Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Cobb County. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Milli M. helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Cobb County, Georgia.
Is your business serving the residents of Cobb County? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpCobbCounty.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
E66: The Tooth Truth: Dr. Kenneth Goldstein's Endodontic Mission through His Family Legacy
Dental problems can silently wreak havoc on your overall health, causing unexpected fatigue, irritability, and chronic discomfort. Meet Dr. Kenneth Goldstein, a third-generation dental professional who's been practicing endodontics in Marietta for 27 years and has performed over 20,000 successful root canal procedures.
The dental world is plagued with misinformation, particularly about root canals. Dr. Goldstein reveals shocking statistics from a June 2023 study showing that nearly 60% of adults aged 18-34 have made regrettable health decisions based on social media misinformation. "When it comes to root canals, ask an expert, not the internet," he advises with conviction. Throughout our conversation, Dr. Goldstein dispels common myths while explaining how modern endodontic technology—including microscopes and 3D imaging—has revolutionized treatment success rates.
Perhaps most fascinating is Dr. Goldstein's passion for "removing toxins" from patients' bodies through endodontic treatment. He shares a remarkable story about a patient with 17 infected teeth who, after completing treatment, declared "I have never felt better in my life." This underscores the profound connection between oral health and overall wellbeing that many people overlook. With the rising incidence of stress-related tooth fractures (3-5 cases weekly in his practice alone), Dr. Goldstein's expertise is more relevant than ever. His journey from being told he wasn't cut out for dentistry to becoming a celebrated specialist offers an inspiring message about perseverance and following your passion. Have you been experiencing unexplained health issues or dental pain? The solution might be closer than you think—and it might simply start with getting the right diagnosis from an endodontic specialist.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Millie M.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone, Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, Millie M. Are you experiencing any pain or sensitivity in your teeth and need an amazing doctor to help you relieve that pain? Well, one might be closer than you think. I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Ken Goldstein of Marietta Endodontics. How are you, Ken?
Speaker 3:I'm good. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We are so excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us more about Marietta Endodontics.
Speaker 3:Well, basically, as an endodontist I'm a dentist that specializes in doing root canals. We also do re-dos or re-treatments of cases that have failed Okay and they become infected. I've been in practice in Marietta for 27 years and we pride ourselves in using the latest in technology, such as microscopes to view the case better 3D imaging so we can make the right diagnosis for a patient. So they can make the right diagnosis for our patients, so they're not spending time and money on unnecessary procedures they do not need. And, as an endodontist, we secure the foundation for the rest of the tooth to move on, to move forward with a crown or restoration. See, if the root canal or retreatment cannot be done due to many circumstances, then unfortunately the tooth may need to be extracted and usually an implant is placed to restore function back to the area. So, as an endodontist, we're basically it's either our way or the highway, so to speak. If we can help the patient maintain their tooth, then they can go forward with the treatment, with a crown or whatnot.
Speaker 2:So if someone is experiencing extreme pain, then what you say is the end result of how to.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean it's either doing the root canal or taking the tooth out and most patients they want to keep their teeth.
Speaker 2:Makes sense, makes sense. So how did you get into this business? How did you decide that dentistry, or teeth or that was going to be?
Speaker 3:your happy day. It kind of goes back a long time. Way back. It goes way back. My grandfather, my two great uncles were all dentists.
Speaker 3:One was a general dentist one was an orthodontist and one was a pediatric dentist. My father in the greater Atlanta community my dad was a general dentist who really specialized in cosmetic dentistry, so he was given dentist who really specialized in cosmetic dentistry, so he was given the title of father of cosmetic dentistry, which is a wonderful title. My brother is a very successful prosthodontist here in Atlanta and my sister is a retired dentist as well. So with all the doctor prefixes in my family, I was just destined to be a dentist as well.
Speaker 3:You were born into it. I'm sorry, I just runs in the family.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I don't think you have much of a choice. I love that, though, that your family is engrossed in the industry, so tell us about some of the myths or misconceptions about the industry or what you do specifically.
Speaker 3:Well, root canals have always had a bad reputation online. There are so many misconceptions about endodontics. Most of the information about root canals online is from outdated reports and articles that are just not true in endodontics today. In a recent study just happened to be as of June 2nd of this year a new survey found that the Gen Zs and the millennials are most vulnerable to online dental misinformation. So, in a study using ages ranged from 18 to 34, 45% said that their uncertified voices influence their decisions that they make about their health, which is crazy, while 58% have made a regrettable health decision based on social media misinformation. So the biggest myths about root canals are they just do not work. And well, I have over 20,000 cases in 27 years that proved them wrong, and I would not be in business this long if root canals did not work. So, in short, please do not believe what you read online. When it comes to root canals, ask an expert, not the internet.
Speaker 2:Yes, social media and Google and the internet can be such a great resource for information, but there's also that aspect of uncertified and unprofessional voices out there speaking about Absolutely.
Speaker 3:You got to take it with a grain of salt.
Speaker 2:For sure, for sure. So who are your target customers and how do you attract them?
Speaker 3:Well, my patient population is from age 50 to 90 and above, but we do see kids and teens. But generally, as we gracefully mature in age, fillings, crowns, they start breaking down and decay starts to happen and it leads to infection, which can, which can form and that will need, which leads to needing a root can which can form and that will need, which will lead to needing a root canal. Excuse me, it's kind of a process, all right. So when the crown breaks down, it leaks, decay can get down under the crown, get right for the nerve of the tooth and cause the nerve to become sensitive or kill the nerve off.
Speaker 2:Makes sense.
Speaker 3:Right. So I mean we most of my patients have dental insurance that we take, or they hear about my office from family members and friends by word of mouth.
Speaker 2:You are a staple in the community, I would assume at 27 years.
Speaker 3:Yes, I've been up for a long time, seen a lot of changes in Marietta. We're next door to Kenniston Hospital, so we've seen Kenniston hospital just get huge.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. Yes, definitely, have expanded, for sure.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Have you ever thought about podcasting as a way to get the information out? Just because you have such a wealth of knowledge from those 27 years and you can talk about how the technology has changed and you can fight some of that misinformation that's out there.
Speaker 3:I do. I mean, I've always wanted to get my word out there. I've written a couple articles in the Marietta Daily Journal about fractured teeth and dental anxiety. I've actually been on the news talking about fractured teeth as well, because I want to get my point out. My biggest point right now is that most people are fracturing their teeth due to stress and right, and so we see about three to five fractured teeth a week at the office. So if you can get into a night guard, that's the best thing you can do, for you know, to prevent fractured teeth. But you know a lot of people don't know about that. So I write articles, but getting on your podcast or any type of platform where it reaches a lot more people is really what I need to be doing to get the word around.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think it would be perfect for a person like you. So outside of work, let's talk about what do you do for fun. So outside of work, let's talk about.
Speaker 3:What do you do for fun? Well, you're going to think I'm crazy, but I really enjoy off-roading when I can. There's something about driving on a dirt road in the mountains that's very relaxing to me. I just love it. It's great. I also enjoy biking and landscaping. I really enjoy landscaping. I don't know why, really.
Speaker 2:So I was just getting different than gardening though.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's basically taking a plot of land and just transforming it into something really beautiful. I'm into desert, so the front of my house is all cactuses and yuccas and I just like a lovely landscaping. But also, I'll be honest with you, after working a long week of doing root canals, actually just doing nothing is fun as well relaxing is fun to me too.
Speaker 2:You know what? I get a lot of business owners on here who enjoy their work so much that they consider work fun, so the only alternative to that is nothing.
Speaker 3:You know either, I'm working, I enjoy what I do. Yeah, but after five days of doing root canals. You know you want to, sometimes just want to take a day off or two and just relax and chill.
Speaker 2:And you just enjoy doing. So let's switch gears a little bit. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you overcame and how it made you stronger?
Speaker 3:absolutely, absolutely. Um. During my first year of dental school, I was told that dentistry was not for me and that I should be a counselor or a therapist, because I graduated from university of georgia with a BS in psychology. That really did not sit well with me and it gave me more incentive to prove them wrong. Okay, and what I did was and that's exactly what I did. I received awards and accolades from all that I've done for dentistry and endodontics. So if someone tells you that you are not cut out to do what you enjoy doing, prove them wrong. It's a great feeling because I can go back to my old dental school and say, hi, I'm an endodontist. You told me I wouldn't be an endodontist. I became one.
Speaker 3:So it's a nice feeling you got to prove them wrong, because if you really enjoy doing something, you got to go and do it, because you're just not going to be happy doing something else that you really, really enjoy doing so it's definitely going to eat away at you if you don't, you know? Yes, absolutely absolutely, when you got to do, you got to enjoy what you're doing, because you got to wake up every morning and say I can't wait to go to work you get life.
Speaker 2:And we're only here for a finite amount of time. Definitely live it to the fullest. That is such inspirational advice. I know there are particular goals that I want to reach, and I love that, because I'm not a person of revenge, I'm a person of avenge, and I think that's what you did you avenged your name in the sense that I did the thing you said I couldn't do.
Speaker 3:I wasn't upset, I was just. I took that information and then turned it into something that I could, you know, use in a positive way. And then you know and achieve what I've achieved so far, and I feel so much better for it Because I know what I can do.
Speaker 2:Kudos to you. So please tell our listeners one thing you would like for them to always remember about Marietta Endodontics.
Speaker 3:All right. Well, one thing that we do at Marietta Endodontics is that we are true believers in removing toxins from our patients' mouths, jaws, whatnot? Because when a nerve dies, it has an abscess. There's an abscess that forms and then there's toxins in that abscess. We are true believers in removing the toxins from the patient's bodies, and endodontics allows me to do this every day. Just in a quick example a while back I had a patient with 17 infected teeth. Okay, that's 17 infected teeth. We did root canals on each one, and every time we did a root canal and completed the case. The patient said I feel much better After the 17th case was completed. Quote they said I have never felt better in my life Because we're removing the toxins out of your body. And that's so important because if you're walking around with infections in your jaw, it can make you feel tired, run down, cranky, you know, and you just don't feel yourself. So, and it can really take the toxins out of a patient's mouth or jaw, can change their life.
Speaker 2:Oh, I bet everything from their energy to their immune system, to their skin, to their digestive system. Everything changed for that person.
Speaker 3:I'm pretty sure that actual patient was a goth patient. You know the GOE goth, you know the GOA goth, you know, with the turned into a security guard. So I mean it went from one extreme to the other because they felt so much better about themselves. So it was just, it's a nice feeling.
Speaker 2:I bet you felt really fulfilled and proud after that. So if someone is in need of a root canal or needs a consultation of some sort, how will they get in touch with you?
Speaker 3:Well, we actually have a new website that's coming online and very, very soon. The website will highlight our services and answer many questions that patients may have, or they can go to mariettaendocom. I'll call our office at 770-422-3636 and speak to one of my team members, and our address is 355 Tower Road, suite 200. We are right next door to Kennistone Wellstar Hospital, off Tower Road, easy parking, easy place to get into and I just I love what I do. I get a lot of satisfaction from treating patients and making them feel better and getting them out of pain. It's a great feeling.
Speaker 2:I can only imagine a great feeling. Thank you so much for what you do. I have enjoyed listening to your journey from beginning to end and wishing you and your business the best moving forward.
Speaker 3:Thank you, and thank you for having me again. Thank you, appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPCobbCountycom. That's GNPCobbCountycom, or call 470-470-4506.