Catching Up with Jessica Sliger, "The Dentist Mama"

Dr. Jessica Sliger is a former teacher who went back to school to become a pediatric dentist. She practices at a group practice in Arkansas where she is passionate about TOTs, seeing patients with special needs, using AI to help present treatment plans, and recently teaching new restorative techniques with the Bioclear method. She also helped Arkansas establish a dental school, with the goal of improving access to care in the state. Jessica shares her journey as a pediatric dentist on social media with the Instagram handle, "@dentistmama."

Dr. Tiffany Green is a pediatric dentist from the Jackson, Mississippi area. We have a great lunchtime conversation regarding a variety of topics including:- Why dropping Delta Dental was the right move for her practice- How her love for running keeps her sharp as a pediatric dentist- Why DSOs are struggling- Dr. Green's experience and appreciation for Invisalign First, and how she incorporates ortho into her practice

Dr. Stefanie Meek is a pediatric dentist and partner at a large group practice in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is currently on maternity leave with a new baby, so we took the opportunity to have a discussion about all things pediatric dentistry. We talk about how much time to take off after having a baby, what her oral sedation cocktail consists of, and how her partnership buy-in was structured prior to COVID hitting. This is a great episode for anybody wanting to hear a partnership story and the benefits of working in a large group-practice setting.

This episode is all about improving communications skills and becoming a better leader. This is a topic I haven't focused on with any previous episodes, so I'm excited to bring my listeners something a little different. Dr. Randy Weinshel is a pediatric dentist with a career that expands to include military service, academics, and private practice. Health issues forced him into an early retirement from private practice, allowing him to shift gears and to focus on consulting and helping other pediatric dentists lead and operate at their highest level. Randy reviews his six fundamental principals for good leadership. We also discuss examples of what he sees with poor leaders, and where many dentists go wrong when it comes to setting a good example for their dental team.

We are joined today by The Kindness Bro himself... Dr. Glenn Canares. Glenn is an academic pediatric dentist and the program director at the University of Maryland. Glenn shares his story of how he experienced bouts of panic attacks while in clinic, and he knew he needed to make some radical life changes. He talks about how he found success with weight training, giving himself grace, and expanding on what it means to be kind to yourself. We talk about how we all can strive to reach a "black belt level" state of nirvana in pediatric dentistry where we can disconnect ourselves from our outcomes, and focus on the aspects of pediatric dentistry that we love. Glenn was a fantastic guest and I encourage listeners to follow his social media as he has several speaking events and messages that help promote kindness and wellness in our profession. Coaching available (online group and one-on-ones)Email: [email protected] or DM through Social Media PlatformsSocial Media to follow:Instagram: @kindnessbro (https://www.instagram.com/kindnessbro/)TikTok: @kindness.bro (https://www.tiktok.com/@kindness.bro)YouTube: @thekindnessbro (https://www.youtube.com/@thekindnessbro)Speaking Available:Kindness Curriculum: A New Model for Sustainable Dental EducationKeynote for the ADEA Fall Conference in Colorado Springs, CO (Oct 15 - Oct 17) Email: [email protected]

70,000 SDF applications and 11,000 ART fillings. Dr. Jonathan Norris and his partners own 10 practices across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. They have built their entire practice philosophy on being minimally invasive. I love having these conversations because its so interesting to see how different pediatric dentists can practice. We have a great conversation and discuss:- Their protocol for SDF and SMART fillings, when it works and when it doesn't- Why they only use glass products- Hall crowns vs modified Hall crowns- Papacarie for ART fillings- How is minimally invasive dentistry perceived by referring GPs?

Dr. Lizzy Standish is a pediatric dentist from Lafayette, Indiana. We met at AAPD when she was telling me about her involvement and passion for comedy, specifically improv. I invited her on the podcast to learn more about how this skillset improved her communication with parents and made her a better pediatric dentist.

Dr. Diana Pelzer is a pediatric dentist and owner of The Nest Pediatric Dentistry in Waukee, Iowa. She opened the practice from scratch in 2020 in a large modern building that she constructed at the same time. After just 5 years of being open, she added an addition on the building along with a bringing on a new associate.Dr. Pelzer has a virtual adult beverage with me as we discuss start-ups, commercial real estate as a new pediatric dentist, developing a great brand and reputation in the community, and dealing with the highs and lows of managing employees.

Dr. Shon Diguglielmo is a pediatric dentist and partner at a large legacy multi-specialty practice in Vermont. The partnership consists of seven pediatric dentists and three orthodontists. They have a unique system in which they equally split the same number of working days in a calendar year. The partners are all reimbursed equally (profits are not distributed by production percentage). Dr. Shon shares how they structure this and why it works so well for their doctors.Dr. Shon also shared with me that a previous Brews and Tiny Teeth Episode inspired him to explore the option of partnering with a DSO. He explains why their practice made that transition, how he did his due diligence, and why it was the right move for his group.

Dr. Karli Williams is a pediatric dentist at Black Hills Pediatric Dentistry in South Dakota. She is a partner at a large, established practice that serves children with major access to care barriers across South Dakota and the surrounding states. Her busy practice also owns and runs a stand-alone surgery center that operates with CRNAs five days a week. Carly cracks a beer and talks with me about South Dakota, treating Native children, operating a surgical center, using Equia strip crowns, and how they survived a Medicaid audit.