513 Do You Still Love Taking Perio-Focused CEs? with Sarah Thiel

Episode Summary

In this episode, Andrew Johnston welcomes long-time friend and hygiene industry leader Sarah Thiel back to the show. As one of Andrew's final episodes, the two reflect on their years of friendship, the evolution of dental industry networking, and the incredible journey and impact of CE Zoom—Sarah's unique platform for tracking and managing continuing education (CE) requirements across all 50 states.

Listeners get an inside look at how Sarah Thiel and her team keep up with the constantly shifting requirements of CE, the challenges of regulatory compliance, and what it means to truly support clinicians in their licensing journeys. The episode also explores hot topics in dental CE—including oral pathology, vaping, local anesthesia, substance abuse, and perio trends—plus stories from the frontlines of regulatory changes and audits.

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Key Topics Discussed

• The Evolution of CE Zoom:

  Sarah Thiel

  shares how CE Zoom went from a simple CE tracker to a comprehensive platform serving every dental license type and, now, other industries requiring CE.

• Navigating Audits & Regulations: Hear how CE requirements are more complex than most professionals realize, and why real-time tracking and board-specific courses matter.

• Networking & Relationship Building:

  Sarah Thiel

  talks about the authentic approach to networking—why helping others comes first, and how most of her professional connections (and successful matchmaking) happen in relaxed, informal settings.

• Hot Topics in CE: The episode spotlights recent and perennial favorite courses among dental professionals—oral pathology, vaping, local anesthesia updates, substance abuse, perio, and instrumentation.

• Behind the Scenes Managing Compliance: The intricate process of following every dental board's changes—thanks to Sarah's team, especially Melissa, who attends and reviews every board meeting to keep users ahead of the curve.

• Stories from the Field: Listen for a cautionary tale about regulatory changes and how CE Zoom went to bat for a clinician caught in a timing loophole—highlighting why trusting experts matters.

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Memorable Quotes

• "You don't know what you don't know... until you're audited and realize the rules have changed." –

  Sarah Thiel

• "Sarah's made that crossover from dental friend to real-life friend." –

  Andrew Johnston

• "I just love meeting people and figuring out ways to help them—business comes after." –

  Sarah Thiel

• "The dental boards don't care if you almost met the requirements—you have to get it exactly right." –

  Sarah Thiel

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Resources & Links

• CE Zoom: cezoom.com

• Contact Sarah & the Team: Email [email protected] for questions or support.

• A Tale of Two Hygienists: Stay updated by following the show on social media and subscribing to the newsletter.

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