Virtual Interview with Dr. Rob Frey

Posted on June 19, 2026June 15, 2026 by Rob Frey, DDS, MPH

Dr. Ron McGlennen: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started in your profession. What is your driver to do what you do? Dr. Rob Frey: I have a passion for blending esthetic dentistry, functional dentistry, and whole-body health. My journey into dentistry started with a desire to work in healthcare in a way that combined science, artistry, and meaningful human connection. I was drawn to the idea that dentistry allows you to not only restore health, but also confidence, comfort,...

The Secret Weapon – Part Two

Posted on June 12, 2026May 19, 2026 by Michael Goldberg DMD

In Part One, we explored how salivary analysis changes the patient conversation – helping patients better understand their health and why treatment matters. But its impact goes even further – empowering both the clinical team and the practice, which we explore below in Part Two. The Real Secret Salivary analysis isn’t powerful because it’s advanced. It’s powerful because it changes the story. It moves dentistry from:“Here’s what you need.” To: “Here’s what your body is telling us—...

The Secret Weapon – Part One

Posted on June 5, 2026May 19, 2026 by Michael Goldberg DMD

Every practice owner I know is chasing the same three outcomes—whether they admit it out loud or not. Better patients. Higher acceptance of the right care—free from insurance constraints. And referrals that happen naturally, because marketing has become expensive, exhausting, and unpredictable. Yet most practices are still reaching for the same familiar tools to get there: Better scripts. Prettier brochures. Tighter financial conversations. Hel...

Throwback: Words of Wisdom from Dr. John Kempton

Posted on May 29, 2026March 5, 2026 by John Kempton DDS

Every patient is different. Overcoming a patient’s obstacles to treatment may take some finesse. The diagnosis and treatment plan are typically the easier task. In this series, we have asked the experts from our Protocol Directory, “How would they help the patient overcome their obstacle(s)?” When we asked Dr. John Kempton from LAUNCH Oral Systemic Health to respond to “That’s more than I was expecting,” here is his approach. When patients respond to our consultation with “That’s more ...

RDH Spotlight: Maiya White, RDH

Posted on May 22, 2026April 28, 2026 by Maiya White, RDH

Dr. McGlennen: What inspired you to pursue a career in dental hygiene, and what do you find most rewarding about it? Maiya: I became inspired by the dental hygiene profession when I realized hygienists are the link between oral and systemic health, fusing the line between the Mouth-Body Connection. Helping patients achieve the best overall health is the most rewarding part of my career. Dr. McGlennen: How has incorporating salivary diagnostics into your practice changed the way...

Hormonal Contraceptives and the Oral Microbiome: The Missing First Signal in Salivary Diagnostics

Posted on May 15, 2026May 8, 2026 by Dr. Neusha Najafi

We’re Having the Wrong Conversation The debate around hormonal contraceptives has grown louder and more polarized. Mood changes. Inflammation. Fertility concerns. Some of these concerns are valid. Much is oversimplified. But almost all of it misses the starting point. We are debating hormones while ignoring the environment they enter. We keep focusing on hormones in isolation. Ovaries, cycles, receptors. More recently, the gut microbiome has entered the discussion through the estrobo...

The Mouth Is Talking. Are We Listening?

Posted on May 8, 2026April 17, 2026 by Dr. Valerie Kanter, DMD, MS; Dr. Mary Ellen Chalmers, DMD, IFMCP; Dr. Staci Whitman, DMD, IFMCP

For decades, dentistry has focused solely on what we can see. Lesions, pockets, radiolucencies, and wear patterns have guided our treatment planning and shaped the way we understand disease. These visual cues are essential, but what if the most important data about our patients’ health has been communicated all along through the oral microbiome and revealed through… SPIT? At the Institute for Functional Dentistry (IFD), we teach dentists systems biology and timeline medicine, creating a s...

Most of My Career, I Measured the Wrong Thing (And How OralDNA Forced Me to Change My Scorecard) – Part Two

Posted on May 1, 2026March 19, 2026 by Jonathan Evans

Last week, we explored the awakening that comes from seeing the unseen. This week, Jonathan dives into the hard truth: a technically perfect Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) doesn’t always equal success. We’ll see how embracing an outcome-focused mindset changes not just the approach to care, but the results and the satisfaction hygienists and patients alike experience. The Hard Truth: Great SRP With Bad Outcomes Is Not a Win This is where my mindset truly flipped. I had to admit to myself: ...

Most of My Career, I Measured the Wrong Thing (And How OralDNA Forced Me to Change My Scorecard) – Part One

Posted on April 24, 2026March 19, 2026 by Jonathan Evans

For most of my 32 years as a hygienist, my “success” lived in my treatment notes. How many quads of Scaling and Root planing (SRP) did I do this week? How much calculus did I remove? How clean did those roots look and feel when I finished? If I walked out of a room drenched in sweat with polished roots and detailed charting, I felt like I’d done my job. Box checked. Next patient. But there was always this low-level itch in the back of my mind: If I’m doing such great work, why do...

How Did They Do That?

Posted on April 17, 2026April 2, 2026 by Michael Goldberg DMD

I was at dinner with my friends from OralDNA Labs — Amanda and Diane — talking about stories from my book Undeniable Hospitality. Little did we know, we were about to live one. The setting was spectacular — the kind of architectural beauty you might expect in the Museum of Modern Art. Elegant. Minimal. Intentional. But ambiance alone doesn’t create magic. The servers were polished. Smiling. Attentive. I did notice that no one introduced themselves by name — a miss in my world, be...