Beyond the Operatory

About Beyond the Operatory

Beyond the Operatory by Dental City cuts through the noise of modern dentistry with authentic conversations featuring industry leaders and clinical experts. Guided by host John Stamper, each episode explores a variety of topics critical to succeeding in today’s evolving dental landscape, including leadership development, smart business systems, financial health and more. Join us each week for fresh perspectives (and a little fun) as we break down these vital ideas and how they can help take your practice to the next level. Dental City is a leading dental distributor based in Green Bay, WI with a drive to help practices reach their full potential—and  then keep growing. We’re excited to share these conversations with you!

Publisher

Dental City

Category

business · business · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Jan 2026

Latest episode

30 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

38 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Oct 2026

   What Dental School Doesn't Teach About Running a Profitable Practice | Ep. 36

   "His spend went from $22,000 a month to $7,000 a month for basically the same thing." On this episode of Beyond the Operatory, hosted by John Stamper and proudly brought to you by Dental City, Dr. Jody Ames and Dr. Lauren Collett discuss the realities of modern private-practice dentistry, continuing education, mentorship, study clubs, patient care, and the business systems required to remain competitive. Their unique father-daughter perspective highlights the transition from dental school into practice ownership while balancing clinical growth with business responsibility. The conversation also explores the origin of DDS United, procurement strategy, supply standardization, and how independent dental practices can leverage purchasing intelligence traditionally reserved for larger organizations. Key themes include mentorship, treatment planning, continuing education, clinical confidence, profitability, and preserving private-practice dentistry through smarter operational decision-making. In this episode, we cover: Chapters 00:00:00 The $15,000 Monthly Savings Story 00:01:36 Meet Lauren & Jody Ames 00:02:58 Choosing Private Practice Dentistry 00:04:34 Mentorship, Study Clubs & Career Growth 00:06:10 Why Lauren Chose Dentistry 00:09:22 Treatment Planning Across Generations 00:10:43 Technology & The Future of Dentistry 00:13:18 Clinical Skills and Finding Your Focus 00:17:59 Why Business Skills Matter 00:20:57 The Importance of Independent Dentistry 00:31:12 How DDS United Started 00:38:26 Real Savings Stories from Private Practice About the Guests: Dr. Jody Ames is a private-practice dentist, entrepreneur, and founder of DDS United. With decades of clinical experience, he advocates for dentist-led procurement strategies, continuing education, and operational independence that help private practices compete effectively in a changing dental marketplace. Dr. Lauren Collett is a general Dentist and second-generation practitioner who joined her father's practice following residency training at the University of Cincinnati. Shop Dental City Quarterly Specials: (https://dentalcity.com/category/1002/quarterly-specials)

2. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Behind the Scenes of Dental Product Development: From Clinical Problem to Commercial Launch | Ep. 35

   "Listen to the problem, not the solution." — Steve Johnson In this episode of Beyond the Operatory, hosted by John Stamper and brought to you by Dental City, Angela Hermanson and Steve Johnson explain how the transition from 3M Healthcare to Solventum has created a healthcare-focused organization dedicated entirely to improving patient outcomes and provider workflows. The discussion explores the innovation process behind major brands including Filtek, Scotchbond, Clinpro, and RelyX while reinforcing that the products, science, manufacturing standards, and people remain the same despite the corporate transition. The episode also provides a rare look at how new dental solutions are developed. Rather than starting with technology, Solventum begins with clinical pain points identified through study clubs, innovation councils, chairside observation, field feedback, and dentist interviews. This approach influenced developments such as Filtek Easy Match, composite warming technology, Scotchbond Universal Plus, and the upcoming Filtek Matrix system designed to expand access to composite veneers while reducing procedural complexity. Product Spotlight: Shop Solventum’s wide variety of products here: (https://dentalcity.com/category/606/3m) In this episode, we cover: Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction to Solventum and Dental Innovation 00:04:12 Why 3M Healthcare Became Solventum 00:07:52 How Dental Products Are Actually Created 00:11:37 The Power of Dentist Feedback 00:14:00 Why Dental Teams Resist Change 00:15:20 Benefits of Composite Warming 00:18:19 Training Across Different Skill Levels 00:20:16 Staying Innovative in Restorative Dentistry 00:24:43 New Filtek Matrix and Composite Veneers 00:28:43 Building a Career at Solventum 00:31:10 Why People Matter More Than Branding About the Guests: Angela Hermanson - Leader of the Market Development Team for Solventum Dental. Angela oversees strategic marketing, customer insight initiatives, market development, and commercialization efforts across dental and orthodontic solutions. Steve Johnson - Market Development Manager for Direct Restoratives and Impression Materials at Solventum. With approximately 16 years working within the former 3M Dental organization, Steve has held roles in sales, technical support, education, and product development.

3. 

   9 Oct 2026

   The PPO Exit Playbook: Patient Retention Strategies That Work with Gary Takacs | Ep. 34

   "The common denominator of offices that have successfully resigned (from PPO plans) is they are more relationship-driven than transactional." — Gary Takacs In this episode of Beyond the Operatory, host John Stamper sits down with renowned dental consultant Gary Takacs to discuss what actually happens when practices reduce PPO participation. Rather than focusing solely on insurance negotiations, the conversation centers on patient experience, relationship-building, treatment acceptance, verbal skills, and trust-based care. The episode explores practical strategies dental owners, office managers, hygienists, and assistants can immediately implement, including documenting patient life events, improving treatment presentation language, using digital photography for education, strengthening emotional loyalty, and reframing insurance as a benefit rather than the primary reason patients choose a practice. The discussion also provides real-world examples of successful PPO resignations and the patient retention systems that make those transitions possible. In this episode, we cover: Chapters 00:00:00 Why Relationship-Driven Practices Win 00:02:28 The Foundation of Successful PPO Reduction 00:06:48 Understanding Your Insurance Data 00:07:34 How Practices Successfully Leave PPO Plans 00:10:50 Thinking About Insurance as a Coupon 00:13:08 Presenting Treatment as an Investment 00:15:30 The Power of Digital Patient Photography 00:17:50 Helping Patients Own Their Treatment 00:20:05 Verbal Skills That Increase Trust 00:22:20 Two Steps Every Practice Can Take Today 00:24:40 The Patient Loyalty Story Every Team Should Hear About the Guest: Gary Takacs is known throughout dentistry as the "Podfather," Gary launched the first dental podcast and has spent more than 45 years helping practices improve operational performance, patient relationships, and business systems. He brings firsthand experience from working with over 1,800 dental practices across the United States. Shop Dental City October Specials: (https://dentalcity.com/category/3846/october-specials)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.