Most dental practices are spending more on marketing every year — and trusting patients less and less. There's a reason for that, and Seth Godin nailed it.

In this episode of the Word of Mouth Podcast, Jeff and Troy pull apart the core ideas from Seth Godin's This Is Marketing and run them straight through the lens of dental practice growth. From the difference between publicity and public relations, to why Google Ads alone is quietly commoditizing your practice, this conversation is a wake-up call for any dentist who's ever wondered why more ad spend isn't translating into more loyal, referral-generating patients.
In this episode:

📣 Trust vs. Attention — Why attention is cheap and trust is scarce, and how chasing eyeballs is killing long-term practice value

🎯 Publicity vs. Public Relations — The critical distinction most dental marketing agencies completely ignore (and why it's costing you ideal patients)

🪣 The Funnel Reality — Casey Neistat got 1M views, 18K live viewers, 1K comments… and about 5 conversions. Sound familiar? Here's what that means for your practice

🔨 Google Ads Is a Hammer, Not a House — Why ads aren't the enemy, but making them your entire strategy is a slow leak in your practice's foundation

💬 The Referral Multiplier — One patient at a practice Jeff works with referred 23 people in 6 months. That's not luck — it's what trust-based marketing actually produces
The key takeaway? Generic marketing doesn't just waste money — it actively trains your market to treat you like a commodity. Differentiation isn't optional anymore; it's the only path to a practice that compounds.

Resources Mentioned:
📘 This Is Marketing by Seth Godin → https://seths.blog/tim/

📖 The Inside-Out Practice by Jeff & Troy — Get a free copy → https://opkie.com/free-book/

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🎙️ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and wherever you listen.

📞 Interested in talking with Opkie? Book a call here for a free practice market analysis: https://opkie.link/Word-Of-Mouth

Free Copy of The Inside-Out Practice Book: https://opkie.com/free-book/
📞 Interested in talking with Opkie? Book a call here for a free practice market analysis: https://opkie.link/Word-Of-Mouth

The dental hygiene shortage isn't waiting for permission to force change — and neither is the profession itself. In this episode of the Word of Mouth Podcast, Jeff and Sarah break down the growing movement toward full practice authority for dental hygienists, what's driving it, who's pushing back, and why dental practice owners need to be paying attention right now.

In this episode:
🦷 The Hygienist Shortage is Real — 4 in 10 dental practices are actively hiring a hygienist right now, while 60 million Americans already live in dental deserts with little to no access to care
📋 Full Practice Authority Explained — The American Dental Hygienists Association has adopted new policies supporting expanded independent practice, including hygienist-led diagnoses, treatment planning, and patient evaluation without dentist supervision
🏛️ States Are Already Moving — Utah recently passed a law allowing hygienists to practice independently in hospitals and select care settings, and more states are following with pilot programs and expanded scope-of-practice legislation
⚖️ Two Sides of a Real Debate — Supporters argue independent hygienists can unlock preventative care in underserved communities; critics raise questions about oversight and the education gap between hygienists and dentists
🔭 A New Model is Emerging — From mobile clinics to community health centers to the "optician at Walmart" model, hygienists practicing independently could fundamentally restructure how dental care is delivered — and what a dental practice looks like

The key takeaway? The role of the dental hygienist is evolving whether the industry is ready or not — and the practices that figure out how to work with that shift will have a massive competitive edge.

Resources Mentioned:
📄 ADHA Full Practice Authority Policy → https://www.adha.org/advocacy/scope-of-practice/
🏛️ Utah Independent Hygienist Practice Law → https://www.beckersdental.com/staffing-issues/utah-passes-bill-expanding-hygienists-ability-to-practice-without-dentist-supervision/

🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.
🎙️ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and wherever you listen.
📞 Interested in talking with Opkie? Book a call here for a free practice market analysis: https://opkie.link/Word-Of-Mouth

Dentists might be the most important person in a sleep health journey — and most people have no idea.

In this episode of the Word of Mouth Podcast, Jeff sits down with Dr. Mark Musso of Musso Family Dentistry in Garland, Texas — a 32-year dental veteran who has spent the last 16 years transforming his practice around airway, sleep disorders, and TMJ. Dr. Musso breaks down why sleep dentistry is one of the most underserved and misunderstood fields in all of healthcare, what dentists and parents need to start looking for, and why solving a "medical problem with a dental solution" requires a whole new kind of collaboration.

In this episode:
😴 Why snoring, teeth grinding, and mouth breathing aren't normal — they're just common — and the difference could be costing you (or your child) years of quality health
🧒 The surprising signs of sleep disorders in kids — including bed-wetting, ADD/ADHD-like symptoms, and poor focus — that often go misdiagnosed or untreated
👅 How tongue position and nasal breathing are the foundation of proper airway function, and what happens to facial development when they're off
🤝 Why the ENT-dentist-myofunctional therapist collaboration is the "one-two punch" that's changing outcomes for hundreds of patients in Dr. Musso's practice
🦷 How CBCT 3D imaging is reshaping what's possible in airway diagnosis — and why Dr. Musso believes it should be standard of care
The key takeaway? This is a medical problem with a dental solution — and if your dentist isn't looking for it, you might be missing the root cause entirely.

Resources & Contacts Mentioned:

Musso Family Dentistry (Garland, TX) → 972-472-2782 | drmusso@svcglobal.net

🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.
🎙️ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and wherever you listen.
📞 Interested in talking with Opkie? Book a call here for a free practice market analysis: https://opkie.link/Word-Of-Mouth