The Orthopreneurs Podcast with Dr. Glenn Krieger

What if I told you the way you treat people when nobody’s watching says more about your leadership than anything happening inside your practice?

In this Five Minute Friday, I’m asking a question that might sting a little: Are you a pain in the ass? As orthodontists, leaders, employers, and colleagues, we spend a lot of time thinking about clinical outcomes, systems, and production—but not always enough time thinking about how people feel after interacting with us.

This episode is about self-awareness, humility, and becoming the kind of person others actually enjoy being around. I share why the small moments matter most: how you speak to a server, how you respond when things don’t go your way, how you show up online, and whether your interactions leave people better or worse than before. My challenge is simple: at the end of every day, ask yourself what you did well—and how you could have done it better.

💬Quotes

“This isn’t about how much community service you do. This is about how you act when nobody’s watching.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“At the end of the day, when you put your head on the pillow, what did you do well today? And how could you have done it better?”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro: Are you a pain in the ass? (00:00)
How your behavior impacts the people around you (01:07)
High-maintenance vs. self-aware leadership (01:28)
Why seeking to understand matters (03:12)
The people who need this message most may be in denial (03:23)
How upbringing shapes behavior—and why we can unlearn it (04:37)
What really counts as doing good in the world (05:52)
Two questions to ask yourself every night (07:22)

🟦 Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how self-awareness can change the way we lead, communicate, and show up for the people around us.

So tonight, before you go to sleep, ask yourself: What did I do well today? And how could I have done it better? Start there—and watch how your relationships, leadership, and life begin to change.

- Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

🎙️ What if I told you the biggest shift in orthodontics over the next 3 years may have nothing to do with brackets, aligners, or scanners… and everything to do with AI?

I’ve seen firsthand how AI can improve communication, streamline workflows, and completely change the way we run our practices. But this episode goes far beyond “write me a patient email.” Mike Vidikan and I sit down for a deep dive into the current state of artificial intelligence—from AI-generated videos and autonomous agents to the very real possibility of orthodontists building their own software, automations, and virtual employees.

If you’ve been curious, overwhelmed, skeptical, or excited about AI, this episode will help you better understand what’s real, what’s hype, and why ignoring this technology may be the biggest mistake practice owners make over the next decade.

💬Quotes

“AI is literally allowing us to innovate almost every aspect of what we do in our life—whether it’s home life or business life—it just allows us to innovate faster.”
 — Mike Vidikan

“The beautiful thing about AI now is your imagination becomes the limit… not the technology.”
— Mike Vidikan

🎯Key Takeaways

Intro & why AI matters to orthodontists right now (00:00)
How quickly AI is evolving—and why 2026 feels different (03:06)
The future of orthodontic-specific software and custom automation (07:35)
Why prompting matters more than people realize (16:37)
The major AI platforms orthodontists should know about (19:41)
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Grok vs Perplexity (20:55)
AI-generated presentations, documents, and content creation (23:41)
Why creating presentations manually is becoming obsolete (32:36)
AI video generation and the future of media creation (35:12)
How Orthopreneurs almost built a Ready Player One virtual summit (41:14)
What AI “agents” are and how they could replace repetitive office tasks (49:19)
The future of robotics and automation in orthodontics (54:00)
Could robots eventually place brackets? (56:01)
Why Mike believes AI will create more opportunities—not fewer jobs (58:42)
The importance of staying curious and adaptable as technology evolves (1:01:22)

🟦 Additional Resources

If you’re still treating AI like a gimmick—or assuming it’s something you’ll “learn later”—this episode is your wake-up call. The orthodontists who embrace these tools now will have a massive advantage in efficiency, communication, marketing, and decision-making over the next few years.

Start experimenting. Start learning. Start paying attention.
And if you’re not already part of the Orthopreneurs community, now’s the time.

👉 Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026

👉 For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

👉 Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

What if I told you your marketing budget isn’t the problem — your tracking is?

In this Five Minute Friday, I’m breaking down the three things every orthodontic practice needs to make marketing actually work: a plan, a reliable way to track where patients came from, and a clear understanding of ROI. Too many practices are throwing money at PTAs, community events, online ads, referral gifts, and sponsorships without knowing what’s truly producing starts.

I’ll show you the exact question I ask every new patient, why your TC needs to hear the answer, and how a simple spreadsheet can help you stop guessing and start investing smarter. When you know where your growth is coming from, you can double down on what works, fix what doesn’t, and grow your practice with far more confidence.

Quotes

“You need to have a marketing plan. You need to write things down about how you’re going to market.”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

“You will not be guessing where you should be spending your money. You will be spending it smartly, and your practice will grow as a result.”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways
Intro (00:00)
Why most mature practices need intentional marketing (00:42)
Step 1: Build a real marketing plan (01:08)
Step 2: Ask patients how they actually found you (01:38)
Why the doctor should help identify the real referral source (03:00)
Step 3: Track ROI by marketing source (04:46)
How to decide where to double down (05:00)
The 3-part marketing formula: plan, track, measure ROI (06:28)
Airway meeting announcement and invitation (06:56)

🟦 Additional Resources
If you want to stop guessing where your marketing dollars should go, start with three simple steps: build the plan, ask the question, and track the ROI.

And if you’re interested in learning how orthodontists can responsibly play a role in airway and sleep-disordered breathing, DM me about the December airway meeting before it sells out.

- Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

What if I told you the key to better esthetic results isn’t just looking at teeth—but learning to see the face first?

In this episode of The Orthopreneurs Podcast, I’m joined by the legendary Dr. David Sarver for a masterclass-level look at interdisciplinary smile design and lifetime esthetics. As we revisit his course, Smile Projection: A New Concept in Smile Design, Dr. Sarver gives us a different way to think about orthodontic treatment planning—one that starts with the face, not just the occlusion.

We talk about why the lateral and oblique views matter so much, how smile projection changes the way we evaluate maxillary incisor position, and how orthodontists can take good cases and make them truly exceptional. If you want to create better, quicker, more esthetic outcomes for your patients, this episode will help you see the smile in a completely new way.

💬 Quotes to Remember

“We have to start seeing the smile from the face first—not just from the teeth.”
 — Dr. David Sarver

“The lateral view changes everything when you’re trying to understand true smile projection.”
 — Dr. David Sarver

🎯 Key Takeaways
Intro (00:00)
 Dr. David Sarver’s course at Orthopreneurs University (00:51)
 What Smile Projection really means (01:21)
 Why the lateral/oblique view matters so much (04:21)
 How orthodontists can turn good cases into exceptional cases (05:59)

🟦 Additional Resources

If you want to elevate your esthetic outcomes and start treatment planning with a true face-first approach, check out Dr. Sarver’s course here:

Smile Projection: A New Concept In Smile Design — https://orthopreneurs.com/courses/smile-projection/

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrthoPreneurs

I recently came across a social media incident that really bothered me.

The long and short of it was that someone organizing an event had received a nasty email full of colorful language from one of the would-be attendees.

They proceeded to take a screenshot of the email without the full context and posted it on their social media. They included the person's email, place of work, and other such detail.

This got me thinking…

Nobody is perfect. People are going to screw up, even those close to you.

What will your reaction be? Will you get all worked up and do something to embarrass or destroy them?

I would much rather you gave them grace. Just let it go.

Quotes:

"Give grace to people when they screw up, reach out to somebody with whom you're estranged if you can, and give grace."
- Dr. Glenn Krieger

"You're going to run into people in your life who will piss you off. And you know what, it's okay to let it go."
- Dr. Glenn Krieger

Key Takeaways
A social media incident that really bothered me (00:47)
Give a little more grace (01:48)
It's okay to let it go (02:54)
Give grace to people when they screw up (05:37)

Additional Resources
- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/
 
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