is more seasoned people, mentor the mentees. But I think sometimes the ego comes in between these relationships and they become competitive. Right? 

Wright: [00:21:23] Yes. And you know, the thing about it is, mentorship is not one size fits all.

I think that's really important. Absolutely. To know. and to, to just, you know, hone in on that it, what works for me may work different than my neighbor or even for you. And it's just really like there mentor-mentee relationships I feel like they are formed gradually. It's not something that you can say, sign me up and I'm gonna be your mentor because my expectation of you as a mentor may be completely different of your expectation for yourself as my mentor and for me as a mentee. 

So like when I have my mentorship conversations with people that I mentor, I ask them, okay, so what is it that you're gonna expecting from me or what is it that you need the most help with. Let me see if I am that person for you. Yeah, so I do have some of those conversations. it's more of a self-awareness approach to see if I have the skills, if I have the tools and the resources to help them along whatever journey or whatever they're reaching out to me for mentorship for, or if I need to kind of make a recommendation for them to, to be mentored by someone else.

Ioannidou: [00:22:29] It's exactly right because, you know, say a young dentist in, clinical practice, the need for a mentor may be related to clinical dentistry, but may be related to, as you said, the development of relationships with, other practitioners, colleagues, the approach towards patients. 

Wright: [00:22:46] Yeah, conflict resolution or something like that. Exactly. With team, team in practice management. Exactly. 

Ioannidou: [00:22:51] So it doesn't mean that one single person is there to help you navigate those challenges that are, you know, spread in so many different directions. So I think you're absolutely right.

The alignment of expectations is so critical. It's so important. 

Wright: [00:23:07] And we do wanna recommend to all of our listeners out there that we did have a mentorship episode on season one of the podcast, it was episode five. We had “The Power of Connection” with Dr. Cathy Hung as our guest, and she broke down some amazing techniques and just some of her approaches to mens that may be useful to you all as well.

Ioannidou: [00:23:28]  And the ADA gives you the opportunity also to connect with mentors, correct? Yes. As a member, you can opt in, you can designate yourself as a mentor, and then start helping the community if you feel that you can do this. 

Wright: [00:23:41] Yeah. So moving right along, Dr. Effie.

Ioannidou: [00:23:43] So many questions, but a lot of them that we received were related to the career path for international dentists.

So we received questions from international dentists asking about transitioning to work in the U.S.. And that's a tough one. Yeah, definitely. It's not an easy answer. It depends on the state, right? Every state has their own regulations and expectations for licensure. Again, disclaimer, I'm not a license.

Wright: [00:24:10] You're not the expert on this, huh? 

Ioannidou: [00:24:11] I'm not a licensure, I'm not expert on the then the licensure in the US. But I can tell you that there are a lot of opportunities, the number one step that everybody needs to do before even they start thinking about this is to make sure they pass the national boards right? Start with this, see where you are. 

Wright: [00:24:30] Yeah. There's just like certain places you have to start. That's the starting point. Is that what you're saying? 

Ioannidou: [00:24:35] That's exactly the starting point. Of course there are other options. There are the options of doing advanced standing educational programs. Are you aware of those?

Do you know, ArNelle, the advanced standing programs? No. The advanced standing programs are programs that many dental schools offer. Okay. And they are programs for. Existing dentists. So say you receive your dental degree in Greece or in any country of the world, I just gave a random example. And you move to the U.S. instead of dealing with specific state regulations and for licensure, you decide and you say, you know what, I'm gonna repeat dental school.

So I will be in an advanced standing status. Many schools have this in two others in three years. So you repeat your training and you end up with a, you graduate with a DDS. or DMD from an accredited dental school. So in the US the problem is solved. So then you follow your standard process of what you had.

Right.

Wright: [00:25:36] I might have heard of it. I may not have known that it was called advanced standing programs. That might, that may just be the thing that, yeah. because I know people who have gone that route, I just didn't know what it is that they were doing. I thought that they just had to pass the national board.

I'm a little bit out of the loop with that. 

Ioannidou: [00:25:51] That's one way to do it. The other way is to go and do your national boards, perhaps do residency. Again, different states have different regulations, and then based on what type of residency you have done, based on how many years you were in residency, there are some options towards licensure.

Of course, after the, how do they call it now? They call it REB’s or NERB’s or they have changed the ADEX. ADEX!

Wright: [00:26:16] Yes. it depends. It depends on the state. Right? 

Ioannidou: [00:26:19] Right, right. So it's not an easy answer. And having said that, in addition to all this, the burden of getting your equivalence of then the license, the other burden is the burden of immigration. Right?

So you have. Two things going in parallel that you have to solve. The one is the dental degree and the other is your immigration status in the US that we are talking about. Again, we are, neither of us are immigration specialists and we are talking just for the dental licensure here. 

Wright: [00:26:47] Right. Yeah, but there's just a few things that you have to sift through apparently. So for all of our listeners out there, we'll make sure that we include like a link to the show notes with information for our international dentists, including like requirements for licensure. 

So we're gonna get some experts to provide us with some information to plug here in our show notes to really help you contact information for dental state boards, links to the ADEA website regarding information about the advanced standing education programs and then other FAQs that could help you also get your questions answered on that topic. For sure. For sure. 

So here's another one that frequently comes up. Dentists tell us that they feel confident in their clinical skills, but they struggle with some of the more administrative aspects of being a dentist.

Oh, see, yeah. Here we go. This is what we're talking about. So how can they build up that skillset? What do you think?

Ioannidou: [00:27:45] I think it's what we discussed before. I think it's important not to be afraid to ask questions. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Yeah. Most of the schools offer some type of guidance or training on the practice management courses.,

Wright: [00:27:58] It's only a semester long though, right?

Ioannidou: [00:28:00] That's exactly right. 

Wright: [00:28:01] Like when you're on your way out the door and all you as a D4 , all you're thinking about is getting that piece of paper so that you can go and apply for a job.

Ioannidou: [00:28:11] Sure. You're absolutely right. So this is the thing, and that's why earlier when we were talking about mentorship. I was thinking about, you know, that most of us, most of the people in practice, dentist in practice, the first thing that pops in their mind is the clinical skills. But the reality of the other is that all the other, everything else surrounding the, the practicing dentists are silences that they're a little bit more complex than just the clinical skills, the clinical skills we solve.

Yeah. We train people well on this. Yeah. But what do we know about administrative, as you said, as skills, what we know about conflict resolution with colleagues, and with patients.

Wright: [00:28:51] Yes. Yes. Right. From the perspective of a new word, dentist. One of the things that I always do at my state meeting is I try to take a practice management class.

So this year was my first year not doing that. Instead, I had my staff come to the state meeting and they took certain classes where they can bring back cool information. Yeah, so usually it was like a burden that I put on myself, and I would, I would make sure that I took all of the classes, but now I'm at a point where, all right, I wanna invest in them because by investing in them, we all grow together.

I don't wanna be the one in the office with all of the information. So that's another way that you can get more knowledge and training in this area is by being like the doctor that's. In a class or a course with office managers or with, you know, front desk reps and people who do insurance, depending on your practice modality and if you accept insurance and things like that.

But it's something that I've always been interested in because I really like to be that person that's very involved in the practice in the day-to-day. And that may be good or bad. I'm still trying to, you know, I'm still just navigating what I like and what I don't like about it. But for right now, I just feel like it's really important for me to just kind of get my hands in there, get down and dirty, and know some of the things that are going on and administratively as well as clinically, because then, when it's time to course correct, I can kind of have a hand or a say in some of the things that get improved upon or just kind of discarded.

Ioannidou: [00:30:18] It's really not an easy area to navigate, you and you need your staff on the same page page. 

Yes, absolutely. Hundred percent. Yes. And that's why I think it's important to remember that the ADA third party payer concierge, This gives a lot. I mean, if I was in practice, I would definitely, I wouldn't be able to understand the third party payer, and really requires so much effort. And I think what, as a member of the ADA having the opportunity to have access to this, I find it as an amazing perk, resources.  Amazing. 

Wright: [00:30:54] For sure. Here is a really good question from Dr. Schoblaske from Medford, Oregon. She asks, what's one thing you learned on the podcast that you're still thinking about? 

Ioannidou: [00:31:04] So many nice memories. I know. Mia was very good. 

Wright: [00:31:09] That was Girl Power that day.

Ioannidou: [00:31:10]: Oh, oh my God. Yes. And Dr. Wu, when we talk about the, we talk about the partnerships.

And the different type of practices and how you start and the DSO’s, the transitions, it was very interesting conversations we had. So I mean, it was really a very productive season, I can say that. Yeah. 

Wright: [00:31:31] One thing that I've learned on the podcast, so I'm gonna say two things because I always just have multiple stories.

So from season one, we had “Making Money Moves”, which was episode seven with Steven Dunbar III. I really loved his love language toolkit, so, if you wanna go back, you all just, I'm just plugging that because finances is something that constantly comes up in the newer dentists, and even our more seasoned dentists won't, wouldn't you say like, Dr. Effie? 

Like finances is something that's always gonna be. Hundred percent. Yeah. So I think like that is really, really important to just utilize that resource. It's a PDF, if I'm not mistaken, but just go back to the show notes from episode seven of season one. That was something really, really useful that my family and I are actually starting to dive into as a result of that conversation that we had. Now, it was an interview for us, but it was also information for me as a listener once I went back and listened to the content. 

So the second thing I want to just plug from season two episode one, which was “Becoming the dental advocate”. I experienced Lobby Day this year for the first time, and again, these are my own personal stories. This is not anything that, you know, anybody has curated for me. Being at Lobby Day for one was just an experience in and of itself. And then just being able to talk to Sarah Milligan and Peter Aiello from the Tooth Talk podcast, that was just a good amount of information and it was just like a well-rounded conversation.

I just really appreciated having just recently come off a Lobby Day experience that I had never had before. So, Just wanna plug those two things and just say thanks to all of our guests. Not that anybody else who was on the podcast was not phenomenal because we've learned a lot, we've had a lot of good conversations.

But those are two things that stick out in my mind, like off the top of my head here, recently. 

Ioannidou: [00:33:27] We learned a lot of things, but what I would tell you, what is the, what is the flavor that this experience left in my heart for me. The bottom line of these nine episodes is that there is a lot of wisdom around us in our community.

Yeah. I think that we learned so many things from so many different guests, right? We improvised, we had spontaneous conversations, questions, these agreements, agreements. For me, this shows that we, in the ADA community, we are so diverse. We are a diverse group of a lot of crazy and interesting people. That can come together and have very interesting and intellectual conversations. And this is what I learned from the podcast. I really like the fact that we took so many different topics, right? From wellness to volunteering to, you name it, mentoring, so, so many things. 

Wright: [00:34:25] Yes, I agree. 

Ioannidou: [00:34:26] We really have to thank all our audience members that participated and responded to our request and sent all these super interesting questions.

Wright: [00:34:37] Yes, absolutely. Ah, we had. So many people who came, you spent your time with us. You sent in such questions like from the entire season. Like I just had such a blast. Go team, go. You know, like that was really, really good. So we just wanna give a really meaningful thank you to everybody who sent in questions and gave us your time for just some really, really rich conversation here on the podcast.

And if you like this episode, go ahead and share it with a friend or a colleague. Then subscribe to this podcast wherever you are listening so you can get the latest episodes. 

Ioannidou: [00:35:09] You can also rate and write a review and follow us on social media and send us questions. 

Wright: [00:35:14] And don't forget the conversation continues on the ADA Member App with exclusive bonus content, just for members.

Ioannidou: [00:35:21] We'll be taking a little break and stay tuned for updates on when we will be back with season three.

Announcer: [00:35:30] Thank you for joining us. Dental Sound Bites is an American Dental Association podcast. You can also find this show, resources and more on the ADA Member App and online at ada.org/podcast.