In the inaugural episode of 'The Healing Journey' podcast, Dr. Kate Oland, shares her motivations and the inspiration behind starting the podcast. She recounts how a conversation with Dr. Kevin Penton on his podcast piqued her interest in creating her own platform to discuss various forms of healing: physical, emotional, spiritual, and more. Dr. Oland outlines her personal journey with myofascial release therapy and its impact on her healing. She delves into her past struggles, including her battle with an eating disorder and how it prompted her healing journey. The episode also features an interview with Dr. Ben Hite, a private practice dentist, who shares his professional journey and the importance of personalized, intentional care in dentistry. They discuss differences between corporate and private practices, emphasizing the personalized care and community-focused approach in private practice. Additionally, Dr. Hite explains the advantages of advances in dental technology, such as 3D Mastermind and sedation dentistry. The episode explores the challenges and benefits of maintaining a private practice in the evolving healthcare landscape.
The Healing Journey: Episode 1 - Healing From Food
In the inaugural episode of 'The Healing Journey,' host Dr. Kate Oland, introduces herself and discusses her initial inspiration for starting the podcast. She talks about her background as a holistic physical therapist and a university anatomy and physiology instructor, explaining her deep interest in myofascial release and holistic healing. Dr. Oland also shares personal insights into her journey of healing from an eating disorder, the role of faith in her healing process, and the importance of self-acceptance. The episode features an in-depth conversation with Dr. Ben Hite, her dentist and a private practice owner, who contrasts the differences between corporate and private dental practices. They discuss the importance of personalized care, the evolving nature of the dental industry, and the benefits of innovative dental techniques such as sedation and implant technology for patients with dental anxiety. This episode offers listeners a comprehensive look at various dimensions of healing and dental wellness, aiming to foster a more unified and empathetic approach to health.
00:00 Introduction to The Healing Journey
00:31 Inspiration Behind the Podcast
02:21 Mission and Scope of The Healing Journey
03:02 Personal Healing Journey
04:42 Defining Healing
05:34 Healing the Inner Child
07:04 Faith and Healing
10:13 Music as a Form of Healing
11:25 Healing from Food
21:46 Interview with Dr. Ben Heit
33:29 Building a Strong Team Culture
33:50 Transitioning to Private Practice
34:40 Challenges of Running a Smaller Practice
35:12 The Importance of Office Design
37:46 Investing in Education and Technology
42:59 The Benefits of Sedation Dentistry
44:51 Full Arch Implants Explained
48:06 Corporate vs. Private Practice
52:44 The Future of Private Practice Dentistry
54:38 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Media mentioned in podcast:
Reviving Ophelia (book) by Mary Pipher
The Omnivores Dilemma (book) by Michael Pollan
The A&P Professor (podcast) Hosted by Dr. Kevin Patton: https://theapprofessor.org/podcast-episode-152.html
Resources for Eating Disorders:
There are several reputable public resources for individuals dealing with an eating disorder, including hotlines, support groups, and educational materials. Here are some options:
National & International Organizations:
Crisis Support & Hotlines:
Online Support Groups & Forums:
Hello listeners, this is Dr. Kate Oland, or Cato as my friends call me, but I am here for our first episode of The Healing Journey. And I just wanna take you on a brief trek on how I got inspired to host a podcast. So last year I engaged in a conversation with my dear old friend, Dr. Kevin Penton. I was a guest on his podcast, the a and p Professor, that's a Amper Sign P professor, and I had a blast on episode 1 52 talking about one of my favorite subjects.
The fascial system. Now, I might be biased, but I think it was a very interesting episode and it goes into a deep dive of how myofascial release, which is my area of expertise, can help to heal the body physically right down to the cellular level. So if you feel called to take a listen to that conversation where I talk about my favorite tissue fascia and I talk about applications in the therapeutic world, well, I will provide a link to that episode in the show notes, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
And I don't want to get too hung up on all of that quite yet, although I do suspect the Healing Journey will have an episode or five on how myofascial Release could help you on your healing journey as it's been a big part of mine. In fact, my professional journey of becoming a holistic physical therapist coupled with teaching anatomy and physiology at the university level, well, it has also aligned with my own personal healing, physically, emotionally, spiritually, which is why I'm so excited to initiate this project, the Healing Journey.
So the mission of the Healing journey is to allow this platform to expand the discussion of healing. Spiritual, physical, energetic, generational, emotional, religious, financial, political, and my favorite sexual and so much more. Yes, that's right. If you're my friend, you know, we're gonna talk about sex and we're gonna talk about it openly and without shame.
'cause that's how it should be. But we will engage with professionals in the healing world as well as allow individuals to be vulnerable with the audience in sharing their own path to healing. And I just, I wanna take a minute to own up to the fact that I don't think that my story is all that unique. I, um, I began attending John Barnes myofascial release classes about five years ago, and I have met many friends of fascia along the way.
And I think it's very possible that this type of work naturally attracts therapists that are searching for healing themselves. When I attended my first class, that was back in the fall of 2020, it changed my life, both personally and professionally, but I learned, and what I saw that weekend helped me to formulate the narrative that had been hiding in the depths of my mind for a long time that I was not enough.
That was the story I've been telling myself probably my whole life. And as you take this journey with me, we will explore many reasons why so many people tell themselves that they are not enough. But through the work I've done guided by John Barnes and the community he's formed, and some incredible therapists, I am now of the opinion that I am enough.
It's not that I'm not enough. But the society as a whole, as I formally knew it, it was not enough for me. I needed to change my mindset, one breath at a time, and this is where I started to explore what it means to heal. So let's talk about that for a minute. What do I mean when I say healing? Well, I am of the opinion that anytime we perceive stress, and when I say stress, I mean tension, anxiety, emotional, and or physical discomfort, just to name a few perceptions.
Anytime we have discomfort, I think it's very possible that we are in need of some form of healing. And it might be simple. Maybe you just need to take a deep breath, clear your mind, shake it off, and move on with your day. And that, my friends, is a form of healing. It can be that simple, but healing can also be horribly complex.
I think that the most common form of complex healing involves healing the inner child. Healing those wounds that were developed as we were at the most impressionable stages of our development. And these wounds can cause us to form habits that become so ingrained in our daily life. We can't decipher between our wounds and ourselves.
And when I say ourselves, I mean our true inner authentic self. The self that stands alone and has influence from no other source. Can you picture that? Just being yourself with influence from nothing and no one else. Like a long young child without a care in the world exploring their environment. Just a few weeks ago, I observed this at a church function.
There was a little boy about three years old. He was stomping around. He was all tangled up in this bouquet of balloons, but he didn't care. He was just playing and learning and excited to be there. He was surrounded by a loving community and he was having a care. Free moment. One of the goals of my healing journey has been to reconnect with the loving curiosity like that of a small child fully in the present moment.
And that little antidote brings me to an important point, which is my faith. Uh, it has been a heavy source of healing for me over the years, and I want to acknowledge that I am still a Christian. Uh, being a Christian has been a part of my healing, but lately I've been jokingly referring to myself as a recovered Catholic.
I was raised Catholic and although I was given many gifts by the Catholic church, I also sustained some wounds along the way. Primarily in the forms of judgment and shame. Now I have landed in what I consider a safe space of a non-denominational local liberal Christian Church. And I say this, not that I want to recruit anyone, although all are welcome, but uh, I don't want to defer anyone from any particular faith as well.
Okay. I just want to acknowledge that my faith is a thick lens through which I see the world, while also acknowledging that religion. It has a tendency to be divisive, especially more and more recently. Now, I don't wanna lose any listeners at this point. It is early in my podcast career, so I do wanna mention that although I am a Christian, I also believe in the healing powers of the universe.
Now, some people refer to those healing powers as energy or astrology. Reiki woo woo. Or there's even some people use this as a negative context of voodoo, which it did not start off negative in the beginning if you look at the history of that practice. But my opinion is that all of these forms of thought can be powerfully healing in nature, but it is my belief mine, I believe that.
Healing powers come from the Lord or the Creator. Now, some of my atheists and my agnostic friends disagree with me, and I want you to know that that is okay. We are here to talk about different opinions without judgment or shame. Now I hold space for all beliefs as long as they're not spreading hate or division.
And as we continue the conversation of healing. I hope to take a deeper dive into some of these divisive issues in hopes that we can heal collectively, and the optimist in me hopes that this will help us create a more unified society. I
now, we have a message from one of our sponsors who's using their skills and talent to try to create a more unified society as well. One of my favorite forms of healing has occurred through music. I played the piano and violin as a child, but in my adult years, I seek out healing in the form of music created by others.
Some of my most healing moments have occurred through the music of my favorite band, carbon Leaf. Initially, I was attracted to the unique sound of folky Celtic Rock. But as I allowed myself to become more immersed in their music, I found so much healing in their lyrics. It's as if they plucked the emotions out of my heart and spun them into melodies.
I don't know how, but they know just how I feel. If you wanna learn more about this grassroots band, you can check them out@carbonleaf.com or on the Carbon Leaf Facebook page. But if this sounds like a listening experience you want to explore, you can listen to, to them anywhere you stream your favorite music.
Happy Healing.
So welcome to the first episode of The Healing Journey, healing from Food. As I was choosing the topic for my first few episodes, I wanted it to be a topic that could pertain to the masses as well as a topic that I was also very passionate about. Anyone who has ever known me has been made very well aware of the fact that food is very important to my daily life.
Oh, it's been, oh my gosh, at least a decade, maybe longer. Do you remember the Betty White Snickers Bar commercial for the campaign? You're not You when you're hungry. It aired for the first time during the 2010 Super Bowl and the next day my colleague Kim informed me that she thought of me during that commercial, and my ex-husband used to say, I was like the Hulk when I got hungry.
And he wasn't completely wrong, at least not in this particular instance. But not only do I have a strong physiological response to hunger, but I also experience deep enjoyment from food as well. But my relationship with food has had a tumultuous past. A past that has reared its ugly head in my current day life.
And now I wanna give a disclaimer. I am about to start discussing my healing from an eating disorder, and I want to prepare any listeners who might get triggered by talking about such things. And if you are suffering or you think you might be suffering from an eating disorder, you can find resources in the episode notes.
Or online@nationaleatingdisorders.org or by calling 1 809 3 1 2 2 3 7. Now this episode starts with this very serious topic, but later we will also be joined by a friend and, uh, my dentist. He's become my friend over the years. While we discuss some of the issues that can come from healing from food, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
At the end of last year, I had to have extensive dental work. I had to have seven crowns. From a dentist that I know love and trust, and his name is Dr. Ben. He and his office is right here in Edwardsville, Illinois. Now, he and his staff were wonderfully supportive to me as my anxiety was significantly triggered through this process, which forced me to recognize that the eating disorder that I suffered from in my teenage years long before my brain was fully developed.
Well, it has caused lasting and permanent effects on my body for several years as a teen, I participated in binging and purging, as well as some other self-harming behaviors. I had a warped sense of what I was supposed to look like, what I was supposed to be like. As a young female, and I allowed that obsession of perception to consume me and that led me down the road of being a bulimic teenager.
And I've thought about it a lot over the years. Um, it was a painful time in my life and I think that behavior began as a way for me to feel like I had more control, control over my body. Because I was in that time of life when I was desperately grasping for more autonomy, and I think that's why this behavior manifested in me.
I believe that those painful years coupled also with many years of excessive alcohol consumption in my young adulthood, well, they have contributed to the fact that my teeth were exposed to an acidic environment. That took its toll over the years, and let me tell you, it has not been a cheap toll,
as painful as it is for me to reflect on the person that I was at that time. I also believe that this is where my healing journey truly began. I somehow always seem to know or think that this would not be a behavior that I adopted. Permanently, and maybe I was just in denial. And actually I don't remember exactly when the purging behavior of mine ended ended.
It was before I left my parents' house to go to college. But around that time, I remember reading my first self-help book, it is titled Surviving Ophelia, and it really spoke to me. Even at that young age, I truly enjoyed how the author blended science with storytelling. It combined psychological research coupled with compelling personal narratives.
Now, the book was published in the nineties when I was at the heart of my teenage adolescence, and I felt like I was reading about myself on those pages. And although it was written in that era, I believe that these issues are timeless. Body image issues, peer pressure and mental health struggles, they all remain relevant today.
So for me, that was the first time I began to see that there was a connection between how I felt and how I behaved. I wanna repeat that. I recognized the connection between what I was feeling and how that contributed. To my behavior. Now, I wasn't yet able to put those words onto it, but some reflection on how I was feeling 30 years ago.
I was just realizing that strong connection between my emotions and behavior and that there were issues in both my external and my internal environment that were predisposing me to some relatively seriously mental health conditions. And I think I was rare in the world of people affected by eating disorders.
I, I overcame this particular behavior without the support of a professional. But it wasn't until I started therapy for the first time around age 25 or 26, that I, I truly began to explore some of those predisposed issues when I actively began to heal from my eating disorder. But healing is a journey and as I mentioned, my current reality of needing that dental work caused me to once again reflect on some of my self-destructing times of life and thinking about it as painful, but, but it's not as painful as it once was.
Lemme say that again. It's not as painful as it was in the beginning. Dealing with my shame with a professional for the first time was extremely painful on an emotional level, but I sought out support from my partner and my friends at that time, and that was a tremendous help to me. During my first few months of getting some therapy, I also started speaking openly and honestly about my mood that I would eventually realize that I suffered from moderate to severe anxiety.
When I finally accepted that diagnosis and started taking medicine, medicine that I resisted for years, years, I resisted. But when I finally broke down and started taking Zoloft well. I felt like I was finally able to become the person I had been, been capable of being all along for my whole life for nearly 30 years.
I had allowed the emotions of fear and shame to control my behavior, causing me to worry unnecessarily and behave erratically. And this behavior can sometimes be disorienting to those around me. And don't worry. I know, I know. I'm still like that. To a certain degree. My therapist assures me that some of these behaviors were learned so deeply throughout my development that they are somewhat a part of my personality.
But like any human trait, personality can shift in time with intentional work. So. In this first episode of The Healing Journey, I am so excited to share with you the interview I did with the man who recently helped me heal from some of the physical damage my eating disorder inflicted on my body. And just a moment you'll hear from my dentist, Dr.
Ben Het, about how we have both tried to be intentional about the way we help others heal through our own private practice. But first, a message. From one of our sponsors. This episode is brought to you by Thrive Everywhere, a platform designed to make healthcare simple. With Thrive everywhere, you can quickly find the right provider by searching, by services, diagnoses, or specialty areas.
And if you're a clinician, it's never been easier to build your practice and focus on what matters most. Caring for your patients. Take the stress out of navigating healthcare coming soon. Thrive everywhere.com. Happy healing.
I.
today on The Healing Journey, I wanna welcome my friend and my dentist, Dr. Ben Heit. Ben, welcome to the Healing Journey. Oh,
thank you.
Yeah, I'm excited to have you here.
And over the years we've had some interesting conversations and I am really hopeful that we can relay some of these conversations to the audience so they can learn a little bit more about the differences between private practice dentistry and corporate dentistry. But before we get into all that, um, I like to start with asking people, where did you get your education?
A little fun fact. I actually spent five years in undergrad and I still don't have a bachelor's degree. So
what, how is that possible?
I went to a small school to play football, um, in Kansas City, Liberty, Missouri, William Jewel. I was there for a year. So I was at JUUL for a year playing football and I just, you know, it was.
I just didn't love it anymore, so I wanted out. And then my dad is a lab technician. He had a small lab in the house, so I ended up going to Carbondale because they have a lab tech school there. And I did that for a year. And then I was like, when you say lab
tech, is that like a dental lab technician?
Yep, a dental lab technician.
So they was crown and bridge. They made crowns for, you know, various dentists around town. I was just gonna go to school and help him with that and, uh, be there with him. And then I did that for a year and
I was
like, uh, I don't think this is it either. I'd rather be on the other side of dentistry being a doctor.
So, you know, I had junior level credits starting like freshman level, um, biology, so I got. Into dental school before getting my bachelor's because I just got all my prerequisites done and got in. So I got to get out of there after five years and not get a bachelor's degree. So they called me actually and said, I like, 'cause a lot of my friends did like the three years and they got their bachelor's like the year after the first year of dental school.
So I called after I was a doctor and I'm like, Hey, what does it take to get my, um, bachelor's degree from Carbondale? Like, well, you don't have botany. I'm like, huh, ? . So I'm like, not happen, I'm not learning about plants at, uh Oh,
botany.
I got you. So, yeah,
it was, I'm like, Nope, not doing that. So yeah, all I have is A-A-D-M-D. So
all you have is a doctor doctorate, all you have. Yes. Well, that, that's so crazy. Not a lot of people
can say it. I like, I like say it because it sounds hysterical like I some moron or something. But no, it's just a winding journey.
It is a winding journey. And listen, I didn't realize you had all that, um, uncertainty in your youth. And I, you know, I, I teach, uh, undergrad anatomy and physiology and I love, I hope my students are listening. You know, you started out on one track, you ended up on another, and sometimes that's the way it goes.
I think there's so much pressure on young people to pick a track and stick with it, and then they almost feel like they fail when it doesn't happen the way they planned it. But man. Some of the happiest professionals I know. Yeah. Had to kind of did, didn't go straight through, you know, didn't go Yeah. On that straight trajectory.
So
yeah, I had no idea. I thought I wanted to be a teacher and a football coach, so like Yeah,
a little different.
Yeah, for sure.
That's, that's funny. 'cause when I was little I thought I wanted to be a teacher also. But in the healthcare profession, you and I are educating people.
Yeah.
And thank God I'm not in a classroom with kids.
You know, like, let's just put it out there. I thought that's what I wanted. I, I mean, I am in a classroom with young adults and I do love teaching there, but those, those kids too. Yeah. So, well, so you got your, um, you finished dental school.
Went to SIU Oh mm-hmm.
It's in Alton.
Yeah. And then how many years is that? Four
years.
Four years of dental school. And then when you come out, are you, it, that's it. You don't have to do practicals or like affiliates or anything. You just,
no boards. And then you're, you're out on your own.
You're on your own. And what did you do for your early career?
Um, well, I was gonna buy a practice right outta school and I just, I wasn't ready to do it, so I kind of. Didn't take that offer. And then I just found something kind of local. I worked in like a, a smaller like DSO for years. I'm sorry, a
small what?
It's a, what do you call it? Like a dental service organization or something like that.
So that's the corporate dentistry, but a small one.
A small corporate.
Okay. Yeah. So that was, I would say awful, would be a great way to describe that and. Um, why was it awful?
It just wasn't a great working environment. I wasn't doing the type of dentistry I wanted to do. Mm-hmm. Like, it was just, you know, work as hard as you can on
Yeah. It just wasn't, it wasn't a great fit, you know? Okay. For me, so. So, where'd you from? That there, there's, there's a lot of story there that we're not gonna get into, so,
okay. Maybe another episode, next episode. We'll, we'll dive into, uh, healing from SDO.
Yeah. D-S-O-D-S-O. Sorry. Yeah. So then I went to Heartland Dental.
Um, my dream was always to have my own practice, but uh, I needed a job, so, mm-hmm. Well, I did have one stop somewhere else for like two months, but that was not good either. So
that's a blip. I got
into Har, I got into Heartland for, and I thought it was gonna be a quick stop, and I ended up being there eight years.
So,
and Heartland's considered corporate, isn't it?
Oh yeah. Yeah. They're the biggest, they're the biggest DSL in the country. I do.
Well, and I actually, I think, so this is where I started to learn about dentistry. I was a young PT and I was going to a Heartland office. Mm-hmm. And actually a newly retired dentist was my patient and mm-hmm.
I can't remember his name to save my life. But I do remember talking to him about like, you know, I brush my teeth. Three times a day. I have a toothbrush at work, and I was fine six months ago, and now that, I guess my treatment plan, they had all this work they wanted to do on my treatment plan. They had this, mm-hmm.
May you'll, I don't even know what it's called. Then the little thingy, they tapped on my tooth and it was supposed to score my tooth about how. Mm-hmm. Strong it was. Mm-hmm. What's that called? Do you,
uh, I know what you're talking about. I don't use that. Um, okay. Well,
I think that's good because it's
like a Yeah, you get a number.
Yeah.
Yeah. They were grading my team. It's like a little laser
or something. Yeah.
Yeah. And so they told me I needed to have all this work done, and I just mm-hmm. Didn't, it didn't sit right with me. And I talked to my patient about it and he said, oh, you're at Heartland and Kate. Did you know that those dentists, if they don't meet their quota.
They get fired. And I just thought that seems so unethical.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean it's, uh, it's, I think you're gonna run into like all types of people in the corporate dentistry world. Like I didn't have a bad experience with Harlem. Like, I always just wanted to do my own thing. So like, um. I think I did well enough there that they just kind of let me alone.
Like I was never like a rah rob. Like people get so excited about being a part of that, or, and I was just like, I'm, I'm just not a corporate guy. So like, um, yes, I think there's, there's definitely that, like the pressure to produce and like, yes, there's shareholders, there's this, there's that. So, um, it's, it is like, it's still like when you get down to it, like.
Doctor specific on how they like respond to that. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. So there's like a lot of good people there too, but you just hear about it since it is like under that same umbrella of the kind of the nasty stuff sometimes too. So. Well,
I was focused on the nasty stuff 'cause I did not wanna spend that kind of money.
And I, yeah. I got a second opinion from a private practice dentist mm-hmm. Who said, you know, like, you know, I think you have one tooth we need to keep an eye on, but I don't think you need to do anything right away. And I said, okay. Yeah,
for sure.
Yeah. So, you know, I, I learned from that experience and then mm-hmm.
Flash forward about. 10 years later and mm-hmm. I was seeing Dr. Oca. Mm-hmm. And then I remember, I think I saw him once or twice before you walked in. You bought his practice?
Yep.
Was this after Heartland 17?
Yep. Okay. Yeah. I specifically worked like 45 minutes away, so I had no non-compete issues or anything like that.
I always wanted to be like in town, so
Yeah.
Yeah. I kind of had my eye on it for a long time.
So. Yeah, so I think, you know, Dr. Osaka was incredible when I moved to Edwardsville, that's who my partner sent me to. And he trusted him completely. Yeah. And I remember being kind of bummed after just two visits.
This new guy came in and. Told me I needed to have a crown, and I started to wonder if I was gonna get my mouth overworked again. I had been at a corporate office and mm-hmm they were gonna overwork me. And then, then I came in to have said work done. And I'll never forget the look on your face. I was like, what is wrong with this dude?
And you were kinda le you were like leaning back and I now, now in my mind's eye, you're like really thinking hard and you went, you know, I think. I think I can give you a feeling. I don't think you need to have this crown. And I was like, okay, that's it. This is my guy. Yeah. Stole my heart. When you filled my cabinets again, I've never seen another dentist again.
Yeah. So I mean, I'm always, I just like, I'm always gonna, I strive to always just do the right thing for that, you know, the patient that's just like, I wanna do what's right. That's kind of what I try to live my life by. That's how I practice, you know? So I'm just. You know, some things are not as black and white, and sometimes you can be.
Fooled, you know, so yeah.
Yes, yes you can. And you know, but when you're trying to do it right, I think often we get hard on ourselves, you know? Mm-hmm. Especially if, 'cause sometimes we make mistakes too, right? It happens, but not very often. But because we care. Because we care. That is the difference. Mm-hmm.
Absolutely. Now, so you came and you got bought your own practice and you got into town.
Mm-hmm.
How, how did that process go for you?
I mean, I think Wally was great. I mean, so it was easy. Like we got along really well and we kind of got it worked out and, you know, it, it went pretty smoothly. Like I really wanted it, I think, I think he got what he wanted out of it and I thought, you know, I think it was a pretty fair deal.
So, you know, anytime you like buy something and you go into a, you know, a team of, I think we had seven people. They're having the same questions you did. Like, oh, this guy came from Heartland. What's he gonna do? Like, who's he gonna be? And all these questions that they have that, you know, how's he gonna change it?
Is it gonna be better? Is it gonna be worse? You know, like you have to like kind of wade through all those waters and you know, get the team on your side. So I think I did a pretty good job of that. I mean, we still have.
5 people. I think that were, you know, with me eight years ago. So
I was about to say, I think the, uh, you brought the majority of your staff.
Yeah.
From, from the predecessor. You still, mm-hmm. A lot of those people are still working with you, and I think that speaks volumes.
Yeah, I think it does too.
I mean, I really work on culture. You know, I always say height, family dentistry is more about the family inside than it's the families that are coming in. You know, like, because we're always gonna treat those people the way they need to be treated. So, you know, I just think when we're all working as a team pulling together, like we can get a lot of things done.
Yeah. Well, so you got your private practice. Um, what was, what were some of the biggest differences between, you know, you, you made that leap and how did your practice change when you, when you became a boss?
Um, yeah, it's kinda like all on you, right? So it's, uh, you go from having a support organization that's gonna.
Make go to and practice
meetings.
It's like on one hand it's good. I get it. You know, I kind of wanna be left alone. And then on the other hand, it's like you get out and it's like, you know, some of that stuff's like pretty important. So like you, we gotta keep the lights on here. So, yeah. You know, you gotta get, you gotta like dive into the numbers of the business and you gotta see how you're attract patients and you gotta see like, you know, I went from nine operatories with Heartland to four operatories with my new practice.
So it's like, oh, I think this is gonna be so easy. You know, we only have four rooms. It can't be that hard. I mean, it was, it was a lot of work. Yeah. It's the smaller, the smaller space made it like, well, we had a gigantic practice in a tiny building.
Yeah.
That's, that's how I describe it. So it's like we, you know, and I, I knew when I bought it, like I did not wanna be there like I have, I kinda like the nice, shiny new things.
Well, and your office
shows it. Your office is nice and shiny, and so pretty
well, thank you. Yeah. Yeah. I've spent a lot of time, a lot of work on it. You know, I think it's, it's different. Like I made it spacious and big. Like I didn't cram as many rooms in as I could for the square footage, and it was like all on purpose.
So, you know, I, I, I really like how it, it turned out, um, you know, big differences would. The numbers and then you're the guy making all the calls. So that's, you know, hiring, firing. We don't do a lot of firing, but, which is a good thing I think.
Yeah. But, uh,
um,
do you have an office manager?
I do. Kendra. I hired Kendra.
She started with me on day one, so yeah, she's still here, so
yeah, she's
my right hand man. So I love Kendra,
right hand woman, I would say. As a feminist.
Interchangeable. Yeah.
Okay. Let's, but well, so what I'm hearing though is that you came into your own practice and mm-hmm. You got to be intentional about Yes.
Everything about the space, the staff, the care. Yes. Man, that, that's a lot of energy. To be intentional.
It is a lot of energy to be intentional. I think the other thing that kind of is like when you work for somebody. It's really just about it. It, it does seem like how can we just, it's all about grow, grow, grow.
Bottom line, bottom line, bottom line. Mm-hmm. It's all you kind of hear about, but like, when it's yours, it becomes like your baby. Right. It's like you love it, you nurture it. Yeah. You wanna protect it like you want it to be. Mm-hmm. You start worrying about like your, your brand more, your, you know, how you're viewed in the community, more like you just wanna be.
There's just some switch that goes off as far as like, I really want this to be, yes, financially successful, but also like known for the right things. You know, there's a lot more like, you know, Heartland is like, yeah, I rent this building, paying them this money, and it's like, well then all this is my building.
I need to take care of it. It needs to be, you know, looking good. We need to, the chairs aren't good enough, but this is, you know, it's like, can I have like, you know, like. I was talking to you earlier, like, I'm not really on social media as far as like posting things, but look, and it's like I see all these dentists that are doing all these things and I'm like, I'm just doing dental school dentistry.
You know, like, 'cause that's all I knew. That's all they really cared about. Like, because you have to put, like, the investment is like education. Like, so you gotta, you gotta go way beyond what you learn in dental school to do the procedures that you wanna do. Like you can't just. Go to school and think you're gonna be doing full, large implants or full mouth rehabilitation with Crown.
Like you have to really dive in and you gotta love it. So it's like, you know, it's hard like from a C corporate way. 'cause it's like you, you buy technology, it's expensive, you go to class, it's expensive. Mm-hmm. So it's like you don't see, it's hard to like. It's hard for yourself to justify it. It's also hard for the, the corporate to justify it because that's gonna hurt that month or that year's profitability.
Yeah, yeah. Right's lately I can.
Mm-hmm. So it's like, I'm like, I don't know. I mean, I've, I mean, I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on education.
Mm-hmm. Like,
yep. Like a corporate can't own that. Like I can own it, so it's like worth it to me. Because it's for you. For you alone. It's for me. So yeah, so I've just spent, I spent the last eight years just like enhancing my skills, learning more technology, like coming out of like a corporate setting.
It's like they have a partnership with, you know, this X-ray company, this composite company this. So you're like limited on. You are limited on what you can buy as far as like, I mean, you're getting a better price, but like you can only get this scanner, you can only get this whatever, you know, X, Y or Z.
And then like you come out into this, it's like, oh, there's like 7 million different things and options that I have to like look into. It's like I've never even heard of like the biggest CD CT company in the world. Like how did I miss this? It's like you were, you were busy people's
mouths, you know, you were doing the work people's mouth.
Yeah, for sure. So it's, that's kind of the, I don't know, that's the, I just think like when you're, when you own it, like I said, like it's, it's my baby and you really, you wanna make sure it's done right.
Absolutely. I've compared my own private practice. I, I tell people it's like having another child. It is it, like literally it's my baby, it's having another child.
And just like in parenthood, there's always more you could do. Oh yeah. Is it worth it? Is it worth, like, what it, like, how do you make those choices? And sometimes it's a leap of faith and you're just trying to make the right choice. The resources you have.
Yeah.
But now you were talking about going to classes and I know there's been times you've been in class for like a week or two, or like weeks at a time.
Mm-hmm. Um, and is that where you're learning some of these more high tech techniques?
Yeah, absolutely. So I'm in the, like I talked to you earlier, I'm in the 3D Mastermind class. It's kind of based outta Raleigh, North Carolina. And it's like,
that sounds like, that sounds like high tech.
It is, yeah. So everything's kind of digital, so if you come to the office, like we have all the, you're not getting the goop or anything in your mouth For sure.
So, that's right. It's just, we just do it a lot. I wanna be the tip of the spear as far as technology goes. So, yeah, and I'm. So, yeah, which is great and it's, it's frustrating, but I think like sometimes when you're like into this world, like the, the figuring it out and that irritation that you get when it doesn't go right is.
It almost kind of fuels you and it's maybe fun a little bit, which sounds bizarre, but like,
it's a challenge. You
know? It's a challenge and like, I dunno, I can get bored. So it's always, I really wanna get, keep pushing myself to learn and grow and, you know. Yeah. If it's out there and it's great for the patient, like I wanna learn it so I can offer it, you.
Absolutely. Yeah. And I mean, listen, not just the technology of what you're doing when you're working in people's mouths, but you know, I shared with our audience the story about how I had to have seven crowns and at the beginning of the year, which I was, oh my gosh, I was such an anxious mess. Going into that, not, yeah.
First of all, I hate having work done in my mouth, but as a physical therapist and knowing I'm gonna be in your chair, it was, I mean, I, I think I was in that chair six hours or something silly like that. Mm-hmm. But I was kinda worried about my body and my back and my, you know, I came in, I looked like I was going into battle.
I had a neck pillow. I had a lumbar pillow. And you know what? I didn't need any of it. 'cause you put me in a freaking massage chair. Yeah, I was so comfortable. I didn't have any pain. Um. Mm-hmm. I mean, my mouth was a little sore, which is expected. Yeah. But that wasn't even that bad either. I mean, I felt like I was at a spa, like the dental spa when I had that treatment that day.
Yeah.
Did we sedate you?
I was about to bring that up, and I think it's really important for the audience to know that I had a beautiful sedation that day. Susie held my hand literally and figuratively. She took such good care of me and I mean, I felt like I took a little nap and
yeah.
Yeah, it was great.
Yeah,
it's, I mean, that's. I just, I love the sedation. It's, it's amazing. So, yeah. No, it's a great experience.
Yeah, it was good for me and I had to have a big job done in my mouth. But Do you offer sedation for people who might have dental anxiety?
Yeah, I mean, that's why we do it. I mean, it's, it's beneficial for me, but it's, you know, mostly beneficial for the patient.
Like, you get to, you know, we give a pill and then we hook you up to the IV and then. I'm not really gonna remember much. So it's, it's a pretty relaxing, comfortable experience. So yeah, if you're afraid of the needle or you just don't like having your mouth open that long, or it's, that sounds, or whatever it is, that's your kind of, whatever's getting you, like, we can kind of, we can work around it because.
More than likely you're gonna think you went to a nap, or it's like you've been there, like you said, you were here six hours. It's gonna feel like you're there for 15 minutes and Yep. You get to go home and take a big sleep. So,
yeah, I mean, I really, I was so anxious coming into it. Um, I think mm-hmm. When they took my blood pressure for the, I don't know if you call it pre-op or the pre whatever.
Mm-hmm.
Pre,
pre-appointment, yeah. Mm-hmm. My blood pressure was through the roof, which is not like me. I was so anxious. Mm-hmm. But like everyone was so kind, they talked me down. Mm-hmm. Gave me the little happy pill to take an hour before I came in the office. I was fine, you know? Yeah. I was fine. Yeah. Now, so I wanna get back to, so I'm not real sure what it means to get a full arch.
You're talking about getting a full arch and learning those new techniques. Can you tell me what that means?
Um, yeah, so we, if you have like teeth that just have to
go,
so like, you know. I don't know how long ago, 20 years ago, 25 years ago, or whenever it was that we made the switch to doing these implants would be like your indentures.
So now we have an option where, you know, we can remove the teeth that can't stay anymore. We take 'em all out and then we can place, you know, four to six implants that we can walk out that day with something that's screwed down in place and you got a brand new smile.
Yeah, and listen, I've never had to have dentures or implants, but I worked in healthcare for 20 years.
I've, and some of my career was in home care. And y'all, if, if you don't know someone who's had dentures, let me just tell you, it's no, no picnic. It is hard to get the right fit, the right, uh, glue or whatever, and then it can affect how you eat. Mm-hmm. So, I mean, if you can avoid that, I, I mean, I'm not a dentist, but if a person can avoid dentures Right.
Is that what you would advise?
Oh, a hundred percent.
Yeah.
I mean, it's like. It's the closest thing you can get to having your natural teeth. I mean, your natural teeth are always gonna be better, but I mean, as far as function goes, but
mm-hmm.
Aesthetics and then function. I mean, you can't, you can't marry those two better than what the implants for sure.
Yeah. Excellent. And I think, but yeah,
it's just like in a day you look different person. It's
amazing. Well, and I think, isn't it common, so you do this in your office, which I think is very comforting for people who have anxiety mm-hmm. About dental procedures. Yeah. 'cause I think, from what I've heard, like a lot of times people have to get referred out to get some of that work done.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, if you don't offer that service and you gotta send them somewhere else, but I mean, I've, like I said, I'm a kind of a CE junkie, so I've been as, I mean, sedation was kind of all built around that. Um. We place a ton of implants. I mean, it's, it's really just, yeah, you take the classes, you learn it, you surround yourself with people that do it, and you always have.
Mm-hmm. Three D's been great for me 'cause like a lot of that is, a lot of the big doctors that are in it are into the full arch kind of game I would say. So like they, if I ever run into something like. Give 'em a call and you know, you know, how would you do this? Or if it's pre-planning or if it's even in the middle of surgery, sometimes you're like, oh, it would be the best option here.
Like I just have someone always to reach out to, so, which is great.
So you're collaborating with the people you're learning alongside.
Correct.
Yeah. I love that. I love to hear that. And when you're talking about 3D, yeah, they have some of
my best friends. I love these people. So yeah, they like changed my whole life, honestly.
So
I know when I got into private practice, you know, and I know you're not into social media, but I fortunately or unfortunately maybe a little bit addicted to social media. I have a group of 10,000 myofascial release. Therapists that, you know, if I have a question, I can pop in there and usually get Yeah.
More responses than I can handle, you know, and I mm-hmm. Having that community of people who aren't complacent, who are passionate about what they do, it, it's a game changer. You know, it really is a game changer. It's inspiring, um, to do the best work we can do. So, yeah. Well, um, so from your perspective, what are some of the advantages or disadvantages of, for a client looking at a corporate and or a private dentist dental office?
I mean, the very similar to what we said. I think like the biggest difference for me, and I'd say I can talk to the most would be like when it became, there was just a switch when it came from, I work here to, this is mine. So I just think like you're just gonna get a different level of, you're gonna get a different level of care, you're gonna get a different level of feeling.
And I think I talked to you earlier, like mm-hmm. The, the, the corporate dentists are going to be, they're gonna have teams, they're gonna have people out there, they're gonna have, um, they're gonna attract patients, um, better than you can. They're gonna get group pricing. They're gonna get better prices on all your products, better than you can.
They're gonna get. Reimbursements than you can, 'cause it's all kind of grouped together, so like mm-hmm. You really have to like, work on attracting people and you have to set yourself apart. So like, that's where, like the technology, if you come into my office, it's not, it's probably gonna be different than any, any experience that you've had that you're just like, I'm trying to differentiate myself.
Like I don't have, you know, the industry standard's kinda like 45 minute. Hygiene appointments. I do an hour.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
I take two hours on our new patient exam just because I wanna have that time to like, if you have something going on, I don't want it to feel rushed.
Yep.
I want it, you know, time that we can sit there and talk and explain to you like what's going on.
Like I want you to know. You know, what you're getting into, like how many visits it gonna take, how many, you know, what is the roadmap? How many times you gotta be here, like, what exactly are we doing? How much does it cost? How can I pay for it? Like, that's where we get to answer all those questions that patients might have.
So,
yeah. And that, you know, when I was going through my process, it's not like just get
the, get it in front of them as fast as they can so they sign it so we can get it done. Like, yeah. You know?
Yeah. And listen, let me just from experience way before I even knew I was gonna have a podcast and talk to you on the first episode of the podcast.
You know, when I was getting my work done, I was so impressed by the fact that I had a, I had a visit specifically to sit down and talk with someone in your office about all those things. Mm-hmm. Okay. Here's what we have to do. Here's how you prep. Here's how much it's gonna cost. Here's what we, you know, it was just.
I was, it impressed me to have a whole appointment to come in and just talk about the plan that I, I'd never had that before. Now I've never had such a big job done before, but it definitely, it is. I was still anxious, but it helped calm that anxiety.
Yeah. Gives you a chance to answer the questions. Like it could be fear, it could be like, what the heck are we gonna be doing?
It could be, how am I gonna pay for this? Or. You know, it's just like all those things and like that's the time we sit down and we can, you know, we set a time for you that we can talk about all those things. So it hopefully just, you know, brings that person to like, uh, you know, they just understand what they're getting
into.
Like, I just want everyone to know, like, this is what we're doing. Like, I'm not hiding it. I'm not hiding it. It's like right here, this is it, this is the plan. Mm-hmm. This is how much it costs. You know, like, and like, like what I said earlier, like we have, uh. Four promises would be like what we're doing, how long it's gonna take, how much does it cost, and how you can pay for it.
Like, and that goes on our firm, financial arrangements that we sign with you. And like if something changes, like we already discussed what it was gonna be like, I'm not charging you more for me making a mistake. You know what I mean? So like, this is the plan, this is what we agreed to. Like if, and listen, I, mistakes don't happen.
That's on me, not you. Yeah. And listen, I hate the surprise thing. I don't, I don't like changing what we agreed on.
Oh, I hate surprises just in general. But yeah, listen, mistakes don't happen often, but when they do and it's your own practice, man, it like, it hurts my heart. I think more than it can hurt the other person.
And you know, as much as hard as it, you have no idea. Yeah. Well, right. Well, yeah. Yeah. It, it is. It doesn't happen often, but we're gonna make it right. And yeah, I always tell my clients that upfront.
For
sure. You gotta make it right. No, I always make
it right.
That's right. So, you know, we've been talking a lot about corporate versus private practice.
Mm-hmm. What do you see happening in the future of private practice dentists? You know, these corporate offices are evolving. They have teams of people marketing for them. Do you think private practice dentistry is gonna continue to survive?
I definitely think it can, I guess it would be less and less, but honestly it was just unfortunate.
But I think, you know, as long as the people that are doing it, like you have to evolve some, like mm-hmm. The days of like not going out and like differentiating yourself from the pact is you're gonna get swallowed out. Mm-hmm. I just, I, that's my opinion. Um, so if it's learning new skills or like. If you're a single doctor and you want, you know, private practice, survive to survive, like, you better start getting like some of the new doctors that don't have any options into your office and giving them jobs and teaching them what to do because corporates, they're waiting to get one.
You know, it's
like, you know, like, we gotta, like really, if you want it to be, if you don't want it to be all corporate, then you gotta start doing the things that you know. Help it stay. So like your hours need to be good. Your, um, you need to have availability. Like all those things that, you know, it might be great for you as a single doctor in your office.
Like, I'm always booked. I'm always this like, that's great, but is it helping the future of dentistry? Probably not. Like you need to be, you need to be looking at those things, you know, like I have, I have two associates, you know, and it's, I mean, it helps my hours, it helps my availability. You know, I like mentoring them and teaching them and like all those things are come along with it.
So that, that's how I see it. Like if you, if you are not willing to change, then it's gonna be, they'll just take 'em all.
Yeah. Well, I mean, we've talked about a lot of things today that, you know, in the back of my mind, all these reasons for private practice is why I wanted to start this platform thrive everywhere.
Yeah. I want, I wanna support the private practice clinicians 'cause I think, mm-hmm. Healthcare, dental care. It's all health and wellness. I think when you have a private practice clinician, they got more skin in the game and they're gonna give you all they got and hundred percent. It's different than some of the big box companies that are out there.
Plus, you know, if you pe if clients wanna support local, this is keeping healthcare local. There's a big drive to, you know, shop local, stay local. Mm-hmm. And this is a way to do it. Um, absolutely. So, yeah, so I'm hopeful to. You know, overarching goal helps spotlight some private practice clinicians. Um, I'm excited to have you on our first episode, one of my favorite private practice clinicians.
Thank you.
Yeah, I appreciate that.
We covered quite a bit of ground, I think in, in the less than a half an hour, which was the goal. That was the goal, yeah. Well, Ben, you know, we didn't solve the world's problems today, but we certainly, we came close. Started the convers. Yeah. Well, we started the conversation. We started the conversation and I do hope that, um, our listeners learned something today and they might learn a little bit about how to better take care of their teeth and their mouth and their mental health by finding the right dentist.
That's right.
So, Dr. Ben Height, thank you so much for joining us today.
Well, thank you very much. It was, it was fun. Thank you for having me on. Thank you. On your, on your first episode. I feel very privileged
my very first episode. I hope it
Turns out well. And we're gonna, in the show notes, if anyone listening locally wants to find Dr.
Ben Het, check out the show notes. We'll have a link to, um, his office. So, all right, Ben. Thanks so much.
All right, thank you. 📍