The Importance of Financial Discipline with Dr.Heath Lampee, DMD

Announcer: 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 a real world dentist, 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 Oregon Health Sciences University School of Dentistry. In 2007, he launched Sleep Dentistry Defined, providing caring, comfortable dental experiences for all his patients. Currently practicing from Beaverton, Oregon, please welcome Dr. Heath Lampee, DMD. How’s it going, Dr. Lampee?

Dr. Lampee: Going great. Thank you so much for having me.

Shaun Keating: Oh man, that’s so cool, dude. I’m glad you took the time to come on the Dental Up Podcast today. I know how busy you are, but thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Hey, I always like to start off talking a little bit about sports, and man, you guys are kind of crushing it out there. I don’t know if you’re a big Portland Trailblazer fan, but they’re right up in the Western Conference, one of the best teams out there. You into the-

Dr. Lampee: They are doing better. I’m always worried about Playoffs with them though.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, they always seem to kind of … It’s been years since they really went deep, but dang, they really are kind of crushing it. I think they’re like third place or something right now and heck-

Dr. Lampee: Oh, I hope they keep it up. I remember when I was a little kid, like ’90, ’91, I think they were playing Detroit Pistons in the Finals. It was really exciting, but that’s been a while now.

Shaun Keating: Oh yeah, that’s what I remember too, back in the ’90s and even the ’80s, and they were just a force to be reckon with. You didn’t want to go into the Portland either. Their fans are really rambunctious, man. All those timber jacks, or not timber jacks, lumberjack-

Dr. Lampee: You should see our soccer fans. They will-

Shaun Keating: No kidding.

Dr. Lampee: … put any other soccer fans to shame- That’s awesome.

Shaun Keating: … Don’t miss with them.

Shaun Keating: Oh man, yes. Oregon’s a beautiful place, man. I just love … been there a few times. My wife’s grandparents are from Bend, Oregon, so it’s kind of a coastal area there. Dude, I got hooked on Dungeness crabs back in the day, eating those things. I love those things to this day, man. Give me a chilled Dungeness and that’s like heaven on earth to me, man.

Dr. Lampee: It’s crab season right now, so come on up.

Shaun Keating: I’m telling you, I got the crab cooker around the corner. We get ’em from you guys. They freeze them and thaw them out. Give me that and my Wall Street Journal and I’m pretty much in heaven at lunch time there, just reading a paper. The lady will look at me, and she goes, “Shaun, you gonna have another one today?” I’m like, “Bring another one, baby.” And those are just appetizers, but I usually go through a couple of those, then I’ll have my scallops and shrimp, man. It’s like, “Good Lord, look at me talking about food, man.” Gotta stop that.

Dr. Lampee: Gold seafood, it’s my favorite too.

Shaun Keating: That’s so cool. Well, dude, that’s so good. What about football? Anything? You into football or baseball, anything? What you have? You don’t even have a football team, Oregon.

Dr. Lampee: We don’t even have football or baseball. I’m at a point in my life where I love sports, but I’d rather be out playing something than watching them.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I hear you. It’s kind of the point now-

Dr. Lampee: Maybe it’s the dentist in me. I’m a little hyperactive, so I need to be out doing stuff, you know?

Shaun Keating: Exactly. Well, you guys out in Oregon, man, you guys are all those health nuts, man. You’re all hiking and doing all the fishing. Heck, I think several months out of the year, it’s raining, so you gotta be doing those different activities for that, huh?

Dr. Lampee: When it rains, you just go up to the mountains where it snows. You go snowboard, you hang out, you go snowshoe, it’s awesome.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I don’t know about that snowshoe, dude. That’s a lot of work, man. You gotta walk.

Dr. Lampee: It’s all about cardiovascular health, man. It will get you going.

Shaun Keating: Dude, wait till you’re like 50 and you’ve made it, you’re gonna be sitting on that couch eating Twinkies and Ding Dongs. Come on, now. When I was young, I used to do back flips, standing back flips. Oh man, I was such the athlete and then it kind of goes downhill a little bit. It’s all your own, you know, with me.

Dr. Lampee: Right, I had to give up skateboarding at 28 years old. It was a little too hard on my body and I didn’t want to break my wrists.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, well let me tell you a little story about this. I had a motorized skateboard. It has a little Mitsubishi 110 weed eater engine in it and no breaks. It’s called a MotoBoard. You could still buy them online for about $1000 bucks, but I used to drive that thing everywhere and I was 33 years old, two kids, and I took off after a few pops, a few beers. I took for about an hour and my wife’s like, “Where is Shaun at?” I freakin’ went up to the elementary school and I was doing these figure eights on the motorized board, and then I clipped the side of something. I launched me in the air and I came down, I broke my wrist in 13 places. I got a plate and six screws still in it to this day. Yeah, you just can’t do that crazy stuff anymore, so I got rid of that motorized skateboard right after that.

Dr. Lampee: I think that’s a good idea. Yeah, I was 28 and I was still skateboarding in pools and ramps and all that. I mean, it was amazing, but I had to give it up. I kept on hurting myself, a hamstring, a groin muscle, fall on your elbow, fall on your wrist.

Shaun Keating: Oh, absolutely.

Dr. Lampee: It takes its toll. Even if you have the pad, it takes its toll.

Shaun Keating: Oh, absolutely. My boys, I think my boys are probably old as you, 34 and 32 respectively, but they love the little skateboarding and Ollies and the kickflips and jumping and doing all the-

Dr. Lampee: I could still do … I busted out the skateboard last week, I can still do a kickflip if you can believe it.

Shaun Keating: Can you believe that? When we did-

Dr. Lampee: I may be the only dentist in the world that can still do a kickflip.

Shaun Keating: That’s huge, dude. Come on down here, I’ll have Tony Hawk work with you, man. But no, I remember me when I was doing the skateboarding, I would do 360s, and I could do like five 360s. I’d keep going in a row and we would just [car 00:06:17]. We never did the kickflips, but to do the 360s where you just kind of go and then do a reverse 360. Then we used to also do the handstands and go down the … We had this hill called Edward’s Hill. It was a pretty steep incline on this road down in Huntington Beach where I grew up, and we used to do handstands down that hill and wiped out a few times there and got a lot of asphalt burns, but, yeah, the crazy days.

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, downhill skateboarding … Downhill skateboarding is still one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I mean especially with dentists, your hands are your livelihood. You mess with those wrists or anything-

Dr. Lampee: I know, man.

Shaun Keating: … You can’t do that.

Dr. Lampee: They do, they’re insured You gotta insure your wrists.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, exactly. I remember, when I got my wrist was so jacked up and I had all those plates. It was so cool because I was a manager of this laboratory, so it was like, I wasn’t at the bench anymore, but all I had to do was get my ass into work and just kind of talk to everybody and talk to the doctors. Oh man, it just … And then I remember like 10 years later, I broke my humerus and that’s the round ball in your arm up by your shoulder?

Dr. Lampee: Ouch, ouch.

Shaun Keating: So I broke the humerus bone and know that happened, that was in my boat. We had it to where we were going to a fishing club meeting, so we all met down at the boat, my crew, and stuff. And he had it to where one of my crew members had pulled open this escape hatch into the engine’s area to get something real quick, and he kept that little hatch open, and I went walking into the boat. I looked down at the last second and seeing it, and I kind of went into this, this like 10-12 feet down to drop into this thing. Well, my fat butt could make it through the hole, but I kind of stopped with my arm next to the refrigerator area, and I snapped that ball. I was like 48 on that and that was a couple years ago where, dude, that’s so hard, man. Who does that? I mean, I was so-

Dr. Lampee: We need to wrap you in bubble tape.

Shaun Keating: I tell ya, I’ve broken my legs, my arms. I broke my nose twice, I’ve broken fingers. I broke my humerus when I … Not my humerus, my femur when I was two years old. I fell off a slide, my back-

Dr. Lampee: Geez.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, man, they didn’t think I’d make 10 years old, let alone 20, and here I’m 56, man.

Dr. Lampee: Got drink more milk.

Shaun Keating: Dude, I’ve learned not to be so crazy and think before you do, and so I don’t wanna do that stuff anymore.

Dr. Lampee: That’s hard as a guy, especially in 20s and early 30s and teens.

Shaun Keating: Yeah.

Dr. Lampee: We slowly figure it out though.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, it took me a while longer, but I just know now, you don’t heal as quick, and man, it’s just something, you can’t do stupid stuff.

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, and that’s why I’ve gotta a lot of advice to young dentist on taking care of your body, just take care of it and don’t be dumb.

Shaun Keating: Exactly. Well, we’re gonna get into that. So tell me, let’s go ahead and Dental Up now. So tell me, Dr. Lampee, why’d you get into dentistry, and at what point did you think, I wanna be dentist?

Dr. Lampee: So I grew up originally thinking I wanted to be a regular MD doctor, and then senior year in high school, I got addicted to Jolly Ranchers. I mean, I had Jolly Ranchers in my mouth all the time, all the time. They’re so acidic, I didn’t realize it. So I went to the dentist and I had a ton of cavities. I’m like, “No way.” So the dentist was like, “Here, why don’t watch in the mirror while I do these.” And so, I’m looking at my Jolly Rancher teeth and he’s drilling on them, in the mirror. I’m like, “This seems kind of cool.” So I did a little bit more research after that and realized I could be done with school a little bit younger than being a regular doctor. I could be my own boss and I could work a lot less, and do really well financially, and take great care of people.

Shaun Keating: No kidding. Man, what was your favorite Jolly Rancher? The green ones? Apple?

Dr. Lampee: The red, the fruit punch.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I love those things, man. Yeah, I remember that for sure. So what were the issues with the teeth? We’re you getting just cavities, huh?

Dr. Lampee: I got cavities. I had Jolly Ranchers in my mouth for six months straight. It’s kind of like drinking Mountain Dew constantly. I didn’t realize that. You’re 17 years old, you don’t think about these things, but I do know. So that’s why I switched to sugar-free gum. I’m still on sugar-free gum to this day, 20 years later.

Shaun Keating: There you go. That’s awesome. Well, dude, tell me a little bit about your school? Where’d you go to school, where’d you attend dental school?

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, I went to Oregon Health Sciences in Portland. I went there from 2003- 2007. I gotta say, it’s was really, really hard. The instructors were really, really hard as well and I am so glad I got out of that place, man.

Shaun Keating: I know, I hear some of the horror stories and it’s just they do everything they can to make it miserable for you. I just that it’d be nice if-

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, they do and dental school’s a weird, weird experience. Some people like it, but I swear, the vast majority of people I talk to, they did not have a good experience in there. A lot of instructors aren’t very positive, they’re not very helpful. They’re meant to like cut us down, which I think is totally wrong.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, they shouldn’t be that way, I would think. But especially too, you want kind of the cream of the crop to teach you, you don’t want the miserable guys that couldn’t really make it as a dentist, or maybe they could make it as a dentist, but-

Dr. Lampee: Those are most of the guys that teach though, sadly.

Shaun Keating: Exactly. Oh man, did you come out with a ton debt or you okay there? Did you have like a half million?

Dr. Lampee: I came out of school with about $215,000 or $220,000 worth of debt.

Shaun Keating: Dang.

Dr. Lampee: Which now looking back, that’s a bargain now because most of the guys I’m talking to now, they’re coming out with at least $400,000.

Shaun Keating: Exactly.

Dr. Lampee: So I look back on it, I’m like, “Okay, it wasn’t that bad.” It took me about, I think, nine years to pay it off. I made a big deal out of getting that debt paid off and done with because I wanted that weight off my head.

Shaun Keating: Oh, absolutely. No, I gotta a $1.7 million SBA loan and it took me about eight years to pay off, but I was so thankful when I was done, man. It can be done, you know, you just gotta put your mind to it, but I couldn’t imagine.

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, yeah, I paid off the smallest … I think in total, I had like three or four different loans, maybe even five. I paid off the smallest balance one first just to make me feel a little bit good about that whole debt thing, and then I just took that money, the extra money from that once it was paid off into the next loan, to the next loan, and finally my last loan, I think was like $100,000 loan, and I finally had enough money to pay it off. I called in and I told the gal, “Hey, I wanna pay this thing off.” She’s like, “Okay.” There was like no congratulations afterwards, nothing like that.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, there this-

Dr. Lampee: There was like no pat on the back. I mean, I gave myself a pat on the back and I think I may have had a cocktail afterwards, but nobody throws you a party after you pay your student loans off. But it’s for you and it’s for your peace of mind and for your future, get those suckers paid off.

Shaun Keating: Oh, I know. I was so excited, and it’s just so hard for some of these younger people coming out. I mean, to be even to be able to buy a home after that or to get married and even have children. I mean, you’re just … Not even dental school, I think the kids that are coming out of college are anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 to $150,000 and that’s a ton, but for dentistry, yeah, that’s $300,000-$400,000 is the norm. And-

Dr. Lampee: And that’s like, okay so, it’s be probably at least a $2500 a month payment when they’re out of school, and then you’ve gotta live somewhere too, maybe that’s like $25,000, maybe more, maybe less depending on where you’re living. When it comes down to it, maybe young dentists are making, I don’t know, maybe $130,000-$160,000 a year and take home is maybe $85,000. You don’t really have much to live on after you pay your student loan payment and your house payment.

Shaun Keating: No, you don’t.

Dr. Lampee: I mean, you’re basically living poor and that’s the truth.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, and even that, that $80,000 take home of the $160- … cause they usually take about half, the darn government, but the median home, you can’t even afford … You make $150,000, you don’t even qualify. In California, I think the average home, I think, it $600,000-$700,000 now for the median and it’s so ridiculous. Condos are like $400,000-$500,000.

Dr. Lampee: You gotta ante up. I mean, life is expensive. School’s expensive. Buying a house is expensive. Buying a practice is expensive. Of course, you’re a doctor, you wanna buy a nice car too, right?

Shaun Keating: Yeah, absolutely.

Dr. Lampee: Maybe you have to buy two cars ’cause you’ve got your wife too, and then it just never ends. Really, it’s a tough world out there if you’re not different.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, it so is. I mean, and I talk on some of these podcasts, I couldn’t imagine starting over. I mean, it just takes so much time and effort whatever you do and I think it just with time, 10-15 years in, things will happen, but you gotta put everything you make in that business back into it.

Dr. Lampee: It took me, I think, 10 years to pay my business off, and then from there, I mean, I had my student loans paid off, paid off my business. After that, paid my house, after that, paid off the cars. So it does take years, even a decade or more to get your feet under you, but once you do it-

Shaun Keating: Yeah, it great.

Dr. Lampee: … You’re so much smarter because of it and then the bank doesn’t have control of you anymore.

Shaun Keating: Exactly.

Dr. Lampee: And so few dentists and doctors are getting hold of that, and that’s one of my big messages now is get your debt under control.

Shaun Keating: Oh, totally, totally. ‘Cause the banks, these guys are always going to banks, and they don’t wanna give you money, but when you have money, you don’t wanna get it. It’s such a trip. Before, I remember, to get a loan it’d be like going through hoops and now they want to give me loans left and right. It’s like, “No, I don’t need it. I don’t need your money. I don’t need it anymore, baby. I’m debt-free.” And it’s like, “Shaun, please-

Dr. Lampee: … I made it. I made it.

Shaun Keating: … we can give you half a million, whatever you need.” Oh, it’s crazy.

Dr. Lampee: So, we need to be that sort of beacon for these guys coming out of school that, it’s possible. It’s possible to do it and you just need to learn a few things about it. You may need to listen to the right people, you may need to read the right books. You may have to work six days a week for a while.

Shaun Keating: Exactly.

Dr. Lampee: But it’s worth it.

Shaun Keating: You do and it is, it is worth it, in time. Like I said, doesn’t matter what field, you put your time in and those first 10 years are just, you hunker down and you eat Top Ramen, whatever you have to do to make it happen.

Dr. Lampee: I think those first 10 years are to humble us.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I think so.

Dr. Lampee: And we get out of school, we’re kind of cocky. We think we can do anything and the first 10 years are designed to humble us, and that’s what I have found to be the best thing about it. I mean, when I got of school, I thought I knew everything, and now after like 12 years, I know now that maybe I know about 10% of what I need to know.

Shaun Keating: Exactly.

Dr. Lampee: I mean, it’s crazy. It’s just real that you just keep on realizing how big the world is and how big the body of knowledge is and you don’t know everything.

Shaun Keating: No, it’s so true, and it’s just reality that, with age comes wisdom. It’s just all kind of the grand plan, I think, but it’s just something. Stick with it. Things will get better at the end of the tunnel, but it does. Back when we were trying to buy a home in the ’80s, it was like the hardest thing was getting that down payment. I knew we could pay the $1300 payment, but I don’t have the $20,000 down with closing cost, so that was the hardest thing. It’s the same thing now that some of these guys can make that payment, now it’s a $3,000 or $4000 or whatever dollar payment, but that down payment, it’s just to have that extra cash.

For people, most, the whole thing is too, you live paycheck to paycheck and I did all the way up to … I started my own company in 2002, and I made good money. I started out making like four bucks an hour, but then you worked your way up and I would make a couple hundred grand towards the end working for somebody. Back then though, it’s like $100,000 take home and then you have all your bills, but it was just a dream come true. But you were still, even with all those house payment, the big house payment and the cars, and even making all that money, it was still paycheck to paycheck. The kids were going through high school and that costs so much, so you were just there.

That’s where America was built is, working for yourself ’cause you’re never gonna get ahead working for somebody else. Oh, you’ll get by and you’ll be fine and that’s all good, but the ones that really … It’s a big risk, but it’s big reward and the only way you’re really truly gonna get ahead in life is if you own your own company. There’s nothing better in it and it’s just something that … but it’s a lot of work to it and you really gotta put back into it. We didn’t make a cent the first 10 years. 10-15 years started making it and then for the next 15 years, we’re gonna try to keep it. It’s just a trip, man, how it is, but I love seeing these young guys.

You’re 12 plus years out and you got it down and you gotta be a worker bee. Be a worker bee at the beginning. Bust your bust from your 20-40s, 45-50, work hard, and then you can sit back and get a little shape of a round shape and sitting on the couch when you wanna watch the Housewives of Beverly Hills or whatever. Nah, okay, I’ll shut up now.

Okay, so tell me now, did you start out as an associate or did you purchase a practice? Tell me a little bit about that if you could.

Dr. Lampee: I was a young, cocky, naïve 25-year old, which means I went and bought my own practice after I graduated.

Shaun Keating: Balls to the walls, love it. Gotta do it, man.

Dr. Lampee: In hindsight, I probably got ripped off by about $100,000 and this practice broker promised, yeah, there was a practice there, there was patients; and really when I got here there was just like maybe five or six patients, no staff, and it was just like a failed practice. He had totally ripped me off.

Shaun Keating: Oh, you’re kidding.

Dr. Lampee: But good to learn those lessons at 25 rather than 55 or 45.

Shaun Keating: Absolutely. Hey, things happen for a reason, but for you to do what you did, man, it took some guts and some heuvos to do that. But look at it, man, I mean, you’ve lived and learned on it. Are you still in the same practice that you bought?

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, I turned the darn thing around. I hired a staff, and of course, you sign up for every insurance company and you start building it. So I’m basically in the same place now. I’ve done some renovations over the years.

Shaun Keating: Beautiful.

Dr. Lampee: And we used to have three ops, now we have four. We’re not big at all, nor do I wanna be big.

Shaun Keating: Cool.

Dr. Lampee: Got one hygiene op and three ops for me, and basically I work out of two ops and one of them is like a new patient room as well.

Shaun Keating: Okay.

Dr. Lampee: So my whole philosophy is keep it lean, keep it small, keep it smart.

Shaun Keating: Beautiful. Love that attitude. How many hygiene you got? I didn’t hear that again.

Dr. Lampee: I got one hygiene room. I only do hygiene one day a week actually. As I got rid of all insurance, which I don’t take any insurance anymore, I lost a ton of patients. You’d think there would be patient loyalty out there, but there really isn’t that much. If you’re not under their insurance, they’re not gonna come even if it cost them $10 or $20, it’s not worth for them.

Shaun Keating: That’s so weird how that works.

Dr. Lampee: So, yeah, we do hygiene one day a week and I mostly just focus on doing large cases now.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, and it’s just totally fee for service, huh?

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, yep. Why would I do it any other way? I mean, I want people that are gonna value what I do and what I’ve learned and what I can offer them.

Shaun Keating: Wow.

Dr. Lampee: I don’t want people coming here because their insurance forces them to. That isn’t the type of work that you wanna do that’s fulfilling long-term as a career.

Shaun Keating: Well, that insurance, they got $1500 a year, man, and that’s mostly for x-rays and stuff.

Dr. Lampee: I know.

Shaun Keating: Well, that’s the way that Delta Dental is out here, and I think they just pay the less-

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, Delta was the last insurance I let go of. It was the hardest because a ton of my patients were on it. Delta holds the power. Insurance companies are some of the biggest corporations in the world.

Shaun Keating: Oh, they are.

Dr. Lampee: I mean, you look at any downtown Metropolitan area, you look at the big buildings. It’s not dentists that have their names on the side of those big, tall towers, it’s insurance companies.

Shaun Keating: Oh, absolutely.

Dr. Lampee: And it’s banks too.

Shaun Keating Yeah, banks and insurance companies run this world. I was just in Chicago at the Midwinter-

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, it’s true, it’s true.

Shaun Keating: Oh man.

Dr. Lampee: They’ve been in the game a lot longer than any dentist has been in the game.

Shaun Keating: Oh yeah, definitely. That’s amazing. It really is, and it’s probably those same three, four families for the last 200 years that are running it all, is what they’re saying, but it’s sure not the Keating’s.

Dr. Lampee: They’re pretty smart, and honestly, if most dentists and doctors had been smarter, they’d probably go into insurance.

Shaun Keating: Oh, I know.

Dr. Lampee: I hate saying that out loud, I hate saying it, but I think it’s kind of true.

Shaun Keating: Bigger isn’t better, man. I don’t wanna be the biggest, I just wanna be the best and that’s just-

Dr. Lampee: I agree.

Shaun Keating: … it’s just so much more rewarding. I can go home at a reasonable time each day and so can my people. It’s just, we sleep real well because we treat our people real well and our doctors like working with us. I just think that’s just in any business. You just have a good heart and try to do the right thing with it no matter what you do and you’ll be successful for sure.

Dr. Lampee: I agree.

Shaun Keating: Well, so, dude, tell me a little bit about you’re interested into this Sleep Dentistry Defined. Was that a book you did or is it a course? Tell me a little bit about your sleep course.

Dr. Lampee: Well, no, I do sedation dentistry. Sleep Dentistry Defined is just what I call it basically. We want to be the best in sleep dentistry, which for us is sedation dentistry. Which basically means that we can make people comfortable for their treatment so that we can get all their work done that they’ve put off for the last 10 or 20 years.

Shaun Keating: Absolutely. Oh, that’s great. I thought it was ’cause there’s so many guys getting into this sleep-type area of dentistry and it’s like everyone and their brothers doing that but that’s kind of-

Dr. Lampee: I’m not really sleep appliances. I went to a class, and it’s just not exciting. Everybody else is trying to do it, I’ll let them do it.

Shaun Keating: But sedation dentistry, I see that and you can do full rehabs, everything. It’s kind of a neat thing, go to sleep, wake up, and you either got your implants sinked or we have your finals put in, and that’s gotta be amazing.

Dr. Lampee: That’s right.

Shaun Keating: But then again-

Dr. Lampee: It’s wonderful, it’s a very good feeling.

Shaun Keating: … you gotta be kind of scary though, scared. You gotta watch that stuff, man. I mean, every time I get put out, I always tell that anesthesiologist, “Dude, I hope you got your A game today. Please, let me wake up.”

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, that’s what we bring, we bring our A game. I only really work about three days a week, so I bring my A++ game those three days.

Shaun Keating: Beautiful. I love that, man. So tell me, what’s your favorite procedures you like? You like doing crown preps, you like doing … Tell me what you like doing.

Dr. Lampee: Most of what I do now is full mouth extraction and either LOCATOR overdentures or fixed hybrid Zirconia dentures.

Shaun Keating: Beautiful. Love that. Now that’s neat.

Dr. Lampee: I do full mouth, some crowns and veneers as well. I did a full arch and crowns this morning. So, my patients need a lot of work and they want to look better, they want to feel better, and they wanna be asleep while they’re getting the procedure done.

Shaun Keating: Oh, that’s awesome, dude. No, it really is. I know we’re gonna start working in the future together, so I look forward to showing you what we can do on it. Send me the big ol’ veneer case, baby, I’ll have it back to you by the end of the week. It’ll be Hollywood. Nah, let me know on that. I’m excited for that. We love doing the four on ones, we love doing the overdenture cases. It’s just such a neat thing and it’s very rewarding, man.

You know, back in the day, just think a couple implants on 6 and 11, do a denture, do it to kind of hold it. Now we’re doing some neat stuff with the hybrids and stuff, so it’s just amazing how far technology has come recently.

What about with you with the CAD Cam systems like the scanners? You thinking about getting anything like that for impressions and stuff or not really?

Dr. Lampee: I don’t do CERAC or E4D because it would actually slow me down, and I think more dentist should actually think about that. But I don’t have a scanner right now, it’s the next thing I’m gonna buy, but it’s gonna be a year or two. I just want the next versions to come out just to be a little bit quicker, a little bit better. What I’m doing now works really well and I know that the scanners are out there, so it’ll be a year or two before I get one.

Shaun Keating: Oh, good for you. No, let us know when you’re thinking about that. We’ve got some things coming up with a couple different companies that could probably be beneficial for you, for sure. We’re gonna roll that out in the next few weeks through [Roland 00:26:53], so we’re excited about that, but, no, that’s awesome.

So what’s been your marketing strategy? You doing social media? You doing mailers? What are you doing to drive patients to your practice?

Dr. Lampee: No, I’ve been focused on marketing for the last 12 years now and I really, really believe in TV and search engine optimization and Google Ad Words.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, oh yeah, that’s it. I heard that guys were telling me, this dude’s all over the freakin’ TV stations. You’re doing like commercials or something or just like on different TV shows, tell me?

Dr. Lampee: I do commercials, infomercials. I go on like Good Morning, Oregon and talk about what I do on there too. So you just need to have a public persona basically. Show the public that you’re a real person and that you can help and what you can do.

Shaun Keating: No kidding. Well, you’re a good looking man. I’m looking at your picture here. You know who you look like? You look like Evan Speigel.

Dr. Lampee: Oh, thank you.

Shaun Keating: And what’s his wife’s name? Miranda, Miranda Kerr. Oh, dude. You kind of look like him. Snapchat, you know, where you can take that picture and it dissolves in two minutes?

Dr. Lampee: Well, it’s worked out well for me then.

Shaun Keating: No, I’ve never got into that Snapchat stuff. Man, that’d get me in trouble.

Dr. Lampee: Just stay away, just stay away.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I don’t do that. I don’t have any of the social media, just my phone or anything. We do some Facebook stuff and some other things, but we do it as a company, on the company computers, but when I get home, I’m home with my wife and my family.

Dr. Lampee: Agree.

Shaun Keating: I don’t bring it home. I remember back in the day when Dental Town came out, I was so into that. Where I’d come home and then it’d be dinner, and I’d be thinking about this post I did and this doctor getting on me, or we’re going back and forth. It’s like old high school or junior high days.

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, I try to stay away from stuff like that. I don’t really do any social media. I mean, we do social media. I just pay people to do it. I don’t even know how to log on to my Facebook account.

Shaun Keating: Either do I. I don’t even have the codes or whatever they are, the passwords.

Dr. Lampee: My social media people do though.

Shaun Keating: Yep. Yeah, it’s like, “Now, look at me, look at me, look at me.” Nah, I’m not into that any more. I went through that.

Dr. Lampee: I just care about me. I care about a few other people and really I don’t need a fake internet life. I don’t need to follow somebody else’s fake internet life either. I’ve got enough to live with right here.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I got guys that 40 years ago in elementary school. It’s like, “Dude, I haven’t called you in 40 years. There’s probably a reason I don’t really wanna talk to you.” Nah, just kidding, but it’s weird how they come out and you see some people, and even myself, I mean, you don’t look like you did back in 1982 or ’80 or whatever. It’s a little different. But I don’t know, it’s funny.

So what about, do you attend any dental conventions or gatherings? What are you doing for your CE and stuff?

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, gosh I go to CE all the time actually, so I went to a full 3-day sedation course last weekend. I mean, I’ve done so much CE, so.

Shaun Keating: That’s awesome. What about with you, when you’re not working, what do you like doing? You’re talking a little bit about you doing some hiking and stuff? What do you do for fun?

Dr. Lampee: Well, let’s see, today I’ll probably go swimming. I travel a lot for fun. We’re going to England next week, going to Italy in July. We just got back from Maui.

Shaun Keating: Beautiful.

Dr. Lampee: Let’s see, I play piano, I snowboard. We like to get dirty in life, go have fun, you know? That’s what we do.

Shaun Keating: Yeah.

Dr. Lampee: I like to play Frisbee too, if you can believe it. Frisbee’s a lot of fun.

Shaun Keating: Oh, Frisbee, you ever did Frisbee golf?

Dr. Lampee: It’s all right.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I used to try to do that, but I’m not real good at that Frisbee. You try to hit that middle chain? It’s kind of crazy.

Dr. Lampee: Oh yeah, and sadly I had to give up skateboarding almost 10 years ago, so that’s out of my life, but I miss it.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I hear that. Hey, you keep busting your butt, man, and about another 10 years you’ll be done and ready to do whatever you want again. You’ll be fine, man.

Dr. Lampee: I know, I know what you’re saying. It’s all about that long-term goal. You always gotta have that goal in mind.

Shaun Keating: Exactly, you really do. So tell me real quick on what kind of advice could you give some of our newer dentist that are starting off, some do’s and don’ts, if you could for us?

Dr. Lampee: Okay, so number one, don’t be afraid to fail. You’re gonna fail again and again and again. You’re gonna make mistake after mistake, but you have to do that to get better. Dental school does not really show us a way to fail or anything like that, but once we’re out in the real world, it happens when we’re trying to get better, we’re trying to push the limits. So don’t be afraid to fail, and then if you do fail or if you do mess up, you need to be honest with your patients.

Shaun Keating: Absolutely.

Dr. Lampee: They will thank you so much, and it is the best piece of advice I can give them.

The other things are, manage your debt, manage your debt again and again and again. Get out of debt so you can do what you want. And then you need to learn, you need to learn every day, you need to spend so much time and money on CE because really, dental school was just the start of your education. I mean, you spend $400,000 on dental school, so you need to start spending money on CE and that’s the only way you’re gonna get better.

Shaun Keating: Great words there, Dr. Lampee, for sure. I was actually at the dental show at the Chicago Midwinter, just got back in yesterday and great show. For Cal-Lab, I go to Cal-Lab each year. There’s a bunch of lab owners, we get together and there’s about 300-400 to us and it’s just a great show each year. I did a keynote speech a few years back and this year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Frank Spear. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard the dude and just heard great things about him and his program over at Scottsdale.

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, I love what they done, but they’re very, very corporate now and they’re so salesy. So I mean, I’ve taken some of Spear’s classes, like five or six times each, but I don’t know. There’s been a change over there, where I swear, it’s all about marketing, it’s about selling you, and that’s just something I don’t agree with.

Shaun Keating: Well, some people don’t, for sure, and it’s something that I know they did sell to a conglomerate a few years ago, but I’m just saying, I’ve never heard the dude and I’ve had John Kois’ Eight, they were partners way back in the day.

Dr. Lampee: There were.

Shaun Keating: And I had John Kois-

Dr. Lampee: Spear partnered with a bigger corporation and it helped him blow up.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, and I actually had-

Dr. Lampee: That’s the truth

Shaun Keating: … Kois here at my lab, and so I actually when he was done speaking, and I liked what he was saying about the lab industry ’cause you think Spear, you think all the CERAC and all the stuff and all this and the labs are gonna go away. I’d never really thought that. I have some CERAC doctors-

Dr. Lampee: No, no, no, no.

Shaun Keating: … I do a lot of their stuff, you know, their hard work and the implants and all the veneer cases, so I have a respect for ’em, but I was kind of worry a little bit. But he kind of broke down some numbers for the lab industry going forward and it was very positive. I came away with it that it pumped up the lab industry and we’re not gonna go away in the next 10, 15, 20 years. More and more doctors will get some of the chairside mills and it’s the onesies and the twosies, the bread and butter cases, maybe some bigger cases in the future; but, they’re always gonna need labs to kind of get through cases, to help treatment plan cases, and work together on some of the tougher cases that we are gonna have for years to come. It’s kind of neat and I went and talked to him afterwards and he’s pretty neat, down to earth dude. I just thought he was like-

No, I like him a lot. I totally, I love him a lot. I mean, I’ve got so much respect for Frank Spear.

Shaun Keating: Yeah.

Dr. Lampee: And he has inspired so many people. He’s obviously a great clinician, and my education base started with learning from him and then basically going from there. So I wouldn’t be anywhere I’m at today without learning from him. That’s what a good mentor does, a good teacher does, you know, teaches students and if the students can go figure it out and one day they’ll be the teachers too.

Shaun Keating: Absolutely. Now, that’s great, man. It’s just, yeah, it’s a neat thing, this field we’re in. I love it. It’s been very good to me. The whatcha call it, you say, “Baseball been berry, berry good to me.” Well, dental will been very good to us, man, and I’m very thankful for sure. But man, hey, Lampee, you’re the man, dude. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time.

Dr. Lampee: I’m trying to, man.

Shaun Keating: I know we’re only supposed to be a half an hour, but we went a little over, but-

Dr. Lampee: No, it’s all right.

Shaun Keating: … Oh, man, I can’t thank you enough-

Dr. Lampee: Yeah, I wrote my book last year, Live Small, Live Big. It kind of teaches young docs how to manage their debt and start their own practices.

Shaun Keating: Oh, okay.

Dr. Lampee: I also own Beyond Dentistry, which is gonna have our seminar in October in Portland, amazing Portland, Oregon, for our foundations of implant and full mount restoration class. It’s gonna be awesome, man. So we’re taking it to the next level.

Shaun Keating: Oh dude, we’ll put that on show notes, everything, with your book and with your seminar and stuff, for sure. I’m sure a lot of doctors will get out to that for sure. I’m sure it’ll be a great one. Portland’s a great town to go to. I’ve never been there and I wanna get out there.

Dr. Lampee: It’s the best place in the world, that’s why I live here. Come and join.

Shaun Keating: Yeah, I’ll be there, baby.

Dr. Lampee: We’ll have a good time.

Shaun Keating: All right, well, hey, Dr. Lampee, thank you so much for coming on the Dental Up Podcast, and man, congratulations to all your success. I can’t thank you enough. God bless you and your family and we’ll talk to you real soon.

Dr. Lampee: Can’t wait, man.

Shaun Keating: All right, dude, good talking to you, man.

Dr. Lampee: Okay, take care.

Shaun Keating: All right, bye-bye.

Announcer: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. It you dig what you’ve heard, please leave a review on iTunes and we’ll be back next week.