This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 72.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Amy: 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie: 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy: 0:28

Welcome back to the show Nirvana sisters family. It's Amy and Katie and we are here today with Dr. John Marashi who is a cosmetic dentist to the stars. He is also known as the Tom Ford of cosmetic dentistry. And He's based in Los Angeles and we're so excited to talk to him today about all things teeth, dentistry, cosmetic etc. We haven't had any dentists on the show. And so this is a topic that certainly lends itself to your well being because like your mouth and your teeth, if they are not in shape, I just feel like the rest of your body is not so we're super excited to have you on the phone, Dr. Marashi he is. You know, as I said before, celebrity dentists, it seems like you see every celebrity in Hollywood every a Lister, I will go down the list, but super excited to hear all that you have to say. And I also saw that you in your personal life love skateboarding, so I want to hear about that, because that probably lends itself to a lot of teeth damage. But anyway, we'll get into all the things and hear about all your innovations and all your leadership and in the space that you're in. But welcome to the show, Dr. Marashi so glad that you are with us today.

Dr. Marashi: 1:39

Thank you for having me this morning. I appreciate it. Absolutely. So

Amy: 1:43

before we get into some topics, we always like to take a step back and do our nirvana of the week. And so this is just a time we like to talk about something that gave us a spark of joy, something little something big, just something that brought us some joy this week, as we all are getting into, you know, the crazy times of September so I'll hand it to you Katie to give your Nirvana Yeah,

Katie: 2:04

Thanks, Amy. I think mine was just a couple days ago my kids went back to school so they are now both in the same elementary school. I have a nine year old and a four year old doctor, Marathi two girls. And they you know, as a stay at home mom for the last 10 years. You kind of anticipate that day when they're both in all day elementary school together in the same place safe, happy, healthy, and it happened on Tuesday. And it was bittersweet, but it was it was it was definitely a nirvana. I think the real Nirvana moment was picking them up from school that day and seeing how excited and happy they were. So it was it was great. Oh

Amy: 2:38

my god, what am I Yeah,

Katie: 2:39

it definitely was a big one. What about you, Amy?

Amy: 2:41

huge congrats on that. I remember those days and it's such a milestone. My doctor Marashi I have a 15, almost 16 year old and a 12, almost 13 year old two boys and they start high school. Well, not they don't start high school. They start back at high school and middle school next week. So that'll be good. But I would say my Nirvana this week. It does relate to my kids. We had a really nice kind of impromptu dinner the other night together at home, which we haven't had. They were away this summer at sleepaway camp and we've been traveling and doing different things. We haven't really had a family like just us for casual dinner. So we just had a pop up dinner and shared some fun stories. And it was just one of those like, just cool dinners where the kids were actually expressive and talking and telling us funny things. And we were telling them funny things. It was just like a good bonding moment. So I really cherish those, especially as the boys are getting older and they're, you know, into their friends and not really asked so that was that that gave me some joy this week. What about you Dr. Marashi?

Dr. Marashi: 3:39

Well, I'm gonna have to stay on point with what you guys have been saying. And Katie, like you, I have two girls as well. I have a nine year old and 14 year old. And, and thank thank the stars that they're back in school now. My wife and I were like, get out the door, get back to school, get on a schedule, and give us some peace and and a structured schedule. So it's, it's, you know, that last week of summer is tough because there's no more camps and there's just you know, kind of like, lethargy and mom on board and all that. So we're, we're just happy as could be to, to get the wild animals back into the zoo. Yeah,

Amy: 4:16

yeah. I'm Tuesday can't come soon enough.

Katie: 4:21

Nice. All right. Well, let's get right into it. Because we have a lot of questions for you. I think if we start with the basics, it would be a good way to kind of get in there. So what are some simple, easy things that we can all do at home to keep our smiles our mouths our teeth healthy? What do you tell your patients?

Dr. Marashi: 4:39

You know, it starts with the time tested basics. There's two things it's not a sexy recipe, right here it is. Your brush them and you've lost them. I know everyone's like, wow, that's it. That's all I gotta do. But that's all it is, is you gotta keep them clean.

Katie: 4:58

Yeah. And do you recommend I I find myself brushing my teeth, like multiple after every meal and sometimes after snacks, but it wasn't always like that, do you recommend to your patients to do, obviously, at least twice a day? But do you ever say more?

Dr. Marashi: 5:11

No. And generally I don't. And I'll tell you why I do take a pragmatic approach to dentistry. And, you know, you'll hear things all over the map, like, you know, like brush and floss every time you eat, and so forth. And, you know, the reality is, is that the time that's the most important for brushing and flossing, is that the end of the day, and the reason is, is because you're done eating. And now you're gonna go to bed and your mouth is dormant, and you're laying on your back. And so what happens is, you're producing less saliva in your mouth, and the whole function of saliva is two things, it's to aid with digestion, so you can swallow your food, and it's to bathe and rinse your teeth. And saliva has protective enzymes in it that actually kill certain bacterias that are harmful for your teeth and for your gums. So if you have a bunch of food and junk and crud stuck in between your teeth, and on the surface is there's other bacterias in the mouth that are like feeding frenzy time, and they go to work on that food. And the byproduct that they secrete are all different types of you know, acids and biofilms and so forth, that create problems in your mouth. So when your mouth is the least effective at protecting itself, that's the time when you need it to be its cleanest. And so, Western diets you know, we eat a lot of you know, carbs and junks and sugars and so forth. So obviously, the cleaner you keep it, the better it is. And so, you know, people have kind of fallen into a rhythm of do it in the morning after you eat breakfast. Not before you eat breakfast, otherwise, you're just polluting the system again, and then doing it again at the end of the day.

Katie: 6:43

Yeah, that makes sense. What is so tell us what's the deal with mouthwash? I know it's a silly question. But I've just been asked to mention it is it is it fresh breath is it is it for the teeth, the gums.

Dr. Marashi: 6:54

So mouthwash now has become a little bit of a jack of all trades. But let me tell you where the confusion lies. Many people think that it is a replacement for brushing and poor flossing. And it's not. It's an adjunct to it. So it's a bonus. But it's not meant to replace either. So you know, it's better than doing nothing, but it's never going to be as effective. And, you know, when you're rinsing with it, and swishing in between the teeth, you know, it can help massage the gums and get in some of the crevices. Sometimes we're you know, just simply by that, it's almost like pressure washing your driveway with the garden hose, right. So you get a little bit of force in there. And you can get sometimes some of the residues that that that brushing and flossing might have missed, but it's not designed to replace it. And it's not something that's necessary for most people because brushing and flossing is actually that effective that if done properly. You don't need to have a mouth rinse. But there's certainly you know, as long as you're using a good quality mouthwash, and what that means is you want one that doesn't have preservatives and you don't want one that's like, you know, written with alcohol in it, then, you know, it's it's it can help but it's certainly not going to hurt in any capacity.

Katie: 8:07

Okay.

Amy: 8:08

And what do you what do you think about tongue scrapers? Because I do like you know, brush, floss, tongue, tongue scrape and then do the mouthwash. But like, what do you think about that?

Dr. Marashi: 8:18

Yeah, so tongue scrapers are great for people that have a tendency to get built up on their tongue. And that's not everybody. And you know, how would you know, stick your tongue out and look at it. So, you know, jokingly, when I see patients, I you know, and I'm doing their checkup, and I look at their tongue and if it's brown on the top, I'll say get your Panama mirror and say stick your tongue out. I'll say you have a condition called Starbucks. And you know, coffee and tea, you know, puts residue on the back. So tongue scrapers do a wonderful job of just you know, it's like a rake, right? You know, you're just scraping off that residue that because you're not even brushing your tongue is not near as effective as a tongue scraper.

Katie: 8:55

Okay? I use hydrogen peroxide to rinse. I don't know if that's good or bad. That's my mouthwash. Is that like, I'm afraid you're gonna say stop, stop,

Dr. Marashi: 9:04

stop use it straight or do I use it straight?

Katie: 9:07

Is that wrong?

Dr. Marashi: 9:10

Like how much just like a capsule

Katie: 9:11

just a little bit?

Dr. Marashi: 9:13

Yeah, I mean, most people you know, I'll tell them if they want to use peroxide. Just dilute it. You know, like if you have like a one ounce glass of water, you know, like a shot glass size, just you know, just a splash of peroxide in there. So it foams and fuzz and fizzes a little

Katie: 9:25

bit. Alright, that's my new trick.

Amy: 9:29

It does that help whiten your teeth.

Dr. Marashi: 9:31

It can so you know peroxides and gels and so forth. You know how they work is twofold. You know, there's what's called external staining on teeth and internal staining. External staining is coffee, tea, red wine, you know, the surface level discolorations on the teeth, and there's only so much that brushing can do to actually lift that off and that's why if you're a nose like when you go and you get your teeth cleaned in the dental office by the dental hygienist why they look so much whiter When it's all done, because there's been a much deeper like scrubbing actually almost kind of like cleaning your shower tiles, right, you know, and it lifts out a little bit of the external staining. And so you know, peroxide with the fuzzy with the foamy and the fizzing action can actually help break up some of those stains on there. So that's why you'll see like, you know, certain whitening toothpaste that have a peroxide in it. And basically, that's what it's doing. However, the real discoloration on teeth is from what's called internal staining. And as we all get older, the core of the tooth which it's called dentin, this is the layer that's below your tooth enamel. So enamel just for listeners, that's the hard white stuff. That's the protective surface, that's the stuff that you see. So if you think of enamel as like wearing a white button down shirt, and think of your dentin as your undershirt, so if you are wearing a white t shirt underneath your your white button down, everything looks white, but if you have like a dark brown t shirt under that white button down, now it the color shows through, you know what's going on underneath and that and your white button down doesn't look so white anymore, it looks you know, it's got a brown tinge to it. That's how teeth work. And the color of your T shirt underneath gets darker over time. So the so when you get your teeth whitened professionally or you wear these trays that have peroxide gel, what happens is the peroxide now soaks through your buttoned down shirt, your tooth enamel into the core of the tooth, the dentin, which is your brown t shirt, and essentially bleaches out the color. So it's going to try to turn that brown t shirt white. So the overall result is a wider look into

Katie: 11:39

Okay, so but now rinsing with hydrogen peroxide, not necessarily going to give us the same effect.

Dr. Marashi: 11:46

No, that's not going to get that that that'll help mildly with the external staining, but it'll never help with the internal staining on it just because it hasn't sat on the tooth long enough and it doesn't have the penance.

Katie: 11:57

Okay, that's good to know. So

Amy: 11:59

before we get into some of the more cosmetic questions, just a quick question on the teeth whitening. Is there any at home teeth whitening methods that you think are just as effective as doing it in the office? Like to get to that dentin? I love that example you gave? It's really helpful.

Dr. Marashi: 12:17

So the answer to that is yes and no. Because most people want it done immediately. So comparing an at home system to when you go to a dentist office that can be done in about 90 minutes, there's nothing over the counter that's going to do that do that amount of whitening in that short amount of time. And and the reason why the at home systems are not able to is just simply by regulation, you know, they're not safe for someone to toy around with on their own. So they have to give you a solution of the peroxide gel that severely diluted. So in order to make up for the lack of concentration on it, like the strength of it, you have to do it every day for you know, sometimes two weeks or more consistently, in order to get the compounding effect, you know that you're able to get in one fell swoop in the dentist's office. So for some people that actually works out better, because it can be more cost effective. Or maybe they have really sensitive teeth. So they actually need to have a more dilute solution to keep them from being sensitive. Okay.

Amy: 13:17

And are there any brands that you would recommend for our listeners that they could try at home that you really like?

Dr. Marashi: 13:24

Yeah, so for at home systems, you know, the playing field has increased greatly. I mean, there's a lot of good brands that have come to market. You know, probably the standard bearer of the industry has been Crest White Strips, you know, those work pretty good. And the thing is, is that these things are so inexpensive that even if you don't get a great result, you're not going to feel like if you had to sell your kidney and then you flush a bunch of toilet. There's also a system called Snow and and they do a really great job and there they have a tray and like a little light that activates the gel. That's a pretty popular one, another one by by a company called bite the YTE. And just disclaimer, I used to be affiliated with them. I'm no longer but but just for disclosure purposes. And they have a protocol right bite which is pretty good as well. It's a foamy gel that goes on the teeth.

Katie: 14:16

Okay, okay, that's great. All right. So what are the top treatments that you're doing? I mean, I would imagine veneers. I am like very passionate about someday getting veneers. I would think in LA you probably do it quite a bit.

Amy: 14:31

I've had many conversations with Katie about this. I want to hear about it.

Dr. Marashi: 14:35

So there's no question I mean across the entire profession of cosmetic dentistry that porcelain veneers, porcelain laminate veneers are the number one requested procedure and what is so fantastic about them is it is a very conservative approach to having a topical application. A little thin sliver of porcelain bonded to the front of your your to where now you can have complete control over the shape, the size, the color, and the layout of your smile. So you can take someone who has discolored teeth, slightly crooked teeth, teeth that are chipped that are cracked or just, you know, sometimes we have people that have already had braces and their teeth are straight, but they're not beautiful teeth. And so you can not only give them a beautiful smile, but you can actually improve the structure and the durability of the tooth all at the same time.

Katie: 15:34

Do you find that also, some people just have the wrong size teeth for their mouth? Or maybe their teeth doesn't fill out their smile all the way. I mean, I've seen these transformations on celebrities and before and afters and it like it takes 20 years off when you have a brand new smile with veneers, right?

Dr. Marashi: 15:50

Yes. So there's a relationship between the size of your teeth and the size of your face. And you know, when any elective cosmetic procedure is done, you know, be it teeth, it dermatology, be it plastic surgery doesn't matter. If it is done proportionately and tastefully, what happens is the person just looks like a better version of themselves. That should not be a standalone feature where you know, there's a big difference between you walking up to someone who actually knows you quite well. And they're like, Wow, you look fantastic. Versus Wow, you got big, white, and two totally different responses. And so I have always felt that your smile, you know, whether it's what Mother Nature gave you or something you have assistance from me with, it still looks like something that you were born.

Katie: 16:39

How do you? How do you know that a dentist is as good at shaping the teeth for those exact reasons that you just said? Because I mean, we've all seen where it looks like someone just has a mouth of white Chiclets. And it's very

Dr. Marashi: 16:55

obvious the thing is, you're that's one of the most important questions that your listeners should be asking if they're considering cosmetic dentistry procedure. So here's how you figure it out. First and foremost, you need to ask your dentist to show you before and after pictures of their work can't be stock photos, you have to show me examples of your work of cases that you've done. So they can get kind of an idea of the level of quality and the level of artistry that that dentist delivers. Because a little bit different for everyone, you know, you know, some people like this, some people like that, so the patient has to see what this dentist is capable, then they should be specifically asking, show me examples of cases that you have done, that have my pre existing condition that are yielding the outcome that I'm going for. And so if the dentist cannot show that to the person, they probably haven't done enough of those types of cases. Because, you know, we all document with the before and afters and you know, I've gotten a library myself of, you know, like 1000s of smiles from over the years. And, you know, I can guarantee I can show you a little bit of everything along the way. But if I were a patient, no matter how much I liked the dentist, if they said don't worry about it, it'll your it'll be okay, fine. That's a big red flag right there. Because now you're rolling the dice. And when you do these procedures, once you start, it's a one way street. So you know, there's no going back and how I know this is half of the dentistry that I do in my practice is revision cosmetic dentistry. So what that means is, someone went somewhere else, whether it was years ago, or literally a week ago, and they got How do you say this humbly, or Respectfully, an unintended result. And they've so I'm the FIX IT guy. And so now, you know, as twice as much work to you know, to do a revision case than an original. So I see this thing all the time. And it's really unfortunate that someone put their their faith and their trust, and the process didn't go the way that they were hoping it to go, right.

Katie: 19:09

And there's also all of these different. I've seen online and who knows if dentists actually use this, but like the different types of shape they have these names like the Hollywood and all that, do you know what I'm referring to? Yeah,

Dr. Marashi: 19:21

that's all arbitrary stuff. And marketing.

Katie: 19:23

Don't pay any attention

Dr. Marashi: 19:26

to it. Yeah. And I don't, I don't work, you know, they simply serve as guides for patients to kind of get an idea of what things could be or what's out there. So, you know, they they serve a little bit of purpose. But the problem is this is that if you equated this to fashion, it's like buying off the rack instead of getting something that's fully bespoke.

Amy: 19:50

That's a great analogy. Yeah. Which is so important. I mean, it is an art what you do because to make it look natural, and to make it feel like you just look like a better version of yourself. versus to Katie's point of like some crazy smile. It's, you know, you do have to be very, very careful who you're going to Yeah, I didn't really know about veneers until I saw like Kyle Richards get that big transformation a few years ago, from Housewives of Beverly Hills, because I never even noticed her teeth before. And then she had this whole, I don't know, revision down on her teeth. And I was like, wow, that it makes such a big difference, and probably, to Katie's point took like 20 years off of her age. So it's just such a cool procedure. I did have a question about the teeth underneath, like, do your teeth have to be straight to get veneers or like, even if they're crooked? Can you get them in? Is that bad? Like, what happens to the teeth underneath?

Dr. Marashi: 20:41

Yeah, that's a great question. So in a perfect world, the teeth are already straight to begin with. And the advantage of starting with them when they're already straight, is that the application process of the veneer to the tooth is just incredibly conservative, which means that it can just be directly adhered to the tooth, or the modification to the tooth surface is next to nothing. So that that is the best and the ideal way of doing it. You can you can do veneer cases with mild to moderately crooked teeth, depending on on, you know how and where they are in the mouth. And you're going to require a little more tooth modification. Now, let me let me be really in depth on what tooth modification means. In order to get the veneer on the tooth of the tooth in the wrong spot, you've essentially got to shave part of the tooth to make room for the porcelain to adhere. So think of it like this. If you got a tooth that sticking out, that's buck, and you put something on top of it now it's even more buck, do you follow on? Right? So how do you compensate for that, if the tooth has to come back in a little bit, you got to shave a little bit off the front of the tooth. So when you put the put the new front on the tooth, it's it's sticking its its position is in the correct position, it's not sticking out too far. So so the farther something sticks out, the more you got to grind away to get the so when you add to it, it's not out too far. I don't know if that's making sense what I'm describing. So, you know, I'll always advise patients say, hey, look, you know, if, if, if your teeth are sticking out a little too far, you know, maybe we do a very, you know, short course of orthodontics, or Invisalign, or something for like two months or three months. I mean, like, like anybody can put up with anything for two or three months, it's not a big deal to set it up, and then you're far more conservative with the teeth. But most of the time, you know, like if the teeth are just mildly crooked on the bottom or a little bit on the top, you can veneer the teeth with without really having any significant consequence to it and do it safely and predictably. Nice. Yeah,

Katie: 22:46

I'm sure it's much easier. Okay. Well, I want to know, are there any other like top of the line innovative treatments that you're doing? Or what are these fabulous celebrities that are coming to you for what are they doing?

Dr. Marashi: 22:56

So you know, it's a combination, you know, veneers. First and foremost, you know, we've already talked about that. And, you know, and how that relates to celebrities is, you know, these are people where their appearance, you know, and their livelihood or directly, you know, it's it's tied to the work. There's no question about that the number one request that I'm getting from celebrities, regardless of what procedure that we're doing, is to make it look incredibly natural. Cosmetic Dentistry ran enthusiastically in the wrong direction for years with these silly big, oversized white choppers. And everybody's seen it. And you know, we all know the jokes about coarse teeth and so forth. And that's never sat well with me. And I think one of the reasons why I've been so blessed to have such a tremendous loyal following from people in Hollywood, is my dentistry looks incredibly natural, people don't know. And that's really how people want to look, you know, it's just people look great. So moving outside the realm of veneers, teeth whitening obviously comes into play because people want to have a nice color. So this would be for people who don't have veneers. And then the third treatment, which has really skyrocketed in demand and use is what are called clear aligners. Now, you guys have probably heard of something called Invisalign before they're like clear braces, and for years in dentistry, you know, like, like, that was a great alternative to getting metal braces. And you know, you'd go to your dentist or orthodontist and get these things. But what has totally transformed that particular treatment modality is that it can be done remotely now and it can be done direct to consumer while still being dentist supervised. Now, I got a full disclaimer because I was part of a company that that built and developed one of these so I'll give a shameless plug even though I don't work for him anymore. But my company byte B yt e, has become one of the juggernauts in the industry and during the pandemic Neck, it was absolutely insane what happened, because think about it, we're all sitting at home. And now when you're having a conversation with someone, instead of just looking at your friend, you're stuck looking at yourself on the zoom camera, right? We're like, holy cow, look at my teeth. What am I going to do about this, but they couldn't go see their dentist. So having a direct to consumer solution that was dentists supervise, where people now could actually get access, you know, remotely, and have these trays sent to them, where they could move their teeth, and do it from the comfort of their own home has totally changed the game. And, you know, our company was acquired by DENTSPLY Sirona, which is like the juggernaut of the of the dental space, like they make everything from like bonding materials, to the dental chairs, and all that stuff. They have like a $12 billion market cap, and they bought our company for a billion dollar congrats. And so would that be Wow. So if that tells you about the Marketplace demand for this treatment, and it's made it now, because it's done remotely. You know, like, if you're a celebrity, you don't have to be stuck in Los Angeles to go back to your dentist to do this, you can be on location or on the other side of the world, and still have access to, you know, to your trays and the aligners and just and so it's created mobility for people to go out and do this. And this is a one way street. And you know, technology is the large part that's responsible for it. And there's some other players in this space as well, I won't shamelessly plug them. But you know, coming back full circle hairs that the demand for clear aligners has really skyrocketed, and it's just, it's cost effective. It's it does a great job with the teeth, and they've even structured these things that you can whiten your teeth while you're wearing up. So you kind of get a bit of a twofer.

Katie: 26:51

That's nice.

Amy: 26:52

And are those what are the aligners? Are they trays their tray? And do you wear them? Like how long do you wear them for a day? Or does it depend on the case or

Dr. Marashi: 27:00

Well, yeah, it depends on the case. But you know, like, I'll go back to bite again. But so for regular clear aligner therapy, you wear them around the clock. And because if they're not in your mouth, they're not moving the teeth plain and simple. But they also have an at night only solution. So you need to wear it, you know, about eight to 10 hours a day. And how that works compared to the conventional approach is that the material is up the train material itself is a lot thicker. So if if either you had braces as a high school kid, or in middle school, you remember when you got your braces tightened, and you're just like, oh, there it is. And you know, you felt like you know all that pressure, you know, torquing on the teeth, because that's what's causing the tooth movement. So imagine, you know, a thicker and tighter fitting tray that says, Alright, it's time to get to work fellas, and you know, it's really putting pressure on the teeth to move them. So so it does more in less time. Now, that the secret weapon that the clear aligner treatments have or at least with bite is, there is a sonic mouthpiece that you use five minutes a day, and you actually bite your teeth on top of it. It's called a hyper bite. And what it does is it vibrates the teeth at an ultrasonic speed. So you know, it doesn't hurt or anything like that. But the vibration movements actually stimulates bone remodeling in the jaw, so it can move the tooth roots through the bone faster and more comfortably. And so that's a little game changer as well. And as a result, you have less of the squeezing or torquing sensation that sometimes you'll say, Oh yeah, my teeth hurt because I got my braces tightened, and it moves it you know, upwards at twice the speed. That's amazing.

Amy: 28:41

You know that that whole technology is pretty incredible. Because I've known a lot of like women and men as they get older, it seems like even though they had braces when they were younger, they're getting braces as adults, or Invisalign. But I always see people with Invisalign seemed like such a pain because if there's things on their teeth, and they're always taking on and off the trays, but I never knew this technology was so big or really knew that it existed. So that is such a good opportunity for people who don't have time who like can't go back and forth to the dentist, but can get that taken care of. And either were used to like at night or during the day and like kind of at their own. It just seems like so much more streamlined. And that's that's a great solution.

Dr. Marashi: 29:18

It is and you know what the best part about it is is and this is why you know, I I decided to get involved with this company. I was part of the founding team. The problem that I was looking to solve in dentistry was this. It's like look, you know, I've been blessed in my career right because I get to be Doctor fancy pants, but no matter how you slice it and dice it dentistry is expensive. And on top of it, you know, it does take work to come and see me or see or like like how do you go and see a dentist at noon on a Wednesday. I mean, you know, we're all working right? So you got to miss work and then you got to commute there and you got to commute back and it's time and time is very valuable to everyone. So I had thought to myself like gosh could there'll be a quality dental product or service that could be cost effective, and eliminate the accessibility issue and create, you know, more time convenience for people that could be done at scale. And that was, you know, that's where my head was on this, like, how could we do something like this? And so, you know, it was really just about trying to try to solve a problem. And then, you know, it ended up becoming, you know, this massive success. And I, you know, I'm really proud of what was done because you think about it like orthodontics and clear aligners should not be, you know, only available for, you know, for, for rich people, you know, why, why couldn't it be done at at a, at a price point where more people can have access to care. And I think that that's a really big important thing. And, and, you know, the clear aligner market with DTC and especially with what bite did, they shattered that, that you know, that that glass ceiling and lowered the barrier for entry for, you know, for literally millions of people, that's fantastic. So let's

Amy: 31:05

move into your life and how you incorporate well being because as I was saying earlier, it sounds like you really integrate play into your life. And one of the things I read was that you feed your inner child and soul through skateboarding, which is your true passion. So I'd love to hear about that, because that just seems so counter to what I would think so

Dr. Marashi: 31:27

it is, it's like my Clark Kent, Superman alter ego. And, you know, I would start by saying this, you know, my whole life, there's only two things I ever wanted to do. And it was going to be a dentist, or professional skateboarder. That's it, and the way that the cards fell, you know, it probably worked out for the better that I ended up becoming, you know, professional dentist and amateur skateboarder, the other way around. But, you know, I started skateboarding when I was 12 years old. And, you know, once I set set foot on that board, you know, here it is, you know, I'm 48, now, almost 49. So it's, you know, 3637 years later, and I'm still skateboarding, you know, I, I stepped on it, and I never stepped off. And it's been, you know, for me, it represents so many things, you know, it's fun, it's freedom, it's creativity, and there's no rules to it, you know, and it doesn't matter. If you're young, if you're old, if you're male, if you're female, if you're rich or poor, you just step on this thing, and you just do what you want. And it's a great count, it ended up being an incredible counterbalance for dentistry, because dentistry, there's a lot of rules that you follow, and it's very disciplined. And, you know, what I would say is like, the one freedom you have in dentistry is in the artistic expression, which I that's my favorite part of it. But if you're not following the rules, and you're not disciplined with the technique and the science behind it, you know, you're not going to be a very good dentist. So I feel like they, they really counterbalance one another. And that's why it's always confused me why a dentist would want to play golf, because golf is good, more dentistry? Like, you know, when I walk away from the office, I mean, something that's, you know, that's the opposite of it. And yeah, no, I didn't, you know, if you would have told me when I was like, say, 14, hey, you know, you're gonna be like, almost middle age, and still skateboarding. And I don't know, if I would have thought that that was even possible. But, you know, you know, now we're all getting older. And actually, last Friday, I was with Tony Hawk at this event in Salt Lake City. And, and I'm on his board of advocates for the skate park project, and we help get skate parks built, you know, globally, we've done over 400 and, and a lot of them are based in communities that are underserved. Some of them have higher concentrations of at risk youth. So, you know, it puts something in the community for for kids to go to and have a positive outlet. And, and it's really just, you know, a very positive open source community, you know, for, for people that have to go and skate. And so it's been, you know, a real dream, like, you know, here it is, all these years later. And, and, you know, and how all this stuff came to fruition for me was through dentistry, which I never would have imagined in a million.

Katie: 34:08

That's amazing. That's really cool. My husband, which is Amy's brother, is he was a skater when he was in high school, but he did at some point stop and he can't go back because he's for sure lost his skateboarding skill. He's your age. And I'm afraid if he got on there, he would definitely be going to the dentist with broken teeth, but He idolizes Tony Hawk as well. So that's, that's very, very cool that you work with them?

Dr. Marashi: 34:30

Well, there is a saying there's a famous skateboarder from the 70s as part of the Dogtown crew, and he goes, and he says, You didn't get old and quit skateboarding, you quit skateboarding and got old and I think it's, you know, part of that they use it or lose it and outright.

Amy: 34:47

It's so true. It's so true. So how are you balancing all of your incredible work and family and pastimes like the smile on your face? How do you do it all? Which akitas key success?

Dr. Marashi: 35:02

It's a great question. And if I had to use one word, it's or maybe two words, it's really about, it's about understanding your priorities and being disciplined. And, you know, there's not that it's not easy. And, you know, as I've gotten older, what I've learned is that you have to really understand, you know, what's important to you. And you have to have the ability to say no to a lot of things. Because if you say yes to too many things, now, what you've done is you've diluted yourself, and you're not going to get done the things that are most important to you, you know, as, over time, it is really sort of pared down, you know, like, I have my work, obviously. And, you know, like, you know, Monday through Friday, I'm sitting at home at my dinner table with my

family at 6: 35:46

30pm. And before we start eating, we go around the table, and everyone takes a turn says what the best part of their day was, and that's how it's time to reconnect and understand, you know, like, what was going on and so forth. And, and that's really meaningful for me. And, you know, my health is really important to me as well, you know, like, I sleep track, and, you know, I make sure that I get at least my seven and a half hours, and, you know, I, you know, I rarely drink and I eat a clean diet. And, you know, like skateboarding, I try to put it in at the times where, you know, either maybe the kids are an act or an activity or, you know, like, I can't go to the skate park all the time, I convinced my wife to let me put a halfpipe in the backyard. And that's, that's a whole nother conversation. But I can go out in the backyard and skate. So you know, it's really just about trying to design your life around the things that are the most important to you, and focus on those things, focus on fewer things better. And I think you know, you, you certainly get a lot more enjoyment and fulfillment out of

Katie: 36:47

it. Yeah, that's very well said.

Amy: 36:48

Yeah. That's a very good reminder. Absolutely.

Katie: 36:52

Well, lastly, how can our listeners find you so we know you're, you're in the LA area?

Dr. Marashi: 36:58

Well, the best is probably through Instagram, for sure. And you know, my handle is at Dr. John Marashi. Dr. J, O N. Ma ra Shi Great.

Amy: 37:10

before we, before we close out, we want to go through our quick wrap session with you to get your quick responses to the following questions. You ready? Let's do it. Okay, what is your favorite wellness or beauty hack? Sleep? Make sense? Okay. Five minute flow, which is what we like to call and this is probably more straightforward for you. But you can man, this the women we have on our show, but we'll ask you anyway. So you just got out of the shower. Or let's say you're going out on a Saturday night, you just got out of the shower dried off. Uber just alerted you, they're five minutes away. How do you get ready? What do you put on your face? What do you like? How do you get ready to get out the door. In that car on time, you know, I

Dr. Marashi: 37:55

put a little facial moisturizer on. Yeah, I've had a little too much sun damage over the years. So I do like, you know, my skin, my skincare routine is very minimal. But you know, I do like putting a little moisturizer on. And honestly, like, I even wear my hair shorter this days, you know, and just put, you know, a little bit of kind of, you know, like pomade in it, and you know, it can air dry quickly. And the other thing I've learned too, and it's funny because I'm a guy who really likes fashion. But even my wardrobe is a little more muted. And what I've learned is like, like, you know, a pair of dark denim jeans and a black T shirt, you know, with with you know, with like a cool jacket, you can like you can get you can almost fit in in any social setting with that. So totally, it's quick and easy and out the door.

Amy: 38:38

Nice. And how do you maintain your daily nirvana.

Dr. Marashi: 38:41

You know what it is, when I drive to work in the morning, I do what's called priming and you know, priming is sort of my, my, you know, my, my meditation or, you know, sort of my positive affirmations. And I'll share with what it is it goes, you know, the purpose of my life is to be the smile maker, enjoy the gift of my family, and give love and gratitude to myself and others. And I repeat that over and over. And you know, I've been doing it for years and it really sets my tone you know, it helps me understand my purpose is you know, is to give people smiles and in turn, it gives them confidence. And, you know, my family is so dang important to me. And it's also reminding me like, Hey, don't be hard on yourself and beak and and just be mindful, you know of what's going on in other people's lives. That's

Katie: 39:30

really beautiful. I love that. I

Amy: 39:32

love that. That's great. And you I need to create that for

Katie: 39:35

myself framing. It's your it's your priming moment. Yeah, it's

Dr. Marashi: 39:39

something that I learned from I've done a lot of courses but Tony Robbins and that's, you know,

Katie: 39:43

been a big inspiration. That's amazing. Yeah. All right. Well, thank

Amy: 39:47

you very much. It's been so nice. Yeah, this has been so enlightening. And I just love that you're so grounded and so into like prioritizing what's important and your well being And that's all we're about as well. And it's just really nice to see that you are, you know, this big celebrity dentists and doing all these things, but you're also really grounded and down to earth and have the right priorities in place. So we appreciate that and we will definitely be visiting you next time we're in LA.

Dr. Marashi: 40:19

It's an honor and a privilege to share time with you this we

Katie: 40:21

really appreciate you making time for us. We know how busy you are, and our listeners are gonna love everything, all of your tips, and we're very grateful. Thank you for your time.

Amy: 40:29

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.