📍 Hey everyone. So this episode is a little bit different today. This one wasn't planned and it wasn't scheduled weeks ago or anything like that. I literally just sat down and said, you know what? I wanna talk about this and I wanna have a pop-up podcast episode. I wanna share something today that's been on my heart for a really long time,

and if you've been around me for any length of time, whether you've worked with me, you worked for me, you had me mentor or coach, your dental practice, or your business, maybe you've just listened to this podcast or you've been part of the Dentistry Support community, you probably already know that dentistry means a lot to me.

I actually love this profession. I really do. And I know some people use that term really lightly. But I have just been on this quest to show people how important this industry really is. And I know that it sounds funny to people outside of dentistry because dentistry gets such a bad reputation sometimes.

People joke about it, people say they hate going to the dentist, but when you're inside this profession, like I have been for almost 25 years now, you see things completely different. You see the people behind it, and the people behind dentistry are incredible. I have met some of the most hardworking, compassionate, thoughtful people in this profession.

Dentists who genuinely care about their patients, dentists who are trying to build amazing practices for their teams. Dentists who lose sleep because they're thinking about how can I make my dental office better? And honestly, those people don't always get the recognition that they deserve. You know what I mean when I say that, right?

There are dentists out there who are just these like phenomenal leaders, phenomenal clinicians, phenomenal human beings and most of the world, they'll never hear about them unless someone tells their story. Unless someone shares that one thing that makes them different. And that's really where this idea I'm gonna share with you came from for a long time.

I've been thinking, how do we highlight the goodness of dentistry without being cliche or annoying or appearing? I don't know outta sorts. How do we shine light on the doctors who are doing it right? The ones who lead with actual integrity, the ones who build these amazing teams, the ones who create offices, where people, they actually wanna work there.

And that's how the dentistry support White Coat of Honor was born. This is something that means a lot to me personally because it connects directly with the mission I've always had in dentistry. And that mission has always been really simple. Just make dentistry better. That's it. That's always been my goal, whether it's through our virtual dental teams, through the training that multiple companies I own represent and provide through mentorship, through free resources for dental offices that I have been on a mission to give for years and years.

Everything that we do at Dentistry Support is about helping dentistry become the best. Version of itself, and one of the ways that we do that is by celebrating the people who are already doing it beautifully. Now, you might be thinking, oh, there are a ton of awards that exist out there, but have you ever realized how much it goes into getting that award that you might see everywhere that dentists typically are paying to get that award?

They're paying thousands and thousands of dollars to get selected because they were the highest sponsor or because they gave the most, or because they picked the biggest package. This one's different. I'm not charging you anything to get nominated. Here's the thing that's really important to me about this award that I created.

I didn't want this to be one of those programs where people have to pay to be recognized. You see that in business, you see it everywhere. You see it in healthcare, you see it in small businesses or in different programs that exist . You have to be a member to get nominated. There are awards out there where people have to apply and then pay a fee to apply and then buy sponsorships and all that stuff, and that's not what this is, and it's not what it will ever be.

The White Coat of Honor is completely free. There is no purchase required. You don't have to be a client of mine. You don't have to buy anything from us. You simply have to be a dentist who represents the best of what this profession can be. And here's where it gets really fun for me. The nominations are open right now, which means anyone can nominate a dentist.

Patients can nominate their dentist. Team members can nominate their doctor. Friends in dentistry can nominate each other, and honestly, that part excites me most because I know there are people listening to this episode right now who are already thinking of someone. You're probably sitting there going, oh my gosh, I know exactly who that dentist is.

Maybe it's your boss. Maybe it's someone that you went to dental school with. Maybe it's the dentist who changed your life. That kind of person is exactly who I wanna hear about. Let me explain how the nominations work. It's very simple. You're going to go to the Dentistry Support White Coat of Honor nomination page.

It's linked on our website, dentistry support.com. Then you'll do three things. You're going to find the link to social media post. You're gonna leave a comment there. You can tag your dentist. You can leave a comment that you completed the form. Any comment will work.  Then you'll fill out the nomination form telling us about the dentist you want to nominate.

Yes, the form is going to ask you for questions, things like the dental office's name, their website. Your information you will then answer five different questions about how they stood out. I want to know what kind of leader they are. I want you to tell us how they treat their team.

I want you to tell us how they serve their patients.  . Now nominations are open right now, but they close on March 30th. So if you're thinking about nominating someone, I don't want you to wait too long. Just go take care of it. It doesn't take more than seven minutes for you to fill out the form.

After the nominations close, our team is going to review everything and we will select the Dentistry Support White Coat of Honor recipient for 2026. Then on March 31st, we will officially announce the winner. And when we do that, we are going to make it so special because the whole point of this is to celebrate that doctor and their team.

So let me tell you what the recipient receives First, they're going to receive the DS White Coat of Honor Award presented to their office. It is framed, it will be shipped directly to them on the 31st of March. This is something they can hang in their practice that recognizes their leadership and excellence in dentistry.

Then we're going to feature that dentist in a 30 minute podcast episode where we talk about their journey, their leadership style, and what makes their practice so special. And I love this part because people get to hear their story, what they went through to become a dentist, how they are who they are today.

And sometimes the stories behind these dentists are so incredible. They have to be publicly shared. They're inspiring, they're honest, they're real, and they showcase exactly who this dentist is. We are also going to create an official press release announcing the award, highlighting the doctor and their practice, and sharing that recognition within our dental community.

That speaks to about a hundred thousand dentists. And this is one of my favorite parts. We're actually going to give the team $150 to go grab coffee together and celebrate because every great dentist has an amazing team behind them, and we want them to feel proud too. The recipient dentist will also receive a $500 credit toward dentistry, support virtual services if they ever want to work with us, but they don't have to.

Altogether, the recognition package is worth over $5,000, but honestly, that's not the important part. The important part to me is that we get to celebrate someone who represents the very best in dentistry, and that is really what this episode is about. Today I just wanna talk about dentistry today.

I want to say out loud how proud I am of this profession and how many amazing people I've been able to meet along the way. Dentistry has given me a career. A business and helped me employ over 700 people since 2014. It's given me friendships, it's given me a mission, a stage to speak on this very podcast, and I want to spend the rest of my career making sure the world sees the goodness that exists in this profession.

So if you know a dentist who deserves to be recognized, nominate them. Tell us their story. Help us shine a light on the people who make dentistry such an incredible profession. You can find the nomination link in the show notes or on the dentistry support website. You will see a banner at the very top of that page, and then on the homepage as you scroll down just a little bit again, the nominations close on March 30th and the winner will be announced on March 31st.

Thank you for listening to this pop-up episode today. Thank you for being a part of dentistry and thank you for helping us celebrate the people who make this profession so special. I'm Sarah 📍 Beth Herman, and I'll catch you on our next episode.