The Strong New York Podcast

This week on the Strong New York Podcast, Kenny sits down with Dr. Jonathan Levine, the visionary founder of Smile House—a groundbreaking, multi-specialty destination focused on dental longevity and aesthetics.

Their conversation explores the powerful connection between oral health and overall wellness, from breathing and sleep to inflammation and disease prevention. Dr. Levine explains how factors like jaw structure, nasal breathing, and early childhood development—including breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding—can influence airway health, deep sleep, and long-term disease risk. He also shares why dentistry has historically been slow to adopt a more integrated, whole-body approach.

Dr. Levine breaks down Smile House’s innovative “360” model, where multiple specialists collaborate under one roof to deliver hospitality-driven care using advanced imaging, salivary diagnostics, and biomarkers to detect inflammation early. By working closely with physicians, the goal is to move healthcare from a reactive sickness model to proactive, upstream wellness.

They also discuss sugar’s impact on both dental and metabolic health, the role of movement and community in longevity, Dr. Levine’s athletic background and team-based leadership philosophy, and his vision for expanding medical-dental integration through additional screenings and shared health data.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:42 Breathing Shapes the Face
01:45 Jaw Development and Sleep
03:00 Why Dentistry Lags Behind
05:28 Smile House 360 Model
08:18 Prevention and Subsidies
11:53 Oral Health as Longevity Pillar
14:01 Sugar and Metabolic Damage
18:23 Daily Discipline and Habits
19:42 Preventing Dentures and Disease
22:12 Kids Mouth Breathing and Breastfeeding
26:44 Aesthetics and Personal Responsibility
28:02 Sports Mindset and Teamwork
31:07 Business Lessons and Community
33:42 Health Pros Unite
34:52 Bridge Dentistry Medicine
36:20 Fitness Routine Longevity
37:35 Community Stress Relief
41:46 Kindness And Civility
45:36 Dream Bigger Values
47:47 Building Smile House
50:58 Hiring For Attributes
53:06 Future DMI Protocols
55:15 AI Adoption Timeline
58:11 Industry Shifts Private Equity
59:09 Final Thanks And Plugs

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What is The Strong New York Podcast?

Being STRONG is more than just how much weight you can lift.

The Strong New York Podcast is dedicated to inspiring you to become your strongest self- in the gym, in business, in relationships and in life.

Join Kenny as he sits down with his strong as fuck buddies and shoots the shit on what it takes to be strong willed, strong minded and physically strong. Season one features everyone from entrepreneurs and local business owners to doctors and industry leaders in the fitness and wellness space.

With over a decade of experience, Kenny Santucci has made himself known as one of New York City’s top trainers and a thought leader in the health and wellness industry. After transforming his life at 15 years old through fitness, Kenny made it his mission to transform the lives of those around him.

Kenny has trained some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Jon Bon Jovi, Liev Schreiber, and Frank Ocean, and has been tapped as a fitness expert sharing his training approach with Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Runner's World, SHAPE, Well+Good, among other publications.

Kenny is the creator of STRONG New York, NYC's only Health and Fitness Expo. Strong New York is an immersive day of workouts, wellness experiences, panel discussions, and inspiring conversations with the best in-class wellness professionals, industry leaders, and change makers who are sharing their expertise on today's hottest wellness trends and first-hand experiences on how to optimize your overall health and life.

You can find Kenny at The Strength Club, his private training and group strength training facility in the heart of Manhattan located on 28th and 5th Ave in New York City.