Dr. Lisa Germain wears many hats. If you heard her on The Dental Slang Podcast before, then you’ll recognize her as an educator, podcaster, artist, author, and dentist. She has a New Orleans practice she’s owned for over three decades. She’s also faced many hardships and losses over the past few years that have changed how she approaches her life and business.
As a dentist, Dr. Germain is one of the leading proponents of Botox for pain management. Using Botox for pain management is something within a dentist’s wheelhouse, but many of the first to recommend Botox were shunned for it. We discuss the initial pushback she received from other dentists and patients, how attitudes today are changing, and what this means for the future of dentistry.
Dr. Germain works closely with patients who suffer from TMJ and has researched many different treatment methods for them. She is writing a new book with colleague and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Benji Dhillon to help other dentists better understand this treatment method, and she refers to book writing as a “labor of love.”
Writing, in particular, is a labor of love that has inspired a well of healing for Dr. Germain. After losing her husband to ALS and fighting her own battle with breast cancer, Dr. Germain wants to help others process grief and learn to reignite their passions and careers.
In This Episode You Will Learn
How Dr. Germain ended up writing about Santa Claus’ toothache 6:06
Why writing one book always leads to writing another 11:15
The kind of pushback Dr. Germain experienced when she first embraced Botox 21:10
How to learn from loss and share that story with others 31:12
The dental slang Dr. Germain uses in her office 40:49
How to find Dr. Germain’s books and publications 42:30
Some Questions We Ask
How is Dr. Germain’s career related to Finding Nemo? 1:05
What is Dr. Germain’s new book about? 13:39
What is the “turf war” happening between dentists and cosmetic surgeons? 18:08
How does Dr. Germain introduce her patients to Botox treatments? 25:11
How is the “writing bug” inspiring Dr. Germain to heal? 36:09
What does a “little bit of lagniappe” mean? 38:28