Top 5 Topics:

- Surgical Resident's Viral Balloon Art Side Project to Crush $400K Student Debt

- Getting Roasted by Stephen Colbert – Then Turning Him Into a Giant Balloon Sculpture

- Brutal Reality of First-Year OMFS Residency: Trauma, Burns, 1-3 AM Lessons & Call Nights

- How a Busy Surgical Resident Balances Insane Hours with Viral Content Creation & Balloon Twisting

- Spreading Joy in the Hospital with Surprise Life-Size Balloons (Heartwarming + Funny Stories)

Quotes & Wisdom:

“It doesn’t get easier as someone once told me, you just get better at it.” – Brandon Axelrod on first-year residency

“You’re going to learn the most between the hours of like 1 and 3 AM… experiences that stick with you.” – Brandon Axelrod (quoting a senior resident)

“You don’t have to tear someone else’s building down for you to have the highest building in town.” – Brendan (on staying focused on your own growth)

“It doesn’t mean you have to become a robot to residency. You should keep up with the things that were important to you in some capacity.” – Brandon Axelrod (on balancing residency with passions like balloon art)

“I think it’s very important to be on social media as a provider… patients need to see you on a humanistic level.” – Brandon Axelrod

“The videos don’t need to be perfect… Just post it.” – Brandon Axelrod on content creation during a busy residency schedule

“I thought the balloon was in the garbage somewhere, but in reality it made it to this kid’s hospital room and it was like, this is the greatest thing ever.” – Brandon Axelrod (heartwarming story of the lobby balloon reaching a sick child)

“Keep making content… keep showing your personality. Keep giving people an idea of what the residency experience is really like. It’s finite time.” – Brendan (encouraging residents to document their journey)

“You get used to being uncomfortable. And that’s where you make the biggest progress.” – Brandon Axelrod on growth in residency

Questions:

(04:56) Brandon Axelrod: “How was the exam? What was that process like?”

(16:06) Brendan: “What are those 2 hospitals you’re covering and where are you living right now?”

(30:26) Brandon Axelrod: “How have you adjusted? … how do you see it now?” (on social media and content creation while in residency)

(38:54) Brendan: “Did you hear about the guy at the Mayo Clinic?”

(49:45) Brandon Axelrod: “Do you like being out and done with residency? Like what’s it feel like?”

(59:26) Brendan: “How many times a week are you on call? … What’s your call schedule looking like as a first year?”

Now available on:

- Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast & YouTube Channel

- Dose of Dental Podcast #219

My watch in this episode = Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 16 Chrono

- 4.2026

#podcast #dentalpodcast #doctor #dentist #dentistry #oralsurgery #dental #dentalschool #dentalstudent #oralsurgeon #doctorgallagher #doctorgallagherspodcast