Episode 252: Stay or Get Fired? The Office Manager Dilemma

Lance and Holly return with their blunt, humorous take on dental life: from podcast ad surprises and social media rants to buying practices, toxic staff, broken equipment, and the mystery of patient treats disappearing. They share candid advice for new owners, staffing red flags, and keeping a practice running smoothly—plus some personal stories and banter.

Hosts Lance and Holly deliver blunt, practical advice for dentists and office staff, from deciding whether to leave a DSO for private practice to the must‑have skills for front‑desk and insurance work. They also cover real office scenarios—patient paperwork, after‑hours fees, handling insurers—and share candid personal moments about attitude, jet lag, and office culture.

Hosts Lance and Holly return with a mile-high recap: a whirlwind trip through London, Norway (including a near-miss on a treacherous scenic byway, a visit to Flåm and Bergen, and an unexpected royal funeral), then on to Paris and the Moulin Rouge. Back home they dig into dental topics from Delta Dental audits and conflicts of interest to buying practices, managing staff and assistant drama, and workplace phone policies — all delivered with blunt humor and practical advice for the average dentist.

Surprise!  We didn't wait another year....  We are surprised too...   So we found more social bullshits.  Facebook had an office manager try to say how tone deaf dentists are.  Stay in your lane. Humana shits the bed when trying to control Brad, so that was fun.... And Holly vents about embezzlement.  Fun is had by ALL!   For shits and giggles:  Better Help

OK.  Podfade is over.  We are back and we miss Dolly.   We catch up (sorta).  Then we talk about idiot dentists (what else is new).  Do you charge a no-show fee?  SHOULD you?   How long should your dentistry last?  2 years?  10?  Lifetime?   Plug for EMS Airflow.

WI are back!  A nice summer episode, sipping our new favorite Semillon from Aadland-Moody vineyards and dispensing nothing but the finest of dental advice.   Our first situation: is dentistry a right?  Do people deserve teeth and required care? Do monkies fly out of my butt? Why do people think dentistry only costs US our time? Why does CURRENT CE make you better?   Second issue: How do you handle an assistant that is AWESOME one day, but then sucks on all the rest?  Do you “work” with them, or just cut bait?   Finally: are dentists influencers?  What or who do they influence?  Where do I sign up for that sweet sweet influencer gravy?   Products that I can’t live without: CBCT: I use the Vatech Green full FOV iTero: my favorite IO scanner Wand STA: I cannot numb without it Isolite: replaces at least ONE employee EMS Airflow: any preventive visit without this is simply inferior Enova Headlight: I am terrible if I can’t SEE Smileline brushes: colorizing OnX Tough 2 arches Sprintray 55S printer: full arch dentistry NEEDS quality prototypes Designs for Vision 6.0 loupes: I am a shit dentist without these  

So... its been 32 years.  in a ROW   What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

OK.  You still with me?  Yes, it has been a while.  We don't even know.... We catch up with the last year!  You can fast forward.  Or not. Ever dismissed an entire family for the behavior of a single member?  Dismiss the ONE?  Or is it grounds to dismiss EVERYONE?  Can you hate TOO many people? Petty cash.  Do you still use that?  Why/why not?   Shout out to The Stanley Institute, Implant Pathways, Beever Dental Lab, Chucri Chemali, IDS, Smile Line Europe, Smile Line USA

OK.  Clearly it has been a minute.  Holly is sorry (Lance doesn't care).    We catch up, we talk travel, charity, and the grind of dentistry.   And if you would like to contribute to the cat sanctuary in Samos, Greece, please click:  DONATE

One for the ages