Tooth or Dare Podcast

Dentistry in NYC is changing, and in Tribeca, there's a little hidden gem. I sat down with Cody Levine, and honestly, this conversation felt like stepping into what dentistry could be when it’s done differently. We talked about the kind of journey that doesn’t look linear. From doing dentistry under a cellphone light on mission trips to building one of the most intentional, beautifully designed practices in Tribeca, NYC. The story shared is a vision that materialized and is making a change in how patients see dentistry.  And I’ll be honest… if I didn’t live in Toronto, I’d be in New York. And if I were in New York, I’d probably be picking up a shift or two at Smile House. That’s how aligned this philosophy feels with how we also practice at Toothlife Studio.  What Cody and his team are building is a complete shift in how we think about care, moving away from quick fixes and toward something comprehensive, collaborative, interdisciplinary and way rooted in the connection between oral and systemic health.  This episode shows you what can happen when you stop treating teeth in isolation and start treating people as a whole. Sign it with me..."Head, shoulders, knees and toes." In this episode, we yap about: ▪️ The journey from mobile dental units to creating a modern, tech-driven dental practice in New York ▪️ Why dentistry is shifting toward a mouth-body connection instead of isolated treatments ▪️ The four pillars of care: esthetics, structure, function, and biology—and how they change patient assessment ▪️ How advanced diagnostics and collaboration between specialists improve patient outcomes ▪️ Real patient cases involving TMJ, airway issues, sleep improvement, and recovery from past dental experiences ▪️ How to educate patients who come in expecting “just a cleaning” and shift their understanding of oral health ▪️ The challenges of running a modern dental practice and continuously improving both clinically and as a leader.  Connect with the Smile House Squad:  https://www.smilehouse.co/  https://www.instagram.com/smilehousetribeca/  https://www.instagram.com/codymarclevine/    If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment.  Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________ 📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3     Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene   🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu  https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu   💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene   🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife   🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio  https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio   _______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast  https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast  _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE   

RDH's...Are you taking BP at every visit?  In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, Irene and Victoria break down one of the most common questions in dental hygiene: “Is taking blood pressure at every visit mandatory?”   Patients often say: “I’ve never had this done before.”   So what do the guidelines actually say?   We discuss: Is blood pressure screening mandatory in Canada or the U.S.? What provincial and ADA guidelines recommend What to do when a reading is over 180/110 Can patients decline? When to defer treatment or refer Real clinical stories from practice The disconnect between dental and medical care   Clinical stories shared: - A patient with BP over 200 systolic who went to ER and was later medicated - A young patient with elevated BP who turned out to be pregnant with gestational diabetes - Patients dismissed to physicians - What happened when a patient was told by physicians, “We’re not concerned and monitor.” - The disconnect between dental and medical frameworks   Blood pressure screening is strongly recommended — but in most places, not legally required. So, where does that leave us as preventive healthcare professionals?   We unpack it and discuss the following Resources & References: CDHO Hypertension Advisory https://cdho.org/advisories/hypertension/   CDHO Hypertension Factsheet https://cdho.org/factsheets/hypertension-in-adults/   American Dental Association – Hypertension https://www.ada.org/resources/ada-library/oral-health-topics/hypertension?utm_source=chatgpt.com   Today’s RDH – Pre-Operative BP Screening https://www.todaysrdh.com/heart-health-importance-of-pre-operative-blood-pressure-screenings-in-the-dental-office/?utm_source=chatgpt.com   Peer-Reviewed Study (PMC) – BP Screening in Dental Settings https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7523566/?utm_source=chatgpt.com   If you’re a hygienist, dentist, or healthcare provider navigating this conversation in your operatory — this episode is for you.   If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment.  Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________ 📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3    Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene  🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu  https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu  💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene  🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife  🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio  https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio  _______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast  https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE

f you're a dental professional curious about using technology to SEE sub-G this is the episode for you! In this episode, Irene sits down with Kristen Ranaldo, a perio-focused hygienist who has spent her career using dental endoscopy to treat advanced perio and failing implants. Kristen shares how seeing below the gumline transforms diagnosis, treatment, and patient communication and why blind SRP and laser-only approaches often fall short. They also discuss how desiccation gels like PerioDT and Hybenx fit into workflows and what it takes to implement this technology in everyday practice. In this episode, we talk about: ▪️ Kristen’s early hygiene career and how she became part of the 1% of hygienists using an endoscope routinely ▪️ When to use endoscopy alone vs. combining it with lasers, biologics, and desiccation gels like PerioDT ▪️ Practical implementation: appointment flow, patient communication, coding, fees, and how general practices can keep more advanced cases in-house ▪️ The bigger picture: technology, insurance, and why hygiene needs better protocols, standardization, and support to truly move forward Connect with Kristen: Instagram → @thesubgingivalqueen _____________________________________________________ If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment.  Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________  📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3 Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene 🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu 💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene 🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife https://www.instagram.com/toothlife 🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio ______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE

Dear Dental Hygienists, If your patients keep coming back with the same amount of calculus, this is the episode for you. In this Op Talk edition of Tooth or Dare, Irene and Victoria take one of the most misunderstood tools in modern periodontal care and pull it apart clinically, practically, and honestly. Desiccation therapy is often described as “drying,” “etch-like,” or “just another add-on.” In this episode, we explain why none of those descriptions are quite right — and why that misunderstanding is exactly why so many clinicians either misuse it or underutilize it. Using real Instagram questions and real operatory experience, we walk through what desiccation therapy is doing at the tooth, tissue, and biofilm level, how it changes the feel and efficiency of scaling, and how to integrate it into everyday periodontal appointments without disrupting workflow, patient comfort, or ethics. This episode is supported by the folks at Young Specialties, the company that brings PerioDT to the American dental market. Their efforts to expand the reach of this innovation led to this episode and the use of this product nationwide. To learn more about this therapy, visit this link for a FREE 1-hour webinar:https://yng.ink/4qClAef If you’ve ever wondered whether desiccation therapy is “worth it,” if you’ve used it but never felt confident explaining it, or if you want to tighten up your perio workflow without adding chaos — this episode is for you. 📲 Questions or Episode Topic Requests? @toothlife.irene — Check the top 3 pinned posts to access the download and leave your questions in the comments. We'll be answering them in upcoming episodes! Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________  📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3 Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene 🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu 💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene 🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife https://www.instagram.com/toothlife 🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio ______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE  

Is there statistical proof of a decline in dental hygienists in Canada? The answer isn’t as simple as social media headlines suggest. In this episode of Tooth or Dare, Joe Siegfried and I unpack the current climate of dental hygiene in Canada and challenge the idea that fewer hygienists are entering the profession. Graduation numbers and class sizes haven’t declined. What has changed is retention and migration. 🇨🇦 Canada has approximately 33,600 registered dental hygienists, yet distribution varies widely ▪️ Rural and remote communities continue to struggle with retention ▪️ About 9% of hygienists plan to leave the profession within 2 years, and 18% within 3–5 years ▪️ Temping is at an all-time high, reflecting burnout, flexibility needs, and shifting work preferences As the profession evolves, traditional 9–5 practice models are being challenged. The workforce exists, but it’s moving differently than it used to. Joe brings important nuance to a topic that’s often oversimplified. We also explore a deeper shift happening across dentistry: how clinicians define value. Value in dental hygiene isn’t always about money or production. And practice isn’t limited to the box you work in. Joe and I discuss how value shows up through discussion, treatment planning, culture, ideas, flexibility, autonomy, respect, growth, and alignment, not just a few extra dollars of production. When the definition of value shifts, so does how, where, and why people choose to practice. This episode continues from our previous conversation about Joe’s personal journey and expands into the broader challenges facing dental hygienists today. In this episode, we talk about: ▪️ The dental hygienist “shortage” debate and uneven workforce distribution ▪️ Pay models, cost-of-living pressures, and compensation realities ▪️ Temping, scheduling flexibility, and changing career expectations ▪️ Union conversations and lessons from other professions ▪️ Education pathways, incentives, and workforce planning ▪️ Why protecting patient care must always come first Connect with Joe: Instagram → @joesiegfried_rdh _____________________________________________________ If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment.  Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________  📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3 Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene Personal Instagram: @victoriaarmaly_ https://www.instagram.com/victoriaarmaly_ 🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu 💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene 🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife https://www.instagram.com/toothlife 🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio ______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE