I hung out with the man, the myth, the legend, “Dr. Nacho” himself AKA Dr. Paul Goodman of Dental Nachos. 

Dental Nachos was born out of a need for a different approach to dentistry. Their goal is to offer continued education and professional development to create a friendly community to better all of our lives in and out of the office.

“I don’t like how the dental school world pitts us against each other, makes us feel inadequate...I just believe a better world is possible and I hope we’ll build that together.”

Dr. Goodman shares how balancing family time with work, especially when they both occurred in the same location during the pandemic, has been a challenge, but one that doesn’t outweigh the positives of working with his wonderful wife, Mary.

With the help of his wife, Dr. Goodman built his second business on the idea that raw, down-to-earth kindness, with more collaboration than competition, is needed among dentists. With Mr. Rogers’ teaching in mind, Dental Nachos created a space for tough conversations that are uncomfortable, but possible in a safe, guiding way. 

“This is how we should want our children to learn, so if I can just be part of the solution to dentists and the dental community…that would be great for me.”

Although social media and modern technology has given us invaluable time-saving tools, Dr. Goodman believes it has also become more about perpetuating negativity than connecting and sharing like it was meant to be. So, instead of focusing on the insufficiencies of life and people, he narrowed in on what he can do to provide a supportive environment and identify ways of, “helping dentists increase happiness, by decreasing annoyance.”

“People can identify with annoyance and anything that can remove annoyance, makes people happier.”

In our last few minutes, I asked Dr. Goodman, where he’d like to be in 5 years and his answer was simply that hopefully they’ll be closer to a better world than they are now. Following the Mr. Rogers way, Dental Nachos always leads the conversation with,

“We like you just the way you are, but here’s some ways for you to be happier the way you are.”

If there’s one goal he’s working toward with all that Dental Nachos does for the dental community, it’s that they truly make a difference in the lives of others by sharing help in a way the dental industry hasn’t seen before. 

You can find Dental Nachos at www.dentalnachos.com, to learn about all their upcoming speaking opportunities, CE on demand, and more. You can also email them directly at (fittingly) salsa@dentalnachos.com.

Check out the full podcast for more amazing tips and nachos puns!