The Dentalpreneur Podcast Archives - Page 3 of 261

On today’s episode, Alastair MacDonald joins Dr. Mark Costes during the Dental Success Summit 2026 for a powerful conversation on dental practice partnerships, equity, growth, and retention. Together, they unpack why many partnerships fail, especially when they are built from fear, scarcity, or a desire to retain an associate before that person is truly qualified for ownership.

Alastair explains the difference between giving equity as a reaction and designing a partnership with clear incentives, contribution, responsibility, authority, and long-term alignment. He also breaks down why high-producing associates are not always the best ownership candidates, how to think about qualification versus qualities, and why owners must use math, structure, and honest conversations to determine whether partnership, increased compensation, or another path makes the most sense.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Roza Ghamari, CEO and co-founder of Healink, for a conversation about AI, patient engagement, and solving one of dentistry’s biggest challenges: treatment acceptance. Roza shares her journey from studying computer science and working as a technical lead at Google and Meta to launching a healthcare technology company with her brother, a dentist who saw firsthand how many patients left the office with treatment plans but never returned.

She explains how Healink gives patients secure, interactive access to their treatment information after the visit, helping them better understand their oral health, review pending care, request appointments, and stay engaged without relying solely on manual follow-up calls. Roza also discusses how AI, automation, and smart patient nudges can reduce front office workload, improve reactivation, lower no-shows, and create a more modern, trust-building patient experience.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes answers listener questions from inside DSN in this Ask Me Anything segment. He starts with a deep dive into the realities of transitioning a PPO-heavy practice in a working-class market toward an out-of-network model, including the importance of understanding patient psychology, calculating attrition risk, training the team on unified language, and moving slowly by dropping lower-paying plans first.

Mark also discusses why execution often breaks down inside practices, emphasizing the need for culture, accountability, simple systems, clear deadlines, and avoiding too many new initiatives at once. He then shares insight on identifying and nurturing key team members, building contagious vision, creating a workplace people want to stay in, and using hands-on training to strengthen front office performance. The episode also highlights Smile Outreach International’s mission, how clinic locations are chosen, and what’s ahead for upcoming DSN events and the annual gala.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Paul Goodman, also known as Dr. Nacho, speaks during the Dental Success Summit 2026 about why associate dentists leave and how practice owners can create a more fulfilling, aligned experience for them. With his signature humor and practical communication style, Paul shares how the words dentists use can shape trust, reduce fear, and make the dental office feel less “weird” for patients and team members.

He breaks down key reasons associate relationships go sideways, from unclear expectations and poor interview processes to lack of mentorship, toxic culture, and pay confusion. Paul also introduces the “M&Ms” that matter most to associate dentists: money, mentorship, morale, and meeting expectations, while encouraging owners to create better systems, more transparency, stronger training, and a culture that helps associates thrive.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Bill Keith speaks during the Dental Success Summit 2026 about understanding your freedom number and building a practice with a clear destination in mind. Drawing from his background in finance, practice ownership, real estate, and DSO leadership, Dr. Keith explains the difference between retirement and true financial freedom, emphasizing that passive income, not active income, is what creates real optionality.

He walks through how dentists can calculate the lifestyle they want, gross it up for taxes, apply a safe withdrawal rate, and evaluate how their practice value, real estate, investments, and business cash flow contribute to that number. Dr. Keith also shares his own journey from buying his father’s practice and scaling it, to joining Dental Success Institute, building Dental Success Partners, and choosing a path that gave him more freedom to do the work he loves.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes back Troy W. Eckard for a timely conversation about oil and gas, global energy demand, and how current economic uncertainty is shaping investor behavior. Troy shares why he believes fossil fuels remain essential to modern economies, how geopolitical conflict and supply constraints are impacting energy markets, and why rising oil and gas prices could affect everything from transportation and utilities to consumer spending and business costs.

He also discusses the importance of capital preservation, cash flow, tax strategy, and hard-asset investing in a volatile environment. Troy breaks down the difference between mineral rights and working interests, explains how investors can think about allocating capital based on their tax needs and income goals, and emphasizes the importance of vetting operators with real track records before entering the oil and gas space.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Dr. Chaz Vittitow, also known as Dr. Chaz, for a conversation about military dentistry, startup ownership, mentorship, and building a career with intention. Dr. Chaz shares how his father’s example as a dentist first inspired him to pursue the profession, then walks through his path from the University of Kentucky to serving as a dentist in the U.S. Navy across San Diego, Sicily, and Whidbey Island.

He reflects on the leadership lessons, clinical foundations, and worldview he gained through military service before transitioning into associateship and eventually launching a startup practice in Bellingham, Washington. Mark and Dr. Chaz also discuss the value of choosing the right practice model, leveraging team members through expanded functions, focusing on select clinical strengths, and using mentorship, content, and resources like Glidewell to help dentists jumpstart their careers with greater clarity and confidence.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Ralf Tomandl, COO of HR for Health, live from Thrive Live 2026 in Las Vegas. Ralf shares his journey through the dental industry, from his early days with 1-800-DENTIST to helping bring technology-driven HR solutions to dental practices across the country. He and Mark discuss why HR is often overlooked by practice owners, how state-by-state compliance differences can create major risk, and why employee handbooks, onboarding documents, time tracking, PTO, licensing, and CE management should not be handled manually.

Ralf also breaks down common HR pitfalls, including W-2 versus 1099 classifications, wage and hour claims, remote employee requirements, documentation around performance issues, and the importance of creating a workplace where team members feel supported, protected, and more likely to stay.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Wendy Briggs live from Thrive Live 2026 in Las Vegas. Wendy shares her perspective on the current state of dental hygiene, including the ongoing provider shortage, rising wages, temp labor trends, and the growing need for practices to shift from hiring to recruiting. She explains how strong hygiene departments are built through better systems, clearer communication, elevated patient care, and compensation models that create wins for the patient, the provider, and the practice.

Wendy and Mark also discuss assisted hygiene, risk assessment, preventive therapy, periodontal care, treatment advocacy, and how hygienists can help drive treatment acceptance by making conditions visual and partnering more effectively with the doctor. Throughout the conversation, Wendy emphasizes that production should never be the goal, but rather the natural result of serving patients at the highest possible level.

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On today’s episode, Dr. Addison Killeen speaks during the Dental Success Summit 2026 about building a stress-free hygiene system that creates clarity, consistency, and less decision fatigue inside the practice. He breaks down the real stress many dentists are feeling right now, from staffing shortages to burnout, and explains why weak hygiene systems can spill over into the entire practice.

Dr. Killeen introduces a practical five-by-five method: five meetings over five weeks focused on clinical protocols, standardized verbiage, stronger handoffs, the right hygiene KPIs, and a functional block schedule. He also shares how better systems can help hygienists communicate more confidently, improve perio diagnosis and treatment acceptance, protect valuable appointment blocks, and give doctors more energy for the decisions that matter most.

Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast!

EPISODE RESOURCES

2582: Partnerships-Navigating Equity, Growth and Retention

2581: How AI Can Improve Case Acceptance

2580: The Truth About Going Out of Network

2579: Why Associates Leave and How To Keep Them

2578: Grow for What

2577: Protecting Capital in a Chaotic Economy

2576: From Navy Dentistry to Practice Ownership

2575: How to Keep Your Team Compliant and Supported

2574: Turning Hygiene Challenges Into Practice Growth

2573: The Stress-Free Hygiene System