Dr. Josh Muir and Dr. Tanner Townsend discuss the journey and motivations behind choosing dental implantology. Dr. Townsend shares his initial limited exposure to implants in dental school and his subsequent passion for the field, driven by the transformative impact on patients' lives. He emphasizes the importance of patient care, trust, and thorough consultation. Dr. Townsend highlights a case where he advised against unnecessary treatment, stressing the need for personalized care. They also discuss the benefits of early intervention, noting that delayed treatment can lead to significant health and quality-of-life issues. The conversation concludes with an invitation for listeners to seek consultations and explore their treatment options.

Dr. Josh Muir 0:05 Welcome to the Smile Reconstruction Podcast. This is a podcast where we talk everything dental implants and making your smile, everything it can be. I’m your host for the day. My name is Josh Muir, and I’m here with my co-host, Dr. Tanner Townsend. So, Dr. Townsend, you know, we’re gonna talk about you a little bit today. This is, this is gonna be fun.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 0:26 This feels really uncomfortable.

Dr. Josh Muir 0:29 I know all the dirty little secrets. I get to bring some of these things up, but, you know, every patient has a story, and we talk about our patients. We talk about, you know, we give example patients, we interview patients, and we share those stories, and they bring tears to our eyes. They bring hope to our situations and our problems. But now we take a step back, and we turn the tables a little bit, and we say, Okay, well, what about the patients out there wondering who they should trust with their treatment, with their hearts, with their hopes and outcomes. So, Dr Townsend, why did you choose this work, and where I’m going with that is, of everything you could have done, like, Why? Why implants? Why? Why this side of dentistry? And why not one of your other talents that you could have pursued,

Dr. Tanner Townsend 1:21 Yeah. So, believe it or not, in dental school, I went to dental school in Virginia, at Virginia Commonwealth University, like you don’t, as you know, we don’t get implant treatment. You don’t get to place implants. You luckily, we got to restore two single implants with just crowns.

Dr. Josh Muir 1:38 So very little experience in dental school.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 1:40 Next to none.

Dr. Josh Muir 1:41 Little exposure.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 1:42 Little exposure. And so I actually loved root canals. So I was a got to do a lot of root canals. I did almost the most root canals in my class. And I was thinking, Oh, I’m I really like root canals. My uncle is a root canal specialist. I might want to do some root canals. And so I went to a residency program after graduating, and it was a residency program that was did a really good job of getting lots of experience with general dentistry, especially root canals, but also had tons of denture experience and had some implant experience. And so I was like, huh, this is this is cool. But like, in school, you hate dentures, like they make you do seven appointments. I mean, it was five, but then there was always something that went wrong in one of the appointments. They made you redo it, and you’re like, dentures stink. I don’t want to do dentures ever. And I had a fabulous faculty member, Dr Scott Miller, who’s a prosthodontist, and he taught me to love dentures, and I loved how you could change someone’s smile in a day with a set of new teeth. And he, along with one of our other faculty, Dr. Aleof, developed this denture that you could do brand new teeth in a single day. And it was kind of a tricky process to do, but ultimately, we did these special dentures on a couple of different occasions, and it was really fun.

Dr. Josh Muir 3:15 So you got to see that transformation. So, all right, so that’s the denture site. How did you how did this evolve into dental implants? When in school, you didn’t get a ton of experience with it. In residency, you got some. But when was the shift? When was that aha moment that helped you realize this is it?

Dr. Tanner Townsend 3:33 Yeah, so it was in my residency program. And so the class before me in my residency program got to place some implants, but it wasn’t a lot. And then I got to place a lot of implants when I was there. And so being able to take patients through that, and just the feeling I got when we would help patients get new teeth after we place those implants, and noticing the difference, like how well the teeth stayed in once you attach the implants. And giving someone a brand new single tooth that, like they when they lost a front tooth, like that, made all the difference in the world to me, and the amount of enjoyment I got from helping those patients, but also, like, especially seeing how the patient responded to the treatment and how happy they were with their new smile. That’s what really got me excited about that. And I still enjoyed doing root canals, but it wasn’t the same feeling I got, and so that’s what made the difference for me, of why I wanted to do implants and wanted to learn how to do them well.

Dr. Josh Muir 4:39 So you got this exposure to changing someone’s life by giving them a new smile. But even though we often refer to the smile, the smile is only part of it. A smile is only part of the function. But when you can stabilize and secure a denture and give them confidence and allow them to use that. Smile for many, many things. That’s what. It clicked. It was a step up.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 5:06 Yeah, it was a big step up.

Dr. Josh Muir 5:09 Did you experience these patients who thought a denture was their cure-all, their silver bullet that was going to fix everything in their life? And then they get the denture and go, “Wait a minute.” This is not as nice as I thought. This is a piece of plastic in my mouth.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 5:25 Oh, yeah.

Dr. Josh Muir 5:25 And you could change that, yeah, that. That’s awesome.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 5:28 That was the thing that really made it a difference to me. It’s like, like you said, especially a lower denture. When they tried it, they’re like, “Oh, this doesn’t stay in my mouth.” And then you make it stay in their mouth by giving them implants, that’s the truth, like, oh my goodness, I could change this person’s life, what they eat, how they smile when they go out and socialize, just like you said.

Dr. Josh Muir 5:53 So that’s the beginning for you. You know, since that time you continued training, you got tons more experience in every aspect of implant dentistry, to the point that you pursued your master’s degree in orofacial reconstruction with this, and now you are in a specialty office, Montana Center for Implants and Dentures, providing these implant treatments for patients. So when a patient comes in for that specialty treatment, what does that look like or feel like on day one for that new patient, or I should say, prospective patient, because they’re just coming in to gather information, what does that look and feel like because of your experience starting from dental school and then continuing up to where you are, one of the very few people in the country that’s pursued your master’s in this.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 6:49 Yeah. So I think that the biggest thing I want our patients to feel is, I hope they feel that we care and we care about them as a person. And like, yes, like, I want them to be able to feel that they trust me with the experience that I’ve had and that the education that I’ve received. But more than anything, I want them to know that I’m going to look out for their best interest in the console. I’m going to take the time to talk to them. I’m going to take the time to really go through the options and say, Hey, this is the reason why this is going to be a great opportunity for you, or, you know what, maybe we need to look at some alternative treatment options, because this isn’t going to be as predictable in your case. And we had a consult today. Guy came in. He’d been to several other consults, and honestly, he didn’t need his teeth removed. And he said at the other consults, I was told, yep, we’ll do it. And I said, Yeah, we can do it, but I honestly don’t think you need it. And when you do need it, it is going to be a little trickier and it’s going to be possibly more expensive.

Dr. Josh Muir 7:51 Now this is a patient that we talked about. Is this the one that you showed me? So yeah, for those of you listening or watching, yeah, this is a patient that to do this major treatment, take all the teeth out, all on four style treatment, he would gain just one extra tooth, yeah. Or you can replace that tooth with a single implant. You can do a couple of crowns or fillings, and let him keep his natural teeth, save him some money, save him some healing time.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 8:19 And then set him up for the future. If he does need it in the future.

Dr. Josh Muir 8:22 He can do the bigger treatment later, if he feels so inclined.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 8:26 Yeah. And I think one of the things that he said, and this is not trying to toot my own horn here at the end, he’s like, You guys are the only office that listened to me. He’s like, I wanted to know what I needed to do, and if it was something I should consider, shouldn’t consider. And at the other offices, I was told, yes, you should do it, and you’re a candidate. And he said, You guys took the time to talk with me. And he said, I don’t even want my teeth out. And he said, Well, there’s your answer, I mean. And so just taking the time and talking with people and really trying to figure out what their goal is, you know, everyone’s goal is different, and sometimes they don’t know what their goal is, or they just don’t know the route to get to their goal. And so I think that’s the thing that I really want to convey, especially in that first visit.

Dr. Josh Muir 9:12 It’s a trust and it’s so, I mean, you can be as educated as can be.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 9:17 Yeah

Dr. Josh Muir 9:19 But if you, if you aren’t telling the whole story, options, and again, every option has a pro and a con totally does. And if the patient’s goal is this, it doesn’t matter how good this other treatment is, if it doesn’t meet their goal, you need to address that first. Well, I really appreciate you sharing that. And you know, I know you know, you’re not new in your career, but you’re still in the beginning phases.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 9:46 Yeah.

Dr. Josh Muir 9:46 And so to start with the patient as the number one, never lose that. You know, the longer I’m in dentistry, the more I see, even from some friends. Where they start out for the right reasons, but honestly, they just see, hey, this is a treatment I like to do that’s fun for me, or that’s most profitable, whatever that is. And then they push everything else to the side so they can pursue that self-interest, rather than the patient’s self-interest. So I appreciate you sharing that, and don’t ever lose that. For patients, we’ve created a cluster of podcast episodes that walk them through who this is for. What’s the situation? How is it done? And then, why should I pursue this treatment anywhere? But why should I specifically pursue this treatment with Dr. Townsend, Dr. Muir, Montana Center for implants and dentures? What do they do? What do you want to say to that person? They’ve gone through this. They know it’s right for them, but still, people are surprised every time we talk to them, because they still act like, Man, I just wish I had known. Like, what do you want to tell to the to anyone listening?

Dr. Tanner Townsend 11:11 Yeah, and I think this is something that we do in different areas of our lives all the time. It’s like, oh, I want to do this, but I’m just not sure, you know, because you can’t see the end from the beginning. Or, like, if you knew the outcome and how good it would be, you’d do it 10 years ago. And I think the biggest thing is, like, trying to develop that trust. I think if you’ve listened to these four episodes, and you’re sitting there, and you’re like, well, one, do these guys sound honest? Do they sound trustworthy? That’s the first thing. But two like, what’s the experience they’ve had? You know, what’s the education? And what’s the cost of waiting? And I think the thing that we don’t talk about enough is, what is the cost of waiting? You’ve got patients, and I’ve got patients that are sitting around for years in dentures or broken down teeth that they’ve had, and they can’t chew, they can’t eat, they don’t smile, they are not confident in social settings because of it, and they’re just losing time where that could be different for them, if they just started now and got the treatment they need, and then they’re able to chew The food, be healthier, live longer. I think that’s some of the costs that if I were in a patient’s shoes, I would want to know, like, what are the costs? And honestly, it’s years off your life, like you are adding years to your life by being able to eat healthier, by being healthier, by being able to smile and being around people more because you’re not afraid of your teeth.

Dr. Josh Muir 12:42 So you’re adding years to your life. And as we close today, I would just echo that you’re adding life to your life. Yeah, you know, you can get out of the basement and go into the front yard and greet your neighbors as they go by. Yeah, that’s life, you know. Well, thank you. I know you know, it’s neither one of us likes the finger pointed at them, where we get to talk about ourselves a little bit, but you’ve, you’ve, you have every step correct to having this great career where you can bless a lot of lives.

Dr. Tanner Townsend 13:13 Thank you.

Dr. Josh Muir 13:14 Love working with you, and it’s fun to visit with you about it. So guys, we just invite you to take that next step. And Dr. Townsend has really talked us through what that looks like and why it’s right. If you have questions, we would encourage you to move forward and just take action. But we’d love to see you for a consult. Give us a call, click one of the links, send us an email, or send us a text. We’re happy to see you, and it just starts with a conversation, and everyone can afford a free conversation.