Tooth Be Told with Dr. Johnny Shanks

Show Notes

Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. John Shanks, DDS Owner and Dentist at Golden Oak Sedation Dental and Implant Center and Northside Family Dentistry.

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

Find out more about  Dr. John Shanks, DDS and Golden Oak Sedation Dental and Implant Center:
https://www.goldenoaksedationdental.com/

Find out more about Kosta Yepifantsev:
http://kostayepifantsev.com/

What is Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev?

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a podcast about business, parenting and living life intentionally. We're here every week to bring you intentional conversations on making your own path to success, challenging the status quo, and finding all the ways we're better. Recorded in Cookeville, TN, Kosta joins guests from all walks of life to bring fresh perspective and start your week with purpose. We're better together.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: You know,
really truly our goal across the

board, whether it's cavity risk,
Periodontal risk, or by risk and

our smell risk is really to
lower those risks from a patient

throughout the treatment. So,
based on those risk factors is

how we make recommendations.

Morgan Franklin: Welcome to
Better Together with Kosta

Yepifantsev, a podcast on
parenting business and living

life intentionally. We're here
every week to bring you

thoughtful conversation, making
your own path to

success,challenging the status
quo, and finding all the ways

we're better together. Here's
your host, Kosta Yepifantsev.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Hey y'all,
it's Kosta. Today I'm here with

my guest, Dr. Johnny Shanks
owner and dentist at Golden Oak

sedation, dental and Implant
Center and Northside Family

Dentistry. Johnny as someone who
grew up in Crossville and came

back to the upper Cumberland to
open multiple dental practices.

How does it feel to be giving
back to the community that

raised you?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Because the
thanks for having me on and

appreciate you guys building
this podcast here. Absolutely.

So originally from Crossville my
father's people are from the

Baxter area. Oh, nice. And so my
my mother's folks are originally

from Sparta. And so you know,
the upper Cumberland has been on

my heart for some time. And so
originally from CrossFit opened

up our practice there, Northside
dentistry ended up building a

new facility here in Cookeville,
Tennessee nice, and it's just

really neat for us to be able to
bring back the technology to

bring back those dental services
that people really need in a

community that we feel is the
best place on earth in writing

between Knoxville and Nashville,
a great, beautiful area, you

know, our hometown. And so being
able to bring that back to serve

the people that are part of our
community, man, that's a huge,

you know, just a feather in our
cap.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Isn't it a
great place to raise kids? Man,

it's the best, right?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: You can't get
much better. I

Kosta Yepifantsev: know, I was
actually talking to a friend of

mine the other day and the like
one of the major tenants that

always comes up whenever we talk
about Cookeville is a great

place to raise family. It's it's
fantastic. People are coming

from literally the entire
country to Cookeville to raise

family.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: You know,
it's interesting, we're, of

course, we get new patients
every day. And, you know,

patients from New York,
California to Oregon, people

really want to feel connected
and community. And I think

that's, you know, Cookeville is
a wonderful place to do them.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So let's talk
a little bit about the

technology and the different
services that you bring. I want

to talk about Golden Oak
sedation, dental and Implant

Center, because this isn't your
run of the mill dentist office,

would you share a bit more about
the technology and equipment

that's available at this
location.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: So first of
all, Golden Oak is a sedation

Dental Implant Center. And so
our focus is on patients that

have anxiety patients that might
not be able to receive the

routine care that they need in,
in a normal environment. So not

only do we have sedation
services, but we also do general

dentistry. Yeah. And so some
some patients selected to get

that general dentistry done in
a, you know, in a safe welcoming

environment. Yeah. And that's,
that's what we can provide. So

not only dental implants and the
surgeries that go on involved

with that, but general dentistry
as well. You know, when you

mentioned technology, I don't
know if you're technology geek,

Kosta Yepifantsev: but all may
totally, I mean, I think it's

gonna save the world. Yeah.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: So if it's if
there's something new involved

with tech, I think I'm on it. So
from the digital scanners to the

3d Cone Beam X rays to the on
site, dental lab that we have,

which is fantastic. The ability
to actually manufacture these

dental prosthetics here in the
upper Cumberland, right? It's

really cool.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Can I tell
you a funny story. So I there's

one vivid memory of my childhood
in Russia that I never forget,

just to tell you what it was
like, growing up in a third

world country. I went to this
dental office, I'll never forget

it. And like, there's blood
everywhere. Like on the floor,

and they and all I remember is
the dentist like drilling this

poor lady's mouth and I'm just
like walking like, I don't want

to be here. What's what's
happening, drilling this poor

lady's mouth and just telling
her like, okay, spit, and she

has to like turn and spit into
the into the bowl, right, which

is also covered in blood. So
when I came to the United

States, because at one point, I
had had a broken jaw. Yeah. And

I had to get my mouth wired
shut. And I'd really never been

to the dentist prior to that.

And so I was expecting a similar
experience. And it was great.

And I will say that dentists in
the United States and

specifically sedation dentistry,
going to the dentist is painful.

And it doesn't have to be
painful.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Yeah, it
doesn't have to be, you know,

we've been able to take care of
a lot of patients that you know,

have really transcended some of
that anxiety. You know, and I

tell patients with a lot of
anxiety, there's two things that

you need to give yourself number
one is grace. And number two is

forgiveness. And, you know, when
we were little as a child going

through an event that was maybe
a little traumatizing, right, as

we grow into adults, you know,
it's really no longer, you know,

mainstream to be be scared as an
adult. Right. Right. And so a

lot of people have trouble
transcending that. And that's

something that we help people
do. You know, because dental

health is important. It's an
important part of not only your

dental specific health, but also
your systemic health as well.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Yeah, I
agree. And I'm fascinated about

that. But it's a little bit
later on in the show, but how

the health of your teeth and
gums affects the health of your

overall body. That's amazing.

Yeah. But I want to talk about
cosmetic dentistry first, over

the past decade, cosmetic dental
procedures like veneers and

implants have become even more
popular. What are your thoughts

on purely cosmetic dental
rejuvenation? And what should

patients know before getting the
services you know,

Dr. Johnny Shanks: so cosmetics
have really exploded throughout

the throughout the country. And
you know, some of the some of

the new techniques that I think
are incorporated now would be

what I would express to some
patients that are interested in

cosmetic dentistry and be a
component that I've seen in the

dental field is just the
implementation of the digital

workflows and the digital
technology when it comes to to

rejuvenating a smile. The first
thing is smile design. So every

everything now is more of a
digital makeup and a digital

design specific to the patient.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So you can
see what your smile is going to

look like before you do any of
the work.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Absolutely.

So one of the cool pieces of
technology that we have is a

facial scanner, so we can
actually scan the face, right?

Yeah, scan the face, create a
design on the teeth, and then

have the patient actually
evaluate that design on a big

screen. Yeah, so they can kind
of see what they're you know

what the proposal looks like,
right

Kosta Yepifantsev: and approve
or deny? Because like the worst

thing I don't know if you guys
have ever seen Something About

Mary when he gets veneers? Yeah,
that was good part. Right? That

was a good well, like, what do
you think about veneers? Like,

is that something that you that
you champion? Are you a

proponent of people getting
veneers? Or do you think that

it's better to get the brace If
your teeth are healthy to just

get braces? And it just takes so
long? To get your teeth straight

with braces? Yeah, especially
adult braces?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Yeah, well, I
would say like every patients

specific circumstance may be a
little different. But I think

all of those treatment
modalities are going to the same

direction in here's the the
essence of it is confidence,

right? And so patients feel
confident when they have a

beautiful smile. And you know,
one of the first things that you

notice with patient or with with
anyone is their smile. So

regardless of whether we get the
teeth in right orientation with

braces ahead of time, or maybe
the circumstance benefits the

patient more with more of a
minimal prep veneer type

scenario, the goal or the
outcome, is that when the

patient looks at themselves in
the mirror, man, they they feel

Yeah, often and they feel like
they're stepping towards the

best version of themselves.

Absolutely.

Kosta Yepifantsev: I did have a
run there for a little while

where I was strongly considering
either getting veneers or

getting braces, because I never
had braces as a kid. And I

always sucked my thumb. So and
now it's hereditary, and all my

kids do it. So shout out to all
those children. So long story

short, what happened is I have
crooked front teeth. They're not

terrible, but they're somewhat
crooked. And I was watching this

show called flipping out with
what's his name? Jeff. Jeff

Lewis, okay. And he was he was
married to this guy named Gage.

And Cage had just like perfect
straight white teeth. And I told

the dentist that I go to I was
like, I want to look like gauge.

Like we like that people thing
I'm like, so we're going to

dentist's office, and you asked
them to look like a celebrity.

But they took me seriously and
they put a plan together. And

honestly, it was just the time
of having to wear braces to get

your teeth enough room. But then
I had a friend who went to

Mexico and got their teeth done.

So I have two questions. Number
one is, do you think that if you

really, really want a beautiful
smile, don't get the braces go

straight for the veneers? And
number two, what do you think

about international cosmetic
surgery? Well,

Dr. Johnny Shanks: I'll talk on
the first point. So the first

point is, you know, it's really
based upon your individual risk.

So kind of as we were talking
about earlier, is we're very

much an outcome based practice.

We're going to evaluate the risk
factors for each individual

patient. And an interesting
thing about orthodontics and I

know it takes a little bit of
time, but you know, one of the

things that we evaluated is what
we call your your bite risk and

how much where you've had in
some of the metrics that we know

just from the clinical data is
that a millimeter of tooth wear

is pretty consistent over 100
years. Okay, so whenever we have

a little bit greater by risk, it
may be prudent to get the teeth

in the right direction actually
lower that risk, before we go to

a cosmetic veneer type modality.

And because, you know, really,
truly our goal across the board,

whether it's cavity risk, a
periodontal risk, or by risk,

and our smell risk is really to
lower those risks for the

patient throughout the
treatment. So based on those

risk factors, is how we make
recommendations to essentially

that you know, because patient
wants outcome chair one an

outcome that successful not only
from a cosmetic standpoint, but

from a functional standpoint,

Kosta Yepifantsev: but is it
always better to have your teeth

as opposed to fake teeth?

Absolutely. Okay. Absolutely. So
that's, that's another major

question. As you know, there's

Dr. Johnny Shanks: nothing
there's nothing better than the

real thing, right. Yeah. Now,
are there risk involved for for

every person, you know? Surely,
yeah. But those can be

evaluated. And, and, you know,
if you've got great healthy,

perfect teeth, there's a lot of
treatment options available that

are, you know, less invasive, ya
know, traditional whitening, for

instance, you know, there's a
lot of take home options. And,

you know, but if you still drink
the coffee, right, if you still

drink locally,

Kosta Yepifantsev: and like if
you have sensitive teeth to,

then you know, those strips
hurt. That's right. I mean,

believe me, when it comes to
dental health, I've actually

attempted pretty much everything
that there is, and I just don't

want to grind my teeth into
nubs. And put beautiful white,

perfect, straight. Gage, ask
looking at, you know,

unfortunately.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Yeah, I'll
talk to your point. You

mentioned I had a buddy that
went international. Yeah,

Dental. And so you know, I've
never had any patients that have

went overseas for dental. But,
you know, don't don't tourism is

a thing, right? And so my
recommendation is, regardless of

what you do, whether you come to
the States or territory, if you

go internationally, is just do
your homework, right? Yeah. And

so anytime you go out of the
states, there's no longer some

of these agencies that are
really protecting you from a

product standpoint,

Kosta Yepifantsev: I wish we had
time to tell you the story of my

friend who went to Tijuana to
get stem cells and the the

doctor's office that he had, he
got sedated he got put to sleep

in this place that was under
construction. Interesting. I

mean, the some of the pictures,
maybe we'll, we'll touch on it

at the end of the episode, if we
have time, but it was you want

to talk about it was no pun
intended a trip? You've been

very proactive in your
professional development,

graduating from the kois center
for dental excellence and

becoming a member of countless
professional organizations. How

does this ongoing education
impact your practice and patient

care?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: First of all,
lifelong learner is a central

core value of our entire
organization. And that starts

with me, the biggest thing that
I think learning does is it

keeps you sharp and keeps you on
the cutting edge or I agree. And

with dentistry, you know, one of
the things that has been eye

opening for me is the clinical
evidence that relates to the

actual treatment we recommend.

So look at the kois center, you
know, we're very much interested

in what the literature says,
specific to the type of care

that we're delivering to our
patients. So what does that

mean? That means, you know,
we're looking at specific

bonding agent protocols, some
specific techniques on

registering the bite. So all of
these workflows, and these, you

know, checklists are a big part
of the care that we deliver to

patients, you know, and it's in,
it's also important to be a

leader in the community.

Whenever you think, you know, it
all is typically the time when

you win when you get hit pretty
hard. And so, you know,

willingly give graciously
receive, keep learning, keep

investing, because the new
digital workflows are just so

interesting to develop. And,
yeah, it's super fun as well.

Kosta Yepifantsev: When I was
reading your bio, one of the

things that stuck out was you
know, that all the education

that you've completed to become
proficient and not just

proficient but to excel in your
field. And I'm just curious, the

kois center is are there any
other dentists in this area that

have graduated from there?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Yes. So I've
got metta met a few guys that

are actually going through the
curriculum, which is fantastic

because it builds community, you
will find that the course

center, dentists from Japan,
Dennis from Ukraine, nice

Australia, several buddies from
Australia, got a guy in

Scotland, that's a good buddy of
mine. And so it's very much an

inner international distance.

Mission for learning advanced
techniques, specifically to, you

know, the literature that points
to those outcomes. Yeah. So

super cool play? And is

Kosta Yepifantsev: it
specifically designed to

incorporate a technological
approach to how you operate your

practice? Or is it more about
making you excel and the ability

to have the implant aspect of
your practice? So

Dr. Johnny Shanks: it's a
combination of both. Okay, so at

the center, we learn. You know,
there's a lot of courses where

you can learn your business
acumen, you can learn the

aspects of running the business,
this is more of a clinical

outcome based approach. You
know, John kois, is a world

renowned dentist and educator
probably, in my opinion, the

best educator out there, the
clinical workflows that you

learn through that process. And
it's a pretty long curriculum.

But what you learned through
that process is exactly what I

mentioned to you. It's to
evaluate patients based on a

risk analysis, yeah, to create
clinical protocols that not only

help the patients lower the
risk, but that create outcomes

for the patient that are
successful in a 21st century

environment. That's right. And
so it's been done analog for a

long time. Yeah. And so now with
the digital technology, now,

we're transforming what used to
be done analog wise to the

digital environment. So no more
no more the goopy impressions,

right.

Kosta Yepifantsev: I know. I
love it brings back memories.

Speaking of dental education, I
want to congratulate you on

facilitating the first dental
residency program in Cookeville.

This is a huge step for the
health and well being of this

community. Will you tell us more
about what this will entail and

what it means for all of us?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Yeah,
absolutely. So this is in

partnership with Jackson mu
University, the American Academy

of implant dentistry in the in
the maybe Ohio, which is

American Board of Oral
Implantology. It's a residency

program, a three year program
that develops a recent Dental

School graduate and essentially
develops that school graduate to

master's level degree in Oral
Implantology. And so, as we

know, tooth loss is a big thing
for just the whole country. And

teaching that at that level, to
be proficient, and, you know, to

be a proficient doctor, and also
to be clinical excellence,

right? Is is a big deal. So
being able to bring that to the

community, I think will help
just be a boon for the

community, it'll attract talent
to the upper criminal, you know,

our goal is to train these
doctors and in our environment

for over a three year period.

But, you know, hopefully, with
the relationships and the people

that they meet, hopefully, we'll
be able to hold some of those

professionals in this community.

And so I think attracting high
level talent to the upper

Cumberland is something that not
only will, you know, help the

community but you know, it
bolsters the upper Cumberland

and creates opportunity for
others.

Kosta Yepifantsev: I agree. And
honestly, like, Cookeville

always astounds me because, you
know, it's like a fraction of

the size of big cities, and it
has all these amazing amenities

like PBS station, you know,
residency programs, dentists,

you know, and I think what
people need to realize is, as

dentists come to this community,
and they complete this residency

program, and they decide to stay
that it because there are so

many more dentists, it could
technically drive down the cost

of dental care, so it's not, or
it may not exacerbate it to a

degree because of scarcity.

Sure. I think it's very
important. When you when

somebody completes this
residency program, are they at

that point proficient to do
implant dentistry and sedation,

dentistry and all that stuff?

Absolutely.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Okay.

Absolutely. So So there'll be as
a brother, were out there says

certified and bonafide right.

And so, but yeah, they will be
and it's, it's a wonderful

opportunity. And, you know,
teaching for me is has been a

passion. And we're, we're
excited about those

opportunities. Well,

Kosta Yepifantsev: you come from
a family of teacher Yeah,

Dr. Johnny Shanks: it's funny
story is, you know, both my

sisters and my mother have been
teachers, and I think my mother

taught school for maybe 40
years. So I was kind of the

black sheep, right. I was like,
going to dental school mom. So

finally I told her about the
residency program. And she said,

Johnny, I knew you know, you'd
come back. I love

Kosta Yepifantsev: it. It's hard
to believe that it's been over

three years since the pandemic
began, and according to multiple

medical journals, over 55% of
Americans are still delaying and

suffering the consequences of
poor dental health during 2020.

What dangers do we face when we
ignore dental health?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: One of the
interesting things is routine

dental visits and timely
cleanings and timely recare

visits are some of the most
inexpensive components of our

oral health regimen. But like
you said in that study, you

know, 55% of Americans are still
delaying or suffering from some

of these issues. So the big
thing that I would recommend is

see your dentist, right? create
those opportunities to talk with

your professional to get your
overall oral health evaluated,

you know, because what we know
now is that the oral health is

it's really connected with our
systemic health. And so

regardless of whether it's
periodontal disease in

connection with heart disease,
Periodontal disease in

connection with diabetes,
Periodontal Disease connected

with inflammatory factors that
increase our risk for

cardiovascular issues,
inflammation in the body is just

not a good thing agreed. And
what we're finding now is that

there's a whole lot of
connections that we didn't know

about in the past. And so
routine dental visits, making

sure that you have the adequate
adequate cleaning regimens, and

just getting an overall
evaluation, man, that's a huge

thing. You know, our ability to
chew our ability to really break

down that nutritional value for
us, right is a big component.

And we know as we age, it gets a
little difficult, right? And so,

as our population is getting
older and older, just want to

highlight the prevention
component, you know, an ounce of

prevention is worth a pound of
cure, right? You know, routine

visits, and really making sure
that you keep the mouth good and

clean, free of infection free of
inflammation is a huge component

to your overall health.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Are people
taking their dental health more

seriously, since you've been a
dentist?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Yeah, I think
so. Okay. Okay. So and I think

as some of these newer studies,
continue to roll out, there'll

be a more of a highlight for for
patients that are seeking that

type of care.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Does it ever
astound you? And I ask this

because I'm always astounded.

Does it ever astound you, like
how many people have poor dental

health or maybe like, lose their
teeth by the time they get to

their to retirement age?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: Yeah. So
multiple factors there. And what

I tell patients is, you know,
it's a combination of, you know,

environment, and specifically
what, what mom and dad High Five

do with Ryan? Yeah. And so we
can't we can't run from

genetics, right. And so, are
some patients predisposed?

Absolutely, yeah, are there some
things that that we can do to

help patients, and that's really
what patients want, they want to

be able to maintain and maintain
their teeth and enjoy chewing

their steak right? For the rest
of their lives, right. So

although some patients have
challenges, focusing on more of

a risk based assessment plan
really helps patients engage in

a way that creates success. For
instance, I had a patient with

pretty high cavity risk in the
story that she kept telling was,

you know, Doctor shanks and
flossing three times a day and

brushing three times a day, come
in here, and I'm getting all my

routine care complete, and I'm
still not able to reduce the

amount of cavity that I'm
getting. I gave her a book

called Huami. It's a it's a book
from Kim cooch, who's the

founder of carry free, it's a
some products for for patients

that actually help lower the
risk. So what I mentioned to her

is, you know, the pH of the
mouth really dictates our

ability to get a cavity. Yeah,
when the pH is really low or

more acidic, the bacteria that
calls Cabri flourish in that

environment. If we can modify
the pH, get it more neutral to

basic, and there's a whole
different type of bacteria that

come in that aren't as effective
at creating decay. And so that

kind of the the light bulb came
in, in acid. So environmentally,

maybe some of the components
that you're eating or drinking

could increase that risk. She
said, Well, you know, I've got

the route 44 Dr. Pepper that Pay
man, it's just my thing. The big

Kosta Yepifantsev: one, the big
one big oil with free refills.

Yeah.

Dr. Johnny Shanks: And so I
said, you know, we may want to

consider that. Yeah, acid
reflux, you know, stomach acid

coming back into the mouth,
obviously, that's going to make

that environment more acidic. So
creating treatment modalities

help lower the risk for the
patient. That's really because

when you think about it,
dentistry sometimes can be

thought of as a solution to a
symptom. And modifying the risk

factor can be a cure for the
cause.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Yeah. And I
mean, nothing hurts more than a

bad tooth. Yeah, Nothing ruins
your day, your week or your

month than your tooth hurting.

Absolutely. To wrap up two quick
questions. How often should the

average person see the dentist
and what should we do in between

visits to ensure the longevity
of our teeth and health overall?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: So we
recommend six month cleaning and

you know, coming in to get an
evaluation with your local

dentist, and I'll tell you the
tying that back to the longevity

of our just overall health, I
think timely dental visits,

routine dental visits, getting
those cleanings, making sure

there's no inflammation in the
mouth, that's going to be the

huge component of your overall
systemic health. What we know

now is there's a lot of
connection is between a healthy

mouth and a healthy body. And
so, typically six months is a

good routine. Some patients need
a little bit more than that.

Some patients can be a little
farther, consult your your local

provider and come up with a game
plan on how how you can get

everything really good and clean
and good and healthy.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So we always
like to end the show on a high

note, who is someone that makes
you better when you're together?

Dr. Johnny Shanks: You know, as
an entrepreneur in the dental

space, I would I've got to say
my team, you know, our team is

just so incredibly awesome, you
know, from helping us, you know,

hire in folks for our new
business to creating a warm,

welcoming environment to our
patients. I'm a huge believer in

teams and you know, the one
little line that I'll say is

that none of us are smarter than
all of us. And so, you know,

teamwork makes the dream work.

Morgan Franklin: Thank you for
joining us on this episode of

Better Together with Kosta
Yepifantsev. If you've enjoyed

listening and you want to hear
more, make sure you subscribe on

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or
wherever you find your

podcasts.Leave us a review or
better yet,share this episode

with a friend. Better Together
with Kosta Yepifantsev is a

Kosta Yepifantsev
Production.Today's episode was

written and produced by Morgan
Franklin post production mixing

and editing by Mike Franklin.

Want to know more about Kosta
visit us at kostayepifantsev.com

We're better together. We'd like
to remind our listeners that the

views and opinions expressed
during this episode are those of

the individual speakers and do
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our discussions may touch on
various topics of

interest,please note that the
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