Dental Podcasts - The Dr. Phil Klein Dental Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Nidhi Kotak shares her inspiring story behind her journey to a fulfilling career in pediatric dentistry, along with practical tips, clinical pearls, and a fresh perspective that can help any general dentist feel more confident—and even enjoy—treating children in everyday practice. Whether you're looking to improve behavior management, create better experiences for your youngest patients, or simply become more comfortable with pediatric care, you're going to come away with plenty of valuable takeaways.

Today, I’m joined by Dr. Nate Lawson—a practicing general dentist with a PhD in biomaterials and Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. He’s published over 200 articles on dental materials, and he has a great way of taking the science and making it actually useful chairside. We dive into the extensive utilization of adhesive materials and techniques—and why that makes isolation absolutely critical for long-term bonding success.

Imagine this: your assistant is juggling a heavy salivator, a mouth full of water from high-speed drilling, a gagging patient motioning to sit up — all while trying to pass instruments and prep materials. It’s stressful, it’s messy, and it can impact both efficiency and outcomes. Now imagine there’s a device that does the heavy lifting — it removes water, retracts soft tissue, and illuminates the field, all hands-free. Joining me today to talk about this game-changing side of dentistry is Shannon Pace-Brinker, an internationally recognized dental assistant and educator who’s trained tens of thousands of dental professionals on restorative techniques, digital workflows, impressions, veneer cementation, and — of course — isolation.