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 ...

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...

Throwback: Why? What? How?

Posted on January 30, 2026January 29, 2026 by Michael Goldberg DMD

WHY?…WHAT?…HOW? This is a philosophy that is often taught in dental and hygiene schools: Diagnose, Treatment Plan, then Treat. And yet, immediately after this is taught, a focus is placed on learning treatment, or the HOW. And then upon graduation the focus also becomes on treatment and production. The diagnosis (WHY) and planning (WHAT) become secondary. They’re only an avenue to an end…Production, a means to an end. That’s where the money is. In a nutshell, that’s the problem with our...

So You Want to Be a Dental Hygienist

Posted on October 24, 2025October 16, 2025 by Lisa Nitkowski, RDH

I have always referred to the dental hygiene profession as a hidden gem. Most people don’t truly understand what it means to be a dental hygienist — how special this profession is, not just for those of us who practice it, but for everyone we encounter along the way; whether they are our patients, teammates, or professional colleagues. When I entered dentistry twenty years ago as a dental assistant with no experience and no family background in healthcare, other than regular visits to my den...

Camp Hygiene: A Day of Learning, Inspiration, and Connection

Posted on October 3, 2025October 3, 2025 by Julia Dent, RDH

We're thrilled to share a continuing education event designed for your entire dental team: Camp Hygiene, hosted by Fortune Management in partnership with Patterson Dental. If you're a dental professional passionate about elevating your practice, mark your calendar for Camp Hygiene on Friday, October 17, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the UCI Research Park in Irvine, California. Why Attend? Hygiene is the lifeblood of any general dental practice, and Camp Hygiene provides a playbook f...

“Dental Hygienist Pay Up 20% Since 2020”: What That Really Means for Your Practice

Posted on September 26, 2025September 25, 2025 by Michael Goldberg DMD

Why This Should Concern Every Dentist and Hygienist Hygienist pay has risen 20% since 2020. That sounds great—until you realize that hygiene collectible production (not projected, not on paper, but truly collectible) must also rise by 20% just to keep pace. If reimbursements and fees haven’t increased by that much—and let’s be honest, they haven’t—then hygiene risks becoming a loss leader rather than a profit center. And if hygiene isn’t profitable, opportunities for growth—for both den...

Throwback: It’s Not JUST About the Science

Posted on September 12, 2025September 11, 2025 by Michael Goldberg DMD

At a time when “evidence-based” everything is all the rage; I would like to share my experience and philosophy in regard to salivary diagnostics. My approach comes from a non-scientific perspective garnered from my 40+ years of clinical experience. I come at it from both a trained scientific, human, psychological, patient management and pragmatic mindset. Several years back, I had a discussion with a well-respected career academic and journal editor about “evidence-based” medicine. He ...

Flying Blind: A Wake-Up Call – Part Two

Posted on July 11, 2025June 26, 2025 by Michael Goldberg DMD

In Part 1 of this series, Dr. Michael Goldberg urged dental professionals to return to their scientific roots and rethink their diagnostic habits. Now, in Part 2, he turns his attention to another critical gap in care: what happens once the patient leaves the chair. Diagnosis without follow-through leaves patients—and practices—vulnerable. In this installment, Dr. Goldberg explores how to bridge that gap with personalized care, modern tools, and the right conversations that truly empower ...

Flying Blind: A Wake-Up Call – Part One

Posted on June 27, 2025June 19, 2025 by Michael Goldberg DMD

When I say “Flying Blind” no, I’m not talking about the air-control issues at Newark Airport. I’m talking about how we practice oral health care. Having taught in two universities, I have a pretty good idea of the curriculum dentists and hygienists receive. “Basic Sciences” dominate those early years: microbiology, immunology, physiology, anatomy, and pharmacology. Why? Because understanding the why behind disease matters. So here’s the real question: Why are those sciences all but aba...