Semidey Dental Podcast

EP #1: Meet your Host- Dr. Alex Semidey

Alex Semidey Season 1 Episode 1

Uncover the remarkable journey of Dr. Sarah Tarte, from dental assistant to a partner at Semidey Dental, and how her story embodies the essence of our patient-centered practice. In an episode packed with warmth and inspiration, we, Alex Semidey and Jeremy Wolf, explore how the synergies within our practice create a welcoming atmosphere akin to the friendly neighborhood vibe of "Cheers." Dr. Sarah shares her unique path and the serendipitous moment that brought her to Semidey Dental, highlighting a relationship built on mentorship and mutual respect.

Join us as we discuss what sets Semidey Dental apart in the world of dentistry. From the moment you reach out to us until you walk through our doors, we emphasize personalized care that defies the cold, generic experiences of typical medical visits. Our patient-first approach ensures that we understand your goals, providing tailored care that alleviates anxiety and transforms your dental visit into a positive experience. Whether you're a long-time patient or just curious about a new perspective on dental care, this episode promises insights into how we aim to make every patient feel seen, heard, and valued.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Semide Dental Podcast. We're here to provide you expert insights on how dentistry can improve your quality of life and extend your health span. I'm Alex Semide and I'm a practicing dentist and I'll be your host, along with Jeremy Wolf. Enjoy the show, welcome.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Semide Dental Podcast. I am very excited to be joined, as always, by 7-Day Dental podcast. I am very excited to be joined, as always, by producer extraordinaire, mr Jeremy Wolf, and today very, very special guest on the show, dr Sarah Tartt, welcome. So Dr Sarah is my associate at 7-Day Dental and she's my dentist, so she's a pretty rock star dentist. So we want to really this is our initial episode of the show kind of give you guys a feel for who we are, our practice, our team, some of the different ways that we can help people reach their goals and really what our mission is here for you guys. So, dr Sarah Tartt, I want to introduce you. You are my associate, so this is a two-doctor practice and I really just want to kick off things with a little bit of your background story in dentistry and how we joined forces.

Speaker 2:

Awesome. So thanks for having me on the show. You guys I know that you guys have collaborated before. I feel very honored to be part. My journey for me and Dr Alex meeting started with our office manager, kathleen, sending me an email saying there's opportunity, and when I went to the website and I saw what Dr Alex had to offer in 2017, I was blown away by what was there. So came I met Dr Alex. He taught me a lot on my very first day meeting him. I was lucky enough to be his dental assistant while in a master's program and he kept me on the payroll for four years of dental school. So super lucky that I had this opportunity. We met by chance, but it has been a blessing and now I'm back at Semiday Dental seeing all of the old patients that I used to help with Dr Alex, and it's one of those stories you don't ever hear and I think it's so awesome. So when patients think that it's awesome, I'm like I used to be his assistant and now like I'm his dentist.

Speaker 1:

And now we share an office.

Speaker 3:

You've come full circle as they say so, now we share an office. You've come full circle as they say so yeah, wonderful backstory you guys have. I mean, let's be honest, right, everybody loves the dentist, don't they? Yeah, sure, so one of the things that I love about your practice and that I've noticed from early on, is just how you're doing things a little bit differently with Semi-Day Dental. Dr Alex, why don't you talk a little bit about the practice and kind of what distinguishes it from maybe other dental practices that are out there?

Speaker 1:

Well, I feel like with Semi-Day Dental it's we are a very patient-centered practice and we really tried to take every aspect of the patient experience into account, from the initial phone call to how the practice looks and feels and smells when you walk in, to the way you're greeted and I know everyone listening to this has experience going to any sort of medical facility and really getting that sort of cold reception. It kind of feels like you're just a number in the system. Right, that was the antithesis of what we were looking to accomplish and provide at Sembade Dental. You remember that old show, Cheers Indeed?

Speaker 3:

Remember the tagline where everybody knows you Thanks, brother Thanks.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, you know it happens. So that was really kind of the feeling that we wanted to bring our patients at Sun Bay Dental. You are greeted by name, we know who you are. We take the time to get to know you and know what your goals are, and not just give you a prescription that is one size fits all. Right, we try to tailor how we can help, depending on who our patient is.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, absolutely, and one of the things I will say to that sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name from Cheers. I've been to many dentists in the past and before I go I often feel very anxious about going and the whole experience can be less than pleasant. I recently came in to see you and you helped me out with a crown that had popped off and, while it still wasn't necessarily looking forward to go to the dentist, the process that you, I felt welcome. It was a welcoming environment, I felt comfortable and it made that process very, very seamless for me, which I greatly appreciated. Somebody that's had and we're not going to get into it but traumatic dental history in the past. I want to go somewhere where I feel comfortable and I think most patients out there feel the same way.

Speaker 1:

Right, yeah, dentistry in particular is a very I'm sorry, dentistry is a very vulnerable environment. Right, you're leaning back with your mouth open. You should be in an environment with people that that that you know, that you trust and where you feel comfortable.

Speaker 2:

We have people who come in with a lot of anxiety and they leave saying like I can't believe I'm saying this, but like I, I'm happy to continue to come. And it's a very rewarding moment when a patient goes from anxious and know bad past history and then they're like I like coming here, like oh, I still. So we don't want people to tell us how much they hate us every time they come. So I think seven day dental has done a great job with aesthetically providing the environment like we don't smell your typical medical sterile feel. Um. And then the people on on the team. Doc, I gotta to say they're a huge fact of how patients feel when they walk in this door, you know 100 percent.

Speaker 3:

Yes, I'll speak to that too as a, as a as a patient. You know your office manager. She is absolutely fantastic. She's helped me tremendously trying to with actual finding insurance plans for myself.

Speaker 1:

She's been very Kathleen she's an absolute rock star and really in many ways the backbone of the practice. So, dr Tartt, why don't you take a minute and kind of run folks through the team?

Speaker 2:

I would love to brag about the team. So you guys had already mentioned Kathleen. She's the office manager. She's the whole reason I got to work here. So shout out to Kathleen. But by side Kathleen we have our director of first impressions, Alyssa. She's wonderful, Big smile that you'll see when you come in or when you give a phone call. Those two are kind of the go to helpers, who will help you get into the office and make it as stress-free as possible.

Speaker 2:

Once you get to the back, that's where you see the clinical team. We have two amazing hygienists. We have Damaris and we have Lisa. So, depending on what day of the week you like to come to the dentist, you'll see one of the two. They're both amazing. I trust them with my teeth. So five stars, literally on Google, five stars. Then we have our assistant team that keeps Dr Alex and I on our toes in the correct room that we're supposed to be in. So we have yes, they are, you know, Kathleen runs the office and the back team. They really keep us running. So shout out to the back assisting team. We have Alexis, we have Jennifer and we have a new team member who just got on board named Bria. So without them, I think me and Dr Alex wouldn't be able to find anything. So they are, they are angels and are our work hard worker bees of the office, and that definitely, definitely heartbeat right If Kathleen keeps the structure going.

Speaker 1:

They are the heartbeat that that keeps everything moving right. Without them, it would be a very, very different experience.

Speaker 2:

And you know the back team and the front team. They are not only doing their roles, they are the patient's advocates. So I want you guys to all understand that Dr Alex and I are going to fight for what's best for you and give you all of your education and you know options. But they're there to listen and I feel they make the biggest impact with the patients to to be your advocate.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, well said.

Speaker 3:

So, dr Tartt, you shared a little bit about how you ultimately joined forces with Dr Alex and kind of come around full circle. Dr Alex, why don't you talk a little bit about your journey? I know you've had the practice for some time now. Looking back, how did you get into dentistry? What initially sparked your passion for this field? Tell us a little bit about your journey, brother.

Speaker 1:

Well, it was an interesting story for me. I call it my quarter-life crisis. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do or be, and again, I have to thank mom. It was a conversation with her. Her and she threw out dentistry and the more I learned about it, the more intrigued I was. But it wasn't really until my third year of dental school, when I sat down with my first live patient for my first real procedure, when I realized that this was mom was right again, this was absolutely what I was born to do and I had found my calling and ever since then it's been.

Speaker 1:

It's been a journey of discovery, and dentistry is an incredible field that's constantly evolving and if you like to keep learning, it's you know, you get to keep learning your entire career. It's amazing. Keep learning, it's, you know, you get to keep learning your entire career. It's, it's amazing, um. But yeah, you know, since then it's uh. I graduated from the university of florida in 2010, um opened the practice uh in 2011 and we are just now celebrating our 13th year uh since we first opened our doors. So it's's been an incredible journey. It's been an absolute honor and a pleasure to serve our community and forge the relationships that we have, not only, you know, with the rest of my team, with Dr Tartt, but with our patients too, and we've had patients from day one who are still our patients, and a lot of them have moved away and will travel from Vegas and Buffalo and they, they, they keep coming back because this is where they feel, this is where they feel right.

Speaker 2:

It's their dental home.

Speaker 2:

You know we always welcome them to the family and you know, for some people that might be a an odd description, but we consider them like, hey, we're here, we are here for you. Consider them like, hey, we're here, we are here for you. Dr Alex has created the environment and luckily, we fill the environment with the same. We just need the patient. We need you to trust us so that we can help you get from wherever you're starting on your journey of dental life. We see people who don't even come to the dentist. So you know.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

For a lot of people.

Speaker 1:

there's a lot of shame and fear involved, right, Like the more neglectful they've been right, the more they've deferred the maintenance, the less comfortable they feel breaking the ice and coming back right. I think I think Dr, Part of the rest of the team do an amazing job of kind of bringing down those walls and helping people feel feel accepted and welcomed, regardless of where they're at on their journey, Right.

Speaker 2:

And you know Dr Alex, he always brings it all together when we talk about where does your, your body and your health start? It's in the mouth. So a lot of people don't even realize that they have this connection between mouth and body. They think it's two the mouth. So a lot of people don't even realize that they have this connection between mouth and body. They think it's two separate ideas. But it's a systemic process that starts in the mouth and then we see sometimes. Sometimes we're the first person to let you know you have a different medical condition starting. You know, high blood pressure. We we check blood pressure in our office. It catches people off guard, but we're here to take care of your overall health, not just focus on one spot.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. So lastly, before we wrap up here, I know you're very big into education education issues but I don't want to take words out of your mouth. Why don't you share with the audience a little bit about the motivation behind this platform, right? Why are we here? Why are we doing a podcast? You don't see many. I haven't seen many podcasts by dentists out there, right? What's the motivation behind this and what's the goal through this platform?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely so. Really, it's to bring information to people, right. Like the intro says, this is a podcast devoted to all the different ways that dentistry can improve your quality of life, whether that be your confidence or your comfort in chewing the foods that you want to enjoy, or, like Dr Tartt just said, making that oral systemic link and helping you be healthier and enjoy an improved health span in your life healthier and enjoy an improved health span in your life. So that's really this. This is an incredible platform to bring people information and help answer questions that people may have and hopefully help us all enjoy life a little bit more.

Speaker 3:

Well said, well said, so I think we'll leave it there, guys. If anybody has any specific topics that they'd like us to talk about, please drop that in the comments. Don't forget to like, subscribe, share with your friends. We're excited to be bringing this to the community. Guys, always a pleasure seeing you.

Speaker 2:

You too, Jeremy.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

All right.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, so stay tuned for further episodes, guys. We'll be bringing you a ton of really fun, cool information. Dr Tartt, thanks for taking the time today. I know you're a clinical, you're a chair side today, so thanks for making time.

Speaker 2:

Look forward to meeting you future patients.

Speaker 3:

All right, everyone Take care. Thanks everyone for tuning in and we will catch everyone next time on the next episode of the Semiday Dental Podcast.

Speaker 1:

Everyone take care have a wonderful day and keep smiling out there. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Semiday Dental Podcast. We hope you enjoyed the show. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and follow us on social media for the latest episodes. You can find us at Semiday Dental. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. We're always happy to help. Until then, keep smiling and stay curious.