The Inspired Hygiene Podcast

S4 E3: Working Together for Team-Based Dentistry, Access to Care and the Future of Prevention with Crystal Spring (Smiles Across Montana)

Working Together for Team-Based Dentistry, Access to Care and the Future of Prevention | w/ Crystal Spring (Smiles Across Montana) | Inspired Hygiene Podcast
Welcome back to the Inspired Hygiene Podcast. This season is focused on the Powerful Partnership—how dentists, hygienists, and the entire dental team can work together to strengthen culture, improve access, and rebuild trust across the industry.
In this episode, Rachel Wall is joined by Crystal Spring, RDH, co-founder and Executive Director of Smiles Across Montana, a nonprofit portable dental program bringing care directly into schools, nursing facilities, and community centers throughout Montana. Rachel and Crystal connected recently at Dental Entrepreneur Women (DEW) in Charlotte, and quickly realized they share a common mindset: the future of dentistry depends on collaboration, innovation, and a team approach. 
Crystal shares the real story behind building Smiles Across Montana: starting with two hygienists, navigating barriers tied to a limited access permit, and ultimately choosing to build a model centered on interprofessional teamwork—including dentists, hygienists, assistants, and community health partners—to deliver care at scale.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What Smiles Across Montana is and how portable dentistry works in real life
Why Crystal intentionally moved toward a dentist-inclusive team model to improve outcomes and continuity of care
The role of fear and “territorial tension” in dentistry—and how it shows up in regulation and scope debates
How Crystal views the evolving role of the dental assistant and preventive support (including OPAs) through an abundance mindset
Why access challenges aren’t limited to rural communities—patients everywhere are waiting months for hygiene care
Practical next steps to help dentists and hygienists heal relationships: meet, collaborate, solve problems together, and stop leading with attack
Crystal also discusses the importance of professional advocacy and encourages clinicians to support organized dentistry and hygiene so solutions can be built with alignment—not conflict.
Mentioned in this episode:
Dental Entrepreneur Women (DEW): dew.life
Smiles Across Montana: smilesacrossmontana.com
Crystal’s focus on minimally invasive dentistry and innovative care delivery models- listen to this episode of Straight Up with Steph to learn more from Crystal
Volunteer opportunity:
Crystal shares details about an upcoming mission clinic centered around mental health and invites dentists, hygienists, and team members interested in volunteering to learn more through Smiles Across Montana.
If you care about the future of prevention, access to care, and what it looks like to truly operate as one team, this episode will expand your perspective—and challenge the profession to move forward together.
Subscribe for more episodes this season as we explore real solutions to rebuild the dentist–hygienist partnership and elevate modern team-based dentistry.
#InspiredHygiene #DentalPodcast #DentalHygiene #Dentistry #AccessToCare #PublicHealthDentistry #TeamBasedCare #PreventiveCare #MinimallyInvasiveDentistry #RDH #DentalLeadership #DEW #SmilesAcrossMontana #OralSystemicHealth
 

S4 E4: Trust, Team Culture & the Dentist–Hygienist Relationship | w/ Dr. Mike Sonick

Trust, Team Culture & the Dentist–Hygienist Relationship | w/ Dr. Mike Sonick | Inspired Hygiene Podcast
Welcome back to the Inspired Hygiene Podcast. This season is all about one thing: rebuilding the dentist–hygienist relationship—and restoring the kind of partnership that creates better outcomes for patients and healthier, more sustainable practices.
In this episode, Rachel Wall is joined by Dr. Mike Sonick—board-certified periodontist, renowned educator in implantology and periodontology, and author of Treating People Not Patients. While many practices have felt growing tension across the industry—capacity challenges, compensation pressure, burnout, shifting expectations—Dr. Sonick believes the root issue often comes down to one word:
Trust.
Dr. Sonick shares why trust hasn’t broken down in his practice the way it has elsewhere—and what he’s done (for decades) to build a high-trust culture through core values, protocol-driven systems, thoughtful hiring, leadership consistency, and clear communication.
If you’re a dentist, hygienist, office manager, or practice owner trying to create stability, alignment, and long-term retention—this conversation is packed with practical takeaways you can start applying immediately.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why “industry tension” is often really a trust problem
How Dr. Sonick hires for integrity (and what he listens for in interviews)
The core values that shape his team culture (and why integrity comes first)
Why protocols reduce ambiguity—and how ambiguity fuels stress and conflict
What a real protocol manual looks like (and how to build one)
How to give feedback that protects patients, strengthens teams, and improves outcomes
How leaders can create accountability without creating fear
Why team members must feel seen—and how that affects retention
The mindset shift: building a practice around purpose, not just procedures
About Dr. Mike Sonick
Dr. Sonick is a full-time practicing periodontist, longtime educator, and author of seven books—most recently Treating People Not Patients, a guide to human connection, hospitality, and trust in healthcare. His mission: help dentistry deliver a better experience by strengthening relationships between teams and the patients they serve.
📌 Links mentioned in the episode (book, article, and resources) will be included in the show notes.
 
An article about the root problem of tension in the dental industry being a loss of trust
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jdd.70017
The Unseen Force Quietly Sabotaging Your Practice by Dr. Michael Sonick
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unseen-force-quietly-sabotaging-your-practice-michael-sonick-fwyhf?trk=public_post
Books
Treating People Not Patients (Dr. Sonic's last book): 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84187926-treating-people-not-patients
The Speed of Trust (written by Stephen Covey Jr., son of Stephen Covey Sr.)
https://speedoftrust.com/
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (written by Stephen Covey Sr.)
https://pcm.me/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people/
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
https://atulgawande.com/book/the-checklist-manifesto/
 
If this episode resonates, subscribe and share it with a colleague—because rebuilding trust in dentistry starts with better conversations like this one.
#InspiredHygiene #DentalPodcast #DentalHygiene #Dentistry #TeamCulture #Leadership #DentalTeam #Periodontics #DentalImplants #PatientExperience #PracticeManagement #Trust #CoreValues #HygieneProtocols #DentalLeadership
 

S4 E5: Healing the Dentist–Hygienist Relationship: Compensation, Mindset, and Sustainable Partnership | w/ Trish Mooradian (RDH Trish)

Healing the Dentist–Hygienist Relationship: Compensation, Mindset, and Sustainable Partnership | w/ Trish Mooradian (RDH Trish) | Inspired Hygiene Podcast
Welcome back to the Inspired Hygiene Podcast. This season is dedicated to the Powerful Partnership—how dentists and hygienists can mend, heal, and strengthen their working relationship in a way that’s sustainable for the patient, the provider, and the practice.
In this episode, Rachel Wall is joined by Trish Mooradian (aka RDH Trish), a practicing dental hygienist with a candid, real-world perspective on one of the most tension-filled topics in dentistry today: hygiene compensation—and the mindset shifts that can transform burnout into fulfillment.
Trish shares her full career story: starting out in difficult environments, experiencing emotional and mental burnout, and ultimately finding a new path forward through education, business awareness, and clinical confidence. Her journey is a reminder that what many hygienists interpret as “selling dentistry” can become something entirely different when paired with patient-centered communication, clear diagnosis, and a true understanding of the business side of care.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why the dentist–hygienist relationship has felt strained industry-wide (capacity + compensation + flexibility shifts)
Trish’s honest experience with burnout—and how her career started to change when she changed her mindset
The turning point that sparked a new approach to hygiene: production-based pay and intentional clinical care
Why data matters: production reports, perio percentage, open time, and how to evaluate profitability responsibly
How improved perio diagnosis and documentation can drive better outcomes—and fewer insurance denials
The difference between “cutting appointment time to produce more” vs. building a smarter service mix
Why learning and professional growth reignite engagement (and improve patient health in the process)
How dentists can approach compensation changes with clarity, transparency, and support
How hygienists can step into their role as healthcare providers by asking better questions and owning their impact
Trish also shares how expanding her skills—through oral-systemic education and myofunctional therapy—opened up new opportunities beyond traditional clinical hygiene while keeping her connected to the mission of prevention and patient health.
Follow Trish
Find her on Instagram: @rdh.trish
If you’ve ever struggled with the compensation conversation—or felt stuck between burnout and wanting more from your career—this episode will give you both practical direction and a fresh perspective on what’s possible.
Subscribe for more episodes in this season of the Inspired Hygiene Podcast where we focus on Powerful Partnerships, rebuilding trust, strengthening team culture, and creating sustainable partnership in modern dentistry.
#InspiredHygiene #DentalHygiene #Dentistry #HygieneCompensation #DentalLeadership #PracticeManagement #Perio #PeriodontalTherapy #OralSystemicHealth #DentalTeams #DentalPodcast #RDH #MyofunctionalTherapy #GuidedGrowth #TeamCulture
 

S4 E6: Accountability = Love | Building a Culture of Caring Accountability w/ Dr. Brad Hughes | Inspired Hygiene Podcast

Welcome back to the Inspired Hygiene Podcast! This season is all about rebuilding the hygienist–dentist relationship—because when the clinical team is aligned, everyone wins: patients, providers, the team, and the practice.
In this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr. Brad Hughes, dentist, speaker, and CEO/Founder of Vision Dental Partners (10+ practices across Indiana, South Carolina, and Florida). Rachel discovered Dr. Hughes on social media and one message stopped her in her tracks:
“Accountability equals love.”
So what does healthy accountability look like inside a dental practice—and how does it strengthen trust, improve case acceptance, elevate clinical standards, and create a culture people actually want to be part of?
You’ll hear real-world examples from the operatory (handoffs, co-diagnosis, intraoral photos, clinical standards), plus Dr. Hughes’ candid perspective on staffing, retention, culture, and the growing commoditization of dentistry.
In this episode, we cover:
Why accountability is care (and why it must be bi-directional)
How to address missed standards without passive-aggressive tension
A practical operatory example: photo-ready co-diagnosis & smooth handoffs
How trust + banter (done right) can increase confidence and team cohesion
What to do when a team member won’t follow agreed-upon standards of care
Why the “why” matters: beliefs, confidence, and patient communication
How Vision Dental Partners builds culture across multiple states
Hiring & retention realities (even with a strong culture)
Dr. Hughes’ mission: pushing back on the commoditization of dentistry
Why brand + patient experience are the long-term differentiators
Free resource mentioned:Books Mentioned:📘 Beat the Heart Attack Gene
📘 Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain
📌 Oral Cancer Screening Guide (FREE) – visit Inspired Hygiene’s website and look for the Free Resources / Resource Guides section. It includes a head/neck screening walkthrough + a clear follow-up protocol to keep your team aligned.
Follow Dr. Brad Hughes:
➡️ Find him on LinkedIn and Instagram (search: Dr. Brad Hughes / Vision Dental Partners)https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdhughesdds/https://www.instagram.com/drbradhughes/
If you’re a dentist, hygienist, or leader trying to build a practice culture where standards are clear, communication is direct, and trust is protected—this episode will give you a blueprint.
✅ Subscribe for more conversations on rebuilding the hygiene–dentist partnership 👍 If this episode helps you, like and share it with your team
#InspiredHygiene #DentalPodcast #DentalHygiene #Dentistry #PracticeCulture #Leadership #Accountability #CaseAcceptance #PatientExperience #HygieneDepartment #DentalTeam #DSO #DentalPracticeManagement #OralCancerScreening #DentalLeadership
 

S4 E7: From Chairside to C-Suite: Leading 260+ Hygienists + Building a Culture of Support w/ Misty Mattingly, RDH | Inspired Hygiene Podcast

From Chairside to C-Suite: Leading 260+ Hygienists + Building a Culture of Support w/ Misty Mattingly, RDH | Inspired Hygiene Podcast
Welcome back to the Inspired Hygiene Podcast! This season is focused on rebuilding the dentist–hygienist relationship—because when providers collaborate with trust and respect, it creates a win for patients, the team, and the practice.
In today’s episode, Rachel is joined by Misty Mattingly, RDH—Chief Dental Hygiene Officer at Sage Dental, where she supports and leads 260+ full-time hygienists. Misty shares her remarkable journey—from entering dentistry at 14, putting herself through hygiene school, and working across nearly every role in a dental practice… to stepping into executive leadership inside a growing DSO.
This is a candid, practical conversation about what it really takes to retain hygienists, build alignment between providers, and lead change with clarity—without losing the human side of dentistry.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Misty’s path from clinical hygienist to Chief Dental Hygiene Officer
What respect and support looks like in real-life leadership
How Sage drives strong retention and builds hygienist engagement at scale
Why doctor–hygiene case review meetings matter (calibration, alignment, confidence)
How DSOs can create a “peer-to-peer” dynamic between doctors and hygienists
The role of communication + change management (and why it starts months early)
What’s happening with hygiene staffing, compensation pressure, and access to care
Practical ways hygienists and dentists can support each other today 
Check out Misty’s podcast:
🎧 Hygiene Happy Hour — real conversations (with cocktails or mocktails) about dentistry and life outside the op.
If you’re a hygienist, dentist, practice owner, or DSO leader trying to build a culture where people feel valued, heard, and aligned—this episode is for you.
✅ Subscribe for more episodes on rebuilding the hygiene–dentist partnership 👍 Like, comment, and share with your team—especially if this sparked an idea you want to implement.
#InspiredHygiene #DentalHygiene #Dentistry #DSO #DentalLeadership #Hygienist #PracticeCulture #DentalTeam #Retention #LeadershipDevelopment #DentalPodcast #SageDental #HygieneHappyHour #PatientCare #Communication #ChangeManagement
🎧  Hygiene Happy Hour Podcast
Listen on Apple
Listen on Spotify
Flow on Instagram
 

S4 E8: Healthy Culture and Practice Profitability Aren’t Mutually Exclusive | Dr. Bill Keith | Inspired Hygiene Podcast

Welcome back to the Inspired Hygiene Podcast! In this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr. Bill Keith—Kansas City dentist, longtime Dental Success Network / Dental Success Institute contributor, and a leader who’s built a high-performing, multi-doctor, multi-op practice with a strong focus on culture, systems, and sustainable growth.
Rachel and Dr. Keith first connected through DSN, then Dr. Keith hired Inspired Hygiene to help calibrate his large hygiene team around shared standards, aligned protocols, and consistent patient care—and the results were real.
What you’ll hear in this conversation:
Dr. Keith’s unconventional path: engineering → finance/accounting → entrepreneur → dental school
Why culture + profitability are not mutually exclusive (and what “too profitable” can signal)
The metrics that actually matter to teams—and how to talk about numbers without killing morale
A practical model for assisted hygiene that protects quality while improving flow
What it takes to rebuild the dentist–hygienist relationship at the grassroots level
AI spotlight: PowerVox (AI Receptionist)
Dr. Keith also shares what he’s learned building PowerVox, an AI receptionist designed for after-hours + overflow phone calls—helping practices improve answer rates, reduce friction for patients, and capture opportunities that would otherwise be missed.
“We’re not replacing the front desk—we’re catching the calls that would go unanswered.”
A message for the industry
This episode ends with a direct challenge: reduce the social media noise, increase the collaboration, and get back to what matters—patient care, aligned teams, and sustainable dentistry.
✅ Subscribe for more episodes on practice systems, leadership, hygiene growth, and the dentist–hygienist partnership 👍 If this helped you, hit Like and share it with your team 💬 Comment below: What’s one change you could make this month to improve alignment between doctors and hygiene?
#InspiredHygiene #DentalHygiene #Dentistry #DentalSuccessNetwork #DSN #DentalHygiene #ProfitableDentalHygiene #DentalLeadership #PracticeManagement #AssistedHygiene #DentalDSO #AIinDentistry #PowerVox #DentalPodcast #HygieneTeam #PracticeCulture #PatientExperience
 

S4 E9: Solving Dental Workforce Challenges Without Lowering Standards Dr. Kyle Bogan

Solving Dental Workforce Challenges Without Lowering Standards  Dr. Kyle Bogan
In this episode of the Inspired Hygiene Podcast, Rachel sits down with Dr. Kyle Bogan to talk about leadership, solving workforce challenges, elevated patient care, and what it means to create a practice culture where hygienists are empowered to think critically, practice fully, and feel valued.
Dr. Bogan shares his journey from associate dentist to startup owner, the principles that shaped his practice, and how stepping into the role of President of the Ohio Dental Association has given him a broader perspective on dentistry, workforce development, and access to care.
This is an important conversation for dentists, hygienists, and dental leaders who want to move beyond tension and build a healthier, more collaborative future for the profession.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why Dr. Bogan built his practice around patient experience and whole-person care
How leadership at the state level has expanded his perspective on dentistry
His take on the dental hygiene workforce shortage
What Ohio is doing to support workforce development and access to care
Why he believes in protecting the integrity of CODA-accredited dental hygiene education
How his team empowers hygienists as diagnostic partners
The role of salivary diagnostics in leveling up patient care
What dentists and hygienists can do to rebuild trust and collaboration
Why clarity, courageous conversations, recognition, and shared learning matter so much
A few standout themes from this conversation:
Better dentistry starts with clear communication
Great teams need mutual respect and shared purpose
Hygienists thrive when they are trusted as healthcare professionals, not just task-doers
Workforce challenges are real, and lowering standards is not the only answer
Strong culture is built through recognition, training, and leadership that stands side by side with the team
Dr. Bogan also shares insight from his book, Lead from the Bottom, and explains why he believes the best leadership model in dentistry is not top-down, but built on support, alignment, and collaboration.
If you care about the future of dentistry, the hygiene workforce, and creating a practice where patients and teams both thrive, this episode is for you.
#InspiredHygienePodcast #DentalLeadership #DentalHygiene #DentistHygienistRelationship #PracticeCulture #PatientCare #DentalWorkforce #LeadershipInDentistry #DentalPracticeGrowth #DrKyleBogan

S4 E10: Invest Now in the Future of Dental Hygiene in Your Community

Invest Now in the Future of Dental Hygiene in Your Community | Season 4 Episode 10 Finale
Access the resources mentioned in this episode here!
In this Season 4 finale of the Inspired Hygiene Podcast, Rachel wraps up the conversation on rebuilding the dentist-hygienist relationship with a hopeful and practical look at how dental practices can invest in the future of the hygiene profession.
After a season filled with powerful conversations about leadership, legislation, culture, expanded duties, and collaboration, this episode shifts the focus toward solutions. Rachel shares what she recently learned from visiting her own alma mater, Guilford Technical Community College, and explains why dental teams have more influence than they may realize in shaping the future of dental hygiene in their communities.
From supporting local hygiene programs to mentoring students and creating better pathways into practice, this episode is packed with actionable ideas for dentists and dental teams who want to make a real impact.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Rachel’s personal story of how she “accidentally” found dental hygiene
What it was like returning to the hygiene school where her career began
Encouraging news about new and expanding dental hygiene programs
The difference between a “shortage” and reduced hygiene capacity in private practice
Practical ways dental teams can support local hygiene schools and students
Why scholarships, lunch-and-learns, shadowing, equipment donations, and advisory roles matter
Why practices should stop waiting for hygienists to “find them” and start building those relationships now
Practical ways your practice can help grow the profession:
Sponsor a dental hygiene scholarship
Offer lunch-and-learn sessions for local hygiene students
Donate usable equipment that could support training
Join a school’s advisory board
Invite students to shadow in your practice
Include students and faculty in local CE events
Create a practice culture that makes new grads feel supported and confident
Rachel also shares insights from her research into new and expanding hygiene programs across the U.S., and explains why this is good news for the future of dentistry.
This episode is a reminder that every dental professional has the power to influence the profession in a positive way, whether through leadership, mentoring, education, or simply one meaningful conversation.
If you care about the future of dental hygiene, team dentistry, and access to high-quality patient care, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!
 
#InspiredHygienePodcast #DentalHygiene #Dentistry #DentalLeadership #TeamDentistry #DentalEducation #DentalHygienist #PracticeCulture #WorkforceDevelopment #FutureOfDentistry