Our guest on the Dental Up Podcast this week is “ The Queen of Smiles” Dr. Catrise L. Austin, DDS. We chatted with Dr. Austin about her impressive list of famous patients and how a certain artist elevated her career, crowning her “The Queen of Smiles”. We talk about the importance of always reinventing yourself and why it’s very important to take CE courses when you can.
In this episode we talk about:
– What inspired Dr. Austin to pursue a career in dentistry at a young age.
– How she built her celebrity patient list.
– Her two International Best Seller Books.
– Why it’s important for dentists to reinvent themselves.
For more information on Dr. Catrise and her practice, click here to visit her website http://vipsmiles.com
Check out her VIP Products, Now Available by clicking here: https://vipsmilesstore.com
Follow her on Instagram by clicking here: https://www.instagram.com/drcatriseaustin/?hl=en
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Host: Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Dental Up podcast. Brought to you by Keating Dental Lab, a full service, award winning dental laboratory. Each week, you’ll learn tips and techniques from real world dentists. Bringing you in depth interviews, motivating stories, current events, and sports. Here’s your host, Shaun Keating.
Shaun Keating: Hey everyone. Shaun here. Welcome to another episode of the Dental Up Podcast. Our guest this week is a graduate from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. She has been named 2018’s dental influencer by Clear. She was listed on the top 25 women in dentistry, and received the 40 Under 40 Award. She’s the author of two number one international best seller books, and has been featured on countless national TV networks. Currently practicing from New York City, New York. Please welcome the queen of smiles, Dr. [Katrice 00:01:03] Austin, DDS. How’s it going, Dr. Austin?
Dr. Austin: What an intro. I’m doing amazing. How are you today?
Shaun Keating: Oh man, I’m so excited about this podcast. That’s just awesome, man. You’re just crushing it, and I thank you for your time. I know we got just a short time on this one, but you’re like the dentist to the stars. I just want to jump right in. I usually start off talking about sports, but, I’m going to-
Dr. Austin: I love sports.
Shaun Keating: Oh, do you? So what about the Super Bowl? Are you a giants fan? A New York Jets fan? Do you like other teams? I know, I think you’re from Michigan, but tell me a little bit about who you liking football coming up?
Dr. Austin: his is probably going to be blasphemous in New York City, but I … just because the quarterback for New England is a Michigan Guy, Tom Brady. I’m going to go with New England.
Shaun Keating: Yeah, there you go. Hey I’m telling you man, those guys are a really good team. And we got our Rams back-
Dr. Austin: They really are.
Shaun Keating: Yeah, but our Rams are going to kick their butts, Dr. Austin, we’re gonna get ’em.
Dr. Austin: I’m all for the commercials. I’m all about seeing maybe Cardi B’s commercial, or some of the other good commercials that, you know … the lady’s watching for the commercials.
Shaun Keating: Oh, me too. I sit there with a fricking … a rib in my hand, a big old beer in the other hand. I tell everyone to shut up, it’s a commercial time. That is so cool. So, all right, you want the Patriots, I want the Rams. We’ll leave it at that. So let’s go ahead and Dental Up.
So tell me, Dr. Austin, now, you’re the dentist for Cardi B, and she, for some of the dentists out there, Some of my dentist probably don’t know, or I bet a lot do know, Cardi B is probably the hottest thing in music right now, in rap music, and probably, you could throw it across pop and everything. I think rap is leading in the industry. I know my heavy metal’s down there far, much farther down below pop and country even.
But she is taking the nation by storm, and she has this one song called Bodak Yellow, that set her apart. And in the song, she mentions her dentist. She doesn’t mention you by name, but she has a big riff in the song, she mentions the dentist, and she goes, “I got a bag and fixed my teeth, hope you hoes know it ain’t cheap.” And I just think that is the neatest thing. And then, because … what was it with that? I think her … she was getting ridiculed little bit on social media early in her career about her teeth, were kinda jacked. So tell me a little bit how Cardi B came into your life, and tell me a little bit about the story about that if you could.
Dr. Austin: She was a Instagram star before she got on this popular TV show on VH1, call Love and Hip Hop. The producer of Love and Hip Hop, Mona Scott-Young, had been a longtime friend and a client of mine who sent me a lot of my celebrity roster, from Busta Rhymes and all kinds of people. So over the years she’s been a big referral source. I was doing a demo reel, thinking about pitching for some TV shows, and took a chance, and sent the demo reel of a couple of my smile makeovers to Mona. And she gave me a call. She was like, “I got your demo reel. It was very nice. And Cardi B would like to get her teeth done, and I want to send her to you.” So that was a relationship that paid off.
Now Cardi B, because I had been watching the show, and following her on Instagram, I knew that the world was kind of picking on her because of her smile. And she said that she would never fix their teeth, it was who she was. But as she saw that her celebrity was rising, she knew that at some point, that she was going to have to change her image so she could reach the level that she has now. So I am so thankful that I was referred by a friend of mine to get Cardi B. And when I got that phone call, and I knew her smile was going to be challenging, it was like, game on. I’m going to rock this smile out like I’ve never rocked out a veneer case in my life, my career. I knew that this was gonna be a game changing smile makeover.
And that’s what we did. We did veneers on the top and the bottom, about 20 of ’em, and it turned out amazing. And immediately, she … in Cardi B’s fashion, when she got done with me that night, she got on the Internet and told everybody to suck her you-know-what. It made the news. And I knew that I made it when TMZ called me about her, when Bodak yellow went number one, and that reference line about her getting her teeth fixed. TMZ called me, and I was like, “Mama, I made it.” I reached TMZ, and then from there it just exploded. It has been a fun, fun ride.
Shaun Keating: Oh, I bet. That’s just so awesome. And her grill’s … their teeth are beautiful. They really are nice. Really love the characterization of ’em, and God, I wish I had done ’em, but I’m going to be doing your other ones in the future. We’ll Drake and some of the other guys out there.
Dr. Austin: I got some good ones coming up in the next month. So I’m going to definitely let you give it a shot. I got a really big one coming up that’s gonna be kinda like Cardi B level.
Shaun Keating: It would be an honor. I frickin’ love it. But you know, it’s so cool. You’ve been on Showcase on NBC Today show, ABC, TMZ, VH1, multiple times. God, there’s dentists out there who’d give their left you-know-what to get out there and get that kind of publicity. And you just gotta really get hard. I just talked to you a few times, but you’re just really, really … I could tell, you just really care about it and you want to do great dentistry. And I was looking at this thing too, you got a couple of international best seller books. One’s called Get Smiled, and there’s another one, The Ultimate Guide to Charcoal Teeth Whitening. Tell me a little bit about your books, and how you got into that, and why do you wanted to do that.
Dr. Austin: I majored in psychology in undergrad, as opposed to the sciences. And with psychology, you have to do writing. So I loved writing. But one of the things I’ve noticed over the years, when I started my career in dentistry, there’s lots of information on health and medicine, but you don’t see a lot on dentistry. Even when it’s October, and it’s national dental hygiene month,. we’re competing with breast cancer month. So the month that we’re supposed to shine, we still don’t get a lot of information out there. So I decided that, as the queen of smiles, that I would be the person to get that information out there.
And my book, Get Smiled, really takes people from start to finish through how to choose a cosmetic dentist, how to prepare for your consultation, everything. All these questions that I get all the time via email, and Instagram, and Facebook. I just decided to put that information all in one place so that the information is out there. Because I want people to really know … people don’t know the little secret that cosmetic dentistry is not an official specialty of dentistry. And everybody’s calling themselves a cosmetic dentist. But how do you know how to choose? And what about the procedures that you’re seeking out? All those questions about cost, and step by step, what will happen to you? I pretty much laid it out in one location, in a book, so that you can have it and you go into your consultation with knowledge. So that was one of the thing … one of my main goals. And I noticed that all of the top dentists had books, they had products, they had a sexy location in Beverly Hills or New York City. So there’s a formula to success. But I love writing, I love blogging, and so that’s part of what I love to do, and it’s fun.
Shaun Keating: Dang. That’s so awesome. And you’re so young, you’re crushing it. That’s just really-
Dr. Austin: Am I young?
Shaun Keating: Yeah, heck yeah.
Dr. Austin: I feel like I’m getting old.
Shaun Keating: And then your other one, is the Ultimate Guide to Charcoal Teeth Whitening. I tried that charcoal teeth stuff, that stuff gets everywhere.
Dr. Austin: When I saw that charcoal was really making a splash a couple years ago, I realized that A, the dental industry really wasn’t embracing charcoal, but yet it was like number one seller on Amazon in terms of teeth whitening. So in true Dr. Austin fashion, I wanted to be the first person to get that information, everything that you need to know about charcoal, and people don’t realize, it can naturally lift the color of your teeth, or remove stains, but it is not the go-to whitening product if you really have a yellow discoloration in your teeth. So I wanted to just give that information for those who are seeking whitening, and wanted to try charcoal, so they’ll know the facts about charcoal, and why they should choose it or not choose it for their teeth.
Shaun Keating: Awesome, I love it. So how’d you come up with the queen of smiles? That’s so cool.
Dr. Austin: There’s always a first lady of this, or a queen of that. So I’m like, “Is there a queen of dentistry?” And when I saw that there wasn’t, and I’m like “I am it.” There’s nobody that has been pounding the pavement like I have since 1998. I’ve been really out there, like you said, getting on TV and disseminating the information. So I’m like, “I’m going to be the queen of smiles.” And I love that people are really calling me that, and I am trying to live up to that, and stay on top of the trends in dentistry so that I can hold my title.
Shaun Keating: That’s awesome. I think we might name this podcast the queen of smiles, maybe. Both my guy looking at me and shaking their head, yeah.
Dr. Austin: When you get into dentistry, and you’re trying to get a name for yourself, it’s all about marketing and branding. So part of that was, I trademarked the queen of smiles, and it’s just something that is memorable that sets you apart.
Shaun Keating: Oh man, that’s so cool. Now you’re not in Queens, you’re in New York City, right.
Dr. Austin: I was in New York City for 20 years. I sold my dental practice, and I have recently restarted my cosmetic dentistry practice in Brooklyn, and opening next month in my hometown of Flint, Michigan. So I’ll be going between Flint and Brooklyn, starting next month. It’s gonna be exciting. So I’m going to bring that New York celebrity to the Midwest. So all the people who are in Chicago, and Ohio, and Michigan, and Indiana, they don’t have to fly. I get a lot of people that fly from other states. Now they’ll be able to catch me in the Midwest as well.
Shaun Keating: Oh that’s huge. That’ll be good. I got a couple dentists that are in Michigan, they’re not going to like it having the queen of smiles coming in the neighborhood, but hey.
Dr. Austin: I know. They’re going to have to move on over, the queen of smiles is coming to town.
Shaun Keating: Yeah, Keating Dental is gonna be making those teeth, baby. No. That is so cool. Now, tell me a little bit about … God, you’ve done a bunch of different speaking engagements and stuff like that. Howard University, Coca-Cola, Stanford University. But I seen this one here, you’re at the Harvard Club in Boston with Caitlyn Jenner, and I’ve been to the Harvard Club. I go to the Yankee cheering. I got a bunch of dentists in Boston, Rhode Island, you know, all in the area, isn’t that Harvard Club bitchin’? I really love that place. But what was Caitlyn Jenner like? That must have been a cool little speaking engagement. Tell me a little bit about that.
Dr. Austin: Caitlyn Jenner is the coolest thing ever. So engaging, so down to earth, so personable. And we got to talk about teeth whitening. I had just launched my teeth whitening brand, that’s called VIP Smiles, which is located at the VIP Smile store on the Internet. And I had just launched my product, so we talked about my take home teeth whitening, because she was always in the forefront, so I was sharing with her my products, and why teeth whitening was important, and the audience was full of business people who are in the public eye as well, and just talking about you’re smile and your image. So it was an amazing experience, because you don’t really get access to Caitlyn Jenner. And so to be able to meet her, and share the stage with her, and talk dentistry with her was a once in a lifetime experience. It was great.
Shaun Keating: I bet. And you know what, she was the greatest athlete in the whole world in 1976. And then keynote speaker for years. That’s what she did forever. And I’ve always, always really liked … I don’t want to say Bruce, but Caitlyn Jenner, I just … it’s a trip how things work out, but what a neat thing. And to meet up, and talk, and to be a part of that. So yeah, if you still have some of that stuff, I’ll put it in our show notes. How to get ahold of your books, and/or your whitening, and stuff like that. We’ll put that in for some of our listeners. We have a lot of listeners out here, and I’m sure they’re going to be excited about this one. So that is so cool.
Dr. Austin: It’s an exciting venture for me. In dentistry, you always kinda have to recreate yourself, and take things to the next level. And that certainly … this product line has been next level for me. And just another way to reach customers. So it’s been great.
Shaun Keating: Oh, that’s huge. That’s huge. Brooklyn’s going to be a neat new place for you. Brooklyn is so neat, nowadays. I remember 20, 25 years ago, it wasn’t the hottest place to be. But now, real estate, everything’s gone so up, and like everyone that’s anybody wants to be in Brooklyn. So hats off to you.
Dr. Austin: Yeah, I started in Brooklyn. That’s where I did my residency. So my first four years in New York was actually in Brooklyn. So I feel like I’m back home. And the only thing I regret, is that back then I didn’t purchase some real estate, because I’d have about two, three million in equity right now if I had. But I was a broke dental student back then, or new dentist back then. In hindsight, that would have been the power move of the century.
Shaun Keating: Yeah, I know. I say that to myself as everyone does, but again, it’s not in our time. It’s in his time. So our time will come when it’s supposed to be, and you just keep that faith baby. And you’re going to be … you’ll be dialed in. You’ll probably have about 15 practices all over the Midwest, and we’ll get you one-
Dr. Austin: That is the goal.
Shaun Keating: Yeah. We gotta get us G5 for you to come on down to your L.A. … Orange County hub. We don’t want you out in L.A., we want you down here in the OC, where it’s all laid back and, it’s much better.
Dr. Austin: I loved it there. I would love to. I was practicing in L.A. back in 2010, 11, 12, and things got a little hectic after the recession, so I kinda let it go. But I would love … people were begging, a lot of my clients in New York have moved to the Orange County, Los Angeles area. So they are begging for me to come out there. SO stay tuned.
Shaun Keating: That’d be so neat. Well hey, I got a 30,000 square foot dental lab, with a big ass dental operatory, fully set up, and we do implant cases. Oh, we got everything here girl. So you don’t even have to get an office. You can come in here and work a weekend here and there. I’ll set that up, and we’ll do all the lab. We do the lab work in like 24 hour makeovers, like the … we’ll have doctors come in, like 15 doctors, we’ll go chair side and we’ll prep the case, do the temporization, and then you could do your little talk and stuff about what we’re going to be doing, and it goes off to the lab. We do all the work that day and night, and the next day we come back, and we see everything. And we do 20 units. Yeah, it’s neat.
Dr. Austin: That is exactly what I would do when I was practicing. I did that with your competitor. I would love to do that with you. You just sold it. I’m coming back to L.A.
Shaun Keating: Yeah baby, we want you. If you want the best, forget the rest. Come to Keating, baby. We’ll show you what teeth are all about. No, that’s so cool.
Dr. Austin: That’s awesome.
Shaun Keating: Tell me, Dr. Austin, why did you get into dentistry? Where did you find out that, “Hey, I want to be a dentist.” What part of your life was that when you really knew you wanted to be a dentist?
Dr. Austin: Growing up, I always hated my smile. My teeth were too long. They were flared out, and I had multiple spaces between my teeth. So growing up from childhood all the way to teenage years, I wasn’t confident. I was self conscious, I was an introvert. So my mom knew that, and I had this routine dental visit at the age of 15 with my general dentist, and it Kinda came up during the visit that I wanted to get braces. But my mom was a single parent in Flint, Michigan, and I’m thinking, she can’t afford this. I’m not going to even ask. But the dentist, Dr. Oscar L. Wright, had a chat with my mom. And she said, “You know what, I’m going to do it. I’m going to sacrifice. We’re going to get these braces.” So I did, and I wore them for just a year to close my spaces and align my teeth.
And when the braces came off, I felt so sexy, so beautiful. And my confidence level just skyrocketed. And most importantly, I realized that the smile was really important as to how people perceived you. So I get the braces off, and I go back to school, and it’s like, “Wow!” And people are just like, “You’re beautiful. Your teeth are amazing.” I started to get my first boyfriend, and got popular, and got on the dance squad.
All these amazing [inaudible 00:19:01] really happened to me. To the point where I was like, “This is a great feeling. I want to be a dentist. I have to make other people feel this feeling of what it feels like to transform your smile.” So that was it, around the age of 15, 16. My experience led me to a career in dentistry. So every day when I go to work, and you see me having fun on the Internet, is because I love what I do, and I love transforming smiles. So it’s truly fun. I know firsthand what it feels like, so when I do that for people, it’s amazing. And the thing about Cardi B, her smile makeover has inspired regular people from all over the United States and the world to get transformed. So I am so happy to have proven myself, what I can do. And I am now doing these smile stories that you may see on Instagram, where I’m just taking regular people, from college students, to single moms, and all kinds of people, and displaying their story, and showing their transformations, and I love it.
Shaun Keating: To be able to go direct to the public like that. That’s always been such a … it’s never happened. It happened back, remember Lumineers with Denmat, they kinda went to the public. So they got people going into the dentist saying, “I want Lumineers.” And that’s rarely ever happened. And for you to reach out to the masses like that, and they say, “I want to get my teeth done. And I want to … be great to be with Dr. Austin for sure.” But you never know when one of those Instagram things … maybe we could do something too, because it’s so far out of reach for, “Oh, it costs me 40 grand, it costs me 30 grand.” I can’t tell you how many grills I did with some dentists that gave up their time a little bit, and cost of what their time was, and what I could do. Down the line, maybe we do an award winner or something, that writes you right letter, gives you the right story. And we work it out where I do the lab work, you do this, and maybe we can do a couple of those a year, or whatever. It’ll go far.
Dr. Austin: That would be amazing, and if we did that, it would be a big hit. And there are so many people that just need, and want to smile. I get so many letters, and I wish I could help everybody, but you just can’t.
Shaun Keating: No, I know, I know. And it’s like, all my close circle of friends that I’ve known since elementary school, I think I’ve done every one of their grills. Like a lot of these guys are like, “Shaun, can you help me out?” And I got a doctor friend that’s over in Anaheim, close to us, and he just kinda does it for cost, if even that. Some guys, it’d be a couple grand for a tooth, and he just does it for a couple hundred dollars here and there per tooth. He kinda gives out his time on a Saturday, once every three months, for one of my friends. And it’s a neat thing, and it just changes their lives. Their self esteem, like you said, and just … like you. As a 15 year old, to change your life.
My brother’s a dentist, and he’s the oldest brother out of our family. And same thing with him. He had teeth, and he looked like Dracula. He had to go see an orthodontist. A young kid, and he had to pull teeth and, and all this stuff. And he went into dentistry, and he got me into it. He’s like, “Shaun, you’re going to be a dental technician, and I’m going to be a dentist.” And then … and I knew that from eighth grade, and he went on to dental school. And when he got out of dental school, he went on and did a residency in endo. He’d never done it before. He left me high and dry. Said, “Shaun, you’re on your own, because I’m doing endodontics only.” So all he does is root canals all day. And so, I kind of set off on my own. It worked out for me though. But I’m glad I’m just not a one man lab working for my brother, I tell you that.
Dr. Austin: How long have you been in business?
Shaun Keating: Since ’84, I’ve been doing this. And I worked for a big dental lab. I started with them in ’84, and I left in 2002, and started my mine. So we’re like 16, 17 years coming on now, and it’s just … it’s been a Godsend. We got my family and my kids work here, my nephews, and my wife comes in and does the human resources, keep us all in line. It’s kind of a neat thing.
But teeth have changed a lot in 36 years. But the bottom line is that, at the end of the day, we change people’s lives, and we can make a real big difference. And I just love it. I made a lot of teeth in my time, and I’m just very thankful that I got into this field, because it’s so rewarding for me and it’s tough for dentists. You guys got a lot of … working with people like … you’re in the psychology. And I think that’s 90% of it, is the psyche with working with these patients. And then it comes down to it. It’s just, so many people have issues, and this, and that. And you gotta … they can be in pain, or they have their wants, and what their needs are, and it just … it’s really an amazing field we’re in, but it’s a tough field. But it can be very successful. And I have a lot of doctors just do bread and butter dentistry, and they live a great life. It’s just like a onesie, twosies. And then there’s other guys that, “Oh, I’m limited to cosmetics.” And they’re looking for the big roundie every day. And it’s just weird how it works out.
But, I have doctors in all 50 states that send me work here, it’s just, at the end of the day, it’s the ones that are just practicing good dentistry, treat their people good at the job, and treat their customers good. And people will see that, and it’s very easy to be successful in dentistry if you just do the good deed, and do the right thing, and put your time in. And it’s just really neat.
Dr. Austin: When I finished my residency, I went to the newspaper back when they had newspapers, and you could go to the want ads. And I took a couple of jobs, and the quality of dentistry was terrible. The offices weren’t sterile, they didn’t have good customer service. And I’m like, “I didn’t go to school all these years to come out and do terrible dentistry.” So that led me to, pretty much right out of dental school, starting my practice in 1998. And I just decided that I had to do dentistry my way, and my way is to deliver good customer service, have fun, and deliver kick-butt dentistry. And that is things that set me aside from some of my competitors.
Shaun Keating: What kind of advice would you give some of the newer, younger dentists starting off? I think you kind of nailed it a lot right there. But what kind of advice, like some dos and don’ts starting off? Start on your own, maybe associate, what do you think for some of the newer kids coming out right now?
Dr. Austin: Recently is, I didn’t know that these students are coming out with $300,000 worth of debt. So that in itself becomes a challenge, because it’s hard to take on more debt in starting a practice. But if you can, if you have some kind of financial help, where you can start your own practice, and you got to decide, are you a leader, are you a business person? Or are you someone that just wants to go in, do your job and go home? I am not … my mother says I don’t play well with others, so I have to be my own business person, because I do have to do things my way. So once you determine what type of practitioner you want to be, and your lifestyle, if you want to walk out the door and not have responsibilities after work, then employee is the way to go. And when you’re an employee, I would say just make sure you have the right deal.
Because when I was an employee, just out of my residency, I was working so hard, I didn’t know I didn’t have a good percentage rate that I was getting paid. And I didn’t realize they were giving me the bottom procedures. I wasn’t getting, crowns, and back then, veneers wasn’t big, but I was getting fillings, amalgams, and composites. And you got to do a lot of those to make a good living. So make sure that you have … if you’re making a deal, you make the right deal for you, and that you’re not compromising your values. And that’s super important.
Stay on top of your … what’s new, and what’s hot in dentistry. I never stopped learning. I’m at the Greater New York Dental meetings, taking courses. I’m at the AACD meetings, taking courses. I’m reading. When my dental journals come in the mail, I’m super excited. I’m like, “Oh, Inside Dentistry just came.” I’m just super excited. [inaudible 00:27:30] read those articles and know what’s going on. And those are the things that will keep you fresh, because there are … gosh, in New York City, there’s so many dentists. There’s a dentist … 12 in the building. There’s just so many competitors. You have to set yourself apart from the rest. And that’s what I always strive to do. And have, most importantly, you’ve got to have a good team. If you are a business person, that staffing is key. Because you can have a vision, but if your staff, your supporting staff does not see your vision, then you’re not going to be able to be as successful as you could be.
And what I did early on, is I hired a consultant. I hired Sally Mackenzie, and then I hired Roger Levin. And those … having good consultants on my team to guide me was really a big part of my success as I grew over the years. So don’t be afraid to have advisors that can take you to the next level. It does cost, but it’s an investment that’s worth investing in.
Shaun Keating: Oh, so true and on the money. I still get advisors once a year, at least, in different aspects of my company. And it costs me money, but it’s what I don’t know, and what I want to hear from someone out of my circle. And always doing checks and balances. And that’s what it’s all about. People say, “I can’t afford it.” You can’t afford not to, it comes back to you 10 fold. It really does. And I’m always … I was just telling my guys here, my producer and my social media guy right in front of me, and I go, “You guys need to get some consultants in here, because you know what you know, but I want you to know what you don’t know going forward.” I want to set ourselves apart, and I want to be the best we possibly can. And so, whatever it takes for these guys to bring in other people, to show ’em what we’re not doing and showing what we could do, I think that’s what it’s all about, I think, as a dentist. You need to do that also. That’s huge.
What about with you, cutting your veneers and stuff? Any one particular course? Did you do a [inaudible 00:29:36] course that stuck with you? What kind of course could you say that really stuck with you on … was it at an ACD meeting, or was it … who showed you the ways, and tricks of doing those beautiful preps that you do?
Dr. Austin: That membership with the AACD was super, super important early on in my career. And the thing is, those hands-on courses, they sell out right away. So they’re very competitive because everybody wants them. But getting in those hands-on courses, or just being at the AACD is super important, on a yearly basis. And it is an expensive conference after you register, and you get your hotel, and all of that stuff. But like you said before, is so worth it. It’s like you get the insider secrets of cosmetic dentistry.
And then the other thing I did was, I went to the Las Vegas Institute and took more courses.
Shaun Keating: LVI, all right.
Dr. Austin: Yeah, those institutions … and here we have the [inaudible 00:30:35] Institute, and just any learning center that can give you direct hands-on courses is key. So that’s what I do on a regular, yearly, bi-yearly basis. I’m always taking classes, because I want to say the best. And that’s what the best athletes practice, they get advisors, they work on their craft. So you constantly have to work on your craft, and stay the best.
Shaun Keating: That’s so awesome. And hey, Rosenthal and Dickerson, who are they? We got the queen of smiles, baby. That is so cool.
Dr. Austin: I love it.
Shaun Keating: Dr. Austin, I can’t thank you enough. What a frickin’ awesome little podcast. Hey, what about Cardi B? Was she with Offset, or is it Offset, or Migos, or what is it? Is Offset her husband?
Dr. Austin: Yes. Her legal husband for now. Which, I think they’ll eventually get back together, but we don’t know. But I think love wins. So hopefully they’ll work it out, [crosstalk 00:31:39].
Shaun Keating: He got to stay out of the other rooms of those other women. And say, “I got Cardi B.” That’s crazy.
Dr. Austin: You know, sometimes … Jay Z cheated on Beyonce. How do you cheat on Beyonce? It happens. I hope that they work it out. There’s a child involved, and hopefully he learned a lesson, and things will work.
Shaun Keating: Oh, I think he did.
Dr. Austin: In the meantime, I look forward to her just continuing to be a rockstar, and stay tuned for some more my upcoming rockstar patients. It’s going to be a fun ride. Especially when I get to Michigan.
Shaun Keating: I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to it. I just can’t thank you enough for your time, and I look forward to working more with you, and doing some of these big cases. We’ll show you the Keating difference, for sure. And we’re all about turnaround too. So they’re gonna get ’em on a Tuesday, and seat ’em on Wednesday, or seat ’em on Thursday. We’ll make it happen, and I think it’s neat.
Dr. Austin: You’re talking my language, because some of the things that people don’t realize, when I’m working with these high profile patients, the pressure is on. Sometimes they have an event, or they need something turned around really quickly. So, it is good to know that I have Keating on the team, that can help me deliver the fast and quality results that I need to, to some of these clients. Anybody that’s looking for more information from me can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, @DoctorKatriceAustin. And my website is VIPsmiles.com.
Shaun Keating: God bless you. That is awesome. We’re going to drop the mic on that, baby. So Dr.-
Dr. Austin: [inaudible 00:33:16].
Shaun Keating: Dr. Austin, that’s so frickin’ awesome. And I look forward to … hey, we’re going to do some more of these. As we do patients, we’ll get on and talk about it, this and that. And we can help other dentists on how to … we’ll do another one on how to best market their services, how to drive patients to the practice. So, you have so much to offer.
Dr. Austin: I would love to. Eventually I would like to just really be there for up and coming dentists. I don’t want to be the dentist that’s drilling until I’m 90 years old. So eventually, I’m going to let somebody else be the princess of smiles or something like that.
Shaun Keating: Princess. No queen, we have the queen. That’s so cool. Well again, thank you so much for coming on the Dental Up Podcast, and we’re going to talk to you real soon, Dr. Austin. Thanks again.
Dr. Austin: All right, [inaudible 00:34:07]. We’re going to do some great things together.
Shaun Keating: All right, sounds great. Thanks again.
Dr. Austin: Bye.
Shaun Keating: All right, bye bye.
Dr. Austin: Take care.
Automated: Thanks for joining us on the Dental Up Podcast show this week. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Or search The Dental Up Podcast on iTunes for our weekly feed. Don’t forget to visit keatingdentallab.com/promo for exclusive offers. Keating Dental Lab is a full service dental laboratory, and we’re nationwide. We’d love for you to send us a case so we can show you the Keating difference. If you dig what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes. And we’ll be back next week.
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